Patricia Cobe

When you take three Iron Chefs out of Kitchen Stadium and place them before a live audience of avid listeners, they are very willing to forget their TV rivalry and battle scars. That was quite evident when Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto and Jose Garces traded quips on a Times Talk panel during the TV Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival on October 9.

It used to be that spring and summer menus had the monopoly on fresh fruits and vegetables—especially in restaurants north of the sunbelt.

When the first Europeans landed in America, the natives they encountered relied on three staple crops—corn, beans and squash—along with wild berries, fruits and other plants. Fishing and hunting filled out their meals.

Cooler autumn weather brings the urge to turn on the oven and serve warm, comforting desserts. Bread pudding fits the bill. These places are giving the old-fashioned dessert some modern twists.

The dessert menu has typically been a surefire way to boost the check by hitting customers at their vulnerable sweet spots. But for many restaurant patrons,...

When Smokey Bones changed its name from “Barbeque & Grill” to “Bar & Fire Grill” in 2009, the rebranding didn’t stop with the signage. The 10-year old concept began remodeling its 67 restaurants to focus on the bar, making the area larger and installing TVs, high-tops and stools to encourage socializing