Sure, Why Not?"Sober February"Is a Thing

Our sentiments exactly (viaMarianne O'Leary's flickr).

February may be the shortest month, but it has its perks. Especially for those who like to knock a few back. From the Super Bowl to the Oscars,Margarita DaytoNational Drink Wine Day, hardly a sunset occurs that without a good excuse to tipple (not that everyday isn't a good excuse to drink). Unless you are an alcoholic. Or one ofthese guys, we guess.

See a group led by Dan Clark and Greg Rutter (a 31-year-old lawyer and a 28-year-old advertising executive, respectively) have gone and declared this month"Sober February."The idea is simple: participants should keep going out and being social, but they should abstain from hooch until 11:59 p.m., February 28th. Not to be abolitionists or anything, just to see if they can (as they say on their website:"Don’t get us wrong, alcohol is great. Super great. Maybe the greatest. But it’s good every now and then to take a break. Plus your first shot at 12:01 A.M. on March 1st will taste delicious.") And some people are actually doing it.

ThePost todayprofiles a few Sober February participants and finds mixed results. While founder Dan Clark has had some push back from friends (“They hate it. It makes them very self-conscious of their own drinking. It’s a total buzz kill, even though we don’t intend it that way. I think a lot of people just think it’s stupid.”) some others have seen good results. Like Lesley Mulholland, a bartender at Mesa Grill, who praises the booze-free month with causing her to spend less money, get up earlier and have more productive days and more social nights. Once her clean living even allowed her to“clean my kitchen and bathroom and hit the gym, all before 11 a.m.”!

Luckily there are only six more days in February, so we guess we're too late to join in the party (whew). But, uh, next year. We promise. Though honestly we think we prefer our month-long social experiments to involvefacial hair and cancer research.

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In College? Free Pizza In Sheepshead Bay Tomorrow!

ViaSheepshead Bites

If you've got a valid college ID (or if you're like us and just using your old one until youreallydon't look like the picture anymore) head out to Chipp Pizza tomorrow, because they're giving away free pies to all the academics in honor of their grand opening. Chipp has reportedly been soft open for a few months; it was started by formerThe ApprenticecontestantLenny Veltman,who once said of the joint,“We wanted to create a modern lounge much like a Chipotle or Panera Bread store, not another take out pizza joint. Somewhere you’d go on a date."Nothing more romantic than Chipotle!

The main draw of the joint is their 800-degree wood burning oven, which Veltman says can"produce a perfect pizza in just 60 seconds."He also said coal burning ovens are no good, andpreviously told Sheepshead Bites,“Grimaldi’s is crap. DiFara awful. Totonno’s garbage."So if anyone out there wants to conduct a taste test we'd be happy to know just how out of line he is! An employee tells us that a college ID will get you a free small, plain pie tomorrow, which usually goes for $9.50. They also don't offer slices, which has earned them some guffon Yelp. Still, free pizza. Do you really need another motivator?

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Still Got It: Victor's Cafe

ViaVictor's Cafe

In this city, restaurants come and go faster than you can say"sustainable locavore burger."And even though there are great new additions to the culinary landscape popping up every week, you've gotta give kudos to anyone who can stick it out for over a year. With that in mind, we bring youStill Got It, our tribute to establishments that continue to serve mouthwatering meals and drinks long after the buzz has faded—or if the lingering hype is still justified.

We know a trip to Victor's means a trip through the throngs of slow walking (science proved it) tourists, but one step inside the Cuba lounge and you'll forget about all the noise outside. Open since 1963 (they moved to the Theater District location in 1980),Victor's Cafehas been serving authentic Cuban food and drinks, and the years haven't taken a toll on the quality.

Dishes include everything from classic ropa vieja to ceviche to roast suckling pig in sour orange, olive oil, garlic and herbs. And a brunch of churros con chocolate caliente or baked eggs over chorizo comes accompanied by live salsa music. But if you go for nothing else, go for a pre-show drink. Their sangrias make us wish it were summer every day, and it's hands-down the best mojito we've had in the city. Just watch out, because it only takes one to knock you on your ass.

