Cobble Hill: Café on Clinton hasn’t opened its doors for about a month, even though tables are set inside. [Brownstoner]

East Village: Tully’s Gluten-Free Bakery opened for business today on East 11th Street. [Fork in the Road/VV]

Greenpoint: Kumquat Cupcakery and Liddabit Sweets are opening a Valentine’s Day–themed pop-up shop at Kill Devil Hill, called Sweet Shop. [Feed/TONY]

Harlem: Best Yet Market opened this weekend. Shoppers are saying the space is true to its name, and that it is the best supermarket in the neighborhood. [Uptown Flavor]

Lower East Side: South African spot Bunny Chow — and its liquor license — are for sale. [Bowery Boogie]

Midtown East: Get two hamburgers for 88 cents today at Pop Burger. [Midtown Lunch]

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Filed Under: neighborhood watch, best yet market, bunny chow, cafe on clinton, kill devil hill, kumquat cupcakery, liddabit sweets, pop burger, sweet shop, tully’s gluten-free bakery

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Brooklyn Heights: A soon-to-open café at 71 Pineapple Street received a liquor license. [Brooklyn Heights Blog]

Cobble Hill: Blue Marble plans to open a new location at 196 Court Street, at Wyckoff Avenue. The location will serve a new line of soft-serve ice cream. [Brownstoner]

East Village: The Niagara and Cabin Down Below sibling set to replace Pizza Shop will be called Black Market. [Gothamist]

Flatiron: The bar Ken Friedman has installed below the Breslin will open tonight. [UrbanDaddy]

Meatpacking District: Kiss & Fly reopens tonight after being closed for renovations. New features include an expanded dance floor, new lighting, and booth seating. [Eater NY]

Midtown West: Virgil’s celebrates Mardi Gras February 9 through 16, with Zydeco music, a menu featuring po’ boys, and free necklaces with no flashing required. [Grub Street]

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Filed Under: neighborhood watch, blue marble, brooklyn heights, gowanus, kiss & fly, meatpacking district, midtown west, the bell house, virgils

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Dumbo: Dewey’s Candy Shop has opened, and is catering mainly to adults with its large selection of nostalgic sweets such as Wax Lips. [Brooklyn Paper]
East Village: The Sunburnt Cow is celebrating Australia Day with $3 burgers and sandwiches, as well as a $20 all-you-can-drink happy hour for three hours. [NYC Daily Deals]
Lebanese spot Balade started serving lunch and a late-night weekend menu. The restaurant also now delivers. [Grub Street]
The former home of Elvie’s Turo-Turo will now house a burger joint, and Porchetta is applying for a beer license. [EV Grieve]

Midtown West: 2 Bros. Pizza will open a second location in the next week or two on Eighth Avenue and 38th Street. [Midtown Lunch]
Soho: The former FROG space will reopen as a Mediterranean restaurant called Beba. [Eater NY]

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Filed Under: neighborhood watch, 2 bros. pizza, balade, beba, dewey’s, frog, sunburnt cow

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Hell’s Kitchen: Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse will give you a free $25 gift certificate if you follow them on Twitter and become their fan on Facebook. [Midtown Lunch]

Lower East Side: Coffee shop Atlas Café is now open on Clinton Street. [Fork in the Road/VV]

Midtown: Armani/Ristorante unveiled a new seasonal bar menu, with dishes ranging from $8 to $28. [Grub Street]

Cookbook author Dorie Greenspan will open a pop-up cookie shop called CookieBar in Mizu hair salon. Her son plans to open a permanent CookieBar by the end of the year. 505 Park Ave., nr. 58th St. [Feed/TONY]

Prospect Heights: A new soccer bar called Woodwork just opened. 583 Vanderbilt Ave., nr. Dean St. [Brownstoner]

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Filed Under: neighborhood watch, armani/ristorante, atlas cafe, cookiebar, uncle jack’s steakhouse, woodwork

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Astoria: Astoria Wine and Spirits has a wine tasting tonight and is also opening a gallery show by artist Maki Teshima. [Joey in Astoria]

Clinton Hill: LOX bar shows no signs of life. [Fork in the Road/VV]

