Two chefs of popular seafood restaurants have settled a lawsuit out of court, denying foodies the chance to hear how restaurant plagiarism would be argued. The NY Times reports, "Both sides in the case agreed to keep the terms of the settlement confidential." Last summer, Pearl Oyster Bar chef and owner Rebecca Charles claimed that her former sous chef Ed McFarland took not only her recipes when he set up shop at Ed's Lobster Bar......

A welcoming red and white striped awning dawns the name of the Cornelia Street Cafe, a longtime West Village fixture with artist roots that recently celebrated its 30th birthday. Located on a "mini restaurant row" including the teeny Le Gigot, Home, and Pearl Oyster Bar, the cafe is much more spacious than its neighbors with four separate rooms on two floors, each dotted with the work of local artists. Though the West Village today......

Get thee to Flushing -- according to the Times, it's much more than the city's "other Chinatown." Michael Ruhlman discusses this week's episode of the Next Iron Chef and the loss of Chef Davies: "But sad I was to see her go—what a camera friendly smile, and what a buoyant presence generally. I much prefer her to the head sweater, the meat man, or the bald guy with the Neanderthal brow! But for those who......

This year's Zagat NYC guide is out on the streets today. The familiar burgundy book is still a staple to many searching for the top food in the city, although many argue that the voting process leads to inconsistent results. That said, here are the numbers, the highlights, and the rest:This year's edition covers 2069 restaurants and compiles results from over 34,000 surveys. Gordon Ramsay knocks one over the fence with the top newcomer, earning......

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......

Summer always brings to mind certain culinary delights -- barbecue, corn on the cob, hamburgers and hot dogs, lemonade, and seafood, particularly anything you'd find at a New England clam shack. We're fortunate enough to live near Pearl Oyster Bar if we need a quick fix, but what about those for whom the closest decent lobster might actually be in New England? Send 'em a Lobstergram. The folks at Lobstergram sent us one to try......

Over 120 waiters from Sparks Steakhouse, both current and past employees, have been permitted to join a class-action lawsuit in federal court over money alleged to have been deducted illegally from tips. The plaintiffs' lawyer classified it as "the largest class-action ever against a restaurant." [NY Post] Pete Wells chimes in on the lobster roll legal battle between Rebecca Charles and Ed McFarland, and focuses for a moment on the fiduciary duty aspect of the......

In case you missed it, earlier this week, Rebecca Charles, owner of Pearl Oyster Bar, filed an intellectual property suit against former sous-chef Ed McFarland, alleging that he had stolen recipes and design ideas when he opened his new restaurant, Ed's Lobster Bar. Here's what has gone down since then. Ed held a press conference. Grub Street describes Ed's response: “I am deeply saddened to learn that Rebecca Charles has brought an action against me,”......

Rebecca Charles, NYC lobster roll pioneer and owner of Pearl Oyster Bar will do whatever it takes to protect the formula she has created to make Pearl such a success. She has brought suit in Federal court against Ed McFarland, her former sous chef and owner of Ed's Lobster Bar, claiming that he copied “'each and every element' of Pearl Oyster Bar, including the white marble bar, the gray paint on the wainscoting, the......

The story: a man walks into a clam bar and orders a plate of fried clams, and the confusion begins. “Fried clams” can refer either to squiggly strips a la HoJo’s (RIP), or clam bellies. Otherwise known as Ipswich clams, bellies refer to the shucked ball-and-chain shaped whole bivalve, minus the clam’s soft shell. In its fried form, Ipswich clams are harder to find. Regardless, there are few restaurants that serve fried clams in either......

If you've ever been to Pearl Oyster Bar, you might recognize Ed McFarland, who was the sous-chef there for six years. Ed has now struck out on his own with Ed's Lobster Bar, a spot for "New York seafood cuisine inspired by New England's long tradition." We stopped in on opening night for a peek and found a crisp bright interior dominated by a long, white marble bar, with appropriate sea-themed artwork adorning the......

Damon Wise, formerly the chef de cuisine of Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak, is the now executive chef of all the Craft restaurants. Shane McBride, most recently of the now defunct 7Square is now working for him. [Restaurant Girl; NYMag] Billy Barlow is now the head chef at Zak Pelaccio's 5 Ninth [Eater] Eric Lind, the chef who opened Flatbush Farm, has left to pursue some consulting gigs. [NY Mag] Joël Robuchon will be behind the counter......

Ever open a bottle of champagne, only to have the contents bubble up and spill over, leaving you with a significant amount less than you started with? Gothamist recently learned a new trick to deal with this problem. Hold the bottle of champagne at a 45 degree angle when you pop the cork (which should be done very very gently, with as little noise as possible). Any bubbles that ensue will go straight up, but......

Just wait until you see how many calories are in your dinner. The New York City Board of Public health is considering requiring the city's restaurants to list calories on their menus. Our initial thought was panic -- do we really want to know how many calories are in that delectable lobster roll from Pearl Oyster Bar or the addictive fried chickpeas at Tia Pol? Not really. But then we read the proposed regulation......

