Someone at Carl’s Jr. must have been listening last week when Kate Upton told us that she craves fries every once in a while. The chain has recruited the Sports Illustrated cover girl for the latest ad in its hot-women-eating-burgers campaign (remember that spot with Padma?) There’s no actual ad yet — it will premiere Sunday, presumably during the Oscars — but there is a behind-the-scenes promo vid with a convertible, cleavage, and hair blowing in the wind. Oh, and plenty of burger-related money shots.

Burger chain Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s snags Kate Upton for ad [USAT]
Related: The Swimsuit Model Dessert Survey

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Filed Under: food porn, burgers, carl’s jr., excuses to run shots of models, hardees, kate upton

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Grub Street’s fingers are still sticky from pigging out on Pok Pok’s Asian chicken wings, and now we learn the LES shop isn’t the city’s only new source for Thai-style poultry: Kin Shop’s Harold Dieterle recently added a fried fowl to his nightly specials menu. The toque marinates his Bell & Evans birds in ginger, garlic, lemongrass, oyster sauce, and “super, super funky” Thai shrimp paste for 24 hours. They’re then dredged in rice flour and an Asian cereal and deep-fried, with herbs, fish-chili sauce, and coriander nam prik on the side.

The special is served nightly (except Mondays), and each four-piece plate goes for $24. Dieterle tells us he spent a long time tweaking his recipe, hoping to approximate the fried chicken you can buy on the street in Bangkok. And best to show up early: “It sells like crazy,” the toque said. “I don’t even have enough space in the fryer” to keep up with demand.

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Filed Under: what to eat, harold dieterle, kin shop

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West Coast and Texas types probably know Wahoo’s, which has 60 locations on the western end of the country, primarily in California. Now the fast-casual chain, which opened yesterday near Madison Square Park, is bringing its breezy skate and surf theme, plus fish tacos and teriyaki “Maui” bowls, to NYC. Scope out the menu of “Banzai burritos” and more below, and check some food and sporty interiors straight ahead.

Menu [PDF]

Wahoo’s Fish Taco, 333 Park Ave. S., nr. 24th St.

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Filed Under: openings, madison square, slideshow, tacos, wahoo’s

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Some flexible-wristed barista didn’t. If you thought leaves and hearts were impressive, check out the King of Pop, rendered in latte foam. We’re not saying it’ll heal the world, but it’s pretty cool. [Baristart/Tumblr]

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Filed Under: coffee buzz, coffee wire, latte art, michael jackson

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Aunt Suzie’s is getting a “mullet-friendly” makeover.

Grub got its hands on some more details about the place Dale Talde and his Talde partners are planning for the old Aunt Suzie’s space on Fifth Avenue, and there’s nary a pretzel dumpling on the horizon. “It’s going to be real, real, real casual place,” Talde said. “The place I’ve always wanted to go [after work], to shoot a few rounds of pool, watch Sports Center.” The toque and partners John Bush and David Massoni plan to offer pitchers of beer, “cheap whiskey,” and “really chill bar food” till 2 a.m., seven days a week. And this one won’t lean Asian: “At the end of the day, I’m just an American chef,” Talde said. Also, there will be a Patrick-Swayze-in-Roadhouse feel (think: chicken wire), and the place is going to be “very mullet-friendly,” so if you’re angling for a job, better start growing that party in the back, stat. Talde was coy about his menu and the opening date, but he did mention, “we don’t want to miss the blue crab for the summer.”

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Filed Under: coming up, bars, dale talde, nightlife, openings, park slope

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A note to disgruntled restaurant employees: Taking out a telephone-pole flyer smear campaign may not be such a hot idea. You’ll recall that one party did just that in the East Village recently, attacking Bar Veloce, and now Veloce is fighting back — with a lawsuit. Inveterate wage-violation opponent Maimon Kirschenbaum sent over his latest suit, and this time, Bar Veloce is suing one Andrew Preston for defamation. Uh-oh. It seems Preston and two others had brought suit against Veloce last spring for wage violations, and then he decided to undertake the flyer tactic. If Preston ends up paying, we can think of at least one person who will be pretty happy. [Earlier]

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Filed Under: payback, bar veloce, east village, lawsuits

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The original Desnuda.