Greenpoint: Greenpoint Coffee House will close on April 1. It will most likely be replaced with a bar. [Eater NY]

Harlem: Settepani Bakery closed. [What About the Plastic Animals]

Midtown East: Koglin Royal Hams in the Grand Central Terminal Market put all their hams on sale for half-price because the store is closing next Friday. [Midtown Lunch]

Upper East Side: To celebrate Café Carlyle fixture Elaine Stritch, mixologist Brian Van Flandern will introduce the Stritchy (gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and Champagne) to Bemelman’s Bar on February 2. [Grub Street]

Williamsburg: Young and Hungry Blog hosts its first birthday party at Public Assembly tonight with free food from the likes of Co., One Girl Cookies, and Cupcake Stop, plus live music. [YAH]

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Filed Under: neighborhood watch, co., cupcake stop, greenpoint coffee house, koglin royal hams, lox bar, one girl cookies, public assembly, settepani bakery

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Astoria: Astoria Wine and Spirits has a wine tasting tonight and is also opening a gallery show by artist Maki Teshima. [Joey in Astoria]

Clinton Hill: LOX bar shows no signs of life. [Fork in the Road/VV]

Greenpoint: Greenpoint Coffee House will close on April 1. It will most likely be replaced with a bar. [Eater NY]

Harlem: Settepani Bakery closed. [What About the Plastic Animals]

Midtown East: Koglin Royal Hams in the Grand Central Terminal Market put all their hams on sale for half-price because the store is closing next Friday. [Midtown Lunch]

Upper East Side: To celebrate Café Carlyle fixture Elaine Stritch, mixologist Brian Van Flandern will introduce the Stritchy (gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and Champagne) to Bemelman’s Bar on February 2. [Grub Street]

Williamsburg: Young and Hungry Blog hosts its first birthday party at Public Assembly tonight with free food from the likes of Co., One Girl Cookies, and Cupcake Stop, plus live music. [YAH]

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Filed Under: neighborhood watch, co., cupcake stop, greenpoint coffee house, koglin royal hams, lox bar, one girl cookies, public assembly, settepani bakery

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The Jets face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in the AFC Championship game, and the winner will go to the Super Bowl. If you decided not to head to Indianapolis this weekend (after all, it sucks), and you’re not so emotionally invested that you prefer to watch the game alone in your apartment, we’ve got a few suggestions about where to eat and drink while you’re cheering for Gang Green.

• Pregame at overlook’s Jets Tailgate. Pay $15 for unlimited Bud Light drafts or mimosas, plus your choice of brunch items, including the huevos rancheros wrap, eggs any style, pancakes, cheeseburgers, or a buffalo-chicken wrap from 1 p.m. on. Once the game starts at 3 p.m., Bud Light drafts are $3.

• McFadden’s is offering a number of specials during Sunday’s game, including $3 drafts, $10 pitchers, and half-price appetizers. Call 212-986-1515 to reserve a spot.

• Wear your Jets gear to Southern Hospitality and get a free shot. Everyone gets a free “mean green” shot every time the Jets score. Pitchers of Coors Light, Miller Lite, and Soho’s Acoustic Amber are $10; munch on $5 wings, nachos, jalepeño bottle caps, and fried pickles.

• If your jersey is at the cleaners, you don’t need to dress up to take advantage of the specials at Bar 108. The bar’s selling $15 pitchers of Bud Light, $20 buckets of beer, and 50-cent wings. Reservations are recommended; call 212-505-2015 to secure a seat.

• Third and Long doesn’t promise a solely Jets-themed celebration, but it will definitely have $4 pints of Bud, Bud Light, and that Bud Golden Wheat you keep seeing all those commercials for on Hulu.

• For those looking for both quality and quantity when it comes to suds, Chelsea Brewing Company will serve $2 pints of one of the winter brews, Checker Cab Blonde Ale.

• Heckle some NFC fans at Bar None. Line up at noon to pay $10 to get into the bar in time for the game. Ticketed admission is first come, first serve, but those who miss out can head to sister bar Boss Tweeds, where all spillover fans can drink a free Bud Light draft.

