Boerum Hill: Now that Trader Joe's has finally amped up construction in the former Independence Bank space, they've papered the windows so you can't see the progress. [Lost City]
Central Park: The Picnic Club's inaugural lunch was rained out Sunday, again. [Down by the Hipster]
Dumbo: A film company is sponsoring an event on Front Street this Thursday night when you can meet artists and architects, and local "businesses will be … dishing up local food and entertainment." [Dumbo NYC]
East Village: The live berry cheesecake at Caravan of Dreams satisfies non-vegans, as might some of the other sweets on this vegan-dessert roundup. [Restaurant Girl]
Harlem: The W is opening an Aloft hotel at 124th Street in 2010. No word yet on restaurants planned for the snazzy spot. [Uptown Flavor]
Lower East Side: Spitzer's Corner has three variations of burgers on its menu, but none of them is really great. [A Hamburger Today]
Soho: Fr.Og has dropped the period from its name in an attempt to not be empty all the time. Let's hope this transformation doesn't alienate the few French promoters who do show up. [Eater]
Upper West Side: Café des Artistes has "most likely the city’s oldest and most refined barfly," 93-year-old Claire Oesch, "whose skin is still remarkably soft" and who has been a presence there since the forties. [NYT via Eater]

Astoria: Zenon Taverna offers a tasting of sixteen hot and cold meze for $17.95 per person and gives you fresh-cut apples and oranges at the end of the meal. [Foodista]
Dumbo: Sign-ups for the Summer-Fall CSA are this Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. [Dumbo NYC]
Midtown East: Gustavino's has been under extensive renovation, but reopens May 12. The palatial spot is still just available for private events, though. [Grub Street]
Nolita: West Village fave Jack's Stir Brew Coffee is opening an outpost in the restaurant Rice's front entrance, which used to be used for bar seating. [Grub Street]
Park Slope: Resident Eugene Mirman plans to include footage of "rude, entitled, self-righteous, and overdramatic" speakers at last night's community-board meeting on the fate of Union Hall in an upcoming documentary. He wants to show "democracy in action." [Gothamist]
Tribeca: The former Novo space on Hudson Street, near Spring, is under construction again. [Eater]

Flatiron: This summer's Barbecue Block Party will have dark-horse representative from L.A., Mr. Cecil's California Ribs. [Zagat Buzz]
Harlem: El Morocco nightclub will be welcomed when it opens next month. "Since the closing of the Copacabana there is a shrinking number of places one could go to get their Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, and Reggaeton on!" [Uptown Flavor]
Midtown West: Hallo Berlin Express has opened at 744 Ninth Avenue, where it'll serve "meatballs, sauerkraut, sausages and potatoes" off the griddle. [Midtown Lunch via Eater]
Soho: SubMercer has a new cocktail called the Tequila Mockingbird with maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice, but we'd guess guests will spend more time analyzing the menu's emblem of a lady on her back straddling a martini glass than they will thinking of the literary connotations. [Down by the Hipster]

Astoria: Joey and Foodista discover Winegasm. [Joey in Astoria]
Plus, Foodista has some ideas on where to take Mom this Sunday. [Foodista]
East Village: The E.U. will roast a suckling pig every Wednesday through the spring. [Grub Street]
Greenpoint: Why can Studio B throw parties on its rooftop, when the average resident who wants to have friends on his roof would get grief from neighbors and cops? We don't know. [New York Shitty via Down by the Hipster]
Soho: The new outpost of Tisserie has opened at the Thompson Street entrance of DKNY, and while the cute shop isn't selling its delicious macaroons just yet, you can order some in advance to be brought over from the Union Square flagship. [Grub Street]
Upper West Side: Nanoosh, on Broadway at 69th Street, is calling itself a hummus bar, but this isn't a new concept to anyone who's been to Hummus Place, downtown. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]
West Village: The host at Centro Vinoteca, "who spent his whole evening kissing people's cheeks and kissing ass instead of helping get people out the door," should just tell people the wait will be two hours instead of saying ten more minutes throughout the night. [Eater]

East Village: Song 7.2 took only five days to open in the American Grill space. Other restaurants should take a cue from them: Just change "signage in the window, implant a new menu and a new chef, and doneski." [Eater] A Japanese restaruant near 13th Street and Avenue A is collecting signatures for a liquor license and considering taking the name F-U. That should be a fun community-board meeting. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]
Flushing: At Indian markets, including New Subzi Mandi at 43-53 Main Street, you can find masala-flavored Cheetos called Kurkure, which may include a recipe "created by the Fab Four, a 'trendy Punjabi family.'" [Gothamist]
Midtown East: The Volstead, which is usually viewed as a bar, is offering Midtown Lunch readers free lunch every Tuesday in May to promote its new menu of sandwiches (including a lobster roll), salads, and sliders. You can even reserve a spot to eat for free. [Midtown Lunch]
Soho: Tiny dance club Sway is one of the few bars with a legit cabaret license. [Down by the Hipster]
Union Square: The former Steak Frites space has been transformed into Café Society, which serves pricey "fare ranging from sushi to spareribs." [Zagat Buzz]

