♦ What's restaurateur Florent Morellet up to these days? He's taking memoir-writing classes and thinking about opening a new restaurant. [GS]
♦ The good news/bad news about Tom Valenti's West Branch. [Eater]
♦ An update on the goings-on at Pink Elephant. [GoaG]
♦ If you happen to be interested in opening a bar on the Lower East Side, a couple of new spaces just became available. [GS]
♦ Recession? What recession? A 2.2-pound Italian white truffle sold at auction for $200K last weekend. [Reuters]
♦ Tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition, a convenient excuse for bars to plan lots of special events, naturally. [NYDN]