CITYist

Imagine basking in a sunny field in Central Park, sprawled out on a soft gingham blanket, sipping a glass of chilled rosé while you between nibbles of marinated olives. It could be just a dream, or, you could head to the West Village to the fabulous eclectic Italian Wine Bar and Kitchen, Zampa

Amtrak will set up a pop-up mobile train car at two specific locations on May 9th and 10th to offer cooking demonstrations and samples. They will also showcase their new dining car that is set to launch at the end of this year. Free cooking classes, free food, and an exclusive sneak peek- why would you want to miss this?

Appetites™, the first step-by-step instructional video App for the iPad, is launching a re-imagined cookbook on your iPhone and iPod touch, bringing five star meals to any kitchen right in the palm of your hand. The App launches under Apple’s “New and Noteworthy” apps and is now available in the App Store.

Bringing Spain to Chelsea, Salinas is the new restaurant from chef Louis Bollo at 136 Ninth Avenue. Serving up delicious paella, ceviche Canario with albacore tuna, tomatoes, Canarian mojo, onions, cilantro and avocado as well as whole fish prepared a la plancha, the Mediterranean influences carry out to the restaurants garden patio as well.

Have You Heard? is our weekly roundup of items we may have previously missed (or would like to remind you of again). So as you plan the week ahead, take a look at our cherry-picked selections of what’s hot in art, music, film and fashion right now.

If you’ve been following the latest food trend, then you know it arrives on four wheels. Food trucks are shedding their bad rap with organic ingredients, celebrity chefs and instant gourmet fare, from killer taco trucks to locally made ice cream. Here’s a first, however: authentic Indian food. Desi Food Truck offers up Indian classics like chicken tikka masala and flakey kati rolls (ranging from $4 to $8). With free wi-fi available for those in its vicinity and a TV streaming Indian music built into the side, it’s safe to say this isn’t your average sausage stand. Plus, the Indo-Pak artwork adorning the foodie-mobile (read on for more pictures, and where to find it) makes it the prettiest food truck out there.

There’s one more reason to look forward to Fashion Week, and it’s called Bon Appétit Café. The culinary magazine will be taking over Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center from September 12—16th and offering up cuisine from some of New York’s most celebrated chefs. As we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and even fashionistas must fuel up (although appearances may suggest otherwise). The café will be offering coffee and pastries from Michael Laiskonis (Le Bernardin), Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito (Baked NYC) and Christina Tosi (Momofuku Milk Bar), and will feature a grab and go lunch station with recipes from the chefs behind A Voce, Telepan, The Lion and others, while evening will see a menu of trendy small plates from Mario Batali’s Otto and Daniel Boulud’s restaurants.

Summer and hot dogs go hand in hand. Throw beer into the mix, and we’re sold. The culinary whizzes at Chelsea eatery Klee are capitalizing on this tried and true formula with a discounted offer sure to make any New Yorker look twice. Beginning today and going through the end of the summer, Klee will offer $1 mini hotdogs to go along with its inventive beer cocktails.

Have You Heard? is our weekly roundup of items we may have previously missed (or would like to remind you of again). So as you plan the week ahead, take a look at our cherry-picked selections of what’s hot in art, music, film and fashion right now.

‘Tis the season for al fresco dining, and now you don’t even have to deal with packing your own picnic basket. Several New York eateries are offering packed lunches for grown ups to enjoy. So if you’re feeling as if you’re cooped up in an air-conditioned abyss, head down to Central Park, Union Square or Bryant Park with meals prepared by Telepan, ‘wichcraft or The Coffee Shop. We promise: it’ll be better than your thrown-together sandwich.

Have You Heard? is our weekly roundup of items we may have previously missed (or would like to remind you of again). So as you plan the week ahead, take a look at our cherry-picked selections of what’s hot in art, music, film and fashion right now.

If you find yourself in Cabo sometime between July 18th and the 25th, then consider us officially jealous. Pueblo Bonito Oceanfront Resorts and Spas will be hosting PacifiCooks, a week-long culinary rendezvous of the best Mexican chefs, who will come together two at a time to create five course dishes highlighting Mexican cuisine from the traditional to the innovative. Mexican wines will also be center stage, along with cooking lessons and cocktail receptions. All events are open to the public with reservations available—so even if you aren’t staying at one of Pueblo Bonito’s Los Cabos resorts, there’s really no excuse not to go (if you’re in the vicinity, that is).

Have You Heard? is our weekly roundup of items we may have previously missed (or would like to remind you of again). So as you plan the week ahead, take a look at our cherry-picked selections of what’s hot in art, music, film and fashion right now.

LES bar Mason Dixon might be most closely associated with the Old South (it is, after all, named after a very famous line), but that doesn’t mean they can’t host festivities for the international sporting event that is the World Cup. The bar will be opening early for games all month long and rolling out some serious deals starting this Friday. And trust us: if you’re planning on taking advantage of these specials, you better lace up your drinking shoes.

Serious foodies will be happy to learn that they’ll soon have the opportunity to chow down on traditional Chilean food and drink—and a veritable excuse to do so. Next month, six New York eateries will be offering up a special appetizer or drink, with proceeds going directly to Habitat for Humanity’s rebuilding efforts in Chile.

From April 5-9th, the restaurants will be helping the earth quake relief effort while servicing customer’s taste buds with dishes like a traditional beef empanada (Freemans), Alfonso olives cured in red wine (The Smile) and a unique take on the empanada, with chorizo substituting for beef (La Esquina).