Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

• Tonight is the last night for Elettaria on West 8th Street. [Eater, GS]
• La Goulue on Madison Ave. was dismantled and packed up yesterday. [P6]
• David Burke's eponymous restaurant reopened its doors last night. [GS]
• Due to the economy and not-so-spectacular weather, this hasn't turned out to be the best summer for restaurants in the Hamptons. [EH Star via Curbed]
• Charles on West 4th Street begins brunch service this weekend. [GS]
• Graydon Carter is collaborating with someone new at Monkey Bar. His 83-year-old mother's butter tart is now on the dessert menu. [P6]

• David Burke's Townhouse closes tomorrow for renovations. Cafe Boulud will shuts its doors for a revamp beginning in a couple of weeks. [Eater, TFB]
• Mermaid Inn owner Danny Abrams says he'll open the Mermaid Oyster Bar in the former Smith's space on MacDougal Street next month. [GS]
• Michael Huynh, the man behind Bar Bao and Baoguette, says his Bia Garden, the "city's first Vietnamese beer garden," will open next week. [GS, Thrillist]
• Gabriel Stulman's Joseph Leonard opens next week, too. (Photos here.) When it does, it will be the first restaurant in the city to offer boxed water. [VV]
• A roundup of other restaurants opening this week and next. [TONY, NYM]
• Did Publisher's Weekly jump the gun by posting a pic of Frank Bruni? [TFB]
• If you get an invite to dine at the White House and you're a captain of industry, be advised that you'll be expected to pay for your meal. [NYDN] More

• David Burke's chauffeur is accusing the chef of "punching him in the face and slamming a car-trunk hood on his head" after he asked to take time off for his wife's birthday. Burke faces six months in prison if convicted. [NYP]
• Beatrice Inn's chances of reopening? Slim to none, it seems. [P6]
• It looks like it's the end of the line for Jeffrey Chodorow's Ono. [GS]
• A roundup of places that just opened, or will be open later this week. [Eater]
• A roundup of what will be new in the meatpacking district this fall. [GS]
• The Hamptons scene is a little less decadent this year. Surprise! [NYP]
• The ice cream of the future isn't cold and doesn't melt, apparently. [NYM]
• Coke is testing out a new carbonated milk drink called "Vio." [Fox News]
• Try to block this out when you go out to eat later, but an audit of restaurant inspections finds that 22% of city eateries weren't inspected last year. [NYDN]

• Frank Bruni weighs in on David Burke's Fishtail in the Times this week, giving the eatery a single star for its "real charms" yet "deeply fatiguing" menu. [NYT]
• A look at the menu at Table 8, which opens tonight. [GS]
• Jay Cheshes hits up Silvano Marchetto's two new outposts in this week's Time Out, Scuderia and Da Silvano Bistecca. [TONY]
• Oprah's KFC sandwich giveaway sparked a riot today. [Gothamist, Gawker]
• Eight "new" rules on ordering wine while dining out. [NYP]
• "Real Housewife" Alex McCord's top food pics in Cobble Hill. [GS]
• Four Seasons co-owners Julian Niccolini and Alex von Bidder were roasted in honor of the eatery's 50th last night. Daniel Boulud on the duo: "The only thing these guys know about food is how much to charge for it." [NYT]

• Suggestions on places to eat in the vicinity of the Tribeca Film Festival. [NYP]
• It's going to be hot this weekend. Luckily for you, the backyards at Bobo and Table 8 are both open for business (or will be by this weekend). [Eater]
• Balducci's on 14th Street closes this Sunday and there's a big sale underway, not that there's much of anything left on the store's shelves. [GS]
• David Burke's coping with the downturn just fine, thanks very much. [WSJ]
• Matt Levine of Eldridge infamy is making over Thor. [GS]
• Tom Potter, the retired co-founder of Brooklyn Brewery, is hoping to establish Brooklyn's first whiskey and gin distillery. [Brooklyn Paper]
• At last night's City Harvest auction, a private dinner by Eric Ripert went for $45K. Surfing and dinner in the Hamptons with Marc Murphy took in 14K. [GS]

• 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]

• 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]

• Armin Amiri's Socialista was shut down by the yesterday for failing to post "No Smoking" signs. Or did it have something to do with the rat problem? [GS]
• A group of vandals broke in Stephen Hanson's Fiamma last night. [Eater]
• David Burke's Fishtail is serving a late-night menu from 11pm to 1am. [GS]
• A bunch of changes are in the works for the Rusty Knot. [GS]
• The new d.b.a. beer bar has opened in Williamsburg. [FB]
• Billy's Bakery is giving out $1 cupcakes today if you're interested. [Eater]
• A roundup of outdoor bars that have heaters, so you can drink all winter long without having to put on gloves. [FB]

• David Chang's Momofuku Noodle Bar has a new $45 prix fixe dinner. [NYM]
• Less than three months after opening, Archipelago has closed down. [Eater]
• Devin Tavern on Greenwich Street has closed, too. [Eater]
• Noah Tepperberg's new lounge is one step closer to reality. [NYM]
• Frederick's Downtown appears to be having some money troubles. [P6]
• More photos from inside David Burke's Fishtail. [Zagat]
• Amanda Cohen talks about her new vegetarian spot, Dirt Candy. [Gothamist]
• Last call for lapdances at Scores: It's closing by the end of the year. [NYDN]

♦ Sue Torres is leaving her post Los Dados to spend more time at Sueños, her restaurant in Chelsea. [NYT]
♦ Photos of David Burke's Fishtail, which opened last night. [Eater]
♦ Anita Lo plans to close Bar Q for a few days so she can reopen it with a more finger-food-friendly menu. [GS]
♦ Susanne Bartsch is moving the weekly party she used to throw at Happy Valley to Greenhouse and calling it Vandam. [GS]
♦ The Upper West Side's Neptune Room is now closed. [Eater]
♦ You can celebrate Britney's birthday at Tenjune tonight, if you wish. [DBTH]

♦  In this week's issue of New York, Adam Platt gives two stars to Brooklyn's Char No. 4. David Bouley's Secession isn't quite as lucky, coming up star-less for its "jumble of tired brasserie conceits." [NYM]
♦  Josh DeChellis has signed on to become executive chef at La Fonda del Sol, the Spanish restaurant inside the Met Life building that is slated to open in January. [NYT]
♦  David Burke's Fishtail opens this week; the soft launch is tonight. [Eater]
♦  Page Six mag takes a look at the city's "smoking speakeasies," spots where the city's smoking ban is almost never enforced. [Page Six Mag]More

♦  The 2009 Michelin guide will hit bookstores tomorrow. Masa has moved up to three stars, joining Per Se, Jean Georges and Le Bernardin. And Momofuku Ko, Adour Alain Ducasse, and Gilt were all added to the two-star list. [NYT]
♦  David Burke is opening up a fish bar called Fishtail David Burke on East 62nd Street. He's also changing the name of restaurant he co-owned with Donatella Arpaia, david burke & donatella, to david burke townhouse. [Zagat]
♦  Anthony Bourdain's two favorite dive bars? Holland Bar and the Distinguished Wakamba Lounge, in case you feel stalking him. [Page Six Mag]More