• The critics: Sam Sifton of the Times shows no love for Le Caprice, giving the Brit import a zero-star review; New York's Adam Platt reports on the Breslin and gives it two stars; Time Out's Jay Cheshes gives Danny Meyer's Maialino four stars out of five; and GQ's Alan Richman weighs in on Casa Lever.
• Scott Conant has a name for his new restaurant at the Cooper Square Hotel: It's called Faustina and it will open for friends and family on Friday. [NYT]
• Expansion plans: Five Napkin Burger is opening its second location on the UWS; and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is planning locations in Brooklyn and Queens.
• The Post's Steve Cuozzo has a few choice words for Alain Ducasse. [NYP]
• Ted's Montana Grill, owned by Ted Turner, has been closed by the DoH. [P6]
• Famed Spanish chef Ferran Adrià is closing El Bulli for two years. [AP, WSJ]
• Growlers are the "beer accessory of the moment," apparently. [NYT]
• Who's benefiting from long lines at airports? Airport eateries, obvs. [NYDN]
• Silliest trend of the week: yoga studios for foodies. [NYT]
• Whole Foods rewards its skinny employees, punishes its fat ones. [NYDN]

• The week in reviews: Sam Sifton of the Times gives Danny Meyer's Maialino two stars; Steve Cuozzo of the Post heads to Maialino, too, giving it three stars; Gael Greene also covers Mayer's latest creation; Time Out's Jay Cheshes hits the Breslin; Alan Richman of GQ shares his passion for César Ramirez's work at Brooklyn Kitchen; and Danyelle Freeman reviews Rye in Williamsburg.
• New/upcoming: Soho tapas spot Ñ has opened a second location in Dumbo; Scott Conant is turning the Cooper Square Hotel bar into a casual cafe and plans to open it next month; and a Hooters may be coming to Brooklyn.
• Offal is all the rage right now, in case you weren't aware. [NYO]
• There were lots of leftovers following last week's Tavern on the Green auction, so a "last-chance bargain sale" is now scheduled for next week. [NYT]
• Some Valentine's Day dining suggestions if you're planning ahead. [Zagat]
• Pizzeria Uno has filed for chapter undici bankruptcy protection. [Eater]
• Can you picture Daniel Boulud and Alain Ducasse serving eats out of a food truck? The opportunity to see them slum it together arrives on Feb. 8. [GS]

• As expected, Scott Conant will be taking over the Table 8 space at the Cooper Square Hotel. The restaurant is now closed pending renovations. [Eater, GS]
• The Pink Tea Cup's been saved. The Village soul food restaurant, which closed Sunday after 55 years, will reopen with a new owner and the same staff. [NYT]
• Chinatown Brasserie chef Joe Ng has a new spot planned for the WV. [NYT]
• Michael Huynh will open his fifth Baoguette in NYC later this month. [Eater]
• A few favorite coffee haunts of a few random celebrities. [NYP]
• Tavern on the Green served its last meal on NYE, in case you missed it. [NYT]
• The smoking ban isn't enforced much, as you may have heard. [NYT]

• Irving Mill off Union Square is closing its doors on January 1. It will be replaced by a downtown branch of the BBQ restaurant Brother Jimmy's. [GS]
• Table 8 and chef Govind Armstrong are parting ways with the Cooper Square Hotel. Scarpetta's Scott Conant is expected to take over the space. [P6]
• Paul Sevigny, co-owner of the late Beatrice Inn, may have his eye on the Civetta space or the Puck Building for his next nightlife venue. [NYDN]
• A Q&A with Per Se's Thomas Keller and departing chef Jonathan Benno. [GQ]
• If you're interesting in making your own honey, you'll be happy to hear the Health Department has proposed lifting the city's ban on beekeeping. [NYT]

• Nic Cage has been having some money troubles as of late and he recently sued his business manager for allegedly mishandling his finances. Now the manager is striking back. He's filed a countersuit against Cage and claims the actor is an out-of-control spender who, in just the last few years, has picked 15 different homes around the world, 22 cars (including 9 Rolls-Royces), four yachts, a jet, and a Caribbean island. Oh, and Cage also blew a fortune by constantly hosting "Gatsby-style parties at his residences." [WSJ]
• Paris Hilton's plan to remake her image and position herself as more "mature" isn't off to a very good start. The cops had to be called to her house in LA last night after she and boyfriend Doug Reinhardt had a nasty fight. [TMZ]
• Wannabe reality TV star Tinsley Mortimer and "wannabe socialite" Devorah Rose got into "a fight" the other night. Fortunately, two cameras were rolling the entire time, so you'll get to see it yourself in about 6 months. [P6]
• The co-owner of Table 8 at the Cooper Square Hotel is under suspicion for secretly giving his girlfriend a drug to force her to have an abortion and may soon be charged with killing the couple's unborn child. Grim. [NYDN]
• Charlie Gibson claims he has "tremendous respect" for his ABC colleague Diane Sawyer, but he supposedly "badmouths her openly and often" behind the scenes. An ABC spokeswoman called the claims "bullsh*t," while a less excitable Gibson said it was all "just silly." [P6]

