Matthew Settle seems to be following in the footsteps of his Gossip Girl counterpart, Rufus Humphrey. Newly separated from his wife, the actor was seen dining with a younger woman at Hotel Griffou and was supposedly reduced to name-dropping in an effort to impress her. (Dan would be so ashamed). Meanwhile, Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss showed she too bears similarities to her strong-minded character, Peggy Olson. The actress stuck with what she liked, eating at the Smith in the East Village with the same pal two nights in a row. Read our complete roundup of boldface dining, below.

21 Club: Late-night funnyman Jimmy Fallon took a break from beer pong and spent a night out at the famous midtown restaurant, where he kept both the staff and fellow diners laughing. [Gawker]

The Anchor : Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban partied hard at the Soho bar surrounded by beautiful girls, drinking and dancing well into the morning. [Page Six/NYP]

Black Door: CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric brought a younger date to a birthday celebration at the media mogul–filled Chelsea bar. [Page Six/NYP]

Bocca di Bacco : Rosario Dawson shopped while she ate at the popular wine bar. The young actress’s waiter played auctioneer when one of his paintings hanging in the restaurant caught her eye. [Page Six/NYP]

Cosí: The redheaded star of this summer’s Sex and the City 2, Cynthia Nixon, was seen taking a break, sipping coffee with her girlfriend. [Gawker]

Hotel Griffou: Gossip Girl’s brooding dad, the newly separated Matthew Settle, wined, dined, and tried his hardest to impress a younger-looking mystery brunette. [NYDN]

King’s Cross: Scrubs alum Zach Braff spent his Thursday night at the popular Bowery bar where he was seen leaving with supermodel Jessica Stam. [Gawker]

The Maritime Hotel : Ethan Hawke enjoyed the great outdoors with director Sam Mendes and his pooch while eating lunch at the hotel. [Page Six/NYP]

Nobu: Multitasking queen Kate Gosselin found time to sneak away from her whirlwind of hair appointments, DWTS prep, and “motherly” duties, to join four male companions for dinner at the sushi hot spot. [NYP/Page Six]

The Smith : Just like her Mad Men alter ego Peggy Olson, Elisabeth Moss showed she has strong loyalties by dining at the East Village eatery on back-to-back nights. [NYDN]

Read more posts by Sally Holmes

Filed Under: celebrity settings, black door, bocca di bacco, hotel griffou, maritime hotel, nobu, the smith

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Before there was the Ryan Adams–themed pizzeria and the Wilco-themed sandwich shop, there was the menu inspired by Weezer. Now, in Williamsburg, former journalist Thomas Hudson has opened Pinkerton, named after the Weezer album and the Madame Butterfly character (and because, hey, it just sounds cool). Having written for The New Yorker and the Times, Hudson is following the path of writer turned tavern-keeper St. John Frizell in parlaying his amateur love of drink (wine, in Hudson’s case) into a place of his own.

Photo: Courtesy of Pinkerton

Forty-two-year-old Hudson says he originally wanted to open something closer to his home on the Upper East Side, but the Community Board there didn’t welcome him with open arms, and rents were cheaper in Williamsburg anyway, so he took over the former home of N.6, left it largely unchanged (see his camera-phone shots above), and this week started quietly serving five wines by the glass (that number will eventually grow to about a dozen, along with a reserve list) as well as a half-dozen local and West Coast microbrews. Hudson is concentrating on “interesting, fun, good wines that are affordable,” with a focus on Washington, Oregon, California, and Australia. “I like New World wines that are kind of bigger and fruitier,” he says. Next week, he’ll add simple small plates like cheese spreads, olives, and maybe panini to the mix, and eventually he’ll make use of his full kitchen. There’ll also be about a dozen sidewalk chairs. As of now, hours are from 5 p.m. till midnight on the weekdays (closed Mondays), and till 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. on weekends.

