It's nice to see the great recession hasn't snuffed out everyone's ambitions; take, for instance, this triple-decker restaurant and bar opening tomorrow night in the gigantic space formerly occupied by Wild Salmon. Called Zengo, the Latin-Asian fusion restaurant is the work of Mexican chef and restaurateur Richard Sandoval (Maya, Pampano) and Chef de Cuisine Akhtar Nawab (Elettaria RIP). Maestro Placido Domingo is a partner in the project, which also has locations in Denver and D.C., and the design is by big shots AvroKO. That's some serious firepower, which they're hoping will break a streak of failures at this daunting (cursed?) location. more ›

Target announced in a press release today that they have eliminated all farm-raised salmon from their owned brands, replacing it with wild-caught Alaskan salmon instead. All house brands have changed over, and Target sushi will be changed over to wild salmon by the end of 2010. Target says they're "taking this important step to ensure that its salmon offerings are sourced in a sustainable way that helps to preserve abundance, species health and doesn't harm local habitats." Yes, people BUY SUSHI FROM TARGET, which better live up to its promise: In 2005 the Times tested the "wild salmon" at eight area stores, and found that six out of eight were actually farm raised! more ›

Attention Pacific Northwest: New Yorkers don't care about your cuisine. None of Jeffrey Chodorow's blogging, full page ads in the Times or other theatrics could save Wild Salmon from its imminent closure. After Eater circulated news of its potential doom, Chodorow issued a statement, published on Grub Street, "Regrettably, we will be closing Wild Salmon after the new year. We were excited about bringing the food and wine of the Pacific Northwest to New York,... more ›

Frank Bruni, in the Diner's Journal, waxes poetic about the oysters at Wild Salmon and Aquagrill, and discusses the reasons why he often disobeys the "rule" that one is not supposed to eat oysters in months that don’t have an ‘r’ in them. We're with Frank on this one. We love oysters in the summer. The platter above was from a recent oyster happy our at P.J. Clarke's downtown. They were cheap, but didn't hold a candle to ones we've had at Aquagrill, Blue Ribbon or Pearl Oyster Bar. more ›

">Bruni one-stars Wild Salmon. We’re surprised Chodorow let him in the door, after their feud over his review of Kobe Club. “The food runs the gamut,” Bruni says, “by turns excellent, ordinary and puzzling.” He recommends that you stick with the salmon, and try the different varieties offered (except the coho). Finds the service “oppressive” in its exuberance. more ›

This week Bruni visits Katz's Delicatessen, awards the LES institution one star. Calls its pastrami sandwich "one of the best in the land" and Katz’s itself "the king of New York delis." He doesn't like the potato knish, the latkes or the desserts, but overall loves the institution—don’t we all? —that is Katz’s. more ›

">Bruni revisits Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak, upgrades the restaurant from one star to two. He says, "The improvement in the steaks has made it easier to appreciate the restaurant's other virtues… the unassailable quality of its raw bar selections; its gigantic, crunchy onion rings, some of the best in the city; its fried bone marrow appetizer, a decadence-squared dream." He still thinks the menu is overcrowded, though, and doesn't like the way they age the steaks. Bruni also visits Craftbar, about which he's less enthusiastic. He awards the restaurant one star, finding the atmosphere "grim" and that "much of the food lacked personality." more ›

There's been a flurry of activity on the openings front recently. Even if spring hasn't quite made it to town, these new spots are starting to bloom and shake off the winter blahs: more ›

- "The first rule of Milk Club is you don’t talk about Milk Club. The second rule of Milk Club is you do not talk about Milk Club." The Brooklyn Paper explores the raw milk movement in Brooklyn. more ›

Selling itself as both "earthy" and "sexy," ONE Little West 12 offers a dim, lounge-like setting with a menu that invites diners to get intimate on plush couches while indulging in cocktails and the fusion cuisine of chef Gavin Citron. With a menu that offers serving sizes , options range from "Wild Salmon Paillard with Pickled Beets, Marinated Chick Peas and Yoghurt" all the way to "Erica's Bad Ass Cheeseburgers with Saga Blue and Cheddar." Cheese platters, crispy calamari, and pizzettas are top picks for bigger groups; compliments to the ample wine and cocktail lists. If feeling particularly extravagant or stressing to impress, 30g of Iranian Oscetra caviar is offered for $96, or one can try the famed sirloin of Wagyu Kobe Beef accompanied by Potato Latkes, Garlic Kale and Cauliflower for $60. more ›