• How do restaurants make ends meet during a recession? By charging for things that used to be free, like tap water and bread and butter. [NYP]
• A peek at what will be on the menu when Table 8 debuts on May 6. [GS]
• Griffin opens this Thursday in the former PM space on Gansevoort St. [UD]
• The lineup for the New York Wine & Food Festival has been revealed. [Eater]
• New York's Adam Platt has lots of praise for Minetta Tavern this week. [NYM]
• Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss are opening Avenue on 10th Avenue in a few days. Danny A is a partner; Wass Stevens will tend to the door. [P6]
• NYC's first-ever Baja Fresh opens at 465 Lexington Ave in two weeks. [NRN]

• Restaurants may be suffering due to the downturn, but the number of applications to operate food-service businesses is up for some reason. [Crain's]
• The good news/bad news about the East Village's Tonda. [Eater]
• Ghenet, the Ethiopian restaurant in Nolita, has closed its doors. [GS]
• Café Bustelo is trying to freshen up its image and appeal to cool kids. [NYT]
• The world taco-eating competition takes place next week in NYC. Yay. [GS]