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Danny Meyer On More Shake Shacks, The"Better Burger"

Zoe Schlanger/Gothamist

Recently, restaurant empire-builder Danny Meyerspoke to the Real Dealabout Shake Shack no longer being an NYC-only destination. He said he chose Miami Beach because it was in the same time zone and that he's"always been fascinated with iconic locations for Shake Shack"(the new joint is at1111 Lincoln Road). Yes, but what of New York? Meyer said of the impact the Shack has had on the city:

I still think Shake Shack has been at the forefront of what I would call the"better burger"category, which is to say, it's somewhere between fine dining and fast food -- certainly no one has ever accused Shake Shack of being fast. Most people don't eat cheeseburgers and fries every day, but when you have it, it'd be better be good. I think Shake Shack has filled a different niche than New Yorkers have had in the past, where if you wanted that experience, it had to be a classic fast-food sandwich, which was a whole different deal.

Meyer says Shake Shacks will soon be coming to Battery Park City, Brooklyn, Westport, CT and Washington DC. Still, the burger didn't even make it onto thelatest city's best burger list, and none of the other winners were fast food or terribly overpriced. And is it even worth it if it doesn't come with aShamrock Shake?

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Feisty Mutated Fish Unlikely Hudson River Survivors

The Hudson River is home to a colorful cast of creatures, frombaby sealstohandgunsto 4.4 milliongallons of sewage. And you can now add mutated freak fish to that list!

Thirty years ago, researchers found that 94 percent of two-year-old Atlantic tomcod, which are brownish, mottled fish a bit longer than a hand, collected in the Hudson carried a type of liver tumor.Discovery News reportsthat the tomcod have evolved and adapted since then, in order to survive living amongst all the toxins that make the Hudson one of the most polluted rivers in the U.S. We truly can't imagine what they would have evolved into if they were in theGowanus Canal.There is one downside to their admirable survival: the tomcod's are prime meals for larger striped bass, which means that the toxins in them are getting introduced into the food chain.

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Coyote Ugly Shut Down For DOH Violations

Coyote Ugly

Is there trouble in stanky paradise? Yesterday,EV Grieve noticedthathepatitis-hotspottourist-beloved diveCoyote Uglyhas been shut down because of DOH inspections. The East Village bar, which opened in January 1993 and spawned multiple locations around the world as well as a movie based on it, scored40 pointsduring a DOH visit in December, for violations such as"plumbing not properly installed or maintained,""evidence of mice or live mice present,"filth flies everywhere, and unwashed surfaces.

In the latest DOH visit in February, they had90 violation points! We shudder to imagine what will happen to all those wide-eyed, bushy-tailed young women looking to make their dreams of dancing on bars come true:

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Ruth Madoff Seen...At A Supermarket

Photograph via Inside Edition

Ruth Madoff's dramatic lifestyle downgrade from her fancyPark Avenue duplexandMontaukandPalm Beachvacation homes was symbolized by a Post photographerseeing her ride the F train. NowInside Editionhas added to the gallery of what the Ponzi schemer's wife has been reduced to, besidesdyeing her hairand beingsnubbed from her son's memorial service: Grocery shopping in Florida.
 
Inside Edition says,"Ruth seems to be living a much less glamorous life than her luxurious days of butlers and chauffeurs.  Now she can be seen doing her own grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning and driving around in her 15-year-old car."Well, she can sit easy because husband Bernard Madoffinsisted to the NY Timesthat none of his relatives knew anything about his multi-billion dollar scheme to fake out investors.

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Eat Cetera: Stinky Cheese, Smorgasbord, Bartenders&Beasts

Stinky Cheese:NYC's fourth annualWinter Stinky Cheese Festivalkicks off tomorrow, promising ten days of, well, stinky cheese. During the festival, nine French restaurants around town will showcase"inventive"dishes inspired by stinky cheeses: Nice Matin, Marseille, Café D’Alsace, French Roast (Uptown&Downtown), Le Monde, L’Express, Maison and Pigalle. Throughout the ten day stink-out, each restaurant will offer a cheesy variation on an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Seen here, for example, is Chef Andy D’Amico’s Limburger Steak Hache, featuring melted Limburger Cheese, Vidalia Onions and a fried egg. You can get that at Nice Matin for $19. To peruse the wide spectrum of stinky menu offerings, check outthe Tour de France website. You've got until February 25th to sniff out all of them.

