In the news

The friendly Alice Feiring pointed me and a friend to The NoHo Star, a New York restaurant with a newspaper theme, on New Year's Eve. As a New York Times lover myself, this gave me a kick (especially how the day's paper is mounted behind glass above the urinals in the washroom). I heard that the space used to be a printing press before the restaurant opened 23 years ago.

Newsy items aside, The NoHo Star is a small miracle. I hadn't even heard of it before yesterday. The place is much more than what the diner-like setting promises at first glance. For one thing, this establishment charges no corkage fees on brought bottles. You only need to offer a small gratuity of a couple bucks (things change though if you want to open more than two bottles of wine).

We ended up drinking nothing from behind their spectacular bar -- a showcase of funky mosaic tiling which was a beauty matched only by the restaurant's wraparound paned-glass windows. We didn't drink from the bar because we each had a special bottle of wine to open to ring in the new year. And the food we ordered did not let down.

The Noho Star is real gem. It sparkles and so does its personable and efficient waiting staff. I am so happy we discovered it on a festive occasion like New Year's Eve. Thanks to Alice.

Open (even remaining open all evening on January 1, 2007!)

THE NOHO STAR 330 Lafayette Street (Bleecker Street); kitchen serves up daily until about midnight, weekdays starting at 8 am, 10.30 on weekends