Even after only being open since October, Dell'Anima, the brainchild of some Babbo and Del Posto alums, is already tough to get into. Sure, it's partially because it's a small space, with seating for just over forty, but it's also due to the cozy, warm and inviting atmosphere, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and for the delicious rustic Italian fare. Grab yourself one of the six seats in the open kitchen and watch Chef Gabriel Thompson......

This week in the Times, Bruni goes to Shorty’s.32 and Smith’s, awards each restaurant one star. Says that at both, “Skill, standards and a few well-chosen grace notes lift what might otherwise be favored neighborhood charmers into a slightly loftier league.” Loves the chicken and all side dishes at Shorty’s, though says the chef is “overly fond of wet fish and wet food.” Um, yuck. At Smith’s, says the lamb and lobster are the way......

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? We're definitely setting our DVR to record The Martha Stewart Show. She’s got a three great New York Italian chefs on today: Odetta Fada of San Domenico, Lidia Bastianich of Felidia and Del Posto, and pastry chef Gina DePalma of Babbo. On Tuesday she’s got cookbook editor Judith Jones, and on Wednesday, New Orleans chef Susan Spicer (Monday-Friday, 1pm, NBC). But the prime time highlight might be a......

Community Food & Juice: If you like the Clinton Street Baking Company, you'll like Community Food & Juice. DeDe Lahman and Neil Kleinberg bring the magic uptown with not only the same delicious comfort food, but this time with spot that meets Green Restaurant Association guidelines. 2893 Broadway, between 112th and 113th Streets, 212-665-2800. dell’anima: former Batali alums Chef Gabriel Thompson (Del Posto) and sommelier Joe Campanale (Babbo) team up to create a cozy neighborhood......

October 11: Restaurant Reviewing in New York City In light of Michelin's release this week, this panel discussion at Borders in the Time Warner Center, which happens to be the home of three-star Per Se, two-star Masa and one-star Cafe Gray, focuses on the reviewing scene in one of the best food cities in the world. Panelists include Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin Guide; Jay Cheshes, former restaurant critic at Gourmet; and food-blogger/restaurant critic......

In time for next week’s Columbus Day festivities, the Post’s Steve Cuozzo lets his Ital flag fly with two gushing columns on Italian cuisine. He points out that Italian restaurants outnumber all other kinds of restaurants in New York by a big margin (and that’s not because of the ever-metastasizing Olive Gardens.) He cites seven “marvelous” eateries – Del Posto, A Voce, Abbocatto, Insieme, Fiamma, L'Impero and Alto – that “establish Italian as the cuisine......

Languishing in cardboard boxes near the mushroom sections in local Fairway stores these next few weeks are Sea Beans, mysterious short stalks of a dark green vegetable, looking like something you might find washed up on the beach, but maybe a bit more edible. According to Elizabeth Schneider’s Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini, Sea Beans (aka Salicornia) grow wild in warmer months all over- in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. “Salicornia is not seaweed,......

Ken Friedman, owner of the Spotted Pig, has been approved for a liquor license in a space between Craftsteak and Del Posto over on 10th Avenue, reports the NY Post. Not sure what it will be yet, but apparently it will be named after a different animal. Down by the Hipster reports that Danny Meyers' plan for a second Shake Shack in Central Park is a no go: "The sticking point was the lease term,......

Earlier this year when Gothamist visited executive chef Doug Psaltis at Geoffrey Zakarian’s Country, we learned that French Laundry vet Hsing Chen had just been named Executive Pastry Chef for the fine-dining restaurant upstairs, as well as for the downstairs, more casual Cafe. “My focus is more on light, fruit based desserts, with different textures and temperatures,” Chen told Gothamist. She also mentioned her desire to locate, soup up, and outfit a dessert cart from......

- Florentine specialty gundi gets the Sunday treatment in the Daily News from Irene Sax. April Bloomfield speaks about the “fluffy little bites of love”, Iacopo Falai calls them a “woman's dish”, and Mark Ladner’s recipe from Del Posto is included. Hit DiPalo’s to find the sheep’s milk that is essential for a winning dish at home. - Apparently Paper Magazine is moving/has moved to K-Town, and have decided to celebrated with a nice round-up......

Bruni one-stars The Waverly Inn, writing the review in the form of a letter to Graydon Carter. He doesn't get to the food until about halfway into it, first covering the space (cozy), the scene, the $55 mac and cheese (no, you can't order it without the truffles) and the difficultly in getting a reservation. While "it's not attention-getting cuisine," he likes it. Calls it "a modest menu of comforting favorites." This week Eater (scroll......

Adam Platt has started of 2007 with a bang -- New York magazine has released his "Where to Eat 2007" lists, a compendium of his picks for the year, divided into categories. "Haute Barnyard," a phrase that Platt coined a while back, is his term for restaurants focused on suppliers and the origins of the food, with countrified leanings. Cookshop, Peasant, Hearth, and Blue Hill qualify, among others. He takes us on two rambles, one......