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Click on the photos for the scoop on the winter Stinky Cheese Festival, Aquavit's All-You-Can-Eat Sunday Smorgasbord, unlimited cocktails at Freemans to keep bartenders healthy, and Sixpoint's not-to-be-missed Beer for Beasts bash.

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Kennedy Fried Chicken Owner Declares War on Afghani Thieves

There's a hilarious storyin the Times todayabout Queens resident Abdul Haye, who owns the trademark forKennedy Fried Chicken. Despite the fact that Kennedy itself was successfully sued for ripping of Kentucky Friend Chicken's trademark, Haye has embarked on a scorched-earth campaign to bring some 300-plus unauthorized Kennedy outletsto their knees.The rhetoric is as fiery as a twelve-piece order of hot wings. Haye tells the Times,"I'm declaring war against all the Afghans in New York who have stolen my name and my idea.Their poor-quality chicken is going to kill my reputation. I am the only real Kennedy!"But is he in fact the real Kennedy?

The man who started the Kennedy chain in the '70s, Zia Taeb, a Kabul native who has since moved on to importing rare gems, says,"He won’t win because I know my people, and Afghans will never pay him.I will go after him."Then there's Nour Abdullah, the manager of a Kennedy Fried Chicken in Corona, Queens.“We won’t pay a penny,"he huffed."I can rename the shop Munir Fried Chicken after my son or even New Kennedy Fried Chicken. Then let’s see what he’s going to do."Oh boy, this is going to get worse before it gets better—clearly Washington needs to intervene to bring peace in this troubled fast food region.

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Map Says Sixpoint Is New York's Best Beer

ViaGOOD

New York is home to a number of successful breweries, including Ommegang, Brooklyn Brewery, Ithaca Beer and Blue Point. But according to voters on GOOD, Sixpoint is the best sustainable, independently-owned craft beer in the state. In their map of the United States of Good Beer (supersize it), GOOD tracks the best beers of the country, including New Jersey's Flying Fish, Connecticut's Willimantic Brewing Co. and Pennsylvania's Victory. Also, it turns out there is no good beer in Idaho, which is yet another reason never to go to Idaho. {ViaLaughing Squid}

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What Is With This Canadian Bagel"Trend"?

ECGroom

Those few New Yorkers looking to get theirCanadian bagel fixhave thus far had to buy them at Mile End in Boerum Hill, driven in fresh from over the border and sold for $20 a dozen. However, the Montreal-deli is nowgetting some competition. Reader Eric Groom sent us this photo and tells us that Empire bagels and bakery will be opening soon at 200 Clinton Street in Brooklyn. But do you care?

New Yorkers have long argued about bagelscooping,toasting,appetizingandwater use. And though it would seem that we could all unite against a foreign invader, we like to argue about bagels from Canada as well.One Yelp reviewersaid,"The bagels are good, but I guess I still prefer my puffy and sweet New York style,"while another greatly preferred the Montreal creations, saying,"sorry, Ess-A, but the butter was the most remarkable thing about the bricks you serve."Could the Canadian invasion be the end of New York bagels as we know them? Because if that's the case we're putting in for an earlyretirement to Florida.

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You Gonna Eat That Fried Chicken Claw?

Alexis L. Loinaz/Metromix

Metromix's Alexis L. Loinaz ordered the Fried Chicken Bowl at the charming newWest Village restaurant Fedoralast night, and it kind of freaked him out. The dish consists of a quarter piece of fried chicken served on a bed of rice with garlic chips, arugula and cucumbers. But what the menu doesn't tell you is that it's plated,in Loinaz's words,"with the claw still attached to the leg joint, hanging off the bowl and waving a cucumber at you."Loinaz did not wave back.

"Frankly this was way over the top, gimmicky and not the most appetizing scenario,"says Loinaz, who promptly hacked off the offending appendage."We’ve heard of nose-to-tail dining, but jeez! At Fedora, it’s friggin’ beak-to-claw."Hey-o! Of course, nobody would blink an eye if this landed on a table at a dim sum joint in Chinatown, but in the West Village not everyone wants to see extraneous parts of the animal that died for their dinners. Oh well, Loinaz's loss isCity Harvest's gain!