Savennieres. It’s not a wine that you hear about everyday. This little area in the Loire Valley produces some of the greatest wines from the Chenin Blanc grape. But likely due to its small size (both geographically and in terms of producers) and the lack of hype surrounding the Chenin Blanc grape, it easily falls under the radar for most wine enthusiasts. But those who happen across a Savennieres quickly champion the cause. Maybe it’s......

Jordan’s Lobster Dock seemed like it would be right up my alley. It’s been open since Lou Gehrig was playing first base for the Yankees. There’s outdoor seating. It’s hidden on a side street in the old waterfront neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay. They proudly boast there is “No Tipping” necessary because of the cafeteria style setup. And they serve loads of seafood. Martin Scorsese even attached his name to a Danny Aiello movie about......

June 29: At the Table: Celebrating Women Chefs & Restaurateurs It's all about the ladies at this benefit for the scholarship fund of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs, an organization that promotes the advancement of women in the restaurant industry. Join top women chefs and sommeliers at this five-course dinner and reception, including Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez of Lassi, Rebecca Charles of Pearl Oyster Bar, and Patricia Yeo of Sapa, among others. Gourmet's Sara Moulton, the Honorary Chair......

With all this global climate chaos, it almost seemed weird that summer arrived perfectly on schedule this year. The first truly hot, sticky, muggy days of the year came over Memorial Day weekend the way the lord intended when He created barbeques, day games, and ice cream trucks. And while summer means boiling apartments and gushing fire hydrants in the more densely populated parts of New York, it means sun tan lotion, body surfing, and......

Thanks to the folks at New York Mag for bringing this one to our attention. Tia Pol's Chef Alex Raij is putting together a Valentine's day menu that contains loving tributes to her favorite dishes throughout the city. Some of Alex's favorites are ours too: Banh Mi So 1's amazing sandwiches, Pearl Oyster Bar's lobster rolls, 'ino's truffled egg toast, and Momofuku's pork buns. For each dish, she creates her own variation. If you could......

A Gothamist reader tipped us off and Florence Fabricant confirmed that Black Pearl, the New England style clam and lobster shack in the back of the East Village bar, Julep has closed. We will mourn quietly and head back to Pearl Oyster Bar. New York Metro rounds up places to find deviled eggs, but somehow managed to leave off Blue Smoke. We didn't even know we liked deviled eggs until we tried these, light and......

July 23: Chefs & Champagne The James Beard Foundation will be honoring Chef Michael Romano of Union Square Cafe for his contributions to the food industry at its annual Chefs & Champagne Benefit at the Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, New York. Hang in the Hamptons and enjoy tastings by chefs including Florian Bellanger of Fauchon, Rebecca Charles of Pearl Oyster Bar, Josh DeChellis of Sumile, and Kerry Heffernan of Eleven Madison Park along......

We adore Pearl Oyster Bar. The raw bar, the fried oysters, and of course, the lobster roll. Several weeks ago, when we first heard of Black Pearl, a clam-shack-style window tucked into the back of the East Village bar Julep, we were intrigued. When we read the New York Times review, we knew we had to go immediately, if not sooner. The review described the lobster rolls as "the real deal. Top-loading hot dog buns......

Between a trip out to Fire Island this weekend, and New York Metro's wrap-up of new fish shacks, Gothamist is ready for summer. While our all-time favorite is Pearl Oyster Bar, we're eager to try the newbies -- Black Pearl, in the East Village, and Bar Minnow in Park Slope. We've already had a sample of the fish shack at BLT Fish, and while we only got a tiny taste of the raw bar and......

Regina Schrambling, Food Writer...

There's nothing like a hot summer night to bring on cravings for New England seafood. Visions of clam shacks on the coast and tearing into lobsters at picnic tables were enough to send us racing to Pearl Oyster Bar the other night. Now the subject of the best lobster roll in New York has been hotly debated, but Pearl's has always landed near the top of the list. But don't forget the other items on......

Gothamist will leave Amanda Hesser critiquing to Eurotrash and, instead, we'd like to take a look at Katy Sparks, the new chef at Upper West Side restaurant Compass, which received 1 star in Hesser's review today. Sparks seemed to be the only reason why Compass received any stars at all, because while Hesser notes the atmosphere, once "clean and cool," is "worn," the sound level is loud and service is "[a]t its worst, like a......

Everyone has left something behind at a restaurant: Doggie bag of leftovers, shopping bag, cell phone...but usually the forgetful remember and will retrieve their wares. The Daily News looks at some unclaimed and, frankly, bizarre items left behind at city restaurants. Lots of coats are forgetten, leading restaurants to donate them to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. But the most interesting combination is at Shaffer City Oyster Bar & Grill: A worn full-length green negligee......