Sometimes all you want is a slice of pizza. Chefs know this, and try occasionally to answer our basic cravings. Case in point: tarte flambée. With its French pedigree, it’s fancy enough to stand up on high-end menus. The Modern’s bar room offers it, as do Café d’Alsace and August. But the best example yet to hit Manhattan may be at Klee Brasserie, which opened in Chelsea last month. Called “Alsatian pizza” and presented as......

- Ed Levine wonders aloud if there is such a thing as a "cheap 4 star" eating experience, and then tells us about his, at the Del Posto Enoteca. - The fight is on over the right to use the Guss' Pickles name. - The Clinton Hill Blog checks out the Smoke Joint, a new BBQ place in Fort Greene, and declares happily, "Smoke Joint does it right." - Savory New York has recently added......

That would be Michelin stars. The 2007 guide was released today, with ratings for 526 restaurants, including several newcomers from the past year. Del Posto debuts with a bang: two stars, joining the ranks of Masa, Bouley, and Daniel (Danube, which also had two stars last year, dropped down to one). All of those who earned three stars last year (Le Bernadin, per se, and Jean-Georges) held their ground with the exception of Alain Ducasse......

7 Square, which bills itself as "a modern chophouse," may just breathe some new life (or at least some good food) into Times Square. Alvaro Perez, the president of Metromet, a restaurant production company based in Tokyo, is taking his first stab at the New York market. Gothamist got a sneak peek the night before it opened to the public, and we liked what we saw -- a sleek and modern yet warm and......

Bruni one-stars Chinatown Brasserie; it's uneven, but he loves the dim sum. Especially the dumplings. "What's better than dumplings?" asks Frank. Gothamist has at times asked ourselves that same question. And Eater is back on the money this week, giving Chinatown Brasserie one-star odds at 3-1. Peter Meehan visits The Farm on Adderly in Brooklyn and likes what he sees (and tastes). "Simple dishes are the way to go," he says, and "for a place......

On Sunday afternoons, when we're getting slightly upset about the weekend coming to a close and not getting nearly enough done, we find solace in watching Lidia's Family Table on Channel 13. It is, by far, one of the best cooking shows, and that's because Lidia Bastianich is our secret Italian grandmother - and that's not just because she makes a mean beef short ribs braised in red wine. A good part of it is......

Today's New York Times reports that Bistro du Vent, the ugly duckling of the Batali/Bastianich gastro-empire, may be on the selling block. Bistro du Vent, despite its respectable earnings of $2.2 million, is running short of its bretheren, and it seems likely that it is being cut loose in order to secure funding for the $12 million behemoth that is Del Posto, and in particular to fund their ongoing dispute with their landlord. They are......

Or maybe you haven't. Or, more likely, maybe you've been served poorly. The Daily News highlights the (somewhat obvious) fact that New Yorkers don't like bad service in restaurants. According to Tim Zagat, who is quoted in the article, in the 2006 Zagat guide surveys, 49% of New Yorkers named bad service as their primary complaint. It is truly amazing how bad service can put a damper on an otherwise fine meal. The other night,......

All the foodies are in a tizzy today as the coveted James Beard Award nominees were announced last night. The actual awards ceremony and reception will be held on May 8, at an event celebrating "the culinary legacy of New Orleans." Reservations for the May 8th event can be made by calling 212-367-9490 or toll free at 1-866-362-6442. Admission is $375 ($325 for James Beard Foundation members/$120 for students - find your old ID cards......

New York Magazine has released its Best of New York issue today, which includes some of its favorite food picks. Some argue that the restaurant pr machine has skewed the results, at least of the five new and noteworthy restaurants, but we're happy with at least some of the more valid-seeming choices scattered about the rest of the list. We're huge fans of the fried fish tacos at Mercadito; we thoroughly enjoyed the three rums......

But not together (no need to start any wild rumors here). We heard yesterday that Mr. Bruni's review would be hitting today's Dining section. But what would he think? Would he lean towards Steve Cuozzo's take? Adam Platt's? Both of them seemed to think that although some of the food was predictably good, if not overpriced, the decor and sheer vastness of the place combined with some misses on the menu threw the whole......

As the year winds to a close, we just wanted to share some of our favorite food trends of 2005: Shake Shack -- We still can't figure it out, but people are still absolutely ga ga about this place. They track its openings, closings and menu changes obsessively (when's it opening for the season? Oh my God, they're serving breakfast!). We'll give it another chance in 2006, but for now, we'll stick to the Burger......

It's all about the latest addition to the Batali/Bastianich empire in this morning's food news. The big one (and we mean really big -- 24,000 square feet between the dining area and the kitchen): Del Posto. Frank Bruni at the Times gives us fair warning of what to expect: $240 rack of veal, $220 shoulder of pork and a $200 whole king salmon for four to eight people, to be carved within view of the......

Fall is here, and you know what that means -- Fall restaurant preview time. From what we've read in New York Metro and the New York Times, it looks like we've got a lot to look forward to, including openings from not one but two Iron Chefs -- Batali's Del Posto (85 10th Avenue) and Morimoto's Morimoto (88 10th Avenue). Gothamist is pretty excited about a few others, including Bar Carrera (175 Second Avenue), from......