Kenny Shopsin is a walking, talking, ultra-violent mosh pit.

The overweight, overzealous and over-the-hill proprietor of Shopsin’s General Store, (also a cookbook author and star of the cult classic documentary “I Like Killing Flies“) is as renowned for his hissy fits as he is for his cholesterol-raisin’ cuisine.

The shop, currently lodged in stall no. 16 of the Lower East Side’s Essex Street Market, has developed symbiotically with Kenny; they’re two strange little creatures sustained and fulfilled by the other’s legend, grease and tomfoolery.

The menu at the General Store sports hundreds of strange, frighteningly fattening and politically incorrect items, lovingly developed (and judging by his corpulent figure, eaten with great gusto) by Kenny over the decades.

Some of the most popular items are the Jihadboy (beef, pomegranate, olive, feta, pistachio and tahini sandwich) and the Jewboy (BBQ pulled brisket, grilled onions and swiss sandwich).

I can’t go to Kenny’s without slurping down an Orange Julius and munching on an Eve (avocado, grilled tomato, white Russian, wheat toast) or sucking down an oxtail, root vegetables, tomato and potato stew. Don’t get me started on the Boner (osso buco, poached eggs on polenta and toast).

(MORE AFTER THE JUMP)

Pixtape is our roundup of the best new downloads from the month of December. Happy holidays!

1. Anika “I Go to Sleep”
Produced by Geoff Barrow of Portishead, the debut album from Anika was released only this month and is topping “Best of 2010″ lists all over the place, perhaps because its variation challenges the whole way through.
Download track via Stones Throw

2. Ghostface featuring Black Thought “In tha Park”
Black Thought just thought he’d drop in and remind you of a few things.
Download track via Okay Player

3. Tokimonsta “Park Walks”
A split release with gear head Mike Gao for All City’s LA Series, this layered cut brings the funk in that laid-back southern Cali way.
Download track via XLR8R

4. Beach House “I Do Not Care for the Winter Sun”
Beach House topped many year end lists for the release of their Sub Pop debut Teen Dream, and this track is a subdued extension just in time for winter.
Download track via Gorilla vs Bear

5. Blessed House “Testament”
When it comes to hip-hop, it’s clear Europeans (and maybe Canadians too!) know how to start a party better than we do these days.
Download track via Kick Kick Snare

(MORE DOWNLOADS AFTER THE JUMP)

Nostalgia comes in all forms during the holidays, particularly vinyl. Turns out music fans still want a physical product to hold onto, and vinyl and CD box sets are a sure bet this season.

Take your pick from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, The Decemberists, Plastikman and The Pixies (whose massive Minotaur scored a Grammy nomination for best packaging design). Labels released big box sets to celebrate anniversaries, including Matador at 21 (Pavement, Mogwai, Dizzee Rascal, Cornelius) and Ninja Tune’s XX (Roots Manuva, Daedelus, Poirier, Spank Rock).

Even in physical format, the classics never go out of style. For a hefty price, you can grab box sets from Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Tom Zé and the Apple Records Box Set ($336.98? C’mon!) featuring James Taylor, Badfinger and, you know, The Beatles.

And the numbers prove that people want the goods year round. Nielsen Entertainment reports vinyl sales are steadily increasing. Last year in the U.S. alone, 2.5 million vinyl albums were sold, up from 1.88 million in 2008, Computer World reports. Newer figures reveal sales may be plateauing, but according to the bands and musicians we’ve interviewed, tangible music isn’t going anywhere just yet.

Few restaurateurs have mastered the vertiginous balancing act of playing music at just the right level of universally appealing noise, while at the same time serving sumptuous edibles, providing a comfortable setting and delivering attentive, yet not overly solicitous (heaven forfend!) service.

In these heady sonic times when everyone from your 7-year-old second cousin in Iowa City to your great aunty Dierdre in Philly has an iPod and can create his or her own soundtrack to life, people are getting ever-more-finicky and opinionated about background noise.

Judging from squawks in the blogosphere and mutterings around town, music is one of the top sticking points in the vast, exciting and ever-evolving world of restaurant complaints.

Generally, music’s either too loud and frat-tastic or too mellifluous and restrained.

But one new kid on the block, the auspiciously and sassily named Goat Town (“Gotham” in Anglo Saxon and it also calls to mind the haute hoedown/barnyard feel of the current restaurant scene), may have solved our ophthalmic crises–and delivered a new venue of kickass grub in the process.

(MORE AFTER THE JUMP)

Ah, the holidays. Quality time spent loving, laughing and arguing with family. At some point during your stay, you’ll wish you were far, far away. But step away from the Schnapps. We’ve provided a handy survival guide for finding out what’s up in your temporary neck of the woods.

XLR8R has invaluable city guides for the likes of Philly, St. Louis, Austin, New York, Portland and several more. Some of the recommendations come from homegrown musicians and tastemakers, like Dosh’s personal guide to Minneapolis.

How Does it Feel’s London Gig Guide is the British equivalent of Ohmyrockness, albeit abbreviated. Updated every Sunday, this is a good starting point for the local scene.

Need last minute gift ideas? Soul Strut‘s city guide is created by avid record collectors, who point out favorite spots for diggin’ in the crates across the world, as well as gems like Etta’s Lounge in Houston, TX where you can get a drink, a meal and a haircut all in one visit.

If you should be so lucky to be visiting Rome, check out frestyl. A quick search through their library of thousands of bands tells us the Felt Music Club is a hot spot this month, and indie rock band Polimorfo plays a few days from now.

And for those awkward moments when it’s easier to pretend you’re busy on the phone, there are several apps to help plan your escape. Local Concerts and Gigbox personalize based on the music content of your phone, and StubHub provides one-stop shopping to purchase tickets online (and usually find some sweet deals).

Plus, Lucy Woodward weighs in on having her cake and eating it too during this time of the year.

Gabriel Stulman of Joseph Leonard and the recently opened Jeffrey’s Grocery is the Bruce Springsteen of the culinary world. He is–in a world of star-fucking back-stabbers–an American family man with refreshingly old school values, sans the sanctimony.

He knows the industry inside and out; he’s been around the block and loves the classics, but isn’t afraid to riff on them. Stulman teases poetry and elegance out of spare elements and little more than a bit of flesh on bone.

So how did a nice Jewish boy become synonymous with bejeweled, blood-soaked, fat-speckled, pork-laced, cheese-embalmed indulgence?

Check out Uncensored Interview’s new series of chats with Stulman to discover how a hunk of rare meat ended 18 years of strict dietary regulation to become his gateway drug. It was worth it, though–his week-long binge of pepperoni pizza and bacon led to a career in pig and cow heaven, where nice Jewish (though no longer Kosher) boys wash down oysters with prosciutto.

Broken Social Scene have released the official video for “Texico Bitches” from Forgiveness Rock Record, featuring a showdown between warring sides that quickly turns personal. You may remember the song from the band’s live performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon earlier this year.

The Canadian group have also announced a winter tour beginning in London next month, and includes several U.S. dates.