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]

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]

Astoria: The “Sophia Loren” pie at Michael Angelo’s II on 23rd Avenue near 29th Street is said to blow away the neighborhood’s pizza competitors, and with the not-so-innovative toppings of mozzarella, tomato, basil, and sauce. [Joey in Astoria]
Carroll Gardens: Lucali overwhelmingly won an albeit mini-poll for the hood’s best pizza parlor. [Bergen Carroll]
Chinatown: The owners of new restaurant U-Choose Express on Mott Street have decided to decorate their space with an old sign from fifties diner Lonnie’s Coffee Shoppe that was uncovered during renovation. [NYT via Lost City]
East Village: After only five months American Grill is giving up the ghost. Did its blintzes really fail to lure 4 a.m. drunks away from Odessa, was it flat-screen overdose, or just the constant reminder of Kiev’s death by gentrification that did the mod diner in? [Eater]
Hell’s Kitchen: Artisanal Premium Cheese Center is hosting a sake and cheese tasting on December 5 to “showcase the lovely synergies that superior Sakes and exquisite (Artisanal Premium) Cheeses share.” [Artisanal Cheese]
Midtown East: They may be hoisting their sign today, but the 2nd Avenue Deli probably won’t open until January. [Eater]
Midtown West: Bruni’s first impression of Brasserie 44 (after, he notes, Rob and Robin’s) : It looks Scandinavian. [Diner’s Journal/NYT] Sangria 46 at 338 West 46th Street will feature a different sangria each day for the twelve days before Christmas starting on December 13 with three-berry rosé. [Grub Street]

Astoria: Patisserie la Brioche D’Or has just opened on Steinway at 25th Avenue and is baking up some French pastries and delicious North African treats. [Joey in Astoria]
East Village: Leaving the old classic Kiev sign above the new garish American Grill one is like a slap in to old schoolers who remember their old haunt. [Lost City]
Fort Greene: Mo-Bay Caribbean joint has given up the ghost, and a wine bar is taking its place. [Eat for Victory/VV]
Little Italy: San Gennaro’s fast-food frenzy ends today, but there are still a few restaurants in the area where you can eat a normal meal. [NYT]
Midtown East: Shinbashi sushi restaurant helped introduce raw-fish consumption to New York in the seventies. Now it can be found in the former Savannah Steak space on 48th Street. [Restaurant Girl]
Sagaponack: Townline BBQ impresses as being legitimately Texan, at least by Hamptons standards. [NYT]
Southampton: Long Island oysters are plump and sweet and now being sought after by restaurants from the Hamptons to Manhattan. [Newsday]