Like a scene out of My Dog Skip, a boxer and Shar-Pei mutt on Long Island named, ahem, Bentley drove his owner's van into a coffee shop last night. When 60-year-old Bryan Maher went into Cool Beanz in St. James to sign up for a slot on their open mic night, he left the engine running in order to keep the pooch warm. Perhaps thinking the D was for "Doggie," Bentley then put the car... [continue]

For our second Thanksgiving recipe, we hand you over to Doug Crowell and Ryan Angulo, owner and chef (respectively) of the soon to open Buttermilk Channel in Carroll Gardens. Angulo was most recently chef de cuisine at The Stanton Social and is accustomed to tinkering with American standards— Stanton Social executive chef Chris Santos famously makes Chinese soup dumplings out of French onion soup, and corn dogs out of crab cakes. Ryan Angulo’s recipe included here is a variation on the time-tested and traditional baked-yam-and-marshmallow casserole extravaganza. He says the inclusion coconut milk, chestnuts and cranberries only add depth to the dish. ... [continue]

The 1930s were a time of breadlines and Hoovervilles (homeless encampments); there was even a shanty town in Central Park for a few years, in the former Lower Reservoir of the city water supply system. As New York is struggling through a new financial crisis, take a look back at the city as it developed during the Great Depression.... [continue]

The plastic over the windows is coming down, and the construction equipment is being removed: Enoteca Di Palo, a new retail wine shop located in the space adjacent to Grand Street’s famous Di Palo Fine Foods, will open this weekend, according to Lou DiPalo. The focus will be on Italian wines. “There will be wines from Italy’s 20 different regions,” said Lou DiPalo yesterday. Enoteca Di Palo will also focus on specialty liquors and small... [continue]

The following post is from our advertiser, Slumdog Millionaire. From Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) comes Slumdog Millionaire, the film that Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers calls “one of the year’s best” and Richard Corliss from Time Magazine calls “a buoyant hymn to life, and a movie to celebrate.” A penniless, eighteen year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, Jamal Malik is one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's ‘‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” But when the show breaks for the night, suddenly, he is arrested on suspicion of cheating. After all, how could an uneducated street kid possibly know so much? Determined to get to the bottom of Jamal’s story, the jaded Police Inspector spends the night probing Jamal’s incredible past, from his riveting tales of the slums where he and his brother Salim survived by their wits to his hair-raising encounters with local gangs to his heartbreak over Latika, the unforgettable girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of Jamal’s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show’s seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show? When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out… Visit the OFFICIAL SITE for info about FREE screenings in your area.... [continue]

Good things come in small packages: At Chinatown Brasserie yesterday, a preview was held for this Thursday’s James Beard Foundation benefit gala. An accompanying conference (the whole shebang is called Dumplings & Dynasties) takes place Friday and Saturday, and will explore the state of modern Chinese food. Yesterday, Chinatown Brasserie’s Joe Ng prepared snacks and a roster of visiting Chinese master chefs—many of whom are legends— were introduced. Hong Kong-based Chow Chung, for example, operates... [continue]

In 1994, Eric Ripert became the executive chef of Le Bernardin after chef-owner Gilbert Le Coze died of a sudden heart attack. The following year, Ripert was only 29 years old when the restaurant was re-reviewed and kept its four-star rating from the New York Times. Le Bernardin has had a total of four four-star New York Times reviews since its New York opening in 1986, and has consistently been awarded a top rating of... [continue]

In Los Alamos New Mexico, there's a man named Ed Grothus, who for many years worked at the nuclear research laboratory until being dismissed in the '60s after participating in a peace march. But instead of leaving the nuclear company town that is Los Alamos, Grothus stayed put and began amassing all sorts of surplus junk discarded by the labs. His collection, called The Black Hole, is now incalculably vast, and has become a pilgrimage destination for technology geeks, pacifists, and atomic tourists. Mike Daisey, the monologist, went there too, and after seeing his new solo show, If You See Something Say Something, I feel like I was there with him.... [continue]

Last night at the Astor Center was the Alinea Experience, an event that brought the staff and a few dishes from the Chicago restaurant—named best in the country by Gourmet in 2006—to New York. Stations were set up around the space, each with a different Alinea bite to try. In one room was the restaurant’s “Black Truffle Explosion”: a sort of deep dish ravioli nested in a spoon. It was filled with warm truffle juice... [continue]

