The name is short for "Work in Progress," and it was a work in progress itself for over a year. Now finally open, the 5,000-square-foot nightclub premiered Wednesday night for a mishmash of artists, PR people, friends of PR people, and actor Dean Winters. The entrance is separate from Greenhouse’s, and you descend a flight of stairs into a long, wide corridor. Before the corridor, however, is a little cubbyhole where, on Wednesday, a contortionist in a babydoll dress was lounging on a shiny rocking horse, her leg casually draped over her shoulder. “What, you guys can’t do this?” she said coyly.

Inside the main room is space for 250 people in 24 VIP table areas; seven large paintings line the walls, and over near the bathrooms is a pink neon sign that says "PISS" and a collage of photos showing people doing just that. Steve Lewis of BlackBook thinks this is going to be the “next big thing.” We wouldn’t go that far, but it’s definitely good for gawk-worthy artwork and a scene-y crowd. If you’re ready to pony up for $13 well cocktails and a $50 credit-card minimum, the place is open from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. nightly. Oh, and it's pronounced whip.

W.I.P., 150 Varick St., nr. Vandam St.

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Filed Under: nightlife, greenhouse, openings, soho, w.i.p.

Midtown: The Riese Organization hands out 10,000 cups of Tim Horton's coffee at Grand Central (42nd and Vanderbilt) and Penn Station (34th and Seventh Avenue) today and tomorrow from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 5:30 p.m. [Grub Street]

Park Slope: New intel on the Thistle Hill Tavern, whose chef we'd previously heard about: NOFX band member "Fat Mike" is among the owners! [FiPS]

Prospect Heights: A new French-Caribbean restaurant named Kaz An Nou has opened. [Fork in the Road/VV]

Upper West Side: David Ruggiero's long-delayed Bomboloni finally opens, serving Italian filled donuts, paninis, coffee, soup, and gelati. [Diner's Journal/NYT]

West Village: Big River, an ecofoodie flick tracking big corn's damage from Iowa to the Mississippi, premieres tonight at the Brecht Forum from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The filmmakers, as well as some environmentally minded Hudson Valley farmers, will hold a panel following the 7 p.m. screening. [Grub Street]

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Filed Under: bedford-stuyvesant, bomboloni, csa, financial district, flatiron, i trulli, kaz an nou, kyochon, lei, mIdtown west, Neighborhood Watch, park slope, thistle hill tavern, tim horton's

Midtown East: Partake in Holi, the Indian Festival of Spring and Color, at At Vermillion this weekend, where a traditional five-course prix fixe dinner will run you $45. [Grub Street]

Park Slope: Spencer Rothschild's Barrio hosts an inaugural taco-eating contest on March 18 at 7 p.m; send an e-mail to participate and try to win a $100 gift certificate. [Grub Street]

Sunset Park: As Fuzhou Chinese move into the area, Cantonese restaurants are disappearing. [Sunset Park Blog]

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Filed Under: flatiron, jamaica bay, JFK, midtown east, Neighborhood Watch, park slope, passover, tabla, the palm

Union Square: Support local beef at the Chipotle near 17th Street and Broadway on March 17 from 5 to 8 p.m. All the money raised from $5 burrito packages will go to Stone Barns, the farm attached to upstate's Blue Hill restaurant. [Eater NY]

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Filed Under: bedford-stuyvesant, blue hill, chipotle, crown heights, dutch boy burger, franklin park, greenpoint, Neighborhood Watch, paulie gee's, safe haven bar and grill, stone barns, sunset park

Midtown East: March Madness at Golosi is less about college basketball and more about combination meals. Throughout the month, you get a slice of pizza, scoop of gelato, and can of soda for $5. [Grub Street]
Prospect Heights: Penny House Café is "coming soon" to Washington Avenue with coffee, bagels, and pastries. [Fork in the Road/VV]
Upper East Side: Attend class on "Wines of Argentina and Chile" on Saturday afternoon at Vero Panini & Wine Bar for $65. Proceeds benefit Chile earthquake-relief efforts. Reserve a spot by calling 212-935-3530. [Grub Street]
West Village: August is having a St. Patrick's Day feast — March 17 for the non-Irish in the room — featuring corned-beef sandwiches and Irish coffee. [Grub Street]

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Filed Under: august, lincoln park tavern, penny house cafe, puro chile, the smith, vero panini and wine bar

West Village: Charles Restaurant is launching a new "friends and family" Sunday Italian dinner. E-mail the restaurant for reservations. [Grub Street]

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Filed Under: aurora, buttercup bake shop, charles restaurant, east village, falai, greenpoint, lower east side, midtown east, Neighborhood Watch, pies-n-thighs, van leeuwen, west village, williamsburg, zenkichi

This week's overview of celebrity dining features our favorite characters, except they're acting completely out of character. Snooki, Ronnie, and Sammi Sweatheart, for example, betrayed their Italian roots as soon as they crossed the Hudson to Manhattan, picking Japanese fusion joint SushiSamba Seven over many of the West Village's great Italian eateries. The momentary lapse on their part was made up for when they made their way to Armani Exchange after lunch.

