• Tweak your Easter meal into a meaningful celebration of spring, rebirth and renewal with these recipes for Parsi Deviled Eggs, Fall-Apart Lamb Shanks With Almond-Chocolate Picada, Chopped Greens, Carrot and Dill Salad with Yogurt Dressing, Smashed Greek Potatoes and Chocolate Malted Pudding With Marshmallows and Coconut.
• The food section editors take on a canned tuna taste test, in order to determine what is the best flavor bang for your buck.
  
• Columnist Rick Nichols offers a particularly lovely column about finding a replace for the beloved wooden bowl he broke during a kitchen remodel.
  
• The Rush Hour Gourmet throws together a Moroccan Vegetable Ragout in a hurry.
  
• Local restaurants struggle with rising food costs, the Market Basket is full of sweets and spring-y products and Table Talk is chock full of local restaurant gossip.

• David Kamp criticizes the few choices restaurants are offering our children nowadays, in what he calls a chicken-finger pandemic.

• Is tap water the new black? Many restaurants are ditching over-priced designer waters and returning to the stuff that comes straight from the sink

• Summer is the right time to serve up Soft-Shell Crabs, according to The Minimalist, Mark Bittman

• Are you intimidated by the power of saffron?

Red velvet cake is, for some reason, often considered to be a retro, trashy sort of cake in spite of the fact that it is wildly popular at bakeries these days. The best cakes have a moist and tender crumb, as well as a hint of cocoa. The color can range from Marilyn red to deep mahogany and is typically made with food coloring, although those chefs who are overly concerned with making everything over-the-top natural use beets to color theirs. If the whole cake is just too much for you, you can always try red velvet cupcakes or sandwich cookies.

Beta cook disorder is a condition that arises in chefs when their partner is too dominant in the kitchen, constantly second guessing everything they do and ordering them around. Power struggles, it seems, come out in the kitchen more often than anywhere else, but by consciously working together - with an open dialog - mini dictatorships can be avoided and you'll have just enough hands stirring the pot.

Paul Bocuse, one of the greatest French chefs there is, just celebrated his 80th birthday with a huge, three-day party and a list of A-list chefs both as guests and in the kitchen.

Winter comfort food is even better it you can get it done quickly with no loss of flavor, like Baked Beans with Bacon in 2 hours, instead of 10.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, makes stuffed chicken thighs.

The best cocktail city in the world right now is London, according to Audrey Saunders, the owner of New York's Pegu Club. The drinks are fantastic and innovative and the bartenders making them can be more of a draw than the chefs in the restaurant's kitchen. The hottest London bartender is Dick Bradsell, owner of Dick's Bar and MatchBar, as well as several other cocktail spots, none of which will put style over substance, preferring to up the ante in both departments.

Anyone who grew up on a farm that raised chickens has probably come across unlaid eggs inside a older hen when it was slaughtered. Chef Dan Barber, of Blue Hill, has recently started harvesting such eggs and adding them to his menu. Naming them "immature," as opposed to "embryonic" on the menus has helped sales, but the strong flavor isn't for everyone.

The curious cook tried to make his own homemade rice wines, trying to avoid the off "mousy" flavor that can sometimes arise.

Get in on a staff party for the employees of the Spotted Pig.

Frank Bruni eats at Kobe Club and gives it zero stars.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, makes mackerel.

A business called PrimeTime Tables operates in New York City by getting primo reservations are restaurants and, effectively, scalping them to customers who want them. Restaurateurs call the service "disingenuous and parasitic," noting that it undermines the relationship between restaurant and diner because unlike any other concierge, PTT charges users for their tables. Most are trying to figure out how the service gets their reservations in the first place.

At Yale, students take lessons in dining hall cooking, where they turn simple ingredients from the condiment bar into gourmet treats the likes of which the cafeteria staff isn't going to offer on their own. And they do it in the microwave.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, talks about broilers - a.k.a. upside down grills - and how to get the most out of yours. He recommends preheating the oven before turning on the broiler and using an ovenproof skillet for cooking, rather than a broiler pan. Recipes include Hard-Shell Clams With Parsley Pesto, Broiled Steak With Pineapple and Onion Salsa and Tortilla Soup.

Frank Bruni analyzes Top Chef and while he mentions Marcel's haircut and Ilan's cutthroat tactics, he spends more time talking about what makes the show work.

