According to its website, Murray Hill's Tonic East “is the most well rounded sports bar in the area, with an attractive scene of locals.” But it seems black was not deemed beautiful by the management: they recently agreed to settle a discrimination lawsuit brought by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to the tune of $35,000. Responding to complaints from blacks who say they were denied entrance “based on violations of the unwritten dress code,” Cuomo’s office......

For all the noise of this Yankees offseason, as far as the team on the field goes, all it amounted to was the status quo. Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera are all back -- and richer. Young pitchers Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and center fielder Melky Cabrera didn't go to the Twins for Johan Santana. The 2008 Yankees will be a slightly older albeit considerably more expensive version of the 2007 team. And......

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......

After news that a Green Bay Fox affiliate would not be showing Seinfeld because it's Giants quarterback Eli Manning's favorite show (the Giants are heading to the land of Cheeseheads to play the Packers in the NFC Championship), it was up to Jerry Seinfeld to rise to the occasion. The Mets fan told the Post, "I'm going to send Eli a complete collection of 'Seinfeld' DVDs and a partial collection of 'Hogan's Heroes' for inspiration!"......

The mice at The Mermaid Inn’s East Village location picked a mischievous moment to scurry out into the dining room a few nights ago – as luck would have it a writer for Time Out New York was there waiting for a table! The immodest mice must have been looking for their 15 minutes of fame, because they timed their appearance perfectly with TONY staffer Jordana Rothman’s emergence from the bathroom. As she made her......

A Historic Collapse: The Mets held a seven-game lead with 17 to play and were caught looking ahead to the playoffs. What followed was among the worst collapses in history and one that revealed the weaknesses of the players, the manager and the general manager. Jose Reyes and his questionable -- and downright poor -- play summed up the the performance on the field. Manager Willie Randolph's mismanagement of the bullpen came to light......

"O Stephon, Stephon, wherefore art thou Stephon?" Those are the words that Isiah Thomas might be saying. At least if what one media outlet is reporting is true. Not because the Knicks seem like they their star point guard after last night, or because Stephon Marbury is AWOL, but because the Knicks star point guard may have the dish on his head coach. While on the flight to Phoenix, Marbury learned that he wasn't going......

One less headache for Knicks coach and General Manager Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden: The Reverend Al Sharpton has called off his boycott and protest of Knicks games. Now, if only the Knicks can convince their fan base all is not lost! Last month, a jury believed former Knicks marketing VP Anucha Browne-Sanders' allegations that Thomas and Madison Square created hostile work environment and awarded her $11.6 million. Thomas said, during an 11-minute......

Joe Girardi made his first appearance in Yankee pinstripes as the new manager today. He chose the number 27 for his jersey, referring to more World Series wins in the Yankees' - and his, he hopes - future as the Yankees have 26 World Series championships. The former Yankees catcher said, "The team's expectation is always going to be to win the World Series. It's not going to change." He also mentioned that he......

Reverend Al Sharpton is calling for a boycott of the Knicks unless coach and General Manager Isiah Thomas issues a formal apology for testifying that it was alright for black men to refer to black women as bitches. Thomas' distinction became public last month after a deposition was released in the sexual harassment suit of Anucha Browne Sanders. The female executive was suing the Knicks organization after she was fired while accusing the team, and......

A day after the biggest end-of-season collapse in baseball history, New York Mets Carlos Delgado, John Maine and a few others cleared out their lockers at Shea (a few lockers, including Tom Glavine's and Billy Wagner's, were cleaned before reporters arrived). General Manager Omar Minaya made comments supporting manager Willie Randolph's leadership ("I believe in Willie Randolph"), and the Post reports that that kind of support will be important: "Mets ownership has ordered Minaya......

After two years in service and almost as long as media gossip fodder, Times Select, NYTimes.com's service that offered access to the rich archives of the New York Times through a paid subscription modeled, is officially dead. The service put certain current online content behind the Times Select wall, such as columns by Op-Ed writers, and there was much criticism, even from within the Times, about restricting access the paper. There had been rumors about......

Has WABC Changed for the Worse? We are starting to think that Bill Beutel, Roger Grimsby, or Tom Snyder would not recognize their former station if they came back to life. Sure the station is dominant in the ratings but has the quality of the news product gone down? We think it has, especially given the recent and thankfully reversed (albeit after much public outcry and pressure) decision to relegate the bulk of the 9/11......

Covering Coverage Wednesday’s steam pipe burst had a bit of overkill on the coverage, especially with WABC’s decision to pre-empt ABC’s World News (they did go to it briefly during the 7:00 hour). By 6:30, when WCBS and WNBC prudently went to their respective network’s newscasts to give viewers a chance to catch up on the national and international news, the important points of the story were covered – a. it was not a terrorist......

Last night Beverly Sills lost her battle with lung cancer, she died at her home in Manhattan at the age of 78. While she was a lifelong non-smoker and only found out about the cancer a few weeks ago, this wasn't her first experience with it - she underwent a successful surgery for cancer in 1974. Sills, born Belle Miriam Silverman (and called "Bubbles" in her youth), was a Brooklyn-born soprano, and one of the......

