Chinatown: Check out these lush, noir-ish images of Chinatown at night, including some mouth-watering shots of peking duck and suckling pig hanging in a shop window. [Grub Street]
East Village: Mexican Restaurant Week kicks off today and at La Palapa, you can try a variety of dishes featuring pulque, an agave-based Mexican spirit, for the next two weeks. Between Monday, September 26 and Friday, September 30 starting at 8 p.m., the restaurant will wind down Mexican Restaurant Week with tequila tastings featuring a different brand each night. [Grub Street]
Lower East Side: Stuffed Artisan Cannolis, they of the kooky cannoli flavors, is closing shop at 176 Stanton Street. A handwritten note on their door says that patrons can still find their cannolis throughout the city at the San Gennaro Festival this month, the Madison Square Market in October, and Union Square Market come the holidays. [Bowery Boogie]
Beyoncé baby mania has reached new heights thanks to a project by Babycakes bakery — a “bun in the oven,” so to speak. It’s a pastry that will grow in size to keep pace with Beyoncé’s growing fetus. In case you were wondering, the confection is made from garbanzo fava bean flour, pumpkin puree, pear puree, agave nectar, coconut oil, and vanilla glaze, and is for display only. [DNA Info]
Meatpacking District: Boozy brunch lovers will now have a new place to go thanks to the Koch Brothers (formerly of the Oak Room parties) who are keeping the day party alive at Anja Bar starting on October 1 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. [Zagat Buzz]
Nolita: Even Austria is getting into the pop-up business. For two weeks starting on October 5 and continuing through October 19, the Austria Board of Tourism will be hosting a pop-up shop at the Openhouse Gallery (located at 201 Mulberry Street). Inside, visitors can munch on cheese, wiener melange, and sacher tort inside a replica of the famed Sacher Cafe. The space will also feature orchestral music, art, film, jewelry, and even a re-creation of The Kiss by Klimt. Nearly all events are free and open to the public. [Grub Street]
James Beard Award winner Hank Shaw, whose book Hunt, Gather, Cook just came out, is coming to New York to do a dinner on Thursday, September 22 at Public . It’s a four-course tasting menu of local wild foods cooked by Next Iron Chef contestant Brad Farmerie. Cost is $75, with a $75 add-on for wine pairings. [Grub Street]
Park Slope: The Tasting Brooklyn Dining Club returns tomorrow, September 20, with the theme of “Italian Classics with a Modern Reinterpretation” at Fornino Park Slope. For $55 (not including tax and tip), guests will be treated to a five-course dinner and one drink (another $20 will snag you a pairing of four wines). The menu selection includes duck rollatini with orange prosecco vinaigrette, seared branzini with chopped puttanesca salad, and a peach semifreddo for dessert. Tickets may be purchased here. Dinner starts at 7 p.m. [Grub Street]
Upper East Side: Chef Marc Murphy (of Landmarc and Ditch Plains) will be doling out porchetta sandwiches with pickled onions and tomato rosemary jam from the All-Clad food truck parked outside the Sur La Table on the UES tomorrow, Tuesday, September 20, from noon to 2 p.m. He’ll be back the next day, Wednesday, September 21, outside the Soho Sur La Table. [Grub Street]
Tribeca: A new sushi place, Sushein, has opened up at 325 Broadway (between Worth and Thomas Streets) and has two distinctive features: Sushi will be brought out via conveyor belt, and it’s kosher. Their menu also includes a number of Asian-fusion dishes (curries, noodles, wraps) in addition to sushi; for a less frenetic meal, guests can eat in a conveyor-less dining room in the back. [Tribeca Citizen]
