Is it me or is there a Thai restaurant on every corner in Manhattan? The latter seems right: they're as ubiquitous as ATM machines. And they're not all that special, either (you have to go to Queens for that). Thankfully, New York City recently received one of the best Thai imports in the city's culinary history. Ty Bellingham—who worked at the famed Sailors Thai in Sydney, Australia—has taken over Kittichai at 60 Thompson, giving it that Thai magic makeover. It also doesn't hurt that he's regarded as one of the world's top Thai chefs. It took Ty a couple months to get acclimated, so we gave him some time to get down and dirty before getting the dish on his new adventure.

With temperatures in the high 90's in New York yet again, our eating habits must adapt to beat back the ferocious heat. It's not Shake Shack weather. Milk, as Ron Burgundy knows, was a bad choice. Here are ten refreshments that'll help you forget that your skin is melting right off of your body. Stay cool and keep eating!

Every day without fail Senior Editor Nick Haramis comes over to Assistant Editor Ben Barna's desk and debates lunch. They aren't necessarily arguing about where to go, they're arguing about logistics, how quickly they want to eat, type of food and, most importantly, the length of walk, since the selection of good eating around Union Square is sprinkled throughout the Flatiron, Gramercy and even Greenwich Village. Here, a list of what is getting Seamless Webbed, called in and brought back to the BlackBook offices during the workday lunch.

As one of the many talented cuisiniers participating in Le Fooding D'Amour (September 25-26 at at New York's P.S.1), Julie Farias knows a thing or two about a good cut of meat. The Texas-born chef—who recently moved from Brooklyn's Beer Table to The General Greene—worked for Daniel Boulud for five years (at Café Boulud, db Bistro Moderne, and Daniel), but attributes much of her culinary know-how to her southern upbringing and family influence (her clan owns a tortilla factory inside a San Antonio meat market). Farias tells us about working in kitchens on both coasts and how Le Fooding is going to taste for New Yorkers. In her case, it's going to taste like tacos made from 40 cow heads.

Here at BlackBook, we pay a lot of attention to where cool customers go out -- bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, hotels, you name it. So why not flip the frame and let you see where we go out? Here's a periodically updated, exhaustive list of hotspots currently favored by everyone at BlackBook, from the mighty bosses down to the humble interns, from the charming local lounges around the corner to the jet-setting temples of luxe living.

Whether due to a possible celeb sighting, a massive amount of food and booze, or just straight-up delectable eats and swank digs, these spots -- at least by New York City standards -- give you real bang for your buck.

The soulful singer has the blues, loving every New York minute of it

On the dawn of a new era in America, musician, birthday boy, and former BlackBook intern Ryan Adams writes in from the road to rave about his favorite Republic.

If there’s one upside to the tanking economy, it’s that transcendental culinary experiences are finally accessible to the foodie cheapskates. Here's a rundown of 10 particular pleasures of the palate and wallet, offered for the moment at a discount. Of course, "discount" is a very relative term ...