STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - All this talk of pancakes for Shrove Tuesday has me hungry for them, so here is my handy‑dandy list of pancake how‑to enjoy pancakes on Staten Island. For the record, an occupational hazard of food writing is that you are constantly stoking your own appetite. So now that I am craving a straight‑up pancake with an irresponsible amount of butter -thinking Kerrygold-and making my stomach even grumblier.
For those who do not wish to travel far to other parts of the city or the Bay Area for festivity, mark your calendar for a Lunar New Year celebration on Ocean Avenue on Saturday, Feb. 28, between noon and 3 p.m. at Unity Plaza, 1002 Ocean Ave. The event, which doesn't require any admission fees or RSVPs, will offer multicultural performances and various booths from local vendors.
Not many chefs working in small, family-run restaurants expect global megastars to turn up for dinner and to design them a menu from scratch. But that's what happened to Simona Di Dio last weekend, when she cooked dishes inspired by her Italian grandmother's recipes for Madonna, who sat on the single wooden dining table in their cosy, candlelit Italian restaurant in Margate's old town.
Las Vegas has a long list of under the radar restaurants, and Rainbow Kitchen is one of those local favorites serving up authentic Chinese food, from pi pa tofu to taro with sliced pork shoulder, ong choy with fermented bean curd, salted fish, and salted egg. The restaurant also has clay pots filled with lamb stew, pork stomach, chicken, and bitter melon spare ribs, among others.
Starting this week, people can now join their loved ones past the security checkpoint at Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport. The new OAK Guest Pass program began on Monday, December 15. 'Non-passengers' can now apply online for security clearance up to seven days in advance of the day they want to visit the airport. "We're very excited to be one of the first in the country to have the guest pass," said Kristi McKenney, Executive Director of the Port of Oakland.
When SNAP benefits expired Nov. 1, they immediately announced they'd serve free meals to families with SNAP benefit cards. Many other eateries did the same and are equally appreciated, but I'm singling out Diana and Al because this is the kind of thing they do, whether it's Socktoberfest - providing warm socks to the needy for every pizza order - or their Random Acts of Pizza campaign during the holidays.
I first visited the charming mountain town of Brevard, North Carolina, in the fall of 2019. I was enamored with its boutique shops and delicious restaurants, but the stunning nearby waterfalls and the gorgeous red, yellow, and orange foliage are what really drew me back. Now, visiting has become a fall tradition and I drive there every year from my home in Greenville, South Carolina.
"Thank you for your support and all the beautiful memories over the years," owner Dimitri Likourentzos and the team at Park Plaza Restaurant wrote on social media. "It's been a pleasure serving you."
Gone are the days when airport food choices consisted of a dry, questionable ham and cheese sandwich from Hudson News or a $20 burger with the texture of a hockey puck from the sports bar closest to your gate. Airports all over the United States are getting hip to the fact that travelers are ready for higher-quality dining options, and Denver International Airport is no exception.
