Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

• Not surprisingly, the prospect of a TGI Friday's opening across from the Greenmarket in Union Square has provoked all sorts of outrage. [Eater]
• On a related note (and notwithstanding the economic downturn), chain stores are rapidly expanding across the city, in case you haven't noticed. [NYT]
• Magnolia Bakery, coming off the heels of a minor scandal at its West Village location, reports that it's opening a Grand Central location this fall. [VV]
• Places to eat in the Hamptons should you happen to be on a budget. [Zagat] More

• Jeffrey Chodorow says he plans to turn his failed steakhouse, Center Cut, into a seafood shack-style spot called Ed's Chowder House. Ed Brown, the chef and owner of Eighty One, will be his partner in the venture. [NYT]
• Like father, like son, apparently: The new chef at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Perry Street is JGV's eldest son, Cedric Vongerichten. [TFB]
• John Fraser says he's planning to expand his UWS eatery, Dovetail. [VV]
• Butchers are the new food world rock stars, in case you haven't heard. [ABC]
• Bed-Stuy gets its first speakeasy, SarahJames, this weekend. [GS]
• The guy who owns most of the Burger Kings in Brooklyn and Queens has gone bankrupt, just in case you happen to be interested in that tidbit. [Crain's]
• Make of this what you will: Sales of bottled water have been going down while at the same time whiskey sales have been on the rise.

The End-of-Recession Cocktail | Is the recession over? Who knows, really, but Vanity Fair has already taken the liberty of having a bartender whip up a special "Is the recession over?" cocktail. Made of blueberries, vodka and crème de cassis, it's designed to be consumed while addressing that very question with friends. Unfortunately, it also takes a full week to make, which means by the time it's ready, the economy may have recovered and already slipped into another recession. So, you know, maybe it would be better to just stick to a beer or whatever? [VF]

• A summer bar preview and a roundup of happy-hour specials. [AMNY, NYP]
• The restaurant at the Andre Balazs's Standard Hotel doesn't debut until June, but the outdoor patio—which serves food—has opened. [GS]
• More photos of Locanda Verde, which is now in the hands of Andrew Carmellini, NYC's "best young Italian chef," according to David Chang. [GS, P6]
• The price of beer and wine may go up if Washington gets its way. [NYP]
• Speaking of wine, now isn't such a bad time to be investing in it, FYI. [NYT]
• A recap (and photos) from last night's Taste of the Nation event. [Metromix]

Rachel Maddow's Secret Formula | We always figured it took something really special for Rachel Maddow to be able to put up with Keith Olbermann every evening. Now we have the answer, courtesy of author/Mac pitchman John Hodgman: A bit of La Fée absinthe mixed with Red Bull, apparently. [Twitpic via BYOT]

Spare Your Liver, Still Get Drunk | Sure, getting blind drunk is all that makes life worth living, but continually having to lift the glass, gulp, and swallow? It's all such an effort, right? At long last, the technology to imbibe alcohol simply by breathing is becoming a reality. At an "experimental bar" called Alcoholic Architecture, a booze-infused mist is released into the air by a vapor machine, and to make it even more appealing, "when you breathe, instead of the alcohol going into your liver, it goes right into your bloodstream so breathing is a much quicker way of getting drunk." Sadly, this particular bar is located in London. But who knows, this could very well be the formula to salvaging New York's dying club scene, too. [ABC News]

Champagne Wishes, Vodka Induced Nightmares | One unmistakable sign that Russia is truly in the doldrums as it suffers the effects of the financial crisis? No, not the fact that Moscow had 74 billionaires a year ago, whereas now it just has 27. Russians accustomed to drinking champagne have been forced to turn (back) to vodka! [Bloomberg]

Cocktail Recipes for the Recession [New Yorker]
Previously: Recession-Appropriate Drinks: Strong Ones [Cityfile]

Is there some sort of secret PR campaign by the advertising industry underway? Yesterday we heard that commercials make TV better, and now a study suggests we will basically mimic whatever it is that we see onscreen. Movies and ads that depict people drinking alcohol, according to new research, directly increase viewers' own propensity to toss back a few. It might be too grim to contemplate exactly what other behaviors are being mindlessly copied, although when an entire generation reaches adulthood unable to utter a sentence unpreceded by "like," we'll know to hold Adam DiVello accountable.

• Kelly Cutrone says normally at this time of year she'd be flying in a chef from India to cook for her. But this Fashion Week she's cutting back on account of the recession. Bring us a tissue! [WWD]
• Arnold Scaasi did not like Jason Wu's gown for Michelle Obama: "I don't think the inaugural gown was flattering in any way... She could have looked much better." Yeow. [NYT]
• Despite the rough economy, Justin Timberlake's William Rast label is holding up nicely. [NYM]
• Anna Sui has landed a book deal. [Fashionista]
• The plywood has been removed outside Topshop in Soho! [Racked]
• Marie Claire is giving away taxi rides to promote Running in Heels. [FWD]
• Istithmar may sell Barneys for less than half what they paid for it in '07. [BN]
• Rents are falling in the garment district, duh. [NYT]
• An alcoholic's guide to Fashion Week. [Pipeline]

Madoff-Made-Off Mojito | It's Friday afternoon, which means you're probably already thinking about booze. Why not sample a "current-events-inspired" drink this weekend? Vanity Fair has the recipe for the Madoff-Made-Off Mojito. You'll need rum, Grand Marnier, mint leaves, freshly squeezed lime juice, and a splash of champagne. Just don't forget to stir gently. [VF]

It's the holidays and the end of a horrible year, so that can only mean one thing: Everyone is consuming their body weight in alcohol! As if you needed any enticement, bars are reviving whiskey and cognac-heavy cocktails from Prohibition and the Great Depression like the Sidecar, the Old Fashioned, and the Manhattan, while Stolichnaya is going for gallows humor by promoting new drinks called Rejected Resume, Battered Bull and Welfare Punch. More

• A list of the saddest restaurant closings of 2008. Sad, indeed. [NYDN]
• Rumor has it Macao Trading Co.'s downstairs lounge is opening tonight. [GS]
• Patisserie Claude has reopened under new ownership. [VV]
• Video of David Chang shopping for cookbooks. [men.style.com]
• Philippe Express is offering a meal plan for NYU students. For $1,995. [Eater]
• Not surprisingly, sales of bourbon and scotch are on the rise. [F&W]

Champagne Fizzling Fast | How are champagne manufacturers expected to fare this holiday season now that the economy is in a tailspin? Not well, unsurprisingly. "It's hard to imagine it will be anything other than horrible," says one expert. [AdAge]

Guess You'll Be Toasting the New Year With Korbel | What's becoming really big now that the economy is screwed? Budget beer, apparently. Low-end brews like Busch and Keystone have seen sales shoot up in recent weeks. [AdAge]