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]