I have a great love for all kinds of dumplings but the ones that find their way into my mouth most often tend to be soup dumplings (Chinese) and gyoza (Japanese). Korean dumplings are called "mandoo" and are pretty darn tasty, fried or steamed. At a place called Mandoo Bar on 32nd street in Manhattan's Koreatown, you can watch nice ladies making mandoo right in the storefront window right before you go inside and have them cooked up just for you. Jason Perlow visited Mandoo Bar recently and posted a set of mouth-watering photos on his blog, Off the Broiler—don't look on an empty stomach or it'll start rumbling for sure.... More

David Chang was named one of the top ten chefs of 2006 by Food & Wine Magazine and his flagship restaurant Momofuku is one of the shining stars of New York's East Village restaurant scene, so he's no novice when it comes to attention from the press—but waiting for a review of his newest venture from Frank Bruni of the New York Times is a nerve-wracking experience nonetheless. Chang himself handicaps Momofuku Ssam Bar's chances at getting a starred review over at Eater: "Prune has one star – and that places rocks. This is where my money is: a review that says the restaurant is good enough, but not transcendent – a nice one-star. Some witty insights about the food,... More

Florence Fabricant explains why over 300 people (including 80 chefs) flew into Monte Carlo from all over the world to spend this past weekend commemorating the 80th birthday of the chef Paul Bocuse in Celebrating the Ringmaster of the Restaurant Circus: "Before chefs had their own TV shows and million-dollar book deals, when today’s international obsession with chefs and restaurants was in its infancy, Mr. Bocuse was on the cover of Time magazine as the champion of nouvelle cuisine. People knew his name when they could name no one else who worked in a kitchen. "He made it possible for chefs to be respected international celebrities,” said the New York restaurateur Drew Nieporent. "And he made haute cuisine popular. His... More

Whether you live in the city or just plan on visiting, there's bound to be something interesting in New York Magazine's brand spankin' new Everything Guide to Chinatown for you. (My favorites of all their features: A Visual Guide to Chinatown's Most Intriguing Ingredients—I do have to question a list that's named that and yet doesn't include chicken feet, which I've always found curious—and The Best Late-Night Spots for Fried Dumplings, Eight-Pound Lobster, or Roast Pork.)... More

Dinner With The Band "shows renowned avant-garde chef Sam Mason as he invites his favorite touring bands to his apartment for an intimate evening of food, conversation and live music." All that's up on the site right now is a pilot, but it looks pretty interesting and the show should be good if they actually start shooting more episodes. Mason was the pastry chef at NYC's WD-50, but left a few months ago to work on opening his own place.... More

From the New York Times this morning: In the long run, like bagels, “you’re going to have arepas in every store,” predicted [Manuel A.] Miranda, whose innovations include a “toaster-friendly” version (square instead of round), and an experimental Web site that offers online sales nationwide. Mass-produced toaster arepas? Somewhere, Chowhound founder and arepa aficionado Jim Leff is blowing a gasket. Photograph from Scuzzi's Flickr photostream... More

Ommm vs. Yummm: Foie gras battle sizzles on; politicos and celebs face off. “Over the past few years, protests in New York over the rich, velvety, and controversial bird livers have been limited to piecemeal pickets here and there. But emboldened by legislative victories in Chicago and California, groups like Farm Sanctuary, the League of Humane Voters, and the Humane Society of the United States have united locally under one No Foie Gras umbrella, hiring former Spitzer fund-raiser Lawrence Kopp and a full-time staffer to build a movement. (...) “If it weren’t so funny, it would be sad,” says Fairway partner Steven Jenkins, who claims the “foie gras weirdos” are “doing nothing more than preying on the guilt-ridden liberals of... More