Here's an amazing blast from the past we can all get behind, and throw up. Last year we showed you a crazy German site comparing the advertised photos of food to the nasty reality. They're back, with a book deal!

In his nearly eight years as mayor, Mike Bloomberg has banned trans fats. He's forced chain restaurants to post calorie counts. Most recently, he took on the soft drink industry with an anti-obesity ad campaign. But when it comes to Bloomberg's own diet, it seems anything goes, according to the Times' Michael Barbaro. The mayor dumps salt on just about everything he eats, including pizza and even Saltine crackers. He has a weakness for all varieties of fast food and likes to snack on Cheez-Its. And you won't find him with a bottle of Poland Spring or Evian in hand. "I can count on two hands the number of times I have seen him drink water," says one of the mayor's regular dining companions. [NYT]

• A group of Greenwich Village residents are waging war against the Jane Hotel Ballroom over noise issues. They've hired a lawyer and filed complaints with the city. Naturally, they're blogging and tweeting the action, too. [NYDN]
• Drinks at the Standard's Boom Boom Room will run you $25 when it opens. Provided, of course, you get inside and have the chance to order one. [BB]
• Related: More on Kurt Gutenbrunner's beer garden at the hotel. [VV, DBTH]
• Dean Poll, who takes over Tavern on the Green on Jan. 1, is in for a rough ride: He's already facing off against the restaurant's very vocal union. [NYT]
• An interview with the very prolific restaurateur Michael "Bao" Huynh. [Zagat]
• How the Manhattan Motorino compares to its Brooklyn predecessor. [GS]
• A group of pizza aficionados claim the best pie in town is located at Salvatore of Soho on Staten Island. In case you feel like taking a ride. [NYDN]

Did Arianna Huffington love Michael Moore's new movie so much, and also she knows Michael Moore personally, and had Michael Moore over to her house to talk about his movie and eat lasagna? Click through to find out!

• Roundups of restaurants opening in the next week or so. [TONY, Eater]
• A look at the last-minute work involved in getting The Breslin, Ken Friedman's latest restaurant, ready for its October 8 opening. [NYT]
• Photos inside Abe & Arthur's, which opens to the public next week. [Eater]
• You may soon able to booze it up in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty: The vendor in charge of concessions there has applied for a liquor license. [NYP]
• David Chang's Momofuku Ko is raising prices beginning next week. [Eater]
• Is celebuchef Wolfgang Puck planning a NYC outpost? Possibly. [Gothamist]
• A chat with Richie Notar, the man who runs the show at Nobu. [ObsessedTV]
• What has Frank Bruni been eating since stepping down as restaurant critic of the New York Times? Lots and lots of roast chicken, apparently. [Atlantic]

Further evidence that the fear that crippled Wall Street a year ago has almost entirely lifted: JPMorgan, which cut the dinner allowance for bankers who stay late in the office from $20 to $25 last spring, just bumped it back up to $25. [Dealbreaker]

• Payard Patisserie & Bistro was forced to close its doors back in July. Now François Payard has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. [Crain's]
• SushiSamba won't be taking over the old Mercato 55 space in the meatpacking district. Rumor has it the owners of Bagatelle will. [GS]
• A Q&A with Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum, the duo who just opened Abe & Arthur's and Simyone Lounge for private parties in what was once Lotus. [W]
• Eater's list of the top 10 most wanted reservations in the city. [Eater]
• A report from the opening of Ed's Chowder House last night. [TFB]
• A few food-related events around town this weekend. [Zagat]

• Ed's Chowder House, brought to you by chef Ed Brown and restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow, opens tonight on the Upper West Side. [F&T, Eater]
• Also new as of today: Macbar, a "gourmet" macaroni-and-cheese take-out/delivery spot that's attached to Delicatessen on Prince Street. [GS]
• A roundup of a few places that have opened in the last week. [Gothamist]
• 95 restaurants have closed since June. Here's each and every one. [Eater]
• A Q&A with Missy Robbins, the chef at the brand new A Voce. [TFB]
• Speculation on what will happen to the old Cub Room space in Soho. [Eater]
• Jean-Georges Vongerichten's company will open its fifth new property this year alone on November 1. [GS]

