"New York City" news and stories

After months of controversy, the first of New York City's 24,000 restaurants received a letter grade for cleanliness and food safety under the city health department's new program.

Spark's Deli, a 24-seat eatery in Queens, got an "A" on Wednesday after a two-hour inspection the day before, the Wall Street Journal reported. Restaurants around the city will receive A, B or C grades which must be displayed in restaurant windows.

The city also unveiled a new restaurant inspection web site, designed to help customers make restaurant decisions based on hygiene practices and food safety, health department deputy commissioner Daniel Kass told the New York Times.

While all restaurants can appeal B or C grades, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said it expects most restaurants to earn B grades. That, however, doesn't mean they are unsafe.

New York City may be known for a plethora of culinary delights -- pizza, bagels, knishes and more -- but authentic regional BBQ has seldomly been counted in its repertoire. However, as the 8th Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party took over Manhattan this past weekend, 17 famous pitmasters flooded in from BBQ capitals around the country to share their meaty goods with an estimated 100,000 New Yorkers.

Organized by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, Jazz Standard and Blue Smoke, the event featured BBQ meats galore, live music by acts like Bob Schneider, Carolyn Wonderland and Nick Curran & The Lowlifes, plus a slew of free cooking demos and culinary discussions in the Every Day with Rachael Ray seminar tents.

The event skewed toward beef and pork, as ribs and whole hog dominated the menu, most notably by the Texas Salt & Pepper Beef Ribs of New York's Blue Smoke pitmaster Ken Callaghan, the succulent, fall-off-the-bone sweet St. Louis-style ribs from Dallas's Baker's Ribs, and whole hog from both Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville and The Pit in Raleigh, N.C.

What's powerful enough to stop the growing armada of 10-ton gourmet food trucks trolling the streets of our great American cities? Looks like the answer may be bureaucratic red tape.

As reported yesterday, the first of what appears to be the next generation of food trucks (essentially, a double-decker bus converted into a sit-down restaurant) began cruising the streets of LA last month. But an investigation by the county health department may put the skids on the "bustaurant" trend before it really even begins.

Now New Yorkers who have come to crave such food truck fare as Marrakech lamb (Bistro Truck), cod schnitzel (Schnitzel & Things), and warm molten chocolate cake (Dessert Truck) are bracing for the prospect of imminent withdrawal. According to The Wall Street Journal's Metropolis blog (and originally reported by Midtown Lunch), two NYC councilwomen have proposed a sort of three strikes law for food trucks: three parking violations, and you're out of business.

A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars across the country.

Hoboken, N.J. spends a lot of time in the shadow of New York City. For many people, Hoboken is best recognized as "the last place your frat brother who was planning on going to business school" resided. But though many of its residents travel across the Hudson for work, Mike Farley, manager of Hoboken's the Mile Square, believes people shouldn't have to travel into the Big Apple to find a good beer.

"We have 30 taps," says Farley, speaking with pride about Hoboken's largest tap selection. "And we rotate about 17 of them constantly with all craft beer." He admits they have to keep on some of the standards -- Miller Lite, Guinness, Stella -- Hoboken is still a somewhat conservative place compared to, say, Brooklyn. But Farley believes their selection stands up to even some of the best bars in New York.

"Last month, we had 11 different Octoberfests," Farley points out. "People are already coming in asking for Christmas beers."

See the yesterday's complete draft list after the jump. ...

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.

See what folks ate after the jump.