One of the most-talked about productions of this theater season has been Sarah Kane's Blasted at the indispensable Soho Rep. First presented in 1995 at the Royal Court in London, Kane's debut sparked enormous controversy for its unblinking depiction of brutality between the three characters: a bigoted, middle-aged English journalist, his unwilling young paramour, and a wild-eyed soldier who crashes into their hotel room to bring the savagery to new heights. Or depths. By now... [continue]

The polls open at 6 a.m. statewide tomorrow, and given the recent concern about whether the NYC Board of Elections is prepared for an anticipated massive voter turnout, you might want to consider voting early. Polls close at 9 p.m., and you can check your voting location here or by calling 1-866-VOTE-NYC. In New Jersey, polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m; you can look up your polling place here. Polls in... [continue]

Left: Cleveland Diner, 1983, in C.H.U.D. At right, La Esquina, 2008 La Esquina has yet another secret. The restaurant on the corner of Cleveland and Kenmare—that famously requires customers to go through a series of doors, stairs, and even its kitchen in order to get to a hidden dining room—was the scene of one of the most slightly scary horror movie sequences of all time. In a sequence toward the end of C.H.U.D. (Cannibalistic Humanoid... [continue]

As a child of Hollywood, Harry Shearer portrayed the original Eddie Haskell on Leave It To Beaver, appeared in Abbott & Costello Go To Mars, and after a stint at Harvard, eventually wound up on Saturday Night Live, where you can spot him in that legendary synchronized swimming sketch with Martin Short. Many know him as the bassist in Spinal Tap; others recognize his voice from The Simpsons, where he portrays characters such as Montgomery... [continue]

Andrew Carmellini was most recently the chef at A Voce, which was awarded three stars by the Times. He left that restaurant in June, and is currently looking at spaces to house his next restaurant project. In the meantime, Carmellini and his wife Gwen Hyman have written a cookbook called Urban Italian, which features recipes created in a small city kitchen with a few pots and a flunky stove. Recipes are interspersed with Carmellini’s colorful... [continue]

There's plenty of cold air behind the front that passed through the city last night. For now the axis of cold has plunged southward rather than heading east. That misdirection will let the city squeeze in one more warmish day today. Expect a high near 60 with a slight chance of showers later this afternoon. The warmth will be gone tomorrow as a low pressure system traveling along the front will bring steady rain overnight... [continue]

Photo of Ernest Hemingway dog via eatsdirt's flickr. The best part of Halloween is unequivocally being able to dress your pets up in costumes without being dubbed "crazy." This weekend some totally normal humans will be showing off their costumed canines in Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park at the 10th annual Great Pupkin Dog Costume Contest. Get there at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday if you want to register your pup, and shortly after if you... [continue]

Will Ferrell—who will be appearing in a one man show on Broadway in January called You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush—turned up for the cold opening of Saturday Night Live's election special last night. Portraying a 'see-no-evil' Dubya who has declared the Oval Office "a bummer-free zone," Ferrell joined Tina Fey as Palin and Darrell Hammond as McCain. But with McCain on the run from Bush's endorsement (last seen "travelin'... [continue]

Ever want to see yourself in Muppet form? FAO Schwartz is offering the chance to do just that with their Muppet Whatnot Workshop. For just 90 bucks you can create your own muppet, to be delivered to your doorstep in just a few weeks. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well...so many people were jumping on the opportunity that the Muppet machine had to be put on hold temporarily, but as of right now... [continue]

Don't feel bad about mangling the pronunciation of Charlie Kaufman's new film, Synecdoche, New York; page three of the press kit is solely dedicated to the title's pronunciation [Sih-NECK-doh-kee] and various meanings, such as "A Part is used for the Whole, as in The Screen for Movies." Though Kaufman wrote such gems as Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this is his directorial debut, and he certainly picked an ambitious project... [continue]

Surely you're aware by now that the next season of reality cooking show Top Chef was filmed right here in New York. It premieres next month, and to crank up the enthusiasm, Bravo is displaying some serious marketing flair. This week Top Chef: The Tour, a 20-city barn burner featuring a customized 18-wheeler semi-truck, rolls into town, promising "the ultimate culinary experience" with cooking demonstrations and tastings hosted by former cheftestants. The truck houses a... [continue]