Restaurateurs Marc Meyer and Vicki Freeman took some time out of their hectic brunch schedule at Five Points to cook up some matzoh brei, a traditional Passover dish. They generally don't limit their matzoh brei eating to the Passover season. "We eat it all the time," says Vicki. At their house it is generally served plain, although Vicki admits to eating it with applesauce and sour cream when she gets it at Shopsin's. Marc......

Frank Bruni, in the Diner's Journal, waxes poetic about the oysters at Wild Salmon and Aquagrill, and discusses the reasons why he often disobeys the "rule" that one is not supposed to eat oysters in months that don’t have an ‘r’ in them. We're with Frank on this one. We love oysters in the summer. The platter above was from a recent oyster happy our at P.J. Clarke's downtown. They were cheap, but didn't hold......

Bruni visits the recently reopened Provence (now owned and run by Cookshop & Five Points’ Marc Meyer and Vicki Freeman), awards the restaurant one star. He likes the minimal changes they’ve made to the design; the food, not so much: “Provence’s is inconsistent and dull,” he says. He does like the wine and the cheese selection though. Also in the Times, ">Peter Meehan goes to Grand Sichuan East Village for $25 and Under. Says, “Of......

This week ">Bruni two-stars Belgian Resto. Loves the beers, the fries and mussels, and the hint of Asian seasonings in some dishes: "Resto's version of Belgium is neither clichéd nor isolationist," he says. It’s not great for your arteries, either, he points out, but sometimes it's worth the health risk. In ">Dining Briefs, Bruni stops by Perilla (the new restaurant opened by Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle). Says "Like a bistro with elegant tailoring, it......

There's been a flurry of activity on the openings front recently. Even if spring hasn't quite made it to town, these new spots are starting to bloom and shake off the winter blahs: - Insieme, the new restaurant from the folks at Hearth (Paul Grieco and Marco Canora, pictured at right), is scheduled to open on Monday. It will be serving an Italian menu, focusing on "uncomplicated food" and "sincere hospitality." If Hearth is any......

December 24: Feasts of the Seven Fishes Join in the Italian tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes -- a seafood meal in observance of the La Viglia Di Natale, or the wait for the birth of Christ. - Jovia: Chef Eben Copple and Pastry Chef Jennifer Domanski serve up a four-course menu including Seafood Salad with diver scallops, mussels, calamari, shrimp, clams, arugula, olives and radicchio, Linguine Nere with baby sepia and spicy......

- NY Mag contemplates an NYC without trans-fats. So very sad. - Augieland and Restaurant Girl give us an early glimpse of Goblin Market. - Eat Drink One Woman weighs in on Pinkberry. Her verdict? "Um, that shit is nars-TY. Like pukey ice milk. No joke. Send it back to L.A." - Bill Buford assesses the state of the Food Network after a 72-hour viewing marathon. - MUG suggests some of their favorite restaurants in......

It's soggy outside but it's cozy at the bookstores and bars this week. Tonight (6/16), Australian writer Peter Carey is reading from his latest book, Theft: A Love Story, at 192 Books at 7PM. Or, head down to the always cozy Half King tonight for the Spring 2006 edition of The Literary Review, where Lynne Tillman, Craig Mueller, and Cary Goldstein will be reading from their selections in the journal. It starts at 7PM and......

Gothamist has been sucked in to the History Channel's documentaries about the gangs of New York recently. Being history buffs, we want to learn more, but how do we do that without having to watch the Scorsese film again (which omitted a lot of facts)? With the Big Onion Walking Tours! The "Official" Gangs of New York Tour A tour exploring the legends and lore of Five Points and Herbert Asbury’s 1928 classic The Gangs......

For such a long and storied crosstown street, it is odd that Bleecker Street on has only one subway stop. That stop on the 6 train will drop you square into NoHo, providing easy access to that neighborhood as well as the East Village and NoLita. Regardless of the time of day or scope of your agenda, there is a great place for food within striking distance. - Maybe you need some food before......

Cookshop's Cod with Chickpea Stew...

All the buzz surrounding Cookshop, Chelsea's newly ordained bringer of farm fresh, local, and sustainable foods, had Gothamist anxious to get inside with our camera. Sure enough, we got a peak at the space before crowd started flowing in for dinner, catching a glimpse at the firewood beneath the oven, waiters filling miniature dishes with coarsely ground salt for the tables, and new flowers being placed in fresh water and crystal clear vases. Owned......

The New York Times reports that the newest addition to the Rosa Mexicano empire is scheduled to open this Saturday. Fingers crossed -- it's always good to have another location for our passionfruit margarita and fresh guacamole fix. Also open: Cookshop, from the folks who brought you Five Points, (yes, we know about all the damn hype); 156 Tenth Avenue (20th Street), (212) 924-4440. Also "Loft, a lounge and restaurant mixing Asian and Mediterranean, 505......

The maroon awning outside Five Points Restaurant hides one of downtown's hidden gems -- an American-Mediterranean gastro-haven whose menu changes seasonally, according to what chef-owner Marc Meyer can find is freshest at the market. The fall menu offers fire-roasted Maine razor clams, wood oven roasted Montauk squid, and Hudson Valley Duck Breast, a testament to why it's good to eat local food. At brunch, Five Points features sweet treats of lemon-ricotta pancakes, dulce de......

No matter what happens on the football field, it's clear that the Jets want to win the Battle of the West Side because they increased their bid to $720 million, up from their bid earlier $100 million. Long live free markets and the MTA reading the fine print and realizing they could hold an auction for the land. Gothamist did appreciate that the NY Times' Charles Bagli wrote that the Jets, as well as......

While the subject of the Meatpacking District being over-gentrified is nothing new, Gothamist must say Jesse McKinley's NY Times Styles Section dissection of the horror that is the Meatpacking District really struck a chord. Mainly these sentences: "The intersection of Greenwich and Gansevoort Streets has become a kind of night life Five Points, with rival gangs of Frat Boys, Stiletto Girls and Expense Account Creatives battling the Euros and Those From the Boroughs. One half-expects......

Randy Kim, NBA.com...

Daniel Gregory...

Famed Italian movie studio Cinecitta is profiled by the New York Times today, as it tries to make itself a compelling option for Hollywood's filmmakers. Directors like Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti made Cinecitta the place to be in the 50s and 60s, but up until recently had not been successful. Wes Anderson's next movie, The Life Aquatic, is filming there, and most famously, Gangs of New York, was filmed there which had Martin Scorsese......