The Mermaid Inn, that inviting East Village bistro beloved for its rich seafood entrees, has moved on up to the west side with a mostly new menu. Their second Manhattan outpost is appointed with old nautical maps, dark wainscoting and roll-up doors that will surely suck in the crowds during warmer months. (Alec Baldwin must be pleased about the eatery boosting Amsterdam Avenue’s cachet.) The Inn’s famous lobster sandwich survived the move, but there’s now... more ›

Bruni doubles up again this week, two-starring Tocqueville and one-starring The Tasting Room, respectively. Both restaurants have relocated since their Grimes reviews in 2000 and 2001, respectively (two stars and one). Tocqueville "remains a haven of considerable pleasure," says Bruni; service uneven, though. He likes the Tasting Room's move less: finds the space ugly and the service, terrible. As for the food, they do amazing things with mushrooms and other vegetables, he says, not so much with the rest. more ›

Bruni three-stars the recently renovated Picholine. Though he doesnt much like the physical changes-"still too quiet and sadistically bright"-the renovation "reinvigorated this restaurants soul," he says. In fact, he now likes it so much he celebrated his recent birthday there. more ›

- Augieland has a food pornrific post on the late night scene at Momofuku Ssäm Bar. Please note the disclaimer in the second paragraph – it was his birthday and he had been well served. more ›

- A dispatch from Shiovawn of the North on the tip line alerts us to the latest rage at State Fairs – fried Coke. Two words – yuck and yuckier. more ›

- In case you somehow missed it here, on Eater, on Grub Street, or on A Hamburger Today, BLT Burger is now in its soft opening, with their official opening scheduled for Tuesday. more ›

Laurent Tourondel is so sly! And we are so confused. We read on Eater that BLT Burger wouldn't be open until next Tuesday, so we made appropriate plans. But someone just emailed us:

I discovered while walking down 6th Ave near my apt last night (Wed 10/25) that the latest iteration of the BLT chain had opened, without fanfare. Turned out, BLT Burger had been open for about 2 hrs when I decided to change my plan and give it a try (very good burger, outstanding fries). This is in a spot on the east side of 6th between 11th St. & 12th -- a seemingly promising spot that’s been a sinkhole of death for numerous restaurants over the past 20 yrs, the latest a fish joint that closed a few months ago. more ›