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Dirty Restaurants Cluster In Manhattan

The DoH'srestaurant grade initiativehas been a hit with diners, to the point thatother businesses now want grades. They've also been great for quick neighborhood analysis. Today, for instance,AMNY sorts throughthe 10,000 or so restaurants that have been graded and notes that the 10026 ZIP code has the dirtiest restaurants (20% of its eateries boast either a"C"or a"Grade Pending"sign). Manhattan isn't just number one, its number two too! The 10006 ZIP in Lower Manhattan comes in second with 13% of its eateries in the"C"or"Pending"range.

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Now You Can Eat and Wear Locally Raised Cows

Would you eat a cow, and then wear its skin? Food just went from farm to tableto your closet(we await the inevitable moniker for this group of foodie fashionistas: foodista?). According tothe NY Post, Marlow&Sons in Williamsburg is selling leather goods constructed from the tanned hides of the locally sourced cows and pigs that make it to their menu.

This has actually been going on for almost a year now, and when the line launchedNY Magwondered if it would become a trend. While it hasn't seemed to taken off yet, we still fear the day we're handed over a chicken-skin change purse with some nuggets at McDonald's. (Just kidding, those aren't made from real chickens!)

The bags come with a high price tag, $300 to $400, but don't forget you're also buying awayyour guilt. One man who stops by the restaurant daily recently bought a belt, and the designer (whose husband owns the eatery) explained,"it was really more that idea that 'It's my responsibility. I eat those animals so much—I need to participate in this whole cycle.'"

The goods are sold at Marlow&Sons, as well as sister establishments Diner (also in Williamsburg) and Roman's (in Fort Greene). Those behind they project (which actually is a nice idea), say they're"keeping it really small, and for our customers at the restaurant who have eaten those animals. {Look at} how quickly you can eat a burger, and that animal sacrifice for you is just gone. Whereas with the bag, that's something that can last for generations and generations."Yep, never forget: Colin...

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Diet Pepsi Introduces Anorexic Can

Do you like Diet Pepsi but sometimes think,"this can is just so fat and unattractive!"Well, Pepsi is unveiling their"taller, sassier new Skinny Can"which they say is a"celebration of beautiful, confident women."Consider it a PILF. Or don't, because that might get you injured.

Marketing officer Jill Beraud adds that the new can is"slim and attractive,"but if that isn't your thing,CNNreports that"for consumers who prefer their soda cans to be the traditional short and fat product—no need to worry. A Pepsi spokeswoman confirmed the old model will remain on shelves."

The new can will be unveiled this Friday during Fashion Week, as part of Simon Doonan's public art installation at Diet Pepsi Style Studio in SoHo. You could stand to lose a few pounds before introducing yourself.

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Brooklyn Dog Food Creators Will Eat Their Own Product

Evermore dog food

Last year, two intrepid women decided totaste test a selectionof dog foods classified as"human grade."But that was just one night hopefully washed away by copious amounts of wine and human snacks. How do theyreallyknow what"human grade"means? Hanna Mandelbaum Alison Wiener of Red Hook, creators of Evermore dog food, will see their night of doggy cuisine andraise them another 30 daysin order to prove that their own product is"fit for human consumption."

Starting on March 1st, the two women will eat a 1-1/2-pound container of their dog food,which they boastis locally sourced, features no byproducts, and is made of 88% meat, fruit and vegetables. Wiener says,“This is not about the shock value of eating dog food. We want to stand behind our claims by demonstrating the integrity of our products.” They will also consult with nutritionist Ashley Koff, who says,"Evermore uses such a great array of healthy ingredients...frankly, this makes a great 'qualitarian' diet for anyone!"

Wiener alsotold the Daily Newsthat they already"eat it all the time,"so it won't be too difficult. But while we understand that all the meats and fruits in the recipe are no different than what we consume on a daily basis, we can't help but be completely grossed out becausethey're eating dog food.Couldn't they just advertise it asBachelor Chowand leave it at that?

