There's a growing trend in the Manhattan nightlife scene towards discreet drinking temples -- spaces whose front doors are as softly spoken as the imbibers who pass through these hidden gateways. (read more)

Washington is in the midst of something of a wine-bar explosion. A handful of inviting spots have opened in the last couple of years, energizing the D.C. wine scene. Nearby Silver Spring residents can now choose from 40 wines by the glass at The Wine Press, a European-style wine cellar. (read more)

It has been a while since I last had more than one meal in the same week in Portsmouth, NH, the small town where I grew up on the coast of the Granite State. I recently enjoyed a number of restaurants in town and wish I had made my trip sooner. (read more)

I have been wondering for some time about dessert carts -- the wheeled display cases waiters swing by your table after the main course has been cleared away, ostensibly to tempt you to order something you hadn't wanted only moments ago. (read more)

Cork & Knife Editor Chip Griffin had a chance recently to stop in and visit with Chef Ethan McKee of the new Washington, D.C., restaurant Rock Creek Mazza, which follows the first restaurant, Rock Creek, which is located in Bethesda, Md., just outside the District. (read more)

The rain held off for Zoofari 2008, the Washington National Zoo's annual outdoor fund-raiser featuring food from about 100 of the city's best restaurants, with many master chefs on hand. This year's theme was Frogs & Friends, because "frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts are declining rapidly around the world," according to the zoo's Web site. (read more)

Cork & Knife Editor Chip Griffin had a conversation recently with Todd Gray, Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Equinox Restaurant in Washington, DC. Chef Gray talks about dry aged beef, food bloggers, the "localvore" movement and more. (read more)

I recently had a reservation at Radius, a well-regarded restaurant in Boston, but fate intervened in the form of a water main break forcing me to head elsewhere. The result? A fabulous meal -- and an even better experience -- at Great Bay. (read more)

If the chef makes the restaurant, then you can expect to have a completely different experience each month at Ikarus in Hangar-7 near the Salzburg, Austria airport. In 2008, Joel Antunes will be the only American cook invited to serve as a distinguished guest chef. (read more)

Most diners give at least some thought to what they are drinking at a restaurant, but what about the people that are in that wine or spirit glass? No, I'm not talking about the sloppy fingerprints that some establishments leave on the rim or the health code challenged place where a waiter sneezed on your glass before delivering it. (read more)

When my friend Ethan McKee told me he was going to be the Executive Chef at a restaurant focused on "mindful dining," I was skeptical. You see, I like my cream and butter, thank you very much, and Rock Creek Mazza eschews both. Despite my initial misgivings, it follows through on its promise, leaving my palate and stomach satisfied at the end of the meal. (read more)

If the idea of a "green" restaurant conjures visions of waiters in hemp necklaces, cardboard menus and patchouli incense burning in the corner, think again. (read more)

With the long, not-terribly-cold Washington winter stretching out before us, and the holidays solidly past, we at Cork & Knife have decided to tone up. Yes, we have joined a gym, in the hopes of getting the old blood moving... (read more)

Hot Plates knows you all love food, and you enjoy dining out. We also know how much you value something culture writer Virginia Postrel calls "look and feel." Food is never the end of the story, is it? You care... (read more)

So what kind of year was 2007 in the restaurant world? New York Times writer Frank Bruni wrote an interesting wrap-up this week that neatly explains something that is easier to feel than to describe. In New York, it has... (read more)

China, India, Afghanistan? France, Italy, America? Dining out in great restaurant cities is a way to take a trip when you can't get on a plane. Amid the holiday chaos, give yourself the gift of a mini-escape to a place... (read more)

What's yummier, the food or the words? Don't ask us -- we're sometimes biased. (read more)

Even though Thanksgiving dinner is traditionally an at-home affair, many people let others do the cooking. Takeout from a great place like Balducci's is one thing, but some folks go all the way with a full-on dining out experience. We see the merit of that choice, but we also can't help but relish this day where we are supposed to stick around our home, or someone else's home, and break bread with the people we love (sub in "like" or "tolerate" here as needed). (read more)

If one were to play the game “Six Degrees of Separation” in the D.C. dining scene, there is unlikely to be a chef in the city who would better embody the Kevin Bacon role than Equinox’ ubiquitous owner and top chef Todd Gray. (read more)

Right about now, people are getting in a groove with cooking, and getting ready to entertain -- which makes it a great time of year to take a break and rediscover the pleasure of letting someone else do the cooking (and cleaning) for you. (read more)

