This article originally appeared in Eating New York, a weekly newsletter for subscribers featuring food news and advice straight from our critics’ mouths. Sign up here. Photo: Rahim Hashim In 2017, Rahim Hashim was living in San Francisco, dismayed to discover that city’s near-total lack of the New York halal carts he loved. Feeling he had no other choice, he returned east, partly to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience at Columbia University but also, and more crucially, to get a decent platter of chicken and rice again. It was at a favorite cart near Columbia’s campus that ..read more

The Lone Star State Lands Inaugural Locations for Innovative Pizza Brand focused on being the Starbucks of Pizza Freshslice Pizza, the innovative Canadian pizza franchise known for its culture of partnership, productivity, and efficiency, announced today that the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX metroplex will be the location of its first two U.S. based franchises, spearheaded by local resident and entrepreneur, Trenton Parks. Marking a significant milestone in the company’s growth, with over 100 stores in Canada, Freshslice entered the U.S market in January with significant interest from entrepreneurs ..read more

The Talking Heads at the Locale in 1977. Photo: GODLIS For New York’s anniversary, we are celebrating the history of the city’s restaurants with a series of posts throughout the month. Read all of our “Who Ate Where” stories here. Dan Flavin was one of the great artist-talkers. He would regale us with a continuous stream of anecdotes, art-historical insights, and disparaging comments about art that was not up to his standards. Back in the mid-1970s, when I was helping Dan with his installations, artists did not have to be as careful about what they said in public. After wor ..read more

If you have been near Second Avenue and St. Marks Place around dinnertime on any non-Monday or during weekend lunch since Okiboru House of Udon opened, you’ve seen the line snaking south. Take one glance at the victorious diners behind the window and you’ll see what they’re waiting for: pale noodles as wide as the ribbon around a birthday present, being slurped down at every seat. This is Himokawa udon, a style developed in the breadbasket prefecture of Gunma, and it’s the main attraction at House of Udon, which is the second New York restaurant from the same group as dipping-ramen ..read more

WaBa Grill Now Open in Fresno Growing Healthy Rice Bowl Chain Broadens Central Valley Footprint with New Restaurant Anaheim Hills, CA  (RestaurantNews.com)  WaBa Grill, one of the nation’s leading healthy rice bowl chains, is excited to announce that its Fresno restaurant is now open for business. Marking the brand’s first location in Fresno and third in California’s Central Valley, the restaurant is owned and operated by Simran Nagra and longtime WaBa Grill franchisee Jerry Bajwa, who operates 21 WaBa Grill locations. The brand has identified the Central Valley as a huge growth oppo ..read more

Texas-style barbecue brand continues Kids Eat Free on Sundays new menu item Dallas, TX  (RestaurantNews.com) Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is chasing away the Sunday Scaries with the re-launch of the delicious Dino Nuggets. As of April 1st, the world’s largest barbecue brand has added Dino Nuggets back to their popular kid’s menu. These tasty, all white meat chicken bites are lightly fried and a proven fan favorite to pit-masters of all sizes.  Also, Kids Eat Free EVERY Sunday* at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, so give yourself a break and let Dickey’s handle the mealtime mayhem while you enjoy so ..read more

Amplified sushi chain builds strong cadence across the southern U.S. and beyond Mobile, AL  (RestaurantNews.com)  Rock N Roll Sushi, the lively restaurant chain known for its original, American-style sushi experience and rockin’ vibes, has kicked off its 2024 show with a series of big, loud hits. The brand has continued its western expansion, opening a second Phoenix area location in Goodyear, Arizona, and signed on two additional agreements with KMG LLC in Colorado Springs, Colorado that are on track to open in the second half of 2024. Under KMG LLC, Gerstner owns and operates sev ..read more

Manischewitz recently debuted a new look across all of its packaging. Photo-Illustration: Grub Street; Photos courtesy retailer During the New York City earthquake of 2024, I was on the phone with Team Manischewitz when the ground started to shake. It would be ridiculous to assume that this was less tectonic than Talmudic, thousands of bubbes spinning beneath our feet, an army of Fruma Sarahs returning in protest, as in Tevye’s dream. Right? Well. Manischewitz is rebranding. Customers stocking up for the Passover holiday, which begins Monday, April 22, at sundown, will notice something di ..read more

Slowikowska, and her “springula” smoothie. Photo: Sarah Kilcoyne “I’m always being humbled,” jokes the comedian and actress Veronika Slowikowska. Fresh off her “Canadian star moment” back home to promote her new Hulu series, Davey & Jonesie’s Locker, she was delayed for a day trying to get back to New York. Even after she returned, an empty pantry in Brooklyn meant the only thing to put on top of some eggs were some suspiciously old Tostitos. “I think because I was a struggling artist for so long, eggs are the only source of protein I know how to cook. That’s how I saved my money,” sh ..read more

Esteemed Fast-Casual Poised to Become the World’s First Quick, Affordable Mediterranean Concept Coeur d’Alene, ID  (RestaurantNews.com)  Pita Pit, a distinguished Mediterranean fast-casual brand specializing in made-to-order pita sandwiches, announced today the rollout of its nationwide brand refresh. The aim of the refresh being to restore its former cult-following and reposition the franchise as the world’s first Mediterranean fast-food concept by introducing new features, such as a modernized restaurant design and drive-thru business model, reimagined menu, technological upgrade ..read more