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Still Got It: Great Jones Cafe

CB Photography

In this city, restaurants come and go faster than you can say"sustainable locavore burger."And even though there are great new additions to the culinary landscape popping up every week, you've gotta give kudos to anyone who can stick it out for over a year. With that in mind, we bring youStill Got It, our tribute to establishments that continue to serve mouthwatering meals and drinks long after the buzz has faded—or if the lingering hype is still justified.

When we first started going toGreat Jones Cafe, we frankly couldn't care less about the food. We were too busy savoring some of the city's best margaritas and spicy dark&stormys to notice the burgers, honey-drizzled jalapeno cornbread and po' boys. But one night after a few drinks under the Mardi Gras beads, our growling stomachs demanded our full attention, and we became truly acquainted with this superior Bowery standby.

The no-frills Cajun and Creole menu changes daily, with only the burgers, chili, fries and cornbread as standbys. Specials range from gumbos to jambalayas, fried oysters to wings, with everything perfectly hot and spicy. Dinner can end with desserts like pecan and key lime pies, or just a strong mojito and old rock 'n' roll from the jukebox. And if you step out for a cigarette, you'll always haveElvisfor company.

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Would Restaurants Do Pro Bono Catering For Mayor?

Yesterday it wasreportedthat Mayor Bloomberg would be spending at least $245,000 of taxpayer money on his three Executive Chefs at Gracie Mansion. People were unsurprisingly not so thrilled with this, but at least one restaurant has an idea to avoid that cost: have all the different city restaurants cater a few pro bono meals for the Mayor."Teachers are so instrumental in young people's lives. What's more important? Kids getting an education or putting on fancy dinners?",saidSalvatore Rappo, manager at East Village restaurant Spina. Mayoral spokesman Jason Post sounded psyched about the idea, or at least the promise of"donated"food, and urged Rappo to follow-through on his offer with a call to City Hall.

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It's Not Too Late to Win at Valentine's Day: 7 Dining Suggestions

Betel:There aren't many places in New York more romantic than the West Village, even on days not dedicated to enduring love. One of the neighborhood's new dining darling's,Betel, is offering a $70 nine-dish"Rák"menu (it means love in Thai) crafted by Chef Adam Woodfield. Other than a choice between chicken and smoked trout for your second course, Chef Woodfield sets the itinerary for your culinary tour through southeast Asia. The"Duck and Lychee Vietnamese Pancake"and"Steamed Bronzini wrapped in Banana Leaf"look enticing to compete with your date. The tasting menu comes with a glass of Veuve Clicquot, thoughBetel's exceptional cocktailshave been known to steal the show.

51 Grove Street, (212) 352-0640

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It's February, and you know what that means: HAVE YOU MADE YOUR PLANS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY?! Perhaps you're reluctant to do so because you've been burned before by rapacious restaurants charging a premium for harried service and slapdash food. (Or maybe you're already settled on the time-tested plan of watchingEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindwith your old friend Stolichnaya, who will never betray you... at least not until after you lose consciousness.)

But if you find yourself In a Relationship, you know there's just no avoidingLove Day. So unless you want to get creative and cook a romantic dinner at home, it's time to make a reservation. Here are seven Gothamist-approved dinner options, and as of last night they were still taking seatings. Tomorrow we'll round things out with some V-Day alternatives for those singles ISO an alternative to the holiday"invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap."

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Kelly Choi, TV Personality

Mike Coppola

Think Korean food. Now think Korean food that's not BBQ or Kimchi. That blank you're drawing is what Kelly Choi has been working hard to change in the US since she began talking about (and tasting food) on TV. The former hostess ofTop Chef Mastersbegan her career hosting and producing the ever-popularSecrets of New Yorkin 2005 and won a New York Emmy forEat Out NYin 2009.

We caught up with her at midtown Korean fine dining spot Bann, where the Korean Food Foundation sponsored an event to remind us that theChinese don't have a monopolyon celebrating the Lunar New Year. Many of the Korean customs involve consuming copious amounts of food as a means of garnering good luck for the New Year (think of it as a Thanksgiving with the gluttony but no guilt). Choi educated us on the finer points of Korean cuisine and where to find it in New York, talked about her plans for the New Year, and gave us the story behind thatinfamous photoof her in Times Square.

