Serafina Goes to South Beach; Pepsi Goes RawSerafina, which has six Manhattan locations, will open an outpost in Miami’s W South Beach Hotel in mid-2009. [NYP]
In a move that surprises no one, the beef industry is trying to convince the FDA to scale back the largest recall in history. [WSJ]
Speaking of that bad beef, the federal government bought 50 million pounds of it, 20 million of which has already been consumed in various federal nutrition programs. [NYT]
NewsFeed
Is Govind Armstrong Worried Enough About New York?When top out-of-town chefs move to New York, it’s always a crapshoot. Some, like Fort Worth’s Tim Love, come in conspicuously and wash out; others, like Atlanta’s Sotohiro Kosugi, now at Soto, come in under the radar but quickly grab our attention. L.A.’s Govind Armstrong doesn’t expect much of a problem: The ultra-laid-back chef made South Beach his own and expects New York to treat him equally well. “A lot of New Yorkers come down here to Miami, and I’ve been coming up there forever, so I have a lot of friends to support me,” he tells us. “I’m not trying to reinvent the way New Yorkers eat. But I can’t not grow, you know?”
neighborhood watch
Forget the Toxins. Just Build the Damn Whole Foods.Brooklyn Heights: Get a look inside the fancy One Brooklyn Bridge Park at a rare open house tonight. [Brooklyn Eagle via mcbrooklyn]
Bushwick: It’s a zoning puzzle on Harrison and Wallabout: a residential building on a “light manufacturing” lot. [QueensCrap]
Central Park: The city’s transportation commish is considering a car-free Central Park trial this summer. [Streetsblog]
Clinton Hill: Looking for the right community garden? Here’s where you can picnic or pull weeds. [Clinton Hill Blog]
Gowanus: An informal poll suggests that some are concerned about the environmental impact of the new Whole Foods, while others just want the damn market already. [Brownstoner]
Greenpoint: Discarded self-help guides suggest “quarter-life crises” are rampant around here. Egads. [Newyorkshitty]
Hell’s Kitchen: A new condo is looking for buyers, preferably ones made of precious metals. [CopyRanter]
Long Island City: How long till owner Tishman-Speyer demos this (admittedly none-too-charming) parking garage and puts up an office park? [LICNYC]
South Beach: It’s dirty-needle season at the beach! [7online via Gothamist]
Williamsburg: Will drawing attention to this cool new street art attract the wrath of the graffiti-defacing Splasher? [Williamsburg]
gossipmonger
Let It Shine, Let It Shine, Let It ShineA choir sang “This Little Light of Mine” at Eliot Spitzer’s inauguration; the Albany Times Union editor was one of the singers. The owner of Patroon, who used to run ‘21,’ brought his current staff to his old restaurant. Courtney Love made 53 New Year’s resolutions. Casa Casuarina in South Beach lost power on New Year’s Eve, and Anna Anisimova and Jonathan Cheban couldn’t take the heat. Brad Pitt wants to produce a Borat project. Spirit Airlines lost James Gandolfini’s luggage. A producer was going to make an Elmore Leonard book into a movie but now isn’t. Oprah is happy that Madonna adopted that Malawian kid. Semi-disgraced Miss USA Tara Conner might pose for Playboy. Someone hit on David Schwimmer at Pastis. The Soup Nazi actor took Kramer’s Reality Tour. Former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe has a new memoir out, in which he tells stories about raising money. George Michael did a private New Year’s Eve concert in Russia for $3 million. Wilmer Valderrama is set to launch a menswear line. Meatpacking club Double Seven is moving down the block. Will Ferrell won’t do Elf 2. Kevin Connolly pulled a blonde out of the way of an ambulance in Miami.
