• In an effort to cut costs, Starbucks will close 600 United States stores and eliminate 1,000 corporate positions, as well as 12,000 barista jobs. [NYP]

• Starting this afternoon, you'll be able to get wine, beer, and a happy-hour menu to go with your pretzel croissants and chocolate-chip cookies at City Bakery. [Serious Eats New York]

• Over the next three months, sixteen restaurants, including Le Bernardin and Per Se, will present prix fixe dinners of nineteenth-century delicacies like turtle soup. [Zagat Buzz]

• The opening of Jim Lahey's much-anticipated pizzeria, Co., has been delayed until the new year. [Feed/TONY]

• The holiday season is a perfect time to cozy up in front of a roaring fire, especially while eating at Savoy or drinking at Tavern on Jane. [Gridskipper]

• Chefs Alice Waters and Rick Bayless, among others, would very much like Obama to appoint a secretary of Agriculture who embraces the connection between food, the environment, and our health. [Diner's Journal/NYT]