New York Magazine

This past Valentine’s Day, 71-year-old Brad Reese, proud grandson of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups inventor H. B. Reese, posted a scathing open letter to the manager of corporate brand and editorial at Hershey, accusing the company of unforgivably altering many Reese’s products by replacing real chocolate with compound chocolate — basically using vegetable oils instead of cocoa butter to lower costs and replacing real peanut butter with “peanut-butter-style crèmes.” “And Reese wasn’t alone in feeling like everything was getting worse,” writes Rachel Handler. “Everyone in my life I spoke to agreed that something was amiss, that Reese’s — and commercial chocolate in general — didn’t taste the way it used to.” Handler would spend the next several months tumbling down a chocolate vortex, encountering dozens of eccentric characters, all disagreeing about the fundamental question of what chocolate even is and who it should be for. “I learned that — not to sound like a LinkedIn guy — what’s going on with chocolate is a parable for the modern world. That at this particularly bleak end stage of capitalism, everything we once treasured has or will lose its essential essence and MrBeast will always be involved somehow.” For our cover story, Handler takes a deep dive into the molten belly of the chocolate world. Read it in full: nymag.visitlink.me/vKKky_

Chad Robertson, who co-founded Tartine, and his team have opened Altbau, a new 7,500-square-foot megabakery, in Williamsburg. The big draw are Robertson’s baguettes, sourdough, and rye along with pastries from chef Wei Si Phua (an alum of Radio Bakery). nymag.visitlink.me/aRniOM

Increasingly, parents are bringing their kids to primary-care offices for mental-health help, including anxiety and depression. But many pediatricians say that they are ill prepared for the task. nymag.visitlink.me/G3BgtA

Michael Douglas reflected on Jack Nicholson’s departure from Hollywood and wished he had acted alongside him. vulture.com/article/michael-…

Before her divorce, writer Erin Chack had only ever lived with her ex. Now, for the first time, she had to find roommates — and learn to be by herself. nymag.visitlink.me/zo8M6O

Conversations in which iPad parents are confronted with their naïveté can quickly become an emotional minefield. “It’s like telling someone that Santa Claus isn’t real every day,” says 29-year-old Sandy, “having to go through that disappointment.” nymag.visitlink.me/KvIgha

Carrie Battan first learned of the On the Loose Work Pants by Ruti two summers ago and since then, they wouldn’t leave her: from Instagram ads to influencer videos. Finally, she decided to pull the trigger — and she’s worn them every single day over the last month. nymag.visitlink.me/tyCK8r

At the premiere of the new season of 'The Gilded Age,' we asked the cast whether chocolate tastes worse these days. Most of them agreed with Rachel Handler, who argues in our latest cover story that it does. Taste-test your Halloween candy and let us know, then read Handler’s deep dive into the molten belly of the chocolate world: grubstreet.com/article/choco…

Over the past few decades, Leon Rose and William Wesley have built one of basketball’s most successful and unlikely partnerships. Neither had played college ball at a high level, let alone in the NBA, but together they’d climbed to the top of the sport — and led the Knicks to victory. nymag.visitlink.me/objCb7

The Lip Bar recently drew criticism after a vice president indicated the brand wanted to broaden its consumer base. Writer Maya Watson addresses the subsequent backlash and what it means for Black-owned businesses in 2026. thecut.com/article/why-do-bl…

In an era when nonfiction film is considered box-office kryptonite and the genre skews millennial-through-boomer, ‘You Can See Everything’ is on track to become one of the most successful documentaries in history. nymag.visitlink.me/9WPr3C

Every week, columnist Alyssa Shelasky asks anonymous city dwellers to record a week in their sex lives. Here are The Cut’s best ‘Sex Diaries’ stories that featured roommates. thecut.com/article/the-best-…

The Miami gallerist Nina Johnson’s Tudor City home, which was designed by Adam Charlap Hyman, is a cloud of gray with a touch of Lynchian red. curbed.com/article/nina-john…

The rapper celebrated his introduction to middle age with the Backstreet Boys, 400 of his closest friends, and Hermès party favors. vulture.com/article/drakes-l…

Here are Trump’s most bizarre and baffling midterms rally rants. From misgendering Melania to simulating puking to relentlessly praising Jon Husted’s butt, the president’s closing message to 2026 voters is stranger than ever. nymag.com/intelligencer/arti…

In this edition of ‘Brooding, columnist Kathryn Jezer-Morton talks to parents of teens and young adults about the sanest way to approach their teens partying. thecut.com/article/brooding-…

Of the 13 competitive governor’s races around the country, 6 favor Democrats, 3 favor Republicans, and 4 are real toss-ups. Ed Kilgore offers a helpful guide. nymag.com/intelligencer/arti…

In this weeks’s crossword: Time to give up? Four letters. nymag.visitlink.me/c7JMBd

New casino-like apps promise to reward users simply for playing games or even watching TikTok. Is getting paid to scroll a symptom of the economy or its entire future? nymag.com/intelligencer/arti…

Selma Blair made a video apology following her removal from a Delta flight October 11. She has been charged with two counts of second-degree assault. vulture.com/article/selma-bl…