Ballato: Approaching month three of her anti–heartbreak-related depression year, Alexa Ray Joel seems just peachy as she dines with mom Christie Brinkley. [Gatecrasher/NYDN]

Blue Water Grill: Jessica Szohr, sans fellow Gossip Girl cast member and current boyfriend Ed Westwick, washes her spicy tempura roll down with a bottle of Pinot Noir. [People]

Butter: In a "diva" move, Bono demands Perrier and — gasp! — properly chopped salad while dining with fellow U2 band member the Edge. [Gatecrasher/NYDN]

Elaine's: The studly actor Josh Lucas is off the singles menu, it seems: He was spotted canoodling with model Amelie Latournald at a bash for PR great Bobby Zarem. [Gatecrasher/NYDN]

Library Bar: Pam Anderson does drinks and appetizers with Richie Rich and an entourage before her runway appearance at Richie's fashion show — perhaps this is why she was an hour late? [People]

Sòlo: Miss Universe 2008 and Miss Universe 2009, both from Venezuela, share dieting tips over lunch with their immigration lawyer. [Page Six/NYP]

SushiSamba Seven: Snooki, Sammi Sweetheart, and Ronnie might be proud Italians, but they weren't afraid to try some of the West Village's posh Japanese offerings before heading to their treasured Armani Exchange. [Gatecrasher/NYDN]

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Filed Under: ballato, blue water grill, butter, Celebrity Settings, elaine's, library bar, solo, sushisamba 7

East Village: New on S'MAC's menu: a salsa picante macaroni and cheese, with pepper jack, cheddar, salsa, chicken breast, and cilantro. [Grub Street]
Upper East Side: The David Burke Townhouse hosts a "very special four-course wine dinner" with sommelier Larry Stone. Call 212-813-2121 for tickets, which run $175 a person. [Grub Street]
Upper West Side: The Fatty empire's various locations join forces at Fatty Crab UWS, each providing three dishes, two specialty cocktails, and unlimited seconds for, in their words, "a culinary and cocktail tour de force the likes of which are rarely seen above 14th street." Decide for yourself March 3 at 7:30 p.m.; call 212-496-2722 for the $59 tickets. [Grub Street]

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Filed Under: blue bottle coffee, bushwick, cobble hill, csa, downtown brooklyn, dumbo, east village, fatty crab, free wifi, larry burke townhouse, Neighborhood Watch, s'mac, upper east side, upper west side, urban meadow, williamsburg

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Filed Under: brouwerij lane, east village, fort greene, gramercy, greene hill co-op, greenpoint, la sirene, lower east side, lucky strikes, midtown west, Neighborhood Watch, taureau, vino, williamsburg

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Filed Under: bell house, choice market, death by audio, dumbo, east village, london lennie's, middle village, Neighborhood Watch, PDT, west village, williamsburg

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Filed Under: bushwick, city bakery, double windsor, flatiron, Neighborhood Watch, ofrenda, park slope, radegast, roberta's, thistle hill tavern, west village, williamsburg, windsor terrace

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Filed Under: Ambala Sweet & Bakery Chat House, baohaus, coney island, jackson heights, lower east side, Neighborhood Watch, park slope, times square

Between all the wild movements of Fashion Week — pushing past Anna Wintour for a front-row seat, asking Christian Siriano if your outfit is fierce, and so on — all those boldfaced names need a place to sit down, relax, and, well, eat. And sometimes it's not the pomp or majesty of the fashion shows that creates those magical little moments; sometimes those moments happen in the downtime, like, say, at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Celebrated fashion blogger Bryanboy, for example, took to Balthazar at the crack of dawn on Tuesday morning and complimented his "super friendly and lovely waiter" via Twitter. After the waiter noticed the blogger's kind message and tweeted back, Bryanboy showered him with even more praise. On the celebrity side of things, the love was flowing, too, perhaps in early anticipation of Valentine's Day: Katie Holmes and her adorable child Suri shared a midday treat from Magnolia Bakery, while Paris Hilton dashed out of Serafina with some highbrow takeout for her boyfriend in tow. Below, this wondrous week in celebrity dining.