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Filed Under: user’s guide, bar 108, bar none, chelsea brewing company, jets, mcfadden’s, overlook, southern hospitality, sports, third and long

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Tom clearly just spilled that drink.

Padma Lakshmi was not shy about sharing some of Top Chef’s secrets at Saturday’s Times Arts & Leisure Weekend event, also featuring Eric Ripert and Gail Simmons. Frank Bruni moderated the panel and Tom Colicchio was out of town, but that didn’t stop Padma — who seemed ready to give birth any second (her doctor was sitting in the front row) — from dishing on his drinking habits. If we could peek underneath that judges’ table, we’d find a gin and tonic nestled between Colicchio’s legs. Padma suggested watching the top of Colicchio’s pate — astute viewers will notice a shiny red glow growing as the debate rages on. Judges’ table can last for as long as five hours, said Gail. We’d need a drink, too. Judging the finale lasts even longer (Eric Ripert almost missed his flight out of Aspen in season three), because the winner must be a unanimous decision. Producers sometimes seek the opinion of an unofficial fifth judge named T-Bone: He’s the camera operator who takes all the still-life food shots and then eats the dishes.

The judges had plenty to say about the contestants, too. They’re all proud of Herold Dieterle and Perilla, especially, Gail explained, because he stayed true to the concept he wanted before, during, and after the course of the show. And, like the audience, they all loved Kevin from season six. When describing his dishes, Kevin would often go on for 45 minutes or longer — but the judges, completely transfixed, wouldn’t notice how much time had passed until a producer stepped in to tell him to wrap it up.

Other than Kevin’s soliloquies, however, the judges don’t know anything about the contestants’ personalities until the show airs, as they’re barred from contact with each other until after the finale. Of course, this doesn’t stop all contestants from trying — Stephan, from the New York season, once gave Padma a dozen roses, only to have them yanked out of her hands by a producer a second later. And despite limited contact, Padma, who sees the contestants more than any other judge because of the Quickfires, occasionally gets some insight into how the contestants feel about one another. This season, she knew that everyone hated Robin because whenever she would bring up her cancer, Padma would see all the other chefs start rolling their eyes in her peripheral vision.

The judges would love to take the show international in future seasons, but the logistics of taking a crew of 80 to 120 abroad means that probably won’t happen any time soon. Production for the seventh season begins in the spring; Bravo is waiting till after Padma has her baby. (”They’ve been through like twenty pregnancies with Heidi already,” she joked). So, would Padma want her child to grow up to be a chef? “Only if she’s a really good one.”

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Filed Under: top chef, eric ripert, frank bruni, gail simmons, new york times, padma lakshmi, tom colicchio

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Last week, we brought you our personal favorite lunches for nursing a hangover. But as we enter the peak of holiday merrymaking, we thought we should turn to professionals for some hangover cures, especially since “toast and a chocolate covered marshmallow” probably doesn’t work for everyone. After all, hangovers are pretty serious — CNN recently reported that hangovers cost U.S. businesses $148 billion in lost productivity each year. We can’t promise guaranteed results for the methods below, but as we sign off for a day or so (See you Monday! Happy holidays!) we do plan on trying a few of them out over the next week.

Lana Kalaitzis, Village Pourhouse: “Coconut water. It’s like babies’ tears and angel feathers. If you wake up hungover and you take two aspirin and 11 ounces of coconut water, you can do anything — you can save the world. It has more electrolytes than Gatorade and it hydrates you better than water does. If you don’t have coconut water, take really, really cold passion-fruit pur
e, cayenne pepper, and a little bit of lime juice. It’s pretty disgusting. It might just work because it’s so awful that you forget you’re hungover.”

Patrick Kitson, Mad River Bar & Grille: “Keep drinking in the morning. Otherwise, I try to prevent it the night before by pounding a gallon of water before I go to bed, with a Tylenol.”

Bill Ottinger, Turtle Bay Grill & Lounge: “To rehydrate, Champagne with a little bit of orange juice, for nutritional value. Another good option is beer with a little Bloody Mary mix. You’re going through alcohol withdrawal, so it helps you deal with that.”

