• The restaurant formerly known as Ago will reopen next Tuesday under the name Locanda Verde. Andrew Carmellini is executive chef and a co-owner with Robert De Niro; Ken Friedman consulted on the new design. [NYT]
• Rumor has it Per Se's Jonathan Benno may be going off on his own. [TFB]
• Tasti-D-Lite isn't intimidated by Pinkberry or Red Mango: It plans to open 35 new outlets over the next decade. Related fro-yo news: Pinkberry is opening stores abroad and a chain called Yogurtland is expanding, too. [AMNY, NRN]
• Famed Coney Island pizzeria Totonno's won't be back in biz until July. [LC]
• Style.com's list of the 13 dumbest boomtime cocktails saves special mentions for local spots like The Eldridge, PDT, and World Bar. [Style.com]

• If you're a fan of Gossip Girl, be advised that the new outdoor lounge in the courtyard of the Palace Hotel, is opening in a few weeks. [GS]
• We'd never encourage you to go in search of discount oysters; if you're determined to do so anyway, here are a few suggestions of places to go. [TFB]
• Tribeca's QDT has closed its doors. [Eater]
• Pics from Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's pig roast yesterday. [AH]
• 10 things celebrity chefs won't tell you. [SmartMoney]
• Camp on Brooklyn's Smith Street has cleverly managed to capitalize on two recent trends: It's using Obama's image to promote a recession special. [Flickr]