Balthazar: Fashion blogger Bryanboy and his waiter exchange a series of adorable tweets.

Bar Breton: Two politically minded fiancé-fiancée pairs double-dated at this swanky French flatiron joint: first daughter Chelsea Clinton with Marc Mezvinsky, and Brooklyn/Queens Representative Anthony Weiner with Huma Abedin. [NYP]

Da Silvano: Funny people Howard Stern and Sandra Bernhard traded zingers over dinner. [NYP]

Le Perigord: Pesky patrons grill Mario Cuomo on when his son Andrew will announce his gubernatorial candidacy. [NYP]

Magnolia Bakery: Katie Holmes and daughter Suri sneakily departed the Bowery Hotel and emerged — via some sort of subterranean tunnel known only to Sex and the City characters and Scientologists, we assume — at Magnolia Bakery to have a cupcake. [Cityfile/Zimbio]

Maximo Pino Café: Fox News anchor Shepard Smith sampled some free gelato and fled, perhaps, as the ever-observant Post supposes, "because CNN was playing on the eatery's TV." [NYP]

Philippe: Kanye has committed some notable faux pas in certain other venues, but don't count this week's early departure from the haute Chinese resto among them: He didn't wait the requisite 45 minutes for his Peking duck, but he did foot the bill for it, adding on a generous tip. [Grub Street]

Serafina: Sporting a silver minidress (is there any other type of dress that she wears?), Paris Hilton managed to flee the paparazzi outside the midtown west joint while dutifully carrying a doggie bag to her boyfriend. [NYP]

Swifty's: Peter Bacanovic, former stock broker of the felonious Martha Stewart, dined with Yanna Avis (whom the Post says is a cabaret-singing widow) at the septuagenarian favorite. [NYP]

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Filed Under: balthazar, bar breton, bowery hotel, Celebrity Settings, da silvano, le perigord, magnolia bakery, maximo pino café, philippe, rare bar & grill, serafina, swifty's

While a large chunk of New Yorkers spent last week on a post-Grammy vacation in sunny, warm L.A., some out-of-towners like U2 and Sarah Silverman took advantage of our celebrity vacuum and filled it with self-promotion. After celebrating artist Damien Hirst's new exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery over the weekend, U2 band members dispersed across the city, dining with various attractive women: Bono at Da Silvano with a group of leggy blondes, the Edge at Morandi with a former Victoria's Secret Angel. Sarah Silverman, in town to promote the premiere of her show's third season, picked at some health food. Below, the week in boldfaced dining.

Butter: Governor Paterson's endorsement of Kirsten Gillibrand didn't stop him from sitting down with Harold Ford Jr.; Ford allegedly footed the bill. [NYP]

Da Silvano: Bono and artist Damien Hirst dined with some ladies. [NYP]

Dylan's Candy Bar: Alec Baldwin, who says he needs to lose a couple, buys fudge, Swedish fish, and chocolate. [NYP]

Emporio: On Wednesday, Thomas Keller of Laundry and Per Se paid his respects. On Thursday, Matt Dillon stopped by. [Grub Street]

Grill Room: Martha Stewart and former ImClone CEO Sam Waksal, both convicted felons, dined separately at opposite ends of The Four Seasons restaurant, possibly in the presence of other inside traders. [NYP]

Josie's Restaurant: Sarah Silverman stayed wholesome with two friends. [Gawker]

La Esquina: John Mayer ate some tacos and maybe texted girls. [NYP]

Morandi: U2's the Edge stopped in with model Helena Christensen. [NYP]

Nougatine: Sting popped in to talk to his manager, who was dining at the bar. [NYP]

Pure Food and Wine: Janet Jackson and rapper ex Jermaine Dupri both ordered "Master Cleanse Tinis." [NYP]

Rose Bar: Mick Jagger spent some quality time with Mickey Rourke's girlfriend, Elena Kuletskaya. [NYP]

Swifty's: Barry Humphries — better known as Dame Edna — dined with his wife. [NYDN]

The Waverly Inn: Channing Tatum dined with Dear John co-star Amanda Seyfried. [People]

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Filed Under: celebrity settings, butter, da silvano, dylan's candy bar, grill room, josie's restaurant, la esquina, morandi, nougatine, pure food and wine, rose bar, swifty's, the waverly inn

This week: Birthday girls Mischa Barton and Estelle took to Abe and Arthur's exclusive downstairs lounge SL to celebrate their special days — but not together, unfortunately. Mischa and ladyfriends had their cake and ate it with their bare hands, while the classy recording artist, joined by Darrelle Revis, Tyson Beckford, and John Legend, toasted her 30th with finger-friendly cupcakes. Older ladies prefer haute uptown establishments: Cindy Adams of "Page Six" transcribed the ecstasy of her Porterhouse steak into her daily column, while populist favorite Sarah Palin popped open some Perrier-Jouet on the Upper East Side. A pretty standard week for celebrity dining, below.

