• Government officials investigating the salmonella outbreak are now eying three kinds of hot peppers, including jalapeños, as the leading suspect for spreading the bacteria. [WSJ]

• With several restaurants out of business and others for sale, even dining destinations in the chichi Hamptons are suffering from the current economic downturn. [Real Deal]

• Three waiters at the Old Homestead Steakhouse say that ever since they sued the restaurant and won the case, they’ve been given the most undesirable tables in the house. Naturally, they’re filing another lawsuit. [NYP]

• Rachael Ray and Bill Clinton are opening a pop-up restaurant Monday night in the Barbuto space to benefit her Yum-o! organization. [NYDN]

• Pinkberry’s “all natural” frozen yogurt contains a lot of ingredients that aren’t so natural. [NYT]

• Stephen Mancini produces homemade grappa, limoncello, and wine in the cellar of Union Square Café. [NYS]

• The parents of today’s notable chefs weren’t all so happy when they found out their young ones’ career plans. Kolly Mehta, whose son, Jehangir, mans the kitchen at Graffiti, recalls, "I had mixed emotions, because we had cooks and servants in the house, and where we are from it’s not recognized as such an outstanding job." [TONY]

• Seamus Mullen doesn't want to hear a lot of that damn rock and roll in the kitchen. [NYT]

• Starbucks has purchased the Coffee Equipment Company of Seattle, maker of the $11,000 Clover coffee maker, and coffee snobs are already revolting: “In protest, Stumptown Coffee in Portland, Ore., one of Clover’s earliest champions, said it had decided to stop using Clover machines.” [NYT]

Yesterday’s report that Rachael Ray’s syndicated daytime TV show was in danger of being canceled was completely bogus. [NYDN]
Related: Rachael Ray Encounters a Setback in Global-Domination Scheme

Less women in the workforce means less money in the family budget, and that translates to less money going into the hands of restaurateurs. [WSJ]

Former Top Cheftestant Dale encouraged Stephanie from this season to audition for the show’s producers. [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]

Top Chef champ Ilan Hall’s rumored L.A project is now a restaurant truck that serves tapas and has a foldout bar. [MSNBC]
Related: For Ilan Hall, a Taco Shack of One’s Own

The president of Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., the California beef company responsible for the largest meat recall in American history, acknowledged yesterday the illegal slaughter of sick cows at his plant after a congressional panel forced him to watch the undercover video depicting the abuse. [WSJ]

Chefs’ blogs keep getting better and better, and there are increasingly more and more of them. At what point are they all just going to leave the kitchen and become full-time bloggers? [LAT]

Remember that little food bet Hizzoner made with Boston’s mayor over who’d win the Super Bowl? Well, pay-up time has come, and our northern neighbors will be donating 100 cups of New England clam chowder, 42 lbs. of coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts, twelve dozen Boston cream pies and twelve dozen Parker house rolls, 100 Old Tyme hot dogs and 100 Al Fresco chicken sausages, twenty pizzas, five cases of Brigham’s Boston You’re My Home ice cream, five cases of Cherry on the Top frozen-yogurt bars from Elan, and 100 servings of Stonyfield Farm Organic Yogurt to City Harvest. Happily, no one has to eat it. [Zagat Buzz]

Drop that Diet Coke! Researchers have found a correlation between the consumption of diet soda and incidences of metabolic syndrome, a series of unhealthful factors that can lead to diabetes and heart disease. [NYT]

More bad news for fish: The FDA confirmed that several outbreaks of ciguatera fish poisoning have taken place across the country due to consumption of fish harvested in the northern Gulf of Mexico. [AP]

With Batali and Emeril out of her way, “homegrown star” Rachael Ray has just inked a two-year deal for a new prime-time series on the Food Network. [Eater]

It’s nothing he hasn’t said before, but the wordiness of some menus gets on the Bruni’s nerves. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]

Forget turducken: British chef Phillip Corrick has created a monster that involves at least 48 birds of a dozen different species and feeds 125 people. [Daily Mail]

Graydon Carter won’t be taking over the Plaza’s Oak Room, so you’ll still have to head downtown to the Waverly Inn for that truffled macaroni and cheese. [NYP]

Jean-Georges Vongerichten seeks the elusive fifth taste by serving “umami bombs” at his restaurants. [WSJ]
Related: Waiter, There’s a Fifth Element in My Soup

It’s possible that locally grown products have a comparable or even greater carbon footprint than food that travels long distances, so you can stop patting yourself on the back for being a greenmarket fanatic. [NYT]
Related: Local Schmocal [NYM]

Well-heeled fans of the soon-to-be-closed Moondance Diner consider jacking the place up and moving it somewhere else. [NYT]
Related: Well, It's a Marvelous Night for Luxury Condos [Daily Intel]

Rachael Ray seizes control of her own E! True Hollywood Story. [Buffalo News]

The only difference between the Rao’s in New York and the Rao’s in Las Vegas: The latter has a terrace overlooking the Caesar’s Palace hotel pool. And you can actually eat at the Vegas location. [NYS]

Bloomberg holds sway over our eating habits like no mayor before him. [NYT]

Wayne Nish is out to save Varietal from its folly, including a “full-of-itself wine list [that] boasted obscure, uninspired vintages masquerading as hidden treasures” and desserts that were “scary messes.” [NYT]

Behold, the Starbucks master plan for growth — which may help to explain its aggressive anti-union strategy, which has roused the ire of the National Labor Relations Board. [Business Week]

According to a revealing new profile by Heat author Bill Buford, Gordon Ramsay isn’t a bad guy, “but he does get angry, helplessly and uncontrollably angry — not an earthly anger but something darker — and has trouble knowing how to stop.” [NYer]

State legislator proposes an A through F system of grading restaurant hygiene, but the Department of Health is against it. [amNY]

A Staten Island pizzeria beats out a field of 65 from six countries to win the 23rd International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. It’s Denino’s, right? Joe and Pat’s? No. It’s Goodfella’s Brick Oven Pizza. [NYDN]

The owner of the Hotel Gansevoort abjectly apologizes for its monstrous sign but says that the lease has been signed and that there’s no way out of it. Whether this satisfies Keith McNally and other opponents remains to be seen. [NYP]

Rachael Ray conquers yet another swath of America, becoming the official “spokes-chef” for Dunkin’ Donuts. She will develop a line of dishes for the chain. [Nation's Restaurant News (registration required)]

The FDA allowing factory farm veterinarians to use cattle antibiotics which may lead to resistant microbes and eventually endanger humans. The Times is not down. [NYT]

Bloomberg doesn’t want you thinking the Health Department is slacking off. As a matter of fact, they’re boasting of closing places left and right. [NYP]

The B.R. Guest sale finally goes through. [NYP]
Related: Does David Burke Come With That Steakhouse? [Grub Street]

Mars 2112’s landlord is ready to give them the boot for hosting hip-hop parties. [NYS]