• Today in restaurant reviews: Frank Bruni gives Zak Pelaccio's new Fatty Crab two stars; the Post's Steve Cuozzo is pretty pleased with Josh DeChellis's La Fonda del Sol; and Jay Cheshes hits up Minetta Tavern. [NYT, NYP, TONY]
• The good news/bad news about the Cooper Square Hotel's Table 8. [Eater]
• Ryan Sutton on Monkey Bar: "A-listers and alcohol are the main event" while the "food is a simian sideshow." All things you knew, undoubtedly. [Bloomberg]
• It's what every chef dreams of: Tom Colicchio is on the new cover of Guitar Aficionado magazine. Yes, the mag exists and, yes, Tom loves guitars. [GS]
• It looks like the space once occupied by Florent/R&L will reopen as 69 Gansevoort Cafe shortly. It will probably remain a 24/7 diner, too. [Eater]
• NYC will look like LA pretty soon: A second Baja Fresh is on the way. [ML]

• The New York City outpost of Govind Armstrong's Table 8 opens tomorrow evening inside the Cooper Square Hotel. [Eater, Zagat]
• Now that Todd English is out, The Libertine has hired itself a new chef. [Zagat]
• Robert De Niro's universally reviled Ago has officially shuttered. [Eater]
• Some suggestions on where to take your mom for Mother's Day. [Zagat]
• Pinkberry is now making deliveries; a $10 minimum is required. [Crain's]
• Places to go to drink yourself into oblivion in honor of Cinco de Mayo. [GS]

• Ian Schrager is bringing in some firepower to the Gramercy Park Hotel: Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality will take over space formerly occupied by Wakiya, and David Rockwell will handle the design, although the "Italian-inspired" restaurant doesn't have a chef or name just yet. [NYT]
• In a chat with the Observer, Meyer says he's "intrigued by the possibilities" of working with Schrager. He also says he has no plans to take over the Rainbow Room, and remains undecided about a bid for Tavern on the Green. [NYO]
• Rumor has it Todd English is out at The Libertine at the Gild Hall hotel. [TFB]
• Keith McNally's Minetta Tavern has added a late-night menu. [GS]
• A group of sad Beatrice Inn regulars gathered at the Cooper Square Hotel on Friday night. In attendance: one-half of the Olsen twins, Chloe Sevigny, and "some skinny guys with mustaches," naturally. [DBTH]
• The sandwich shop Crosby Connection opened on Bleecker today. [Eater]
• The best street food in NYC, at least according to the Post. [NYP]

♦ The car wash/gas station on West 14th Street (left) has been sold for $60 million to make way for a new retail development. [NYP]
♦ The Cooper Square Hotel opens in two weeks. [Curbed]
♦ An interview with Leigh Candler, NYC's new "co-op queen," best known for flipping aparments for Scott Bommer and listing Brooke Astor's former apartment on Park. [NYO]
♦ Some neighborhoods in Brooklyn are now more expensive than neighborhoods in Manhattan, according to StreetEasy. [NYDN]

♦ Table 8 inside the Cooper Square Hotel isn't expected to open for another two months, but that didn't stop chef Govind Armstrong from giving a preview to 60 guests at hotelier Klaus Ortlieb's Tribeca loft last night. [NYO]
♦ The opening night of Tom Colicchio's Tuesday Dinner, went off without a hitch: Tom prepared a nine-course menu for 28 guests without breaking a sweat, and his wife showed up for moral support. [Forbes]
♦ Is 1OAK over? Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano's club is now sending our email blasts asking to host your next party. [NYO]

• New York talks to the owner of the Eldridge (left), the Lower East Side "hidden lounge/restaurant" with "chaperones, butlers, table attendants, and a hospitality consultant." [NYM]

Oh, the Cooper Square Hotel, 21 (we hear 21, now!) floors of fun and intrigue on the Bowery. After a recent post about the hotel's three humongoid entertainment venues, we received some dish. First up, the hoteliers: The Peck Moss Group is no longer. The board two weeks ago decided to be done with Gregory Peck, one half of the partnership. (Let's call it a permanent Roman holiday! Ha!) Reason? In the words of one, "He's a huge douchebag." Fair enough.