Hot on the heels of the Bourgeois Pig’s expansion to Carroll Gardens comes word that Ravi Derossi will bring another of his Manhattan concepts to Brooklyn, when Desnuda lands in Williamsburg. Derossi tells us he and his partners will open Desnuda Cevicheria at 221 South 1st Street (at Roebling) in about four or five months. Compared to the original’s diminutive counter digs, this one will have 40-plus seats and 20 more in the garden. All this space means a larger menu from chefs Peter Gevrekis and Dominic Martinez, with Frank Cisneros and Tom Chadwick designing “South American cocktails” for the bar.

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Filed Under: coming up, bars, desnuda, openings, ravi derossi

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Why yes, that is Jerry Stiller ordering himself some knishes.

Yonah Schimmel Knishery has weathered many changes in its 101-year life span — the gentrification of the nineties, the carb-phobia of aughts — yet the massive renovation of East Houston Street is really squeezing the knishery, writes the Lo-Down. You see, up until construction made it impossible, far-flung Yonah customers would drop by from Brooklyn, the Bronx, or uptown and park illegally for a few moments in front of the knishery while picking up large orders.

Yet now co-owner Ellen Anistratov is saying no place to stop means she’s losing some customers, and she can’t afford to pay employees. Since Yonah relies on these high-volume sales, here’s a thought: Let’s declare knishes the new cupcake and have everyone order them for birthdays and office parties. We know Jerry Stiller and Woody Allen would approve.

101-Year Old Yonah Schimmel Endangered by East Houston Reconstruction [Lo-Down]

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Filed Under: danger signs, knishes, yonah schimmel knishery

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Vegas bound.

While Grimaldi’s and Juliana’s duke it out in Dumbo, Grub hears that another of the city’s pie purveyors, Slice, is headed to Vegas. Founder Miki Agrawal tells us her eatery was handpicked for the move by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, who (as you’ll know if you read the recent Businessweek story) is aiming to revitalize downtown Sin City with a $350 million cash infusion. Hopefully this makes up for Slice’s having to close its UES joint.

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Filed Under: empire building, las vegas, slice, tony hsieh, zappos

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The name in Spanish means “gawgeous.”

Nightlife magic-makers Matt Abramcyk and Serge Becker have some of the city’s most exclusive spots under their belts (the Beatrice Inn, La Esquina) and now they’ve combined forces — along with Bar Bruno’s Richard Ampudia — to open Super Linda, a bi-level Tribeca bar and restaurant. The name in Spanish translates roughly to “gorgeous,” and the place is a looker, from the 85-seat lower-level dining room to the 30-spot El Jockey Lounge upstairs, decked out with horse-racing paraphernalia. The menu from chef John Martinez (Tiny’s) hews Latin American, as do drinks: beers from various South American Countries, and, of course, margaritas. See it all straight ahead in our slideshow.

Menu [PDF]

Super Linda, 109 W. Broadway, nr. Reade St.; 212-227-8998

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Filed Under: nightlife, bars, matt abramcyk, openings, serge becker, slideshow, super linda, tribeca

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Sure, plenty of places have kombucha on tap, but an out-and-out kombucha bar may be a brand-new thing. Naturally, this place has opened in Williamsburg (last Thursday, to be precise), and it also carries fifteen different free-trade teas. The six kombuchas are from founder Brett Casper’s own Kombucha Party brand, which started out as a way to poke fun at the tea party. We’ll raise a glass to that.

Tea Bar, 439 Metropolitan Ave. nr. N. 5th St.; Williamsburg

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Filed Under: cafe culture, kombucha, openings, tea, williamsburg

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Kind of like this.

Miss thang Jane Danger, proprietress of Jane’s Sweet Buns, is a baker by day and mixologist by night. So her bakeshop-cum-bar’s latest offerings come as no surprise: cocktail-inspired cupcakes. The “cake-tails” come in three flavors: Champagne, pumpkin olive-oil, and chocolate cola, and each has a choice of frosting in flavors like Ramos gin fizz. Might be just the thing for dessert if you’re lobster-rolling tonight.

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Filed Under: sweet news, cupcakes, desserts, east village, jane’s sweet buns

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