Pinkerton Wine Bar, 263 N 6th St., nr. Havemeyer St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-782-7171

Read more posts by Daniel Maurer

Filed Under: openings, nightlife, pinkerton wine bar, thomas hudson, williamsburg

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Chelsea: Customers’ financial woes are partly to blame in Tom Colicchio’s decision to ditch the Colicchio & Sons prix fixe menu. [Fork in the Road/VV]
East Village: Vietnamese joint Le Da Nang will replace SEA at 75 Second Avenue. [EV Grieve]
Once rumored to become jazz café Rokara, the former Cosmos Parcels space will soon house a P.J. Hanley’s pizza shop, possibly complete with backyard garden. [Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York]
Financial District: Despite undergoing renovations early last year, the Blarney Stone has been court ordered to close for good. [EV Grieve/Eater]

Midtown East: The three-day, five-mile “Luck of the Irish” St. Patrick’s Pub Crawl (the world’s largest, according to the Guiness Book of World Records) commences tonight with the Leprechaun Happy Hour Crawl. Registration opens at 5 p.m. at T.G. Whitney’s. [EV Grieve]
Meatpacking District: March is Milkshake Month at Bill’s Bar & Burger. Get into the St. Paddy’s spirit with the $6.95 Mint Chocolate Chip Milkshake, on the menu through the 17th. Add a $4 shot of Maker’s Mark (or your favorite liquor) to make your celebration really authentic. [Grub Street]
Park Slope: Noisy Hotel Le Bleu rooftop lounge Vue will be taken over by a “classy” (and hopefully quieter) Italian restaurant. [The Brooklyn Paper]
Upper West Side: After serving as a consulting chef, Patricia Williams is now working full-time at Smoke jazz club; her new menu debuted this week.

Read more posts by Stefanie Roberts

Filed Under: neighborhood watch, abc kitchen, bill’s bar & burger, blarney stone, chelsea, colicchio & sons, cosmos parcels, east village, financial district, flatiron district, hotel le bleu, jean-georges vongerichten, kyochon, le da nang, meatpacking district, midtown east, midtown west, p.j. hanley’s, park slope, sea, t.g. whitney’s, tom colicchio, vue

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After finally obtaining its wine and beer license earlier this year, the once narrow and cramped Antibes Bistro has more than doubled the size of its dining room, expanding into what had been vintage store Fox & Fawn. Owners David Shemesh (the chef) and Eyal Tov (the GM) did the build-out largely by themselves, giving the basement dining room exposed dark-wood beams, white walls, simple wooden tables, and mismatched rustic chandeliers. “Now we can spread out the tables and people can feel more comfortable,” Shemesh says, “and we can maintain a better and larger menu.”

The expanded menu should debut next month. “I’m trying to bring a more Mediterranean style into the restaurant,” says Shemesh, who is Israeli, explaining that he’s been trying out potential new dishes as nightly specials since the new space opened last Friday. So far, a broiled dorade royale with garlic and thyme has been well received, as has lamb shank braised in red wine and herbs, served with couscous. The wine list is receiving an overhaul as well. The owners will add several organic wines, “more refined” French wines, and a few more sparkling wines for summer. These will be appropriate for diners who claim one of the spot’s four outdoor tables in front or one of 30 seats in the back garden, expected to open this summer if permitting goes as planned.

Read more posts by Jenny Miller

Filed Under: expansions, antibes bistro, david, eyal tov, lower east side, shemesh

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It’s 4 p.m., and that means it’s time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they could squeeze in a couple for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don’t guarantee the results.) Today: Notable Italian.

A Voce Columbus (Menu)
212-823-2523
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:45 p.m.

Babbo (Menu)
212-777-0303
Two for eight? No
Best available: 11 p.m.

Convivio (Menu)
212-599-5045
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:15 p.m.

Del Posto (Menu)
212-497-8090
Two for eight? No
Best available: 10:00 p.m.

Faustina (Menu)
212-475-3400
Two for eight? No
Best available: 10:30 p.m.