Women Chefs & Restaurateurs recently held their 2007 award ceremony, honoring seven women who have distinguished themselves in the industry. (read more)

Can a hotdog joint serve fine food? It's an improbable question, and most folks would never consider it--until they walk into Hot Doug's on the near north side of Chicago. (read more)

The holiday season is approaching; it is a time of possibility. Prior to the rush that will soon hit, with shopping, parties, and all the accompanying whatnot, we bask in a feeling of anticipation. Once it comes, everything will be... (read more)

Popular New York chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin fame has been at work of late on a new establishment in the nation's capital.  Outward appearances suggest the final stages of preparation, and indeed sources tell Cork & Knife that... (read more)

For years, American Express has maintained an image of a company associated with some of the finer things in life, including excellent restaurants.  They offer some cardholders benefits including their Fine Dining program that reserves tables at some of the... (read more)

Probably the most interesting restaurant piece in this week's papers focuses on service, and the cultural differences that make dining experiences vary from city to city. Los Angeles is a driving town; that affects the service, since people splurge on... (read more)

The older we get, the easier it can be to pop over to a favorite restaurant for a meal that's a "sure thing." One bad experience can make a diner run screaming back to his routine of golden oldies. So... (read more)

TV chef Martin Yan and former Top Chef contestant Lee Anne Wong will host an awards ceremony for the Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in America on November 11 in New York City.  It will be the 4th annual event organized... (read more)

With autumn finally upon us, chefs across the country will look to integrate seasonal ingredients into their menus. Gone are those sultry summer days that call for crisp, cool, refreshing meals. As temperatures fall, the food will become richer, celebrating the harvest bounty and taking advantage of our natural cravings for rich foods with lots of butter, cream, and other decadent ingredients. (read more)

Sometimes, dear readers, opening the food section is a little bit like checking a friend's fridge when you are not sure what you want to eat: Maybe you love everything you see, and maybe there is only a carton of... (read more)

"Four star" restaurants generally represent the pinnacle of fine dining, at least in the eyes of many food lovers.  Typically, the food is imaginative and expertly produced.  The decor has likely been thought out carefully and undoubtedly expensively.  The... (read more)

As fall begins to settle in for much of the country, the food pages are awash in autumnal treats including apples, lively red wines, spicy white wines, and -- tongue! Hot Plates takes you on a tour of the country's newspapers for what's hot this week. (read more)

September, that month of beginnings, is here, and in this first week of the month the food pages are sprinkled liberally with news items about new and noteworthy restaurants in New York, D.C. and Los Angeles. (read more)

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to give up your current career to become a chef? Catherine Fiore did just that and explains that there's a whole lot more to cooking professionally than throwing good home dinner parties and enjoying good food. (read more)

So you find yourself traveling and eating on your own a lot. Or maybe you are single and still enjoy a fine dining experience, just not at a table in the middle of the dining room. Or if you are like me and my wife, perhaps you just find the bar dining experience to be more enjoyable in some cases than the stuffy tablecloth approach. How do you get the most out of that experience? (read more)

Many restaurants happily accommodate special requests, but you'll never know if you don't ask. (read more)

Dining at the bar in a gourmet restaurant represents one of life’s simple but great pleasures. At first, it was my frequent business travel schedule and a desire for something better than room service that drove me to eat solo on a stool. Being that lonely one-top with a book in the middle of the dining room didn’t appeal to me; I thought it too embarrassing. The bar became my refuge. (read more)

Cork & Knife adheres to the principle that people make a significant difference in one's fine dining experiences. It makes sense then to share those stories. From time to time, I will ask various groups of individuals to tell us their tales. Today, I took the chance to ask some food bloggers to dish on some of their best and worst experiences. Not surprisingly, the people in the restaurants take center stage. (read more)

Every chef seems to have that "go-to" dish that sticks on the menu and stands the test of time.  Sometimes it is one that the chef feels represents his cooking style, others linger because customers can't get enough of the... (read more)

PBS recently launched a new series focusing on the stories of 27 prominent chefs around the country.  Although the "Chef's Story" show itself is unavailable for viewing in many parts of the nation, a companion book of the same title... (read more)

Consider any fine dining experience you have had that has really made an impression -- good or bad -- on you.  Chances are, the people involved made a big difference in that outcome.  Whether it was the chef who... (read more)