So you filmedTop Chef Mastersin L.A. While you were gone, what was the number one thing you missed about New York?I missed that I could walk anywhere or get on the subway anywhere and get exactly what I wanted, whenever I wanted it. L.A. is very much a driving town and I was there for work so I never had any time off to even check out the L.A. scene and there's a lot of good food happening there, too. That's what I missed- the comfort of being able to order to-go or sushi or going to K-Town.

What is the story behind the New York Post spread where you're in Times Square with a dead lamb around your shoulders?That photo was for an on-going book project that I still have that I haven't released yet. The book is centered around dishes that I love in New York. I have a fashion background and I used to model, so I wanted all the shots to be kind of like a marriage of fashion and food and just be visually amazing. So me and Melissa Hung, who was my photographer for the project and still is, thought we would go one day and wear the clothes that my designer chose, and Michael White actually was going to let me borrow a suckling baby pig that day. I wanted a sweet baby pig on my shoulders, dead, but still sweet. And Craig, who's at Convivio, is like,"Don't worry, we have suckling pigs every day so whenever you call, we're ready."So the one day that I call they're like,"We're out, but we have this dead lamb,"so we made do with that. So Melissa and I are walking from my apartment to Times Square, I take off my jacket, I saw this and I was like,"Oh my god, it looks like a dead dinosaur."It was a little too harsh for me. At that time, the Post just happened to come. Traffic had stopped and tourists were like,"What the heck is going on? Is that real?"And the cops came and they were like,"Do you have permission to shoot here?"And I did because I worked for the city as well and I was like,"Isn't this public?"and the cop told us to wait. So we waited, and we walked a little bit away from 42nd, to 45th or wherever it was, and we were able to get some shots.

Did you get in a lot of trouble with PETA?No, nothing. It didn't go viral and I'm glad. I have heard somewhere on some site they were like,"Oh my god, she should stop eating stuff like that,"but that's cool, everyone has their thing.

What happened to the Matrix-style jacket that you had forSecrets in New York?I'm actually shooting a new season ofSecretsand we're kind of looking at outfits right now, but that season, I have the very first original one that me and my producer bought. We bought it on St. Marks Place at Trash and Vaudeville. It was like, $85 and it got so worn down, I mean, that's all I wore forever. So then we went back to get more and we bought a couple more, just in case.

If you're doing another season, are you bringing it back?No, because they want to make it feel different and it's a different producer now, so we found this designer named Talia who's doing more pieces for me so I'll be warm when it's cold. That first jacket was so brutal. When it was cold, I was freezing, and when it was hot, I was sweating bullets. But I still have it. Maybe one day I'll auction it off for a charity.

So, what's the different about the way Koreans celebrate the New Year? I feel like the Chinese New Year is more performative?It's all about the family on New Years Day.

Do Koreans get together for New Years in K-Town?In K-Town, on the night of the 31st of December, no. I mean, people definitely go out now because they're following the Western tradition.

But what about on Korean New Years Eve?No. New Year day is really about being with family and having that meal, the tteok, the rice cakes, hanging out, and playing games. Some people really do sing karaoke and play these wooden stick games that are sort of like dice. It's really about remembering and respecting your ancestors and people who have passed on. And then the parents throw money to the kids and wish for great health and wealth, and it's all about family. It's really like Thanksgiving Day.

A lot of people think Chinese food is being bastardized in this country. Has that happened with Korean food? Because people only know about kimchee and barbecue.Those dishes are great, and they're totally a part of it. I kind of know what that sense of Chinese food means and I kind of feel like I agree with certain parts of it. But Korean food, I feel pretty good about it. I used to think that 32nd street in Manhattan was all Westernized and too sweet, sour, and salty but I feel like it's gotten a lot better now. I've never gone to 32nd Street as much as I do these days.

