• A roundup of restaurants that may close in the near future if you don't do your part and patronize them. Like soon. Thanks for your cooperation. [CS]
• One thing to look forward at Keith McNally's revamped Minetta Tavern: A $26 Black Label burger that doesn't even come with fries. For shame! [TONY]
• Frank Bruni's thoughts on tipping: Never give less than 15% unless the service is "unequivocally dismal," but 17-18% if it's "above-average." [NYT]
• Speaking of tipping, ABC News's roundup of crappy celebrity tippers includes Madonna, Mariah, Gwyneth, and sushi addict Jeremy Piven. [ABC News]
• Tahini on Third Avenue has been closed by the Department of Health. [DBTH]
• Gordon Ramsay is having some money trouble, just so you know. [Gawker]
• Despite what the Times reported three weeks ago, going out to pricey lunches at places like Michael's and the Four Seasons is chic again. Yay. [AdAge]

Give Gordon Ramsay money now, prats! The John McCain of food continues to bring the awesome on cooking reality shows. But he is severely impaired when it comes to bringing the money, to banks.

• Pics inside the UWS branch of Zak Pelaccio's Fatty Crab, opening tonight. [GS]
• Time Out's Jay Cheshes says Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield's John Dory "is the best new restaurant I've visited so far this year." [TONY]
• The owners of Long Island City's Water Taxi Beach will be opening a beach bar/restaurant next to the South Street Seaport this summer. [Eater]
• Described as "fitfully enjoyable," "uneven" and "bold," Frank Bruni gives Gabe Thompson's L'Artusi one star out of four in the Times today. [NYT]
• Top Chef's Fabio Viviani is now pitching frozen pizza. [EMD]
• The L Magazine's third annual "Bar Awards" is now online. [L Mag]
• NYC's top paella place, Socarrat, is now serving lunch and delivering. [TONY]
• Paris's latest three-star chef, according to the new Michelin Guide? It just so happens to be Nicolas Sarkozy's favorite spot. Global food scandal! [Guardian]

• Silvano Marchetto is opening Scuderia across the street from Da Silvano on Sixth Avenue off Downing St. on March 9. It's a trattoria, naturally. [GS]
• Doug Psaltis is Danny Abrams' new partner at Smith's on Macdougal. [Eater]
• Starbucks' latest effort to to reinvent itself as an affordable brand? The chain's new value meal (or "breakfast pairings"), which run $3.95. [NYT]
• The News gives Josh DeChellis' La Fonda del Sol four stars this week. [NYDN]
• Bamn, the Automat-themed spot on St. Mark's, appears to have closed. [GS]
• Tribeca's Dennis Foy has closed, too. [Zagat]
• The yellow waffle truck known as Wafels & Dinges is on its last legs. [Eater]
• Bar Veloce, which became Bar Tonno and then turned into Room4Dessert, before reopening as Bar Veloce, is now named Veloce Club. Got that? [GS]

• Restaurants set to open this week: Zak Pelaccio's Upper West Side branch of Fatty Crab; the BBQ joint Dallas Jones; Favela Cubana; and The Local 269, which is opening in the space that once housed Meow Mix. [TONY]
• New York's "Best of New York" food-related picks are now online. [NYM]
• Chef Michael Psilakis appears to have several new projects planned. [TONY]
• A roundup of dining options in Clinton Hill. [NYT]
• Depression dining: How to pick food that is "nutritious and affordable." [NYT]
• Five people were stabbed outside the club Deco over the weekend. [NYDN]
• Not such good news: The population of cockroaches and mice is rising. [NYT]

He's called her a "bobble-head" and a "freakazoid," and has accused her of "peddling crack to kids" with her Dunkin' Donuts commercials, but if Anthony Bourdain's comments about Rachael Ray in the past have caused her any psychic pain, she isn't saying so. In an interview with Nightline airing tonight, Ray tells interviewer Cynthia McFadden that she "absolutely loves" Bourdain and has "an enormous amount of respect" for him. We're not convinced the feeling is mutual, but we have a feeling we'll find out for sure soon enough. [ABC News]

Bon Appetit and Gourmet are both Conde Nast-owned food magazines with similar reader demographics and ad rates. They're both equally popular among Gawker readers. They're both troubled. Why does Conde need both?

