Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

• The week in reviews: Sam Sifton gives a super-enthusiastic review (and two stars) to Daniel Boulud's DBGB in his first review as NYT restaurant critic today; the Post's Steve Cuozzo leaves Oceana very happy and gives it three out of four shiny new stars, now that he's armed with a star system like every other paper; TONY's Jay Cheshes tackles Oceana, too, giving it three stars out of five; GQ's Alan Richman visits A Voce; and Adam Platt of New York reserves one star for a "Madoff-like" Caravaggio and nada for Hotel Griffou.
• The war between Todd English and the woman he was set to marry last weekend (but didn't) continues. In short: Either English is the biggest jerk ever, she wants to be famous and is nuts, or they're both totally crazy. [Gawker]
• The new Momofuku in Midtown now has a name: Ma Pêche. [Eater]
• Tavern on the Green is supposed to change hands at the end of the year. But now outgoing owner Jennifer LeRoy has petitioned a court for three extra months. And what will happen if a judge doesn't go along with the plan? TotG says it may have to fire 400 employees. Right before Christmas. [NYT]More

Perhaps you were under the impression that Marquee, the Chelsea club owned by Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss—and now in its sixth year— had seen better days? Maybe you were thinking A-listers had moved on to Strauss and Tepperberg's new venue, Avenue? Apparently not:More

Happy Birthday | Your favorite art-collecting, Greenwich-living, publicity-shunning hedge fund billionaire, Steve Cohen (left), turns 53 today. New York's  most famous drag queen, Lady Bunny (right), is turning 47. Marcia Gay Harden is 50. Photographer Terry Richardson is turning 44. Halle Berry turns 43. Steve Martin is 64. Oscar-winning composer James Horner is turning 56. Tony-winning playwright Thomas Meehan turns 80. Magic Johnson is 50. Actress Mila Kunis is 26. Susan Saint James, the actress and wife of NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol, is turning 63. Musician David Crosby is 68. E! host and Top Model regular Jay Manuel is turning 37. And romance novelist Danielle Steel is celebrating her 62nd birthday today. Weekend birthdays are below.More

• The fashion publicist/socialite who moonlighted as a computer hacker? This is going to make for a fabulous movie. It seems Ali Wise (right), the Dolce & Gabanna public relations director, professional socializer, and ex-girlfriend of hotelier Jason Pomeranc was arrested this week for using her computer to wiretap and eavesdrop on interior designer/social butterfly Nina Freudenberger (left). The worst part? Wise was held overnight in an jail cell and wasn't given any special treatment, poor thing. [NYDN, P6]
• Wise wasn't the only nightlife fixture behind bars this week. Wass Stevens, NYC's most famous club doorman, was arrested for whacking a man with the metal end of a velvet rope outside Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss's Avenue the other night. Stevens says the man acted up when he was refused entry, which sounds a pretty likely scenario. [P6] More

The Cinema Society and Details magazine hosted a screening of The Hangover last night at the Tribeca Grand, which was followed by an afterparty at the Soho Grand. Details editor Dan Peres, Cinema Society's Andrew Saffir, and Bradley Cooper and Justin Bartha, who both appear in the film, welcomed Rachel Roy, Amy Sacco (left), Nicole Miller, Will Arnett, Zach Braff, Gerard Butler, Molly Sims, Chris Meloni, Caroline Rhea, Alan Cumming, Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, Albert Hammond Jr., Jill Hennessy, Jesse Eisenberg, Hilary Rhoda, Dan Abrams, Danny Masterson, Byrdie Bell, Kelly Bensimon, Rob and Marisol Thomas, Caroline Winberg, and Doutzen Kroes, Alexandra Richards, and Paula Abdul. [PMC, WWD, Wireimage, VF] More

• Public Fare, Danny Meyer's concession stand at the Delacorte Theater, will be open for the debut of Shakespeare in the Park on June 10. [Zagat]
• Shea Gallante, the chef at Cru, will be leaving at the end of the month. [NYT]
• Daniel Boulud's DBGB is accepting walk-ins prior to its 6/8 opening. [GS] 
• Flex Mussels on the UES gets a single star in the Times today. [NYT]
• Noah Tepperberg's Avenue opened last night. Wass Stevens and the Beatrice Inn's Angelo and Todd manned the door, Paul Sevigny provided the music, sister Chloë was in the house, and a jack and coke costed $19.20. [GS]More

• A peek inside Avenue, the new "gastrolounge" by Noah Tepperberg. [GS]
• Brooklyn is not getting a Shake Shack for the time being, alas. [Gothamist]
• Nightlife impresario Mike Satsky on Lily Pond: "My waitresses are hands-down the most beautiful waitress staff in the Hamptons." [NYO]
• Terrance Brennan's Bar Artisanal is now serving lunch. [TONY]
• Tim Zagat lists his favorite restaurants in NYC. [Urbanite]
• The husband and wife behind Sfoglia open Civetta in Nolita next week. [NYM]
• Park Avenue Spring is now Park Avenue Summer. [GS]
• End times! Wine consumption in France was down 10% last year. [AP]