• This week's reviews: Pete Wells of the Times slaps Michael Psilakis' Gus & Gabriel Gastropub with a zero-star review today ("The problem is that it fails to achieve even its low aims"); The New Yorker's Leo Carey comes to an entirely different conclusion; Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton hits Williamsburg to pay a visit to Brooklyn Bowl (with food by Blue Ribbon) and the Brooklyn Star; TONY's Jay Cheshes gives a "generic" Civetta two stars out of five; and NY's Adam Platt finds that "most things deliver" on Dan Silverman's menu at the Standard Grill.
• The Post's Steve Cuozzo is sick and tired of "menu sprawl," the practice of giving diners 478 things to choose from. Steve likes to keep it simple. [NYP]
• A Q&A with Andrew Carmellini, chef and co-owner of Locanda Verde. [RG]
• NYC International Pickle Day is October 4th! Mark your calendar. [GS]
• Renee Zellweger and Jon Bon Jovi co-own a Mexican restaurant (East Hampton's Blue Parrot). With Jen Aniston now saying she would like to open a Mexican spot in Manhattan, that makes three, so it's officially a trend. [Eater]

Tavern on the Green has been a giant tourist trap for years, of course. But perhaps it's no wonder the city decided to hand over the lease to a new operator recently. Service had really gone downhill lately. Per Mimi Sheraton, the Times' former restaurant critic: "They had some idiots working for them... like one waiter who, as he cleared the plates, would eat from them." [NYT]

• Openings: Tony and Marisa May's San Domenico reopened today with a new name (SD26), and in a sprawling new location (on East 26th Street); the new Oceana officially made its debut today, too; and opening on Thursday is Ed's Chowder House, Jeffrey Chodorow and chef Ed Brown's seafood venue in the Empire Hotel space that used to house Chodorow's Center Cut steak place.
• John McDonald and Josh Picard are partnering with nightlife king Serge Becker and dividing Chinatown Brasserie into two new venues. [TFB, Eater]
• A list of restaurants "where models, editors, designers and all things fashionable converge" during Fashion Week, according to the Times. [NYT]
• Rumor has it SushiSamba may take over the old Merkato 55 space. [GS]
• Minetta Tavern plans to start serving brunch on the weekends soon. [Eater]
• Marion's on the Bowery is going Mexican by way of Dumbo. [VV]
• A Frank Sinatra-branded line of wine is now available. Yes, one of the vintages really is called "Come Fly Away With Me." [Luxist]
• Once Tavern on the Green changes hands, its two public restrooms will no longer be open to the public. Try the nearby bushes instead. [NYT]

• Openings: Gansevoort 69 opened today in the meatpacking space formerly occupied by Florent. And Motorino's first Manhattan outpost is now open in was once Una Pizza Napoletana. A few more openings today are here.
• Also open, but just for private parties for the time being: The Boom Boom Room, the new bar on the 18th-floor of Andre Balazs' Standard Hotel, which will open to the public on September 22. [DBTH, UrbanDaddy]
• Michael Psilakis and Donatella Arpaia are parting ways at Mia Dona. [Eater]
• Times Square's era of sleeze may soon make a return. The Box, the club co-owned by Simon Hammerstein, takes over China Club for two weeks next month to create Club Purgatorio, a "multi-level world of macabre fantasy." [GS]
• Bill Clinton and Barack Obama had lunch today at Il Mulino. In case you're wondering, the duo dined on "fish, pasta and salad." [NYT]
• Last night wasn't a great one for John Mayer. It seems he was forced to flee GoldBar after a guy at the bar was stabbed in stomach. [Page Six]

For the sake of fitness, American college students are being asked to waddle back to their all-you-can-eat cafeteria buffets each time they want a new plateful of hot ham-n-cheese sandwiches and ranch dressing-laden iceberg lettuce. Too much to ask?

• Jonathan Benno, Per Se's acclaimed chef de cuisine, has confirmed his plans to move on: He'll be part-owner and executive chef at a new (and as-yet unnamed) restaurant under construction in the plaza of Lincoln Center. [NYT]
• Has Minetta Tavern stopped accepting reservations from people who don't happen to be close, personal friends of owner Keith McNally? [GS, Eater]
• If you don't have a credit or debit card, don't go to Commerce. As noted previously, it's one of the only NYC eateries where cash isn't welcome. [WSJ]
• The '21' Club auctions off 640 rare bottles of wine at Christie's tomorrow. [BN]
• Yet another cupcake bakery chain is planning to open its doors in NYC. [VV]