• Masa is cutting prices. The set menu at Masa Takayama's sushi temple went from $450 to $400, but it has nothing to do with the recession, okay? [BN]
• Despite the economy, several pricey new venues are opening anyway. [WSJ]
• Speaking of pricey: Daniel will host a truffle-laden dinner on March 8. It's $1,000 per person, although the proceeds go to Citymeals-on-Wheels. [GS]
• Is Restaurant Week going to last forever? Probably. [NYT/City Room]
• A roundup of the eateries that closed this past week. [Eater]

• Eric Hara is leaving David Burke's Townhouse and Fishtail. He'll be replacing Joël Antunes as executive chef at the Plaza's Oak Room. [TFB, GS, DJ]
• Inakaya opens tonight. And the bathrooms totally rock. [GS, Zagat]
• Burger expert Josh Ozersky comes up with a revised list of NYC's top 10. [CS]
• Padma Lakshmi is "putting her passion for meat into a new commercial for Hardee's Bacon Western Thickburger." No comment. [People]
• Megu may take over the Merkato 55/Bijoux space on Gansevoort St. [DBTH]
• Dock's Oyster Bar on Broadway has closed its doors. [Eater]
• Your obsession with healthy food is killing your kids, just so you know. [NYT]
• According to a new poll, 41% of people in NYC describe themselves as "overweight" or "very overweight." The actual number? More like 56%. [NYP]

• Starting in 2010, all restaurants will have an inspection grade—a blue A, a green B or a yellow C—posted in the window. It's official: NYC is now LA! [NYT]
• The UWS branch of Fatty Crab opens next week. [GS]
• The John Dory begins brunch service this weekend. [TONY]
• A peek at Julian Schnabel's private dining room at the Old Homestead. [GS]
• Brooklyn's Buttermilk Channel gets a one-star in this week's Times. [NYT]
• Inakaya opens in Midtown tomorrow. [Eater]
• Chef Joël Antunes has "parted ways" with the god-awful Oak Room. [GS]
• Limelight may reopen as a store. (And, no, not a drugstore.) [NYO]
• Please excuse the Post's Steve Cuozzo. He's in a bad mood today. [NYP]

Snacks: are you purchasing a sufficient percentage of yours from the Frito-Lay brand? If you're a woman, the answer is probably no. But don't worry, ladies; neuromarketing targeting your hippocampus will change that soon.

• A peek inside Keith McNally's revamped Minetta Tavern, which will be opening its Macdougal Street doors in a few weeks. [GS, Eater]
• The slick restaurant inside the new Armani flagship is now open. [Eater]
• Co. gets a mixed review (and two stars) from the News today. [NYDN]
• Gotham Bar & Grill has lowered the price of its three-course lunch. [Zagat]
• Trouble seems to be brewing at Tribeca's Mai House. [Eater]
• A roundup of dining options on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. [AMNY]
• Anita Lo on recessionary dining habits: "All they want is burgers." [NYP]
• Wondering what Bobby Flay looked like circa 1991? You're in luck. [Zagat]
• Did you know today was Fat Tuesday? Here are a few spots to go to stuff yourself. It also happens to be National Pancake Day, too, so you know. [GS]

• David Burke's Fishtail and the Oak Room come up short in this week's New York: Adam Platt calls the former "decent," while the latter goes away with no stars and is described as "overpriced," "outdated" and "oppressive." [NYM]
• There's a new chef at the meatpacking district's 5 Ninth. [TFB]
• Karen and David Waltuck's Chanterelle is offering an à la carte menu. [TONY]
• Balthazar's bathroom attendants are back, thank goodness. [GS]
• A report from Above Allen, the new lounge at the Thompson LES. [DBTH]
• Mark Birnbaum and Eugene Remm have tapped former Sheridan Square chef Franklin Becker to run the kitchen at Abe and Arthur's. [TFB]
• A tour of the White House kitchen, courtesy of Michelle Obama. [NYT]
• Tom Colicchio starred in a Coke commercial during last night's Oscars. [GS]

