There’s plenty of reason to fear a new bar— no cracks in the upholstery, no graffiti in the bathroom, and often not a soul in the house. But when they’re opened by owners we know and love, they can feel like hallowed haunts from day one.

Ever since the days of 2B, 9C, and The 5 Spot, drinking in the East Village has been like swimming in an alcoholic alphabet soup: you'd have to be the Count from Sesame Street to make sense of all the bar names that play on their street addresses. To clear things up, here's an algebraic approach to the classic east-side trawl.

When it comes to food, New York City isn’t necessarily the city that has it all. Sure, you can get beef overnighted from Kobe, but try getting a Grand Slam Breakfast®. Despite the prevalence of fishes-out-of-water like TGIF, Applebees, and now Red Lobster, there are still some chains that haven’t made the jump from suburban shopping malls to the Big Apple. Until they finally open in Times Square, here’s where you can travel to find them.

No house on Fire Island or even a fire escape where you can barbecue? At these 10 bars, the weekends can still be about grilling and chilling.

As Harold Hill sang in The Music Man, “that game with the fifteen numbered balls is the devil’s tool.” Anyone who has ever had his or her drink knocked over by some aspiring Fast Eddie Felson's pool stick will agree. There are, however, a few bars in town where you can find classic table games that don’t involve sinking the “fat lady.”

Gael Greene, Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich, and Fergus Henderson discuss adventurous eating (aka extreme eating), reflecting on dishes such as rooster balls, pig's trotters, offal, and others.

The open bar is the holy grail of New York City nightlife. But where to find one when there isn't a gallery opening or launch party to go to?