Taking on the Bistro Burger. Photo: Jennifer Lawinski
What do "dessert nachos" made of cookies and cakes, deep-fried dumplings and a loaded double cheeseburger have in common?
They were all on the menu for the This Is Why You're Fat "Eat and Tweet" challenge to celebrate the launch of the popular blog's new book of the same name (tag line: where dreams become heart attacks).
This Is Why You're Fat tweeted the locations of six Manhattan food trucks and the first person to send in pics of all six fattening treats won a party for 25 friends from the food truck of their choice and a copy of the "This Is Why You're Fat" book by blog founders Jessica Amason and Richard Blakeley.
There is more to New York City and Philadelphia than cheesecake and cheesesteaks, but don't tell that to the U.S. Senate.
The most powerful elected representatives from both New York and Pennsylvania have made a polite World Series food wager on the eve of the baseball match-up. If the Phillies win, Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey will get New York cheesecake. If the Yankees win, Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand get Philly cheesesteaks.
What cliché and unoriginal choices, especially since both those old standbys can be found in the food court of any American mall. They don't accurately reflect the soul of either city. What two foods best sum up these two complex metropolises?
On the heels of the release of the Michelin Guide's roundup of New York's best eateries, Zagat has unveiled its diner-chosen picks for the best of Gotham eats.
Zagat compiles its listings through surveys submitted by diners in New York. This year, the guide found New Yorkers dining out less because of the current economic climate (about 3.0 times per week now versus 3.3 to 3.4 times a week last year).
Strawberry gelato and sweet-pea sformato. Photo: Sara Bonisteel.
StarChefs, the "magazine for culinary insiders," celebrated New York's "Rising Stars" on Tuesday with a gala tasting in New York City.
Slashfood popped in to check out the fare and gaze at culinary stars like honoree and "Top Chef" Season One winner Harold Dieterle and Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto (whose New York restaurant Chef Jamison Blankenship was honored and whipped up a bouillabaisse) as well as Babyface (who knew the hitmaker was a foodie?).
Del Posto's pastry chef, Brooks Headley, paired pea shoots with strawberry gelato, while mixologist Maxwell Britten made Gingerbutter Collins with scotch whiskey. Best overheard conversation of the night: "She puts bacon in everything now, even chocolate chip cookies." We'll have to try that.
New York's Tavern on the Green. Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images
New York's historic Tavern on the Green has filed for bankruptcy just days after New York City awarded a new restaurateur the license to operate the Central Park eatery.
Jennifer Oz LeRoy, the chief executive of the restaurant, said the Chapter 11 filing is "our only alternative given the current situation." On Aug. 28, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation awarded Dean Poll a 20-year operating license for the space on the west side of Central Park. The LeRoy family has run the restaurant since the 1970s.
But will Tavern on the Green remain open in the interim?
New York's Tavern on the Green. Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images
New York's historic Tavern on the Green may get a name change now that a new restaurateur will be running the space.
Dean Poll, who on Friday won a 20-year lease for the historic Central Park restaurant, says he may change the name of the iconic restaurant rather than lease the name from the previous restaurateur, Jennifer Oz LeRoy. Poll has said that while the name "has history," a new one would be "fresh," according to the Associated Press.
Shelley Clark, a spokeswoman for the LeRoy family, told Slashfood on Monday that "anything in this world is possible" in regards to the leasing of the name and that "the family is committed to the brand and determined it will have a future."
A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly establishments across the country.
In New York City, August struck for real last Saturday. With the last bastion of summer upon us and only a few more weeks of heat before the weather starts to cool off, all the remaining weekends are "getaway day" musts!
For America's largest city, getting away often means heading to the shores of Long Island. In the waterfront village of Patchogue, patrons at Bobbique can grab great barbecue and great beer all in one spot ... and hear live blues music on the side. Brews, blues and barbecues: If those things don't say summer, what does?
Still, according to manager Jessica Higgins, "Business booms all year round. We have such a diverse selection of beers; we attract a lot of locals." And local patrons like local beers. "We try to stock at least one Blue Point on draft, which is extremely local," Higgins says, referring to the Long Island brewery located less than a mile from their door. "We keep some Brooklyns on too, but we also like to showcase a lot of beers you can't get anywhere else."
The Good Beer Seal of approval. Photo: goodbeerseal.com.
Earlier today, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially proclaimed July to be "Good Beer Month." The declaration came at the request of a local collective known as "the Good Beer Seal."
Founded earlier this year by bar owners Garry Gillis (Burp Castle and Standings), Ray Deter (d.b.a.) and Jimmy Carbone (Jimmy's No. 43), the group strives to "recognize establishments that pride themselves on serving quality, craft beers." With only 15 recognized bars in a city of more than 8 million people, the Seal has yet to become the definitive icon for the city's best spots for suds, but Carbone admits things are still getting off the ground. "We really didn't expect the mayor to make the proclamation," he humbly admits.
For a nascent organization, receiving a mayoral decree after simply writing him a "nice letter" is quite a feat. Carbone believes GBS's support of programs for sustainable food and insistence that members have an "active community presence" was an important factor. "A lot of bars don't make such a good community impact," he told us.
