A veteran of Nobu and Ruby Foo’s, Chris Cheung was hired 5 months ago to replace Patricia Yeo at Monkey Bar, the red satin and black lacquer midtown institution known primarily for its, well, monkey theme. In an effort to reemphasize the food quotient of the restaurant, the 38 year-old chef maintains an inventory of global tastes and reassembles them using the template of traditional Chinese food: The curly fries, for example, that come with......

Many of you are probably familiar with the horchata you can buy at Burritoville, a pale, dairy imitation of the real thing made with fat-free milk, rice powder, cinnamon, and sugar. It's potable, but doesn't even begin to compare with horchata made with actual rice and almonds, cinnamon and vanilla, with no milk in sight. Horchata is a sweet, creamy beverage that we love to drink when eating spicy foods (and whenever else we can......

Will Manhattan's clubs be moving to the 10013? With the group that opened Cain on 27th Street having opened Gold Bar at 389 Broome Street in February; and uber-promoter Danny A having opened the VIP-only Upstairs on Spring Street and Broadway, The Observer is reporting on a move of "clubland" to Chinatown. Following the flock is former model Emma Cleary who purchased Double Happiness at 173 Mott Street. The lounge will open as a "hip......

The police have arrested a suspect in the series of sexual attacks in the East Village and Lower East Side. Twenty-year-old Harlem resident Asuncion DeJesus-Garcia was charged with sex abuse, burglary, robbery, assault and criminal possession of stolen property. There have been four attacks on women in the East Village and Lower East Side during June and July with similar M.O.'s: In the early morning, a man would wait for women to enter their apartment......

The police are looking for a man they believe may be involved with four sexual attacks in the East Village and Lower East Side. The Daily News ran a graphic (pictured) of showing where and when the attacks have occurred. Early yesterday morning, a 20-year-old woman was attacked at East 9th and Second Avenue, as the Sun puts it, "just steps away from the bright lights of the 24-hour Veselka Restaurant." The other attacks occurred......

March 19 - March 30: Dine in Brooklyn Sample nearly 200 of the borough’s best at $21.12, honoring Brooklyn’s zip code, ‘112’, for three courses. Read more about it here. March 20: Waldemar and Nadia at Vin Noir Cheesemongers Waldemar and Nadia are pairing up with Vin Noir owner Todd Flatham for a night of cheese and wine pairings, with a beer thrown in for good measure. Offerings include a unique Austrian red, La Meule,......

The contract talks between the NYPD's captains' union and the city have hit the brakes. The union has been working without a contract for 40 months, and now the matter will have to go to the Public Employment Relations Board for binding arbitration. This comes as the starting salary of police recruits are under increasing scrutiny. The NY Times has an editorial, calling the $25,100 "a pauper's sum" and pointing out it's no surprise......

-- The city has seized control of the BAM Cultural District in Fort Greene. After their huge successes in the WTC, West Side Rail, and Brooklyn Yards projects, what could go wrong? -- Did you know that Ocean Parkway was the first bike path in America? It's getting a facelift this year. -- But wait, there's more: Ron Popeil's Biography episode is on tonight! -- Shaolin's Mid-Island team is going to the Little League......

- We were pleased as punch to see our buddy Rick Bishop get some well deserved recognition as a food influencer in the New York magazine piece. Our world-class chefs here in NYC could get nothing done without farmers. The one thing not mentioned in the article is the huge contribution of Rick’s wife Nicole and Alex’s wife Linda. Some things never change. - Following up on last week's Hot Sake, we offer up more......

Because Gothamist can never have too much Chinese food, we stopped in at Taste of Chinatown this afternoon despite the weather forecast. The crowds were surprisingly large considering with some people saying that there were actually more on hand than expected. Pictured above is Peking Duck House and Ping's Seafood, both on Mott Street. As one might expect, there was a long line for duck. When we talked to one of the people in......

Tomorrow is the annual Taste of Chinatown where over 50 restaurants offer a variety of their dishes for $1 or $2 bites. And for $1 or $2, you do get a lot. In fact, we tried a few of the dishes offered tomorrow, and we got very full after four "tastes," so save your appetite for tomorrow. And the event is between 1PM and 6PM, rain or shine - and there are tents so......