Locanda Verde (Menu)
212-925-3797
Two for eight? No
Best available: Fully booked

Maialino (Menu)
212-777-2410
Two for eight? No
Best available: Fully booked

Scarpetta (Menu)
212-691-0555
Two for eight? No
Best available: 11 p.m.

SD26 (Menu)
212-265-5959
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:30 p.m.

Sfoglia (Menu)
212-831-1402
Two for eight? No
Best available: Fully booked

Filed Under: a voce columbus, babbo, convivio, del posto, faustina, locanda verde, maialino, scarpetta, sd26, sfoglia

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Nevia No, former friendly face of South Jersey’s Yuno’s Farm, indefatigable ambassador of avocado squash and Korean cucumbers, and chefs’ favorite, has been absent from the Greenmarket circuit since last June. Much has happened since then: No and her former partner split up, Yuno’s changed its name to Lani’s, and No rented 70 acres in Burlington County, New Jersey, to launch Bodhitree Farm, what she calls “almost a one-woman show.” The farm made its New York debut last Saturday at Abingdon Square, with hoop-house greens like Tuscan kale, collard greens, tatsoi, and red mizuna, plus fresh farm eggs. And she’s at Union Square right now, damp but happy, with the fruits of her labor — or what she’s started branding as “Veggies with spirit.”

Read more posts by Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Filed Under: at the greenmarket, bodhitree farm, nevia no, yuno’s farm

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Take a virtual tour of PALM WEST

Palm West

250 W 50th St, New York

(212) 333-7256

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Take a virtual tour of ROCCO RESTAURANT

Rocco Restaurant

181 Thompson St, New York

(212) 677-0590

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Take a virtual tour of BRUCKNER BAR & GRILL

Bruckner Bar & Grill

1 Bruckner Blvd, Bronx

(718) 665-2001

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When we told you about Uo’s live-sushi nights a few months back, we had no idea the specialty might be construed as cruelty to animals. Yet a complaint was evidently filed to the ASPCA, and on Tuesday night, two officers appeared at the LES restaurant to investigate. “I had just gone home to change and I got a call from the restaurant to go back,” recalls owner Frannie Marchese. “I walk in, and it’s two officers standing there taking down my license information.” Marchese says the officers seemed less concerned when they understood what the restaurant was serving. “They saw the tentacle on the board. They saw it’s not actually that you’re cutting into a fish and its heart is still beating on the plate” she explained. “We’re talking about mollusks that don’t have a central nervous system. What about raw bars, and lobsters dropped into pots of boiling water? If you cite us, you could cite every raw bar first.”

Though they were “really nice” about it, ASPCA officer John Akdikmen and his colleague told Marchese they would be back in touch this coming week and that she might receive a letter of disapproval from the organization, or that a hearing would possibly be required. Marchese, who is a regular volunteer at the Center for Animal Cruelty and Control, and who raises foster dogs, is trying to remain sanguine. “On the one hand, I’m so bemused, because it’s ridiculous,” she told us. “On the other hand, it might cost me thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees.”

Despite the disruption, Marchese plans to continue with live sushi. Customers love it, she says, and she’s now serving it Tuesday through Thursday nights, and occasionally on other nights depending on supply. She says that the quality of Uo’s fish in general has gone up since John Daley replaced David Bouhadana as sushi chef last month. “John has connections with distributors even more than David did, so our quality has jumped up. He’ll put things in front of you that you go home thinking about.”

Read more posts by Jenny Miller

Filed Under: health concerns, aspca, david bouhadana, frannie marchese, john daley, sushi, uo

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On Monday, Murray Hill newcomer Marcony grand opens after a week of flying under the radar. Chef-owner Marco Pipolo (formerly a partner at Scalinatella) has given the onetime Prespa space a white-washed makeover inspired by yachting off the isle of Carpi. Pastas like tortellini are made fresh, while others are imported from Naples, and the house specialty is Vin Santo sauce (the dessert-wine sauce tops the boldly unfashionable Chilean sea bass). Check out the bi-level space (soon to be augmented with a twenty-seat outdoor café) and the menu. Italian bottles go from $40 to $90. Lunch is served Monday through Saturday from noon till 3 p.m., and dinner runs from 5 p.m. till 11 p.m.

