• The critics: Sam Sifton of the Times heads to Flushing for Cantonese and bestows a star on Imperial Palace; Jay Cheshes of Time Out gives four stars to A Voce; New York's R&P rave about Steve Hanson's new Bill's Bar & Burger; GQ's Alan Richman very much disagrees; and the Post's cranky Steve Cuozzo finds that Agua Dulce only came through when they knew he was there.
• A look around Anthony and Tom Martignetti's Brinkley's in Nolita. [GS, Eater]
• Publicity hound Nello Balan is being sued for, like, the 78th time. [NYP]
• Meanwhile Table 8's co-owner is facing a messy criminal matter. [Eater, GS]
• Eric Ripert does not think it's okay that Roberto Cavalli has a habit of ordering food from one restaurant (Mañana) while he's sitting in another (Serafina). Not that anyone has ever tried to pull that at Le Bernardin. [GS]
• Jonathan Safran Foer turned poor Natalie Portman into a vegan. [HP]
• Pickles are having their moment in the sun. At last! [Zagat]

• Governor David Paterson's nightspot of choice? That would be the Taj Lounge on West 21st Street, at least if last night was any indication. [Gawker, NYO]
• A look around Agua Dulce, which opened for dinner this week. [GS]
• The Max Brenner outpost in the East Village has closed. [Gothamist]
• Matthew Schaefer, the chef at Danny Abrams' Mermaid Inn, is out. [GS]
• A symptom o' the times: Ads are appearing on bills these days. [Eater]
• One more: private dining rooms are now an "endangered species." [Crain's]
• Organic food isn't any healthier for you than non-organic food, according to a new study. So you may want to think twice about paying $11 a tomato. [NYDN]
• The House approved a set of new food safety laws today. [NYT]