Pasta King: Michael White, the chef of Marea, Alto and Convivio, might be from the Midwest, but he is a serious and succesful Italian chef.

Dark 'N' Stormy : "The dark 'n' stormy has become a cult highball due to a felicitous combination of its no-fault simplicity and the balance of its exotic, headstrong ingredients."

Ants on a Fast-Food Diet: Elizabeth Demaray, a Brooklyn artist, puts red harvester ants on an all-McDonald's Happy Meal diet.

Two Reviews: Plein Sud has great design but the food will leave you dry; Wall & Water gets one star for salt-cod casserole and vibrant cucumber salad.

Spotlight on Eggs: As the egg industry is reeling from a recall of half a billion eggs, fingers are pointing at cruel and unsafe practices.

No Laptops Allowed: Coffee shops morph into standing room only coffee bars to prevent their establishments from turning into offices.

Soulful Side of Bordeaux: In some wine regions, winemakers are producing funky, spirited vino.

Controversial Milk: "Chocolate milk has emerged as both villain and victim in a cafeteria drama that pits the milk industry, administrators and parents against one another."

Children's Day at the Four Seasons: Kids are invited for sweet corn ravioli with prawns in summer truffle bouillon and beef tartare, for free!

Serious Pizza: Seriously quality pizza joints are popping up all over New York.

Honoring Bread: The Kneading Conference brought together farmers, bakers, millers, scientists and bread lovers.

Food Stuff: Yellow peach tomatoes have fuzzy skin; Blue Smoke opens a bakery where you can get corn bread and pecan pie; A cookbook pays homage to simply cooked veggies.