Amy Chin, Program Consultant for the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation...

As some of you have pointed out, one of our favorite summer spots, NYC Icy, is no more. Like you, we had the same reaction -- severe depression. Where are we supposed to go now to get our cool summer treats on, especially on a day like today?!? We've come up with a few suggestions on our own, and the Daily News added a bunch to our list. Otto Enoteca Pizzeria/Gel-Otto Gelato Cart Yes, not......

city rag has photographs of "Victorian Flatbush," the part of Brooklyn that looks rather un-city like. Upon further research, brownstoner calls it a South Midwood area - and links to a helpful realty site that explains more - and VictorianFlatbush.org a "polyglot and polychrome" "softly shaded patch of Flatbush in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn with a multitude of races. Now, Gothamist heard the term "Victorian Flatbush" last week for the first time, and we wondered if......

Gothamist was under the weather this week. Sometimes, as the one thing we learned from our first office job goes, spirits can jolt your system back into the realm of the living. Spirits imbibed at Palais Royale, a very new addition to Mott Street co-owned by a Adrian Gallo of Orchard Bar, were pretty much limited to the official spirit of the United States, bourbon. Definitely a jolt to the beer, wine, sangria and vodka......

Vincent Pastore, who beat up his girlfriend last week, surrendered to the police and was arraigned for misdemeanor assault yesterday. Pastore's now ex-fiancee, Lisa Regina, accused him of beating her on Mott Street, possibly because she was running late during their trip to her family in NJ. Gothamist found out that a friend actually witnessed part of this exchange: She didn't realize it was Pastore - she thought it was a "big Italian guy yelling......

Mixing a little art with life, actor Vincent Pastore, best known as "Big Pussy" on The Sopranos, allegedly beat up his girlfriend in downtown Manhattan (Mott Street) - and in public. The NY Post described the brawl:The brawny Pastore allegedly punched fiancée Lisa Regina — who formerly played a bit part on the gangland show — as they drove through SoHo during the start of a trip to see the woman's family in New Jersey,......

Beer, wine or cocktails? Cocktails [Ed. note: We're particularly fond of the lychee martini, ourselves.] What could I order that will get me laughed right out of the bar? You can't get laughed out of the bar. Whew! (This seems to be a company policy of sorts -- Juan Carlos at Happy Ending, owned by the same folks, told us the same thing!) Who has been your favorite celebrity patron? Um . . . I......

Yummy: The Times looks at the Asian BBQ in town for a change. Reporter Julia Moskin correctly points out that Big Wong at 67 Mott Street (yes, laugh and laugh all you like at the name) has some of the best Chinese pork barbecue (aka char siu) in the city. Gothamist also recommends the roast duck and roast chicken (Epinions on Big Wong). It seems we will have to try out Kim Tuong, a Vietnamese......

Daniel Nester, Proofreader/Editor/Poet...

It was cold and confetti-ful at this year Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown. Gothamist shivered along with other New Yorkers, Asian and non, and even some bloggers, Asian and non, as we waited for the parade to start. People were warming up by firing projectiles of colorful confetti on Mott Street. Finally, the parade got started, with Senator Charles Schumer at the front; he wasn't wearing a hat, which impressed Gothamist with his......

It's only two days into the Chinese New Year, so here's some more information on the festivities in the city from NYC Visit. The Post looks at places to eat and shop in the Chinatowns of Manhattan, Queens (Flushing) and Brooklyn (Sunset Park). Some of their picks: Gum Fung (Main Street and 39th Avenue) for food and Flushing Mall (39th Avenue and College Point Boulevard) in Queens; Jade Plaza (6022 Eighth Avenue at 61st......

Manhattan User's Guide has a nice roundup of some new and old places for a drink. Gothamist is most interested in Shebeen (202 Mott Street) - "Irish name, South African owners, in the middle of Chinatown and Little Italy, occasional African music played." Also, MUG mentions the bar at Tom Valenti's newest UWS venture, 'Cesca (164 W. 75th Street). The bar is nice and roomy, plus provides some funny people watching. Apparently the bar menu......

Rice to Riches Reviewed
For those of you in Basra, or Carroll Gardens, Rice to Riches is the new rice pudding place that opened on Spring Street across from that little park right off Mulberry....