Over a decade after first opening in the West Village and garnering much-deserved attention for its excellent Italian food, Rosemary’s will debut a new location in midtown Manhattan tomorrow, joining the brand’s other restaurant at 250 First Avenue by 20th Street.

Rosemary’s Midtown will open at 825 Third Avenue by 50th Street boasting a 100-seat dining room complemented by a sidewalk cafe that sits 40, plus a 20-person private dining room and a wine bar. Perhaps even more exciting is the fact that the location will also be operating a separate pantry for grab and go items that will likely satisfy folks working in midtown looking for a quick lunch bite.

The original Rosemary’s in the West Village famously sources much of its ingredients from the on-site, rooftop farm. Rosemary’s Midtown will mimic that sort of process by partnering with McEnroe Organic Farm in Milleron, New York. “Rosemary’s will work with McEnroe Farm to bring seasonal organic produce to the restaurant while also sending organic waste back to be composted at the farm,” reads an official press release.

Menu-wise, diners can expect more of the same—hand-made pasta, focaccie, fresh salads and a bunch of both cheese- and meat-centric antipasti that pack a culinary punch—alongside new entries like Neapolitan pizze and what the staff will refer to as “la sagra,” a family-style dining experience. 

The $39 prix-fixe menu includes a selection of antipasti, a pasta dish, a dessert and the chance to do some good: $1 from every “la sagra” meal will benefit God’s Love We Deliver.

Given the restaurant’s popularity, especially in the West Village, we’d like to also pay homage to the real-life Rosemary that inspires it all: owner Carlos Suarez’s own mother, who has a beautiful home and vegetable garden in Lucca, Italy. 

Rosemary’s Midtown will be open for dinner starting tomorrow. Lunch and brunch service will debut in the coming weeks. 

* This article was originally published here

The latest presidential poll numbers should please Biden: He leads Trump in the Florida Atlantic University and Mainstreet, RMG, Quinnipiac, and several other notable polls. Of course, we are still seven months from the election, but this is a dramatic change in the outcome of most recent polls, that had the candidates either tied or Trump out front.     

The Quinnipiac University poll, conducted March 27 with more than 1,400 registered voters, found that 48 percent of voters support Biden with 45 percent for Trump, with a margin of error of 2.6 percent.

Ipsos, the poll for Reuters, reported that 41 percent of registered voters chose Biden compared to 37 percent for Trump, who at the moment is squirming in court in the “hush money” trial. This poll was conducted between April 5 and April 9, with 833 registered voters and a 4 point margin of error.

REALATED: Another nettlesome issue for Biden

According to Heath Brown, an associate professor of public policy at City University in New York, the results were very close. “The polling over the last several months indicated this is a very close race. I wouldn’t read too much into any one or two polls at this point,” he said. “The trend seems to be that the campaign will be a very tight one and I suspect the polls will reflect that until November.”

As Trump’s criminal trial opened on Monday, the prosecutors asked the judge to fine Trump and to remind him that he could go to jail for violation of the gag order. It will be interesting to see to what extent the voluble Trump accedes to the order that bars him from intimidating and threatening potential witnesses.  

There is also the question of security, although on the first day of trial, there was little turnout.

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* This article was originally published here

(GIN) – Enormous humanitarian needs are facing the war-torn Sudanese nation after a year of war. The number of reported casualties—15,000 deaths and an estimated 33,000 people injured to date—is likely to be an underestimate, according to a spokesperson for the World Health Organization. Since war erupted a year ago, more than 8.6 million people have been displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration.

A multinational conference is slated for this week, April 15, focusing on the Sudanese situation from both political and humanitarian angles. Organized by France in collaboration with Germany and the European Union, the conference is going forward despite the absence of official Sudanese representation.

At the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and its Neighbors, participants will discuss how to move toward a political solution to the conflict and raise funds for Sudan’s humanitarian aid programs that have been severely underfunded. The goal is not to bring about any sort of ceasefire.

Last month, U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello announced that peace talks aimed at ending the war were possible “as soon as Ramadan is over.” When that came and went, he moved the date for talks by April 18. Perriello has now admitted that talks were “unlikely to resume” and has not given any alternative dates for when they might begin.

The UN is requesting an additional $4.1 billion to address Sudan’s humanitarian needs, but funds raised have only reached 5% of the needed amount so far, said Perriello, adding, “The international response has been pitiful.”

The medical relief group Doctors without Borders said, “The world has turned a blind eye as the warring parties intentionally block humanitarian access and the delivery of aid.” 

“This is why we are desperately concerned that 5 million people at emergency levels of food insecurity are likely to move into catastrophic levels in the coming months,” said Michael Dunford, regional director for East Africa at the World Food Program. “There is a very real risk of becoming the largest hunger crisis anywhere in the world—if not already.”

About $400 million is needed immediately so aid workers can pre-position supplies before the lean season, and an additional $700 million to sustain the response in the coming months.

Members of the warring parties in Sudan have rejected the conference, saying it was organized without representatives of Sudan’s military government. The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “utmost astonishment and condemnation” about the conference, saying it was convened “without consultation or coordination with the Sudanese government and without its participation.”

The international community should “fulfill previous pledges instead of wasting resources and efforts in holding new conferences,” they said, adding that these conferences “will be nothing more than political and propaganda festivals.”

Khaled Farah, Sudan’s ambassador to France, claimed that the conference would only serve to prop up the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that the Sudanese military government has been at war with for almost a year.

“Under the pretext of concern for the tragedy of the Sudanese people, the conference will help the RSF,” he said.

Sudanese junta leader Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan predicted an early victory for his troops. “The battle will soon be resolved in the people’s favor,” he said. “The army, backed by the people, will not be vanquished…To those who dream of disbanding the armed forces, we call this an impossible dream.”

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* This article was originally published here