It's lemon season and there are many things to make: Spaghetti al Limone, Chicken Breasts with Fennel and Lemon and Lemon Confit Shortbread Tart.

Frank Bruni has some very astute observations about the way that restaurants present themselves these days. Chefs are artists and the meal is art. While once a diner could still eat what they wanted, when they wanted to, those decisions are now given to the restaurant and to the chef, each of which has a vision (usually of an expensive tasting menu) and vanity to preserve.

Even with advertising deals, cookbooks and tv shows, chefs are still making most of their money at their restaurants. And it's not as much as you might think, at least not until the chefs have already hit the big time in terms of popularity.

Issa Moskowitz, of the PPK, talks about being vegan, being punk and then shares some recipes: Devil's Food Cupcakes with Fluffy White Filling and Chocolate Icing, Spicy Peanut Stew with Ginger and Tomato and Butternut Squash Rice Paper Rolls.

Winter is a good time for smoking - smoking meats, that is.

Americanized haggis leaves out the offal (most of it, anyway) and is much more popular with consumers as a result.

Frank Bruni dines at The Waverly Inn and Garden and gives it one star.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, makes Farfalle with Gorgonzola, Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes.

Daniel Boulud, the notorious perfectionist, driven chef and wildly successful restaurateur, has been accused of racism by some of his former staff members, who claim that he favors white Europeans (he himself is a French immigrant) over other groups. Boulud, rather than settling the issue with a payoff that could look like an admission of guild, has chosen to fight back, suing the "group leading the protest for... defamation, nuisance and harassment, and of causing damage to his business." Boulud says that "racism is a vicious charge. It is too easy to accuse someone of that, and it is very hard to defend yourself."

Fishermen are worried about the state of the seas. Lately, in Maine, their chowders have been made with only lobster and few other fish. The fact that the typically fish-rich stews are so lacking diversity means that the supplies are not as good, or as stable, as they could be, which may lead to problems with even the lobster in the future.

Black skinned, black boned chickens are not that appetizing to look at, but are hugely popular with Asian cooks that enjoy their "deep, gamy flavor." Unlike regular chickens, Silkies are usually cooked in soup, sauce or a broth, not roasted.

UglyRipes get approval from Florida growers

Frank Bruni dines at Porchetta and gives it one star.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, makes scrambled eggs with shrimp.

The silicone cookware industry is growing every year and the NY Times goes to great lengths test out the properties of silicone bakeware, which make up 7% of the bakeware market overall. Their conclusions? It is not nonstick, but stick resistant. It is not good for everything. High quality silicone products are expensive, while others may contain fillers that compromise their heat resistance. The final list of the products included potholders and a few other things on the "recommended" list, while cake pans and measuring cups made the "not recommended" list.

Until recently, the food was always secondary to the coffee at Starbucks, but now that the company is trying to compete with McDonalds and other quick-service breakfast places, they are quickly trying to make up lost ground.

Kidfresh is a children's food store, meaning that everything except the food has been scaled down.

Frank Bruni dines are Eleven Madison Park and gives it 3 stars. The Bar Room and the Modern also gets 3 stars.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, talks about granola.

Despite their inborn Southern love for the artisanal, aged country ham, the Lee Brothers have to admit that city ham, the shortcut that is brined, cured and smoked in as little as two weeks (as opposed to the 1-2 year aging of country ham), can be quite delicious. They tasted their way through the city to find all the top spots to get your ham.

In the basement of the Broadway Presbyterian Church, everyone can find a four star, multi-course meal. This isn't a restaurant, however. It's a soup kitchen. Michael Ennes, the chef, insists on using homemade stocks, avoids trans fats and tries to use organic and local products and produce whenever he can. The meals he serves include roasted turkey with a mango-ginger glaze and tropical fruit stuffing and Andalusian oxtail and lentil stew. "At one time, Mr. Ennes dreamed of being a starred chef" and although he has to rely on donated ingredients much of the time, he couldn't be happier with his work. Broadway Presbyterian is a place where everyone is served and everyone's opinion is valued. "They're still customers, whether they're paying $100 a plate or nothing."

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, introduces people to pancakes: Polenta Pancakes, Baked Pancakes, Light, Fluffy and Rich Pancakes, Recipe: Everyday Pancakes.

Can you identify the origin of a maple syrup by tasting it? The answer is yes. Not all maple syrups are the same and the differences between the varieties are surprising.

A few last minute suggestions for stocking stuffers.