7 Back on Set Wednesday’s 5 p.m. edition of Eyewitness News marked the return to the station’s normal news studio after a fire forced them out and temporarily off the air on May 28th and their studio mate Live with Regis and Kelly to another studio. The set appears to just be a fix of the one that was damaged, but with a slightly different skyline backdrop. Anchor Bill Ritter writing in his daily “Behind......

Save Veronica Mars Campaign Does Not Effect Local Mars Bar Availability A campaign to send the CW’s Dawn Ostroff the entire American supply of the popular British candy bar in an effort to save Veronica Mars has not effected local Mars bar availability, despite claims by organizers that they “bought out all the available Mars Bars in the U.S.A.”. Visiting Meyers of Keswick in Greenwich Village earlier this week, we were able to purchase several......

If you're a believer in the Sports Illustrated cover curse, things could get ugly for the Mets pretty soon (or better if you think the team's recent play is due to the cover). General Manager Omar Minaya is featured in a cover story this week about his journey from the Dominican Republic, to becoming the first Hispanic G.M. in the Majors (with the Expos), to his success with the Mets. The feel-good story details Minaya's......

Down at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party Sunday it sure seemed that everybody was having a grand ole' time. It seemed bigger than ever, with people spilled into every nook and cranny of the park, filed into a long row of picnic tables on Madison, and splayed out on to the sidewalk everywhere else. Our group was made of up veterans of the previous four events, had the lay of the land and......

Over the weekend, WNBC 4 launched an updated version of the classic "We're 4 New York" station image campaign. The original (see it here) first rolled out in 1992 when a new general manager, Bill Bolster came from St. Louis came in to revitalize the station. At the time, some dismissed it as a promotional campaign that made New York look like it was a generic Midwestern place. It actuality, it was filled with high......

Wine stores just keep on getting better, and Vestry Wines, which opened this past Monday, has set the bar even higher. Well, actually they set the bar on the back side of the checkout counter (where they conduct free in-store tastings), but you get the point. What sets Vestry Wines apart is their breath and depth of selection in Italian, Californian and French wines. General Manager, Jim Kuhner and Wine Consult, Shelley Lindgren (Wine Director......

Filling the "It's so ridiculous," "It's true" and "You certainly didn't get what you paid for" categories is news that the combined salary for the New York Knickerbockers for the 2006-07 season was a whopping $139,381,526. While the astronomical payroll of the Knicks isn't new news, it's always fun to look at the payrolls of teams that didn't make the NBA Playoffs. Problem number 1 is right at the top of the list - Allan......

We certainly know how some Yankee fans feel about the baseball season so far, but what about The Boss? George Steinbrenner, the Yankees principal owner released a statement yesterday, supporting manager Joe Torre and general manager Brian Cashman. Steinbrenner's statement said:"The season is still very young, but up to now the results are clearly not acceptable to me or to Yankee fans. However, Brian Cashman, our general manager, Joe Torre, our manager, and our......

With the Yankees' win over the Red Sox yesterday that ended a 7-game losing streak, it seems that Yankees manager Joe Torre can breathe easily - for the moment. Torre answered questions about his job security before the game with aplomb, saying, "For me to say 'this,' 'this' or 'this,' I don't want to pawn it off and say it's not my fault. I'm in charge here. If you're going to enjoy the good......

Ruth Ann Swenson, who just six weeks ago finished chemotherapy for breast cancer, has begun a six week run of Handel's “Giulio Cesare." She's been a mainstay soprano at the Metropolitan Opera, yet after this run - the Met may be letting her go after more than twenty years of performances there (her debut was in 1988). Swenson told the NY Times, “It’s hurtful. I’m a New Yorker. I’ve sung here for many, many years.......

The Giants made it official today, naming Jerry Reese Senior Vice-President and General Manager of the club. Reese had been in charge of player personnel and is probably most famous for insisting that the Giants select Osi Umenyiora in the second round of the 2003 draft. Besides the Umenyiora pick, Reese has been widely respected for his work in scouting and was considered in many circles as a potential GM for some time. Since......

Wellington Mara used to judge the success of a season based on whether the team was playing a meaningful game the last week of the season. Apparently his son and successor share that belief because Tom Coughlin will be back next year as Giants coach. Coughlin signed a one-year extension today, which could keep him as coach through 2008, but in reality it's just a way to keep him from being a lame duck......

Caveat emptor (or calorie emptor?): You can't sue your diet book just because the diet you followed caused you various heart troubles. NYC-based U.S. District Judge Denny Chin threw out a lawsuit where a man sued the Atkins estate and tried to get warning labels put on Atkins merchandise. The plaintiff, Florida resident Jody Gorran, claimed that the Atkins diet caused his cholesterol to go from 146 to 230 in six months and prompted him......

Tom Glavine signed a $10.5 million one-year deal with the Mets, making it likely he will retire as a Met. Glavine had been debating whether to stay with the Mets or go back to Atlanta, where his family lives, and pitch for the Braves. But Atlanta never made him an offer, allowing Glavine to try for the ten more wins he needs to reach 300 career victories with the Mets. ""I like the city. I......

Many people in the tri-state area have been asking the same question: “What the hell is going on at Channel 2?” The one easy answer is that it is the work of the station’s general manager Peter Dunn. Dunn came to WCBS in November of 2005 from CBS owned sister station KYW in Philadelphia. There, he turned the station’s newscast into a tabloid newscast heavy on infotainment, complete with former Access Hollywood host Larry Mendte......