• Now that the city has decided to hand over Tavern on the Green's operating license to Central Park Boathouse owner Dean Poll beginning on January 1, the restaurant has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. [NYT]
• Departures: Chef Jason Neroni has parted ways with 10 Downing; and mixologist Eben Freeman has left Sam Mason's (now bankrupt) Tailor.
• Morimoto has been given the community board approval to open a "low-key hangout" in the Church Street space formerly occupied by Dennis Foy. [Eater]
• A photo tour of Los Feliz, a new "tacos-and-tequila lounge" on the LES. [MM]
• A peek at Capital Grille, a new FiDi steakhouse opening on Sept. 28. [Eater]
• A visit to the penthouse of restaurateur Elaine Kaufman. [NYP]
• The city's very first Stumptown Coffee Roasters opened on the ground floor of the new Ace Hotel on West 29th Street this week. [NYT]

• The Shake Shack expansion cannot be stopped. Late last week, word dropped that Danny Meyer's burger chain was planning to open seven locations in the Middle East and three new outposts in Manhattan; today comes word that the first of these three will be at the corner of Mulberry and Prince Streets.
• A Voce will soft open this evening in the Time Warner Center. Here's a peek inside. And here's an interview with chef Missy Robbins. [Eater, Zagat]
• This week's reviews: New York's Adam Platt gives one star apiece to DBGB and L'Entrecôte; Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton is very pleased with what he finds at the Standard Grill; TONY's Jay Cheshes visits Brooklyn's Prime Meats; the New Yorker's Shauna Lyon checks in on to Locanda Verde; and the Village Voice's Robert Sietsema finds the food at Joseph Leonard "often spectacular."
• The John Dory closed on August 29. Now the eatery's landlord has filed suit against Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich for $75,000 in unpaid rent. [NYDN]
• Josh Picard (Chinatown Brasserie, Lure, Locanda Verde) is taking over the old Cub Room space; meanwhile, Jason and Joe Denton of 'inoteca will be taking over the space formerly occupied by Frederick's Downtown. [Eater]

The New York Times reports today on a food-industry backed labeling system called "Smart Choices," wherein, they slap a "Smart Choice" label on products of their choosing. Like food that's killing us slowly. This is why you're fat:

• Not everyone was sad to hear the news that Café des Artistes was closing. Lonnie Barnett, a former general manager of the restaurant says working there was "possibly the most hellish restaurant experience ever." [P6]
• Did Irving Mill close for summer vacation or is it a sign of trouble? [GS]
• Laurent Tourondel's BLT Grill, which is slated to open at the new W Hotel in the financial district, has been greenlighted by the community board. [Eater]
• Buddha Bar was forced to change its name after it lost a trademark lawsuit. Now it's come up with one: Ajna Bar. It also reports that it has a new chef, Hung Huynh, the winner of season three of Top Chef. [Eater]
• Champagne producers have agreed to pick 32% fewer grapes this year, which will leave "billions of grapes to rot on the ground." Why? Because you're not going out and buying as much champagne as you used to. [WSJ]
• Interesting in some sushi or a selection of cheeses the next time you fly coach? You may get the chance—provided you're willing to pay for it. [WSJ]

• Today it's the New York Times' turn to preview what's on tap this fall. [NYT]
• It's been a rough few months for restaurant owners on account of the recession, although a fair number are figuring out how to make it work. [NYT]
• The sour economy hasn't put a damper on Richard Caring's plans. The Brit restaurateur and owner of Soho House is spending $7 million to revamp the former Cafe Pierre and turn it into NYC outpost of Le Caprice. Meanwhile, Tony May is gearing up for the opening of his big new Italian restaurant, SD26, which may be "one of the more theatrical debuts of the fall." [NYT, NYT]
• What should you make of the new crop of resto-clubs, like Hotel Griffou, The Gates, and LevantEast? Not much, reports Time Out's Jay Cheshes. [TONY]
• The 10 "big deal" restaurants to keep an eye on this season. [Eater]
• The new Oceana finally has its liquor license. So it's now celebrating. [Zagat]
• Su Casa, a bar/lounge/speakeasy in the Village, opens this weekend. [GS]

New court papers have Wolfgang Puck's wife dissing everyone from Anna Wintour to Shaquille O'Neal and proclaiming herself "the new Bill Gates." It's the inevitable trainwreck ending to a food huckster's partnership with a group of internet speculators.