• Sam Mason's Tailor in Soho has filed for bankruptcy protection. [Crain's]
• More on how the downturn is hurting NYC's pricier places: Sirio Maccioni says his Las Vegas outpost keeps Le Cirque in NYC alive; Le Bernardin has yet to renew its lease; and rumor has it Chanterelle is seeking investors. [NYM]
• The silver lining: restaurant rents are down substantially, which may explain why there's been a spike in applications for restaurant permits. [AMNY, NYO]
• Larry Poston (Waverly Inn, Pastis) has teamed up with Johnny Swet (Balthazar, Freeman's) to take over the former Marylou's space. [P6]

♦ 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]

• Amy Sacco's Chelsea restaurant Bette, has closed its doors after a three-year run. [Eater]

From one theater of war to another: The battle for the soul (hahahaha, sorry, give us a minute) of the Meatpacking District is being waged as fiercely as ever. The Villager updates on the state of the conflict: