• After 36 years in business, La Goulue is closing on April 5th. [NYT]
• Justin Timberlake is not involved with Southern Hospitality. Got it? [People]
• Sasha Petraske's Dutch Kills is opening in the next two weeks. [Gothamist]
• Looking for a cheap V-Day dinner? How about White Castle? [B&B via Eater]
• A bunch of restaurants have removed peanut butter from the menu. [NYT]
• It's not going to earn any points for the food, but Travel + Leisure has named Delicatessen the best-designed restaurant in its annual design awards. [T+L]

• What's that 20% surcharge on your bill? It seems a bunch of restaurants are now secretly adding gratuities to diners' checks even though it's illegal. [NYP]
• Tom Colicchio's latest gimmick: He's calling Craftsteak's front dining room "Halfsteak" and serving half-sized portions for $15 or less. [Eater]
• Drew Nieporent and Terrance Brennan discuss the lousy economy. [GS]
• It's not just the high-end that's hurting: Bodegas are suffering, too. [NY1]
• A look inside the newly-opened Butcher Bay. [Eater]
• Are Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud launching a line of frozen foods? [Eater]
• Starbucks is trying its best to make people think it's super-affordable. [WSJ]

• Rachael Ray says her long-awaited burger joint will open in 2010. [TFB]
• A roundup of all the restaurants that shuttered this week. [Eater]
• Eric Ripert says he is not planning to launching a line of prepared foods, despite what you may have read elsewhere. [TFB]
• Allen & Delancey is offering for half-priced cocktails on Tuesdays. [GS]
• Butcher Bay opens up on East 5th Street tonight. [Eater]
• Patrón is launching a new line of super high-end vodka. Great timing! [WSJ]
• A look inside the recently-reopened Holland Bar. [GS]
• The yellow eel in John Dory's fish tank has gone missing, but Joe Bastianich has some theories on where it went. [NYT]

• It's not all doom and gloom: Terrance Brennan (Artisanal, Picholine) and Floyd Cardoz (Tabla) both have new restaurants in the works. [GS, TONY]
• Donatella Arpaia and Michael Psilakis say they're two months away from opening Gus & Gabriel's Gastropub in the old Kefi space. [NYT]
• A list of the best Brit food in New York. Yes, such a list really exists. [MM]
• John Doherty explains why he quit as chef at the Waldorf-Astoria. [NYT]
• Vinegar Hill House in Brooklyn is opening a private dining room. [GS]
• Cheapo Eight O'Clock Coffee beat out Starbucks in a CR taste test. [NYDN]

We're guessing Hud Morgan was not among the lucky few to survive the collapse of Men's Vogue; as questionable as his fashion choices have historically been, they have somehow deteriorated further.

• A day after the city asked for bids on the Tavern on the Green space comes word the restaurant's been sued for failing to pay its meat supplier. [Eater]
• Soho's much-maligned Delicatessen has a new menu courtesy of its new consultants, club owner David Rabin and chef Franklin Becker. [GS]
• Embattled Soho eatery Lola shutdown last Friday. [NYO]
• Joe Bastianich is hoping to plant Eataly, a 60,000-square-foot Italian food market, in a space "between Union Square and Madison Square Park." [NYT]
• Philippe's expansion continues: The chain plans to set up an LA location. [P6]
• It looks like the end is near for the Hawaiian Tropic Zone. [TFB]
• Legendary Union Square veggie peeler Joe Ades has died. [NYT]

• The city is accepting proposals from restaurateurs interesting in taking over Tavern on the Green. Be advised you may have to do battle with current owner Jennifer Oz LeRoy, who has vowed to hang on to the landmark eatery. [NYO]
• Shang's Susur Lee earns a two-star review from Adam Platt this week. [NYM]
• Lunetta on Broadway and 21st Street has closed after 15 months. [Eater]
• Kyle Bailey is replacing Neil Ferguson at Allen & Delancey. [NYT]
• Yet more tax trouble for the Cipriani clan. [NYP]
• Mega-restaurateur Stephen Starr, Alto owner Chris Cannon, and broker Steven Kamali on the troubles facing the city's restaurant economy. [NYT]
• Another ex-Hawaiian Tropic hostess is suing for sexual harassment. [NYDN]
• Mention the word "bailout" at the Chocolate Bar at Henri Bendel between now and the end of the month and you'll get a free brownie. [New Yorkology]

• A list of bars and restaurants where you can eat and drink (and watch the game, of course) on Super Bowl Sunday. [Gothamist, TONY, Citysearch]
• The Spotted Pig will be closed on Sunday. Please plan accordingly. [DBTH]
• A list of the 13 restaurants that closed this week. [Eater]
• How Chloe 81 went from buzz to backlash in a few short months. [NYO]
• Cafe Select's back room now has its own separate entrance; you'll have to go through a sidewalk grate and utility tunnel to get there. [GS]
• Suba's new owners are turning it into a Mexican food restaurant. [TFB]
• Unemployed? You qualify for a free drink at the Delancey on Mondays. [UD]

• Ago partners Robert De Niro, Richard Born and Ira Drukier have tapped Andrew Carmellini as chef; Ken Friedman is the design consultant. [NYT]
• Is Justin Timberlake opening a Southern Hospitality in Chelsea? [GS]
• Peasant in Nolita finally has menus in English. [Eater]
• Martha Stewart went to Momofuku Milk Bar on her show today. [EMD]
• Scores may be gone, but you can still pick up bottles of the former strip club's private-label blanc de blancs. Perhaps you wanted a keepsake? [GS]
• Many places are extending their Restaurant Week menus. Here's a list. [W&D]

• The Cutting Room is hoping to re-open on Franklin Street. [Eater]
• Anthony Martignetti says he plans to close and revamp Bar Martignetti. [GS]
• Frank Bruni gives a single star to Cabrito in his Times review today, subtracting points for the eatery's "maddening" inconsistencies. [NYT]
• More on the "21" Club's decision to end its 79-year tie requirement. [NYT]
• John Doherty is stepping down as the Waldorf-Astoria's exec chef. [NRN]
• Keith McNally chats with the Observer about Morandi, Minetta Tavern, and the "pizzeria with a twist" he plans to open a year from now or so. [NYO]
• Are Wall Streeters really eating at McDonald's to save on food? Maybe! [NYP]
• Health commissioner Thomas Frieden's latest target? Salt! [NYT]

Have you heard what's happened to the Beatrice? They're, like, letting anyone inside these days. C-list celebs! Girls dressed in H&M and Forever 21! Sleazy guys! Even autograph-seekers! This recession really is ruining everything! [NYO]

• Why isn't your glass of water getting refilled? It might be because the restaurant decided to slash costs by firing all the busboys. [WSJ]
• E.U. in the EV is no more; a trattoria is set to take its place by March. [Eater]
• Jean-Georges Vongerichten now says he won't be taking over the Ago space inside Robert De Niro's Greenwich Hotel after all. [DBTH]
• Is Momofuku Milk Bar turning into an actual bar? That's the rumor. [TFB]
• Tom Colicchio and Damon Wise are expanding their discount menu. [Eater]
• Scott Conant will be the guest judge on tomorrow's Top Chef. [GS]
• Gordon Ramsay hasn't been banned from Mario Batali's restaurants. [GS]
• Chef Gabrielle Hamilton has inked a book deal with Random House. [EMD]

• Armin Amiri's Socialista is closing for good, and Giuseppe Cipriani, of course, is partly to blame. [Page Six]
• Everything you missed at yesterday's porkfest, Cochon 555. [Eater, TFB]
• Masa Matsushita has returned to Matsugen for the next three months. [JGV]
• Tim Zagat chats with the Post about Restaurant Week. [NYP]
• Adam Platt gives two stars apiece to 10 Downing and West Branch. [NYM]
• Wass Stevens has landed himself a role in a BlackBerry commercial. [GS]
• More bad news for chef Gordon Ramsay: His empire is supposedly "crumbling," and he's also been banned from Mario Batali's restaurants for calling him "fanta pants." [NYP, Guardian]

• Ties are no longer required at the '21' Club. [Eater]
• The team behind Mansion is filing for bankruptcy; promoter Joey Morrissey will be taking over the space and renaming it M2. [P6]
• Kurve has five days to pay $52,253 in back rent or it faces eviction. [Eater]
• Martha Stewart says East 10th Street is the new Restaurant Row. [NYP]
• Payard pastry chef Chris Wise is moving to Philippe. [GS]
• Experts say 12,000-18,000 restaurants in the U.S. will close this year. [WSJ]

• Scott Conant says he has no plans to take over the Wakiya space. [RG]
• Photos from last night's Citymeals-on-Wheels tasting event. [GS, MM]
• Madaleine Mae on the UWS: closed temporarily or gone for good? [Eater]
• The legal problems at Hawaiian Tropic Zone are getting worse. [NYDN]
• Football haters rejoice: Kyotofu is throwing an anti-Super Bowl party. [GS]
• Nolita's Lovely Day will be back in business beginning tomorrow. [Paper]
• David Chang's Momofuku showed up on last night's Real World. [GS]

• You can't afford to eat there any more, but you'll be pleased to hear that Daniel is still a four-star restaurant, according to Frank Bruni, who says Adam Tihany's recent redesign is "genuinely gorgeous." [NYT]
• Jason Pomeranc's Thompson LES is opening a rooftop bar. [GS]
• Gramercy Tavern gives away free $24.07 gift cards, chaos ensues. [GS]
• Chocolate Bar is re-opening at a new location in the West Village. [NYO]
• Kevin Adey is taking over as chef at Park Slope's Bussaco. [TONY]
• Your Tony Bourdain rant o' the day: "Alice Waters annoys the living shit out of me... There's something very Khmer Rouge about [her]." [DCist via Eater]
• Spotted: Adam Platt's photo appears in Conde Nast Traveler. [Eater]

The inaugural celebrations came in waves last night — Commander-in-Chief's Ball, Youth Ball, Neighborhood Ball, Southern States Ball, Western States, and on — but the new president stayed in high spirits.

• Still looking for a place to celebrate the inauguration? You're in luck. A long list of restaurants and bars have special events planned. [GS, Eater, Metromix]
• Newly opened restaurants have been hit the hardest by the recession. [NYT]
• A few more gloomy indicators: High-end eateries are allowing diners to bring their own wine and Daniel will host a beer-tasting next month. [NYP, CNY]
• The dining crime wave may be over: Cops have nabbed two suspects. [NYP]
• Sad news for hot dog fans: The original Nathan's may be forced to close as part of the plan to "revitalize" Coney Island. [NYP]
• Emeril Lagasse will guest-judge the final two episodes of Top Chef. [Eater]

MSNBC's Chris Matthews was forced to wait in line with the commoners. A blogger was mistaken for a prostitute. And everyone seemed to be Twittering or liveblogging. Inauguration eve was boisterous!

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow once said that if she wasn't a broadcast host she'd "try to find a way to professionally bully people about what they drink." She'd be good at it!