On Wednesday Serious Eater Lia posted about Grom, an Italian gelateria concern opening its first U.S. store on Saturday the 5th of May. What Lia didn't tell all of you is that Grom is a mere 50 yards from my house. When I left my house at 10:30 on Saturday morning there was already a short line to get into Grom, which was opening at 11. When I returned five hours later, the line was longer—much longer, a full city block long in fact. I noticed a friend, Mindy, standing with her significant other midway through the line. I asked her how long she had been waiting in line: 45 minutes, she said. "The gelato is free," Mindy said.... More

Restaurants rarely open when they say they will for all sorts of reasons, but Top Chef heartthrob and eventual winner Harold Dieterle's first restaurant, Perilla, looks to be on course to open in the middle of this month, just like he said it would. According to our friends at Eater, the space in New York's West Village looks just about ready for primetime, and Perilla is already accepting reservations for May 14th on OpenTable. All you Top Chef fans from out of town, it's time to book your tables and plane tickets!... More

Every once in a while you get an email so passionate that all you can really do is share it, because paraphrasing would never do it justice. Here's something I received today from my pal Finn: From: FinnTo: LiaSubject: GromFYIexcuse my friend's, um, exuberant writing style. his gf is in italy right now and he visits fairly frequently, hence his experience with this gelato joint. he's probably serious about the dream too -- he really likes ice cream.----- Forwarded message -----From: JebTo: FinnSubject: yotell your foodblogger friends that they should go to grom and write about it for the food-blobs RIGHT AWAY! GROM is SO FRAKING GOOD. I had a dream about it last Sundae (you catch what I... More

People who visit New York City sometimes expect all the food to be expensive and hoity toity, but the truth is hundreds of thousands of people get cheap, simple, and tasty meals every single day from one of the many pushcarts on the streets. Benjamin Levisohn of the New York Daily News talked to some of the vendors to learn about the economics of pushcarts. One of the men he spoke to, Mohamad Ali, spent six years working at someone else's cart in Midtown, saving up the money to buy his own: "It wasn't cheap: The city only charges $200 for a permit, but with the number that are issued capped at 3,000, there's a thriving secondary market for... More

While we were busy enjoying Singapore Day, we missed out on Taste of Chinatown. Thankfully, plenty of other food bloggers were in attendance to partake in the $1 and $2 tasting plates. Off the Broiler: "... packed with people and lots of tasty $1 and $2 small plates, making Chinatown a gigantic dim sum parlor." eat 2 love experiences a "duckgasm" and discovers what might be the best deal of the whole event, "duck bone" (the remaining, whole duck carcass) for $2. The Porkchop Express gives Peking House's peking duck another vote. The Beet Goes On describes her moment of essential New York. Photograph from the Porkchop Express... More

I am thrilled to be once again blab-equing at a Big Apple Barbecue Block Party panel June 9–10 in Madison Square Park in New York City. Joining me and the usual barbecue addicts John T. Edge, Lolis Eric Elie, and Peter Kaminsky is none other than Republican almost–presidential candidate Fred Thompson. No word yet on whether Sam Waterston will be appearing on a panel as well. Photograph from WikiMedia... More