Frank Bruni dines at The Russian Tea Room and gives it 1 star.

Half of the sugar grown in the US comes from Louisiana, so it only makes sense that cooks down there know how to make good use of cane syrup and molasses in addition to regular sugar. The sugar alternatives are especially popular around the holidays, when there are so many sweet treats to be had, including Louisiana Gingerbread (Stage Planks or Mule Bellies) , Cane Syrup Popcorn Balls , and Cane Syrup Cake (Gâteau de Sirop) . (Incidentally, I didn't know that cane syrup over thickly buttered white bread is called a diaper sandwich. But the name would probably stop me from trying it.)

One of the world's largest groups of Hasidic Jews originated Hungary, so it isn't surprising to learn that there is a lot of traditional Hungarian-Jewish food that is popular around the holidays. Dishes like Cheese Danish Pastries (Delkelekh), Hungarian Stuffed-Under-the-Skin Chicken and Hungarian Eggs with Tomatoes, Peppers and Onions (Letcho) are especially popular and making them means not only getting good food, but spending time with family.

The "truffle truck" is the name that chefs have affectionately given to John Magazino's truck, which he uses to deliver truffles, caviar and other ultra-high end foods to the best restaurants in New York.

Au Pied de Cochon - The Album is a cookbook from Marting Picard and the staff at Au Pied de Cochon, full of crazy illustrations and some very high-quality recipes for those who take their pork seriously.

Frank Bruni dines at Cafe Cluny and gives it 1 star.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, offers a very quick primer on sugar.

The issue of Alan Richman's dislike of New Orleans and its food is brought up, with a particular focus on his assertion that Creoles do not exist. It's not all that difficult to find an actual Creole living in NOLA and once you find them, they'll probably share some of the food that they're famous for whether Mr. Richman likes it or not, including: Calas, Artichoke and Oyster Casserole, and Beef Daube Glace

Harold McGee starts a new column, the Curious Cook. which will explores the science of food. The subject of this article is blue-green garlic, a color that results from sulfur compounds that are the result of pureeing onions and garlic together.

The 66-year old Essex Street Market, on the lower East Side of Manhattan, bridges the gap between "of the bodega and the universe of the gourmand," where you can't expect to know who is going to buys what or how they're going to pay for it. It's completely unpretentious and the food is great.

It's the start of latke season and it's hard to resist the lure of a hot, crisp, fried potato pancake.

Frank Bruni eats at Tocqueville and the Tasting Room and gives them two and one star, respectively.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, talks more about his hugely popular no-knead bread recipe.

Where to find tableware like the Achatz and Adria's.

The Joy of Cooking is the most popular cookbook in America for good reason. It been around since the 1930s and, since that time, has instructed millions on how do to everything from boiling an egg to baking a cake in a no-nonsense way. Since its original publication, the book has been reissued several times with updates that attempt to encompass the various culinary changes that have taken place in between book releases. Is the newest 75th anniversary edition just forced nostalgia? Perhaps, but that's why the good thing about cookbooks is that you don't need to discard the old one when you buy a new copy.

When looking for old cookbooks, the choices that some people make seem surprising, opting for Pillsbury's Best 1000 Recipes: Best of the Bake-Off Collection over Julia Child, but the real reason is that the recipes are classic, homey and probably things that your mother made - all of which are huge selling points.

Take a look at some of the new books that explore Southeast Asian cooking.

Terra Madre, an international culinary event held in Italy over the last week, celebrated slow cooking

Frank Bruni dines at Boqueria and gives it two stars.

While at one point the awards given out by the Association of Food Journalists (AFJ) to various food writers and food sections only really mattered to their local readers, this is definitely no longer the case. Since most newspapers are online, we can look at food sections from all over the world in a matter of minutes, and the AFJ awards can help point us towards the good ones that we might take a look at in addition to our local papers. The 2006 awards were just released and some of the winners are:

• Best Food Sections (small): Akron Beacon Journal, The Advocate (Baton Rouge), Reno Gazette-Journal
• Best Food Sections (medium): The Oregonian, Baltimore Sun, San Jose Mercury News
• Best Food Sections (large): LA Times, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle
• Food critics Jonathan Gold (LA Weekly), Tom Sietsema (Washington Post) and Michael Bauer (SF Chronicle) were all honored for their restaurant reviews.

For full details, and to check out the names of all the very worthy other winners, you'll have to take a look at the press release (pdf).