Deedee Patton, Bowery Electric: “Definitely Tylenol, comfy clothes, Bloody Marys, and French toast with friends reminiscing about the night before. That’s what I’m doing after New Year’s.”

Michael Asch, Down the Hatch and Jake’s Dilemma: “Besides aspirin and a glass of water, I like Code Blue recovery drink. It has triple the electrolytes of Gatorade, an anti-inflammatory, and vitamin B, which is what they give you a shot of when you have alcohol poisoning. It’s like Gatorade on steroids. It’s the closest thing that I’ve ever experienced to truly curing a hangover. Hydrating yourself in any way definitely helps, but this helps get the crap out. We sell a lot of them at early Saturday and Sunday football games. Some people will mix it with vodka, too.”

Catherine Grennan, MJ Armstrong’s: “I generally do the Bloody Mary and a side of beer, a Bass, just to rehydrate. Hair of the dog, that’ll cure you.”

Christina Morales, SideBar: “Jameson with lemon. It works every time. Otherwise, coffee and Red Bull.”

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Filed Under: hangover cures,

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Columbia Street Waterfront District: DUB Pies is closing its original location at 193 Columbia Street. They’ll keep their Windsor Terrace storefront and Red Hook production locations open while they look for a “busier storefront to relocate to.” [Brownstoner]

East Village: A new bar is opening at 14–16 Avenue B. A company called BKLYN Local Draft LLC is applying for a full liquor license at the location. [EV Grieve]

Financial District: Michael Huynh’s new location of Baoguette is now open. 9 Maiden Ln., nr. Broadway. [Eater NY]

Lower East Side: Russ & Daughters received its first shipment of the season of double-smoked Danish salmon. [Lox Populi]

Red Hook: Botanica owner Dan Preston says the restaurant will remain closed until it can restaff. [Fork in the Road/VV]

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Filed Under: neighborhood watch, baoguette, botanica, dub pies, michael huynh, russ & daughters

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East Village: The former Baluchi’s space on Second Avenue between 6th and 7th streets is becoming a Japanese spot called Matsukado. [EV Grieve]
Esperanto will host a free feijoada feast on Christmas Eve, open to all who stay in town for the holidays, featuring all the traditional parts of a Brazilian holiday dinner. [Eater NY]
Hell’s Kitchen: Holey Cream, a new shop selling ice cream and donuts, is still under construction. It was due to open this month, but that date has been pushed back. 796 Ninth Ave., nr. 53rd St. [Fork in the Road/VV]
Bamboo 52 is giving out free samples of their new sushi sandwiches from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow. [Midtown Lunch]

Midtown: Financier Patisserie opened its new location yesterday in Grand Central Station. [Blondie & Brownie]
Williamsburg: The Yogurberry at 209 Bedford Avenue has closed. [Brownstoner]

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Filed Under: neighborhood watch, baluchi’s, bamboo 52, esperanto, financier patisserie, holey cream, matsukado, yogurberry

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Harlem: A new Japanese and Chinese spot, Ocean Restaurant, opened recently. 393 Lenox Avenue, nr. West 130th Street [Uptown Flavor]
Long Island City: Vine Wine is hosting a Champagne tasting from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturday. 12–09 Jackson Avenue, nr. 47th Road [Astoria NYC]
Midtown West: Go Go Curry will say “thank you and good luck” to departing Yankee Hideki Matsui on Monday by giving all customers a free topping coupon with every order of curry. [Midtown Lunch]
Murray Hill: Brother Jimmy’s is hosting a Mardi Gras party and debuting its New Orleans–style Crawfish Boil during Saturday’s football game between the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys. The party starts at 7 p.m. 181 Lexington Avenue, at 31st Street [Grub Street]
Prospect Lefferts Gardens: Wine shop 65 Fen will open on Saturday on Fenimore Street near Flatbush Avenue. [Hawthorne Street]
Union Square: A business called Green Kitchen is opening on Fifth Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets. It looks like it will sell prepared foods. [Brownstoner]

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Filed Under: neighborhood watch, brother jimmy’s bbq, go go curry, green kitchen, ocean restaurant, permanent brunch and burger, vine wine

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