• David Bouley has shuttered Secession, which he opened last fall (and which he'd hoped to save by hiring Christian Delouvrier as chef recently). In its place, he's planning to open a Japanese restaurant called Brushstroke. [NYT]
• Manhattan's Water Taxi Beach debuted this weekend. [GS]
• Noah Tepperberg's new "gastropub/ultralounge," Avenue, will open on June 1 with a party for Mandy Moore. In the meantime, Marc Jacobs held a 30th birthday party there recently for fiancé Lorenzo Martone. [NYM]
• Ruth Madoff is a fan of the steak at Donohue's on Lexington, it seems. [P6]
• The new Baja Fresh opened in Midtown today. [ML]More

• How do restaurants make ends meet during a recession? By charging for things that used to be free, like tap water and bread and butter. [NYP]
• A peek at what will be on the menu when Table 8 debuts on May 6. [GS]
• Griffin opens this Thursday in the former PM space on Gansevoort St. [UD]
• The lineup for the New York Wine & Food Festival has been revealed. [Eater]
• New York's Adam Platt has lots of praise for Minetta Tavern this week. [NYM]
• Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss are opening Avenue on 10th Avenue in a few days. Danny A is a partner; Wass Stevens will tend to the door. [P6]
• NYC's first-ever Baja Fresh opens at 465 Lexington Ave in two weeks. [NRN]More

• More trouble for the Ciprianis: The family's Rainbow Room lease has been terminated by Tishman Speyer for failing to pay millions in back rent. [NYT]
• The latest recessionary byproduct: restaurants are getting robbed. [Eater]
• Noah Tepperberg has won approval to open a new lounge in Chelsea. [NYP]
• Adam Platt gives John Dory two stars in this week's New York, subtracting points for a "slightly uneven" menu and "overamped" atmosphere. [NYM]
• Ron Perelman, Jon Bon Jovi and Larry Gagosian purchased the lease for the Blue Parrot in East Hampton and now plan to re-open it in May. [Page Six]
• Tom Colicchio and Craft executive chef Damon Wise are launching a new Friday night menu consisting of dishes and drinks under $10. [GS]
• Want to sample some deadly blowfish? You're in luck! [GS]

• 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]

♦ Today marks the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. Here's a look at some of the city's former speakeasies. [NewYorkology]
♦ Noah Tepperberg says he plans to move ahead with his new lounge, despite not getting Community Board approval. [GS]
♦ Changing seasons: Park Avenue Winter has arrived. [Eater]
♦ Mayor Bloomberg usually treats reporters to a holiday meal at Gracie Mansion. This year it costs $45 and it's at Chinatown's Golden Unicorn. [P6]
♦ Tips on how to gain access to the "secret" bar below Little Branch. [DBTH]
♦ Anita Lo shows off the new interiors at Bar Q. [GS]
♦ Fans of Padma Lakshmi: She'll be at the Whole Foods Bowery tomorrow. [GS]

♦  Frank Bruni delivered a zero-star review to Kurve in today's Times. After complaining about the puzzling service and frequent menu substitutions, he wonders how any restaurateur could "pour this much money and this much vanity into a project and bungle it to the extent that the Kurve brigade does?" [NYT]
♦  Noah Tepperberg's plans for the space formerly occupied by Earth weren't approved at a community board meeting last night, but they weren't denied either. [GS]
♦  The early reviews have been mixed for the new tapas bar Txikito. [Eater]
♦  The latest drink trend involves adding a blob of bacteria and yeast to sweetened tea. [NYP]More

♦  It seems the closure of Jason Strauss and Noah Tepperberg's Marquee this summer had more to do with a drug-related sting operation than a water main break. [NYO]
♦  Frank Bruni gives one star to Socarrat Paella Bar in today's Times: Although Socarrat's signature dish isn't perfect, it's "better than the paellas at many other Spanish restaurants in New York." [NYT]
♦  The fro-yo wars are heating up: Both Pinkberry and Red Mango have hired branding firms to help define their places in the fro-yo market. [AdAge]
♦  The East Village nightclub Mr. Black has been shut down after failing to pay taxes. [VV via Gawker]

♦  Nightlife impresario Noah Tepperberg (left) says bottle sales at Marquee have slipped 10 percent this quarter.  [GS]
♦  Jean-Georges Vongerichten is paying $1.75 million to settle a lawsuit brought by waiters over skimmed tips at his restaurants. [Reuters]
♦  Todd English's Libertine opened inside Jason Pomeranc's Gild Hall hotel last night. [NYO]
♦  The city's best restaurants are in Hell's Kitchen; the best bars are in the East