Bowery Hotel: Just in case you were wondering what exactly Lyndon B. Johnson's daughter has been up to these days: She's downing cocktails with Upper East Side "tastemakers." [Guest of a Guest]
Brasserie Cognac: A playboy model, a Real Housewife, and a Sex and the City actor walk into a bar ... to fête the Russian New Year, of course. [Page Six/NYP]
David Burke Townhouse: Sarah Palin and hubby sip Perrier-Jouet, Champagne of the people, at the rather populist Upper East Side joint. [Page Six/NYP]
Mariella Pizza: Busy bees Uma Thurman and son Levon Roan order a slice to go. [Cityfile]
Manaña: John Bolton, the ex-UN ambassador with no relation to soft-rock balladeer Michael Bolton, dines with the opposite of an ugly blonde. [Page Six/NYP]
Nobu 57: Jets strong-arm Mark Sanchez enjoys some small pieces of fish. [Cityfile]
Porter House: Cindy Adams waxes poetic about a certain rendezvous with Michael Lomonaco's steak: ". . . ooooh, so good . . ." [Cindy Adams/NYP]
Shanghai Pavilion: Michael J. Fox does Chinese with his wife. [Page Six/NYP]
SL: Mischa Barton and girlfriends have their cake and eat it with their bare hands, while fellow birthday belle Estelle dined on finger-friendly cupcakes with Darrelle Revis, Tyson Beckford, and John Legend. [Page Six/NYP, NYDN]
Tao: Flexing their gastronomic muscles, fifteen Jets players paired their surf-and-turf meals with all the appropriate libations: lychee martinis, tequila shots, and water. [Page Six/NYP]
The Waverly Inn: At long last, Oprah made her pilgrimage to the Graydon Carter's temple of exclusivity. The saintly talk show host graciously rewarded her driver with a doggie-bagged Waverly Burger. [NYP, Grub Street]

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Filed Under: celebrity settings, abe and arthurs, bowery hotel, brasserie cognac, david burke townhouse, manaña, mariella pizza, nobu 57, porter house, shanghai pavilion, stresa, tao, waverly inn

Last week, we ran a guide to restaurants and venues where the Haitian community in New York has been convening to share food, stories, and news from back home. Since then, the charity movement has expanded beyond expat hangouts and inspired various others outside of the Haitian diaspora to lend a helping hand. Ilili, for one, has rallied 40 American restaurants, most in New York, to join them in donating 10 percent of this Sunday's sales to relief efforts. Our updated list for the week follows; again, if we missed any food-related benefits, leave them in the comments.

Magnolia Bakery: Cupcakes with the Red Cross logo sell for $3; $1 of that will go to the American Red Cross. [Grub Street]

'wichcraft: "On Monday, January 25th, ‘wichcraft partners with La Colombe Torrefaction, Harry Wils & Co, and Imperial Paper to donate all proceeds from ‘wichcraft coffee beverage sales to the American Red Cross relief effort in Haiti." They're also donating half the proceeds made from sales of the 'wichcraft book for the entire month of February. [Grub Street]

Restaurant Week Truck: For each serving of soup you buy, a dollar goes to benefit the Haiti Relief Fund at the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City. Where to find it: "The truck will cater to patrons between 11am and 2pm, January 25-29 in Midtown (Broadway between 50th and 51st Streets), February 1-3 in the Flatiron District (Fifth Avenue between 18th and 19th Streets) and February 4-5 in TriBeCa (Greenwich Street between Warren and Murray Streets)." [Grub Street]

Kampuchea, The Norry at Kampuchea, and Num Pang Sandwich Shop: This Cambodian trio will donate 20 percent of this Saturday and Sunday's sales to UNICEF. [Grub Street]

Bistro Truck: The Moroccan food truck has a box for donations that will go to the American Red Cross. [BistroTruck/Twitter]

For an even more exhaustive list of restaurants donating 10 percent of profits to charity this Sunday and Monday, check out Citysearch's excellent compilation.

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Filed Under: user's guide, foodievents, haiti