The Toddler Play Center at the Green Lake Community Center (7201 E Green Lake Dr N) is temporarily cosed today (Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011) due to some minor flooding in the room. The rest of the facility is operating normally. “We apologize for this inconvenience,” Carl Bergquist, Assistant Coordinator at the Green Lake Community Center says. “We are hoping to get this issue resolved by tomorrow morning.” The Toddler Play Center is available to children aged 6 months – 5 years and their caregivers. Its [...]

Have you noticed all the fresh hop beers showing up at your local beer bar? I hope so. They’re delicious. This extremely seasonal style of beer has become very popular in the last few years, which is not surprising given the beer-loving public’s voracious appetite for all things hoppy. These days, local craft beer drinkers…

Enjoy an Italian renaissance in downtown St. Pete. by Brian Ries Gratzzi is one of those restaurants that seems completely comfortable with itself. It knows the kind of spot it wants to be and lives up to it, casual but nice, affordable but with upscale possibilities, with that effortless lived-in feel that usually comes from years getting a location and staff just right.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

The prosciutto won’t protect you! Is this how it’s going to end for mankind? Death by melon? We told you last week about the listeria outbreak that’s affected the country’s cantaloupes, and now the Guardian brings word that the outbreak — which has caused more than 70 illnesses and more than a dozen deaths, making it “the deadliest food outbreak in the country in more than a decade” — is only going to get worse before it gets better. That’s [...]

There might be ice cream! Tomorrow is the deadline to throw your hat into the ring for dinner with the President of the United States. The rules are simple: donate a small amount here to the reelection campaign (or don’t — loophole alert!) and, well, that’s sort of it. The prize is beautifully vague: At some point, you will be contacted (maybe contacted by the Secret Service), flown to a hotel in the contiguous states (or Puerto Rico!), and then [...]

• Introducing the Pawpaw, a “secret” mangolike fruit that grows native on this soil; Thomas Jefferson was reportedly really into them. [NPR] • Attention, people with more money than sense: Why not spend $85 on this Starbucks and Alexander Wang collaboration in the form of a fake-coffee-stained shirt? [NYDN] • You know the restaurants: reviled by critics, beloved by diners. Pulino’s is one such mysterious example. [NYP] • If you need some challah for the High Holidays, considering dropping by [...]

Astoria: Self-serve yogurt purveyor 16 Handles is partnering with “urban retailer” Dr. Jay’s to open several outposts throughout Queens and the Bronx, and the first one’s coming to Astoria on December 1. [Grub Street] Carroll Gardens: To help their partners affected by Hurricane Irene, Seersucker is hosting a Farm Fundraiser Dinner tonight. They’ll be donating 10 percent of the evening’s proceeds to NYC Greenmarket’s Hurricane Irene Relief Fund and another 10 percent to the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund. [Grub [...]

Jackets required, gentlemen! When a reviewer is winding down his or her tenure, all of the reviews take on a certain added weight. Last week we speculated that Sam Sifton’s last review might be Scarpetta. And now a source tells Grub that it seems Sift-o plans to knock out at least one more huge review before abandoning his post next month: Per Se. Word is the critic has been in to eat on several recent occasions, and — maybe more [...]

Feed him the rock. At a press preview yesterday for Madison Square Garden’s recently overhauled concession operations, we asked some of the bold-face names that will be operating stands this fall what they thought of the looming NBA lockout. Drew Nieporent, who will be slinging bacon-jam-topped patties at Daily Burger, said only that he hopes there will be a season. Jean-Georges Vongerichten (opening Simply Chicken) agreed, adding that the “fast-paced game” appealed to him, since he’s a “fast-paced guy.” And [...]

In advance of his appearance as a guest on tonight’s episode of Top Chef Just Desserts, Beastie Boy Ad-Rock recorded a quick cooking demo for Bravo’s website. His tips: “hippie” bread, using both Nutella and creamy peanut butter, and utensil-free spreading. And then you roll the whole thing around a banana. The only thing it’s missing is a wine pairing from Mike D.