ANTIPASTI
Parmigiana Di Melanzane
Marcony style Eggplant Parmigiana 121/2

Tagliata Di Tonno
Thin sliced Sesami seared Tuna with Armorini pasta 181/2

Trio Di Profiteroles
Rabe & Sausage, Mushrooms, Zucchini with mint & Ricotta cheese 141/2

Carciofi Alla Giudea
Pan fried baby Artichokes & Micro green salad 131/2

Polipo Alla Griglia
Grilled Octopus with baby Arugula & Fennel salad 121/2

Assaggio Di Mozarrelle
Bufala, Straciatella & Burrata served with Prosciutto Di Parma 161/2

Rissotto Alla Griglia
Grilled Rissotto with melted Italian imported cheeses 141/2

Calamari Alla Luciana
Slowly cooked fresh Tomato ragu with Garlic & Basil 121/2

Cozze Alla Griglia
Grilled mussels with Thyme & Garlic 111/2

INSALATE
Insalata D’Astice
Lobster with Saffron Potatoes, frisee & Truffle dressing 191/2

Insalata Marcony
Baby Spinach with roasted garlic, grilled Scallops & sweet Balsamic dressing 151/2

Insalata Di Pomodorini
Cherry Tomatoes, Celery & Scallions 101/2

Insalata Di Barbabietola
Tricolor Beet salad 121/2

Insalata Classica
Mixed green salad with Heart of Palm, Baby Corn & Cherry Tomato 101/2
Insalata Di Faggiolini
String Beans, Cherry Tomato & red Onions 121/2

PRIMI PIATTI
Spaghetti Alla Chitarra
With fresh Cherry Tomatoes and Basil 151/2

Linguine Alle Vongole
Manila clams & fresh Tomatoes 181/2

Occhi Di Lupo Bolognese
Bolognese sauce with Mushrooms 181/2

Gnocchi Alla Taormina
Tricolor Gnocchi with Sundried tomatoes & Almond Pesto sauce 181/2

Ditaloni Alla Capri
Mix Seafood in a Marinara sauce 191/2

Tortelloni
With Truffle cream sauce 191/2

Ravioli of the Day M/P

PRINCIPALI
Pollo Rollatina
Chicken breast stuffed with Spinach, Smoked Mozzarella, Carrots in a Wine sauce 181/2

Pollo San Marino
Chicken breast, Artichokes, Sundried tomatoes with White Wine & Lemon sauce 171/2

Stinco D’Agnello
Braised Lamb Shank & mashed Potatoes 221/2

Brasato Di Manzo
Baby Short ribs with Barolo sauce & Risotto with Parmigianino 221/2

Costoletta Di Vitello Alla Milanese
Breaded Veal chop with baby Arugula & Cherry Tomatoes 361/2

Scaloppine Alla Marcony
Veal Medallion, Fontina cheese & Prosciutto in a cream Truffle sauce 221/2

Spigola Dell’Atlantico
Chilean Sea Bass with Zucchini, Onions & Tomatoes in a Vinsanto sauce 301/2

Dentice In Crosta
Potato crusted Red Snapper with White Wine & Lemon sauce 281/2

Salmone Alla Griglia
With mix Vegetables, Ginger & Lentils 191/2

Branzino Striato
Striped Sea Bass with Fava beans & Cherry Tomatoes 221/2

Marcony, 184 Lexington Ave., nr. 31st Street; 646-837-6020

Read more posts by Daniel Maurer

Filed Under: slideshow, italian, marco pipolo, marcony, murray hill, openings

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Take a virtual tour of CHADWICK’S

Chadwick’s Restaurant

8822 3rd Ave, Brooklyn

(718) 833-9855

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