Where are some of your favorite New York places to order in? Let's start with Korean restaurants.Korean for Manhattan, definitely 32nd Street, I like Shilla. For Kunjip, I love the bibimbap dish there. It's a pretty popular Korean dish with rice, a bunch of vegetables, beef, and a spicy sauce. That place, the Kunjip, they're really well known for the sulangtang. It's basically a bone marrow stew and they boil it forever so the broth is milky white, the marrow has been juiced out of it. You add some salt and eat it with rice. I also love Woorijip on 32nd and Food Gallery 32 isn't bad, I checked it out a couple of times. I liked the concept of it because it very much reminds me of Seoul and going to a food court and having a million things at once.

Do you know of any Korean cocktails? Is that something that they do in Korea?I'm sure they do it now, a lot more, just kind of following the Western way of being. There's no traditional cocktail. Definitely, the thing people drink is a lot of sake. Korea is definitely a drinking culture. They drink a lot of beer. I don't know if you've heard about these sake-bombs, but it's very Korean. And similar to that, there's soju-bombs, but soju is a Korean rice drink that's similar to sake and whenever you start a new job, you'd be taken out by your boss and everybody else and do these soju-bombs. You'd have a shot and drop it into a glass and you have to drink the whole thing in one shot. If you don't, you have to have two.

So what are your plans for the future? Other thanSecrets in New York, and the book.I still work for my restaurant show, NYC Life, which I produce. And I have something else that I'm working on that the world will see soon.

Is it going to be a new restaurant?No, god no. I love to enjoy it, I definitely would not open one on my own. There is just way too much work and way too much politics involved in terms of opening a restaurant. It's nothing like that. It's food related, but it's not like opening a restaurant or bar

But you're going to tell Gothamist fairly soon?Of course!

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Would You Be Cool With ShopRite Instead of Walmart?

Many New Yorkersdespise Walmartbecause the corporation has anestablished track recordof sucking the lifeblood out of communities across America. With Walmart eying the Gateway II shopping center Brooklyn, opposition to the chain has come to a boil in NYC, and the City Council will beholding hearings tomorrowon the retail Godzilla's possible impact on Brooklyn. But could a white knight with giant lizard-slaying lasers be appearing on the horizon?Crain's reportsthat ShopRite is also interested in the 100,000-square-foot property. Sure, it's no artisanal, locally-sourced organic farmers' market selling fair-trade goji berries, but could it be a good alternative?

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500, which represents ShopRite workers, is obviously all for it. A spokesman tells Crain's,"If what we’re talking about is good jobs and access to food, this presents the community with the opportunity to have 300 outstanding union jobs with a recognized employer in the area."Full-time ShopRite employees start at $11.75 an hour, and get $12.50 within a year on the job. Over time, the average full-time wage rises to $16 an hour. Most employees also get either a $1-an-hour bonus or time-and-a-half for working Sundays, and 87% of ShopRite workers receive health coverage, paid for by ShopRite. Walmart's average hourly wage in New York is $13.09.

But let's not rush to embrace ShopRite without first listening to the NY Post!The tabloid assertsthat"city shoppers could slash their grocery bills by 33 percent"if Walmart opens in Brooklyn. The Post came to that conclusion by comparing their receipt from a shopping trip to Walmart in North Bergen, NJ, and a Key Food in Forest Hills; reporters spent $103.36 at Key Foods, while the same items at Walmart came to $69.43.

"We don't think New Yorkers should have to pay more just because they live in a big city,"says Walmart spokesman Steve Restivo."That's why a Walmart store in Manhattan, Kansas, would charge the same price for Cheerios or diapers as a Walmart store in Manhattan, New York."But as cheap as Walmart's groceries get, many of their employeesstill need to use food stamps to shop there.

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New York Officially Has A Lot Of Restaurants

According to data from Pinpoint Demographics, New York City is number one for restaurants per capita {pdf}. Of the top ten zip codes for most restaurants per capita in the country, six were in New York, with TriBeCa in first, Midtown second and Midtown East in third. SoHo and the West Village were also on the list, and NoHo, Greenwich Village and Gramercy Park tied for ninth. Pinpoint writes,"Long famous for its restaurant culture, factors such as New Yorkers' affluence, diversity and lifestyle may also influence their desire to eat out."Or maybe it's just that so many of us use ourkitchens as closets.

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