Chelsea: After nine years, the Red Cat will start serving lunch Tuesday through Saturday; look for chopped salmon salad with sprouts and spicy mayo and a barbecued corned-beef sandwich covered in Gruyère and sided by homemade chips. [Grub Street]
Dumbo: Hecho en Dumbo is hosting Jarana Beat and Mexico City’s Nacotheque and serving special menus tonight to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. [Dumbo NYC]
East Village: Matilda's looking to highlight "fierce" chefs à la Iron Chef at a monthly Cooking Slam "where contestants create a TUSC-MEX meal with a minimum of three courses, using ingredients previously chosen." The winner's dishes get stolen featured on the restaurant's menu. [TONY] Bowery Electric was raided early Saturday morning but was open again later that night. [Down by the Hipster] The formerly American Grill, formerly Kiev space has already reopened as Song 7.2 to serve Asian cuisine. [Eater]
West Village: Market Table makes a mean chocolate pudding, with mellow hazelnut notes and whipped cream. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]

Flatiron: Zagat has paired with Continental Airlines to give away perks at some of the city's international restaurants like Tabla, where you can get a free signed cookbook. [Zagat]
Lower East Side: It looks like the bar Tut's is closed by court order. [Eater]
Midtown East: The Library Hotel at 299 Madison Avenue near 41st Street has opened its rooftop lounge, Bookmarks, for the season. [Grub Street] Benoit has its liquor license, and the brief BYOB window is now closed. [Eater]
Soho: The foodie movie Julie & Julia, with Meryl Streep as Julia Child, has been filming on location at Provence. [Making Ends Meat] Cipriani Downtown is downgrading its art. According to an onlooker: "They are loading the Peter Beards into the truck as if they were trash, banging them up...is this a renovation or another Cipriani scandal...." [Eater]
Williamsburg: When the sun comes out again, here's where to drink in open air. [Gridskipper]
West Village: At 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Corner Bistro was packed with tourists, serving poorly cooked burgers, and inedible fries. But, the chili was good. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch] If you're looking for a not-so-seasonal recipe during this not so warm weather, you could whip up Gusto's Housemade Brioche with Caramelized Apples. [Restaurant Girl]

Astoria: Ovelia's added its lunchtime fav, the Kobe Beef slider, to its happy hour menu. [Joey in Astoria]
Chelsea: 1 Oak is hosting a fundraiser tonight for pint-size victims of AIDS in Africa, and one of the raffle prizes is a session with Diddy's stylist. Way to help while keeping it trendy guys. [Down by the Hipster]
Coney Island: The Island is about to get cheesier, but in a bad way, with help from the Hard Rock Cafe, Virgin Records, and Madame Tussaud's. [Brownstoner]
East Village: The American Grill/GoGo Curry hybrid has given up its space to new owners and Asian cuisine, but is there any hope for the next incarnation of the corner spot with a "Kiev Curse?" [Eater]
Lower East Side: A poll of over 100 people concludes the Box has become sort of lame with one commenter noting "I know clubland regulars who get hassled at the door, while friggin Russians and Lithuanians who can barely speak English have bribed their way in." Not cool. [Down by the Hipster]

Chelsea: Steven Trummer of 202, in the Chelsea Market, has left town and taken his mixological magic with him. [Snack]
Chinatown: Mei Wai Lah has closed, apparently forever. The DOH visit was seemingly the proverbial “nail in the coffin.” [Eater]
Hell’s Kitchen: The long-closed Market Diner will reopen in June. [amNY]
Herald Square: Rong Bao Fast Food closes, and a city mourns. Not. [Midtown Lunch]
Midtown East: Gordon Ramsay will be signing his new book at the 57th Street Borders tonight. [Metromix]
Park Slope: Franny’s is now open on Mondays [Strong Buzz]

Crown Heights: Southpaw owner Matt Roff opened a 2,000-square-foot beer garden called Franklin Park at 618 St. John's Place last Friday. It's only a few blocks from the Brooklyn Museum and will be grilling in the near future. [Gothamist]
East Village: John's of 12th Street is installing a brick oven, which we hope will turn out old-school pizzas to go with the red-sauce fare. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]
Starting this Friday, La Zarza, on First Avenue, will begin hosting flamenco dancers who will perform to live guitar music. [Strong Buzz]
Flatiron: Rock bar Snitch is closing, and the owner will transform the space into "an upscale lounge that will cater to the upscale social scenes of Manhattan." [Down by the Hipster]
Union Square: Construction is continuing on the north side of the park, but workers can't uproot any trees. [Fine Company]
West Village: Bruni hates being asked what his favorite restaurants are, because the category is a bit confusing: Favorite doesn't mean best, and he's not at liberty to be a regular anywhere. That said, little owl is one of his favorite casual spots. [Diner's Journal/NYT]