Mike of The Food Monkey has joined Bostonist to share his thoughts about cooking, food history, restaurant trends, and any other Epicurean issues. He promises to discuss what tastes good, but not always what is in good taste. For more on consuming the opponents and other food news, go to The Food Monkey website. To contact Mike, go to the Food Monkey's contact page. It’s that time again. Time to spin the wheel and......

Don Aucoin at the Globe landed an interview with Denise the Not-Quite-Lunch-Lady, the Survivor contestant from Douglas who said she had been demoted from lunch lady to janitor. Mark Burnett gave her $50,000 since she had it so rough, but the Douglas School Superintendent swiftly revealed that Denise had actually been promoted. So, why did Denise do it? In an interview Aucoin said took 90 minutes, Denise told him that she got nervous on......

Unlike the Top 10 Most Commented stories, the top 10 favorites represented a selection of all the fun, the playful, and just plain odd that this city has to offer. You loved sex scandals at the local schools, Vendetta Gunn, and the local productions On Broadway and "BU Tonight." But we were really surprised at how much you loved … Barbie. Yeah, Barbie. 10. Arlington School System Turns Into Peyton Place 9. Boston Blotter: Penis......

4. Feel It Calling in the Air Tonight. A Phil Collins fan in the South End was really feeling the music. He could feel it, "calling in the air," so to speak, and he played it loud. Even worse, his neighbors told the BPD that it was "like this every night." He was arrested because he wasn't going to turn down that Phil Collins without a fight. Even though weirder crimes exist in this countdown,......

--Former Boston City Councilor, Albert "Dapper" O'Neil, who probably enjoyed the best nickname bestowed up on a councilor, passed away at age 87. The Globe used many adjectives to describe him, all of which can be freely interpreted, such as "irascible" and "colorful." He opposed desegregation and, in the words of the Globe, "railed against feminists, gays, and immigrants." [Boston Globe] --In a piece from 1997, Yvonne Abraham reflects on Dapper O'Neil's unusual appeal to......

Is Denise Martin, fourth-place finisher in Survivor: China, a lunch lady? Is she a janitor? Is she a pawn of the "reality show" system? Or does the Massachusetts resident just have ladyballs as bold as her mullet? Denise Martin admitted that she had been promoted before leaving for China on CBS' Early Show in an extremely awkward interview. Apparently, a lot of people are visiting the site looking for more information on Denise the Lunch......

Santa Speedo Run Saturday, December 15, 1:00 pm Lir, 903 Boylston, Boston Run goes down Boylston to Berkeley and back up Newbury Official Site For some reason, people are compelled to prove their strength by taking off their clothes in winter and running around, displaying their pasty, quivering flash to one and all. (Tufts, we're talking to you.) But the people participating in the 8th annual Santa Speedo Run are stripping down to their skivvies......

Bostonist had the pleasure of attending a performance of (I Am) Nobody's Lunch at the A.R.T's Zero Arrow theatre last night. We weren't entirely certain of what to expect, as the show's subtitle ("a cabaret about how we know what we know when nobody knows if everyone else is lying and when someone or something wants to have you for lunch") is a bit opaque. We were a little bit afraid that we'd be......

Restaurant Week, that wonderful time in late summer when Bostonist plans ahead so that we don’t break the bank eating $30 tasting menu dinners all week long. This year the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau has set up another Restaurant Week – Winter Restaurant Week 2006, March 5-10 (this URL was the one reported in multiple places including the press release but appears to be out of comission today) . Prices have gone up,......

After hearing the news that Harvard Square is in danger of losing yet another institution, Casablanca, Bostonist took to the streets to find out what’s taking the place of those things we knew and loved. Mr. and Mrs. Bartley’s Burger Cottage has long been the Square’s favorite burger destination. But recently b.good has opened up shop adding to the burger offerings already augmented by Lee’s Lunch, John Harvard, Charlie's Kitchen (home of the famous double),......

In a blink of the eye, the Nemo Showcase is upon us. We figure there's no better way to kick things off than with an interview. Bostonist caught up with Morning Theft, a NYC-based band with strong Boston roots. They join the Nemo Showcase, playing tonight at TT the Bear's as part of the Lunch Records line up. Morning Theft comprises Rob Holmes (vocals, guitar), Peter Kim (lead guitar), Dan Byrne (drums), and J.......

Everyone has mornings, from time to time, when it is all we can do to line up the buttons on our shirt and get out the door. (This dreary morning was such an occasion in Bostonist's case, owing to Baby Bostonist's having been awake and crying all night with teething pains.) These are the mornings when breakfast and coffee are neglected at home and become imperative once we have reached the office. And it......