"It's OK," François Payard told the assembled schoolchildren, many of whom looked suspicious. "The first time my girlfriend made me this pizza I tried to run out the door."
A world-renowned chef consoling kids about the charms of pizza? There's a role reversal. But many of them had folded their arms and were eyeing the pastry czar as he basted a whole wheat pita with sauce, lentils and -- gasp -- tofu. New Yorkers, even young ones up, know their pizza pies. Tofu is not usually part of the bargain.
The reaction to those pizzas and soy chocolate mousse, after the jump.
Call it the Summer of the Street Vendor: Food trucks and carts are, it seems, this season's version of artisanal pickles or pastured meats. Whether you live in Los Angeles, Portland or New York, each day seems to spawn a new vendor -- and they're not selling your granddad's dirty-water dogs.
Words like "organic," "natural" and "handmade" are being slapped on everything from burritos to burgers, giving street meat an almost saintly aura and the occupation of street vendor a previously unheard of cachet. Street cart fever has spawned all sorts of coverage, from city-specific blogs to nationwide podcasts like VendrTV.
As with other low-profile aspects of the food industry that have suddenly found themselves ready for their close-ups, the sudden glamour of the street vendor trade obscures the everyday challenges -- some small, some overwhelming -- that come with selling food (no matter how pedigreed) from a big metal box on wheels.
Interviews with two vendors and a call to Slashfoodies to help us find great American street vendors after the jump.
Why aren't egg creams more popular? They're easy, they're cheap and they're one of the less hazardous methods of getting one's chocolate fix (low-carb fans take note). In New York City, they're practically an official beverage, with such august practitioners as Gem Spa on Second Avenue, Ray's on Avenue A and, of course, Junior's out in Brooklyn. You can even buy an egg cream kit!
This delightful beverage is hard to find beyond Gotham, however, and the few bottled varieties out there simply don't measure up. No, best to mix it up yourself: All you need is about one-half cup of milk, a few tablespoons of chocolate syrup (many swear by Fox's U-Bet, but Hershey's will do in a pinch) and about a cup of seltzer. There is some dispute as to whether to pour the syrup or the milk into your glass first, but mix them up with a long-handled spoon, then add the seltzer straight down the middle. Other flavors can be made by changing up the syrup, although again, the purists would squawk. Don't even go into the squabbles of who invented it or how -- the only thing egg cream fans can agree upon is that we'll have another.
A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.
The Ginger Man began as a Houston legend. Opening in 1985, some consider it to be the first true multi-tap bar in America. By 1994, locations had opened in Dallas and Austin making it a Texas-wide phenomenon (a fourth establishment opened in Fort Worth in 2007). And in 1996, The Ginger Man moved up to the big city (though, yes, Houston is quite a big city) when a "cousin" location, inspired by that original Ginger Man spirit, opened in New York City where people pronounce the word Houston a little bit differently. (Since that time, the NYC pub has even expanded with two locations in Connecticut, Greenwich and Norwalk. Phew.)
But let's get back to that original Ginger Man. Still going strong well over 20 years later, The Ginger Man has taken up the power of the internet to keep their current draft list online. As they say on their site: "We're making a new effort to keep [our draught beer list] page updated, since it is arguably the most important page on the whole web site." Here, here.
After the jump, let's take a look at what The Ginger Man is currently serving up on tap...
Financial times are tough, but lobster is newly affordable!
If you consider lobster out of your financial reach normally, you'll be surprised and delighted to find that the financial crisis has hit shellfish. According to this article in the New York Times, lobster is as much as $4 less expensive than this time last year at markets in New York City.
Apparently, while less-well-funded fish have had problems, lobster fisheries have become quite successful and sustainable over the years, meaning that there's just as much if not more product available. People aren't willing to pay what they used to for lobster right now, and they don't have to.
Perhaps this is your chance to dive into this elite culinary world for the first time! Start here to figure out what to do with lobster (from killing to grilling), and enjoy your luxurious dinner!
At New York City's Roasting Plant Coffee Company (81 Orchard St. between Broome and Grand streets, and 75 Greenwich Ave. at Seventh Ave., 212-775-7755), they have to-die-for hot chocolate. The recipe is shockingly simple, and you can make it at home!
The secret? Gelato.
Go buy a pint of your favorite chocolate gelato (dark chocolate is recommeneded), put a scoop in a mug, and let it melt. Add steamed milk to taste. Top it with marshmallows or whipped cream and chocolate chips (right). Done! Classy, frothy hot chocolate with a divine, rich flavor.
If you want pre-melted gelato at your beck and call (pour steamed milk on frozen gelato and you get "lukewarm chocolate"), keep some in your fridge in a sealable tupperware container, and use it within two days.
Financial times are tough, but lobster is newly affordable!
At New York City's 
What Can I Get You Folks? - Server Revenge
Reality-Show Celebrities Serve Up Chef Curtis Stone's 'Hundred-Dollar Burger'
Foods Celebrity Chefs Hate
