• A primer to the bourbons the presidential candidates will have to drink to impress voters in Kentucky. [WSJ]

• Mars Inc. is buying Wrigley; will Orbit gum now come with an M&M candy shell? [WSJ]

• A judge will decide today whether construction on the north end of Union Square, including the creation of a proposed new restaurant, can continue. [NYS]

• It may not be as great as Chicago’s Wiener’s Circle, but Shake Shack serves up the best hot dog in these parts. [WSJ]

• Michael Psilakis estimates that the new Kefi on Columbus Avenue will open in August and focus more on healthy eating. [Mouthing Off/Food & Wine]

• Jeffrey Chodorow might be opening a restaurant in the Dominican Republic. Maybe the critics will be kinder to him there. [NYP]

Every Starbucks location in the country will be closed from 5:30 to 8:30 this evening, and Dunkin’ Donuts is sure to reap the benefits by offering small espresso drinks for 99 cents. [Snack]

Though restaurants seem to be recession-proof, consumers’ budgets and diets are not. Soaring food prices — milk costs 36 percent more now than it did a year ago — have some New Yorkers changing their grocery habits and eating out less. [NYDN]

Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced a proposal yesterday to give 1,000 new licenses to street vendors who will sell produce items in neighborhoods with high rates of obesity and heart disease. [Metro NY]

With all the exciting new restaurants opening in town, you’d never know there’s talk of a recession. But Frank Bruni figures anything opening now was planned a few years ago in better economic times, which makes us worry about restaurant openings in 2010. [NYT]

Death & Co. can continue to operate until mid-April, but don’t expect owner David Kaplan to produce any more nightlife destinations after that: “I’ll never open another bar, another restaurant, a deli, a fucking bodega — I’ll never open up anything ever again in New York.” [NYO]

The current cocktail craze has led to a lot of handmade – and therefore illegal – ingredients being mixed into drinks. Marijuana-infused gin, anyone? [NYP]