• The renovation of the Old Homestead steakhouse is almost complete. The private party space will be filled with works by Julian Schnabel. [Eater, TONY]
• Via Quadronno may be opening a Tribeca location. [Zagat]
• Tenjune owners Mark Birnbaum and Eugene Remm, along with real estate developer mogul Michael Hirtenstein, are taking over the old Lotus space. [P6]
• at65 cafe, the new restaurant in Alice Tully Hall, opens on Sunday. [Eater]
• Suba's last day in business is February 28th. [GS]
• Some advice on how to buy decent wine on a budget. [WSJ]

Ah, California, that prodigious producer of fruits, nuts, and flakes. Alice Waters, the famous Chez Panisse chef, has seized on the national craze for bailouts to demand organic, unprocessed school lunches for all.

• Keith McNally's revamped Minetta Tavern will open in March. [Eater]
• Le Cirque will extend its Restaurant Week menu till the end of the year. [GS]
• The South Beach Wine & Food Festival starts tonight, in case you happen to be in Miami or you're looking for something to do the next few days. [Eater]
• Some say NYC nightlife has been a bit bleak this Fashion Week. [Zagat]
• Pink Elephant was the top grossing club in NYC in 2008. [GoaG]
• A blogger is trying to go a week without buying any food. Related: eGullet is hosting a challenge called "A Week Without Shopping." [ABroadrview, NYT]
• More on what Danny Meyer has planned for Citi Field. [TFB]
• Starbucks' new line of instant coffee? Not that bad, reportedly. [AdAge]

We are closely following the breaking news at the student-occupied NYU food court, where protesters are fighting for Palestinian solidarity. The most important issues so far: vegan lunches and cigarette breaks. Things are getting tense!

• Payard Patsserie was shut down by the Dept. of Health today. [Eater, NYT]
• Susur Lee's Shang only earns one star from Bruni in today's Times: "The magic that Mr. Lee reputedly made in Toronto hasn't followed him here." [NYT]
• Is chef Damon Wise saying goodbye to Tom Colicchio's Craft empire? [NYO]
• More mixed reviews for L'Artusi in the West Village. [Bloomberg, TONY]
• Is Anita Lo's Annisa up for sale? [Eater]
• Drew Nieporent is joining Danny Meyer at Citi Field. [Crain's]
• Is foie gras torture? Not so much, says Sarah DiGregorio of the Voice. [VV]
• Be on the lookout for new Heinz ketchup labels! [NYT]
• What's on the menu for dessert tonight? Breakfast, naturally. [NYT]

• Giorgio Armani is opening a restaurant inside his new Fifth Avenue flagship later this week. Guess it's time for a little payback, Scott Conant. [Eater]
• The Cedar Tavern on University Place is gone for good. [GS]
• A peak at the new speakeasy-themed bar Raines Law Room. [Eater]
• Anita Lo is closing Bar Q in the West Village. [Eater]
• Dinner at L'Artusi "grinds slowly off a cliff," says Adam Platt, who gives the bar-centric spot on Bleecker a single star in this week's New York. [NYM]
• Inexplicably, the cupcake craze endures. [TFB]
• Daily News food critic Danyelle Freeman has landed a book deal. [GS]
• A hot dog vendor in Times Square is retiring after 41 years. [NYP]
• Starbucks is introducing instant coffee because Americans are "focusing more on seeking satisfying experiences that enhance their lives." Uh, okay. [HP]

• A list of V-Day meals and deals, in case you need some inspiration. [Eater]
• The good news/bad news about the newly-opened Trigo in Tribeca. [Eater]
• Frank Bruni gives Corner Bistro's burger a try; he isn't impressed. [NYT]
• Cocoa prices are up, which means chocolate is about to get pricier. [WSJ]
• A list of this year's James Beard Awards semifinalists. [GS]
• Bobo's Patrick Connelly will be on Nightline tonight. [Feedbag]
• Don't read this piece about "natural contaminants" if you're squeamish. [NYT]