5 Boroughs Ice Cream . . . it's hard not to love Queens's own 5 Boroughs Ice Cream (11/20/06)

Ask A Waiter . . . Monkey Boy answers all your questions:

• "Spit Order": Do Servers Ever Spit In Your Food? (3/22/06)
• The Tipping Point: A Nine-Part Treatise On The Art And Science Of Restaurant Gratuities (10/10/06)
• The Bottom Ten: What Are The Most Annoying Things A Customer Can Do In A Restaurant? (12/6/06)
• The Rules (3/14/07)

Interview With... we talk all things food-related with people working in the biz:

• Tracey The Bartender . . . a New York bartender talks about good tips, bad drinks, and one weird night, among other things (3/22/06)

Clif Nectar Bars . . . we have seen the light, and it is Clif Nectar Bars (3/22/06)

Himalayan Rock Salt . . . folks, it's just salt (10/25/06)

Hudson Valley Fresh Milk . . . better than any other milk we could remember, as rich and smooth as cream (10/25/06)

Ibarra Hot Chocolate . . . thank goodness for the Aztecs (3/22/06)

Mallomars . . . from its graham cracker base to its chocolate coat and all through its marshmallow core, it leaves you wanting s'more (11/20/06)

Manhattan Special . . . beloved by diverse constituencies that include gentlemen of a certain age playing bocce in Bensonhurst and young families wolfing down pies with extra cheese on Arthur Avenue (11/20/06)

Pomegranate Syrup . . . if the pomegranate trend is over, we didn't notice (5/24/06)

Preserved Vegetable . . . maybe they thought "Stinky Chinese Radish" sounded too obvious (3/22/06)

Rajbhog Sweets . . . The name means roughly "the Maharaja's offerings to the Gods" (5/24/06)

Sharbat Rooh Afza . . . it's time to try the summer drink of the East (5/24/06)

Sweetzels Spiced Wafers . . . they appear at the beginning of fall; by winter, they've disappeared (11/20/06)

The Blue Cleaver Taste Test:

• Honey (3/13/07)

Villabate Pasticceria & Bakery . . . home of the tastiest dessert this side of Palermo (11/20/06)

Zitner's Easter Eggs . . . when we indulge, the sweet of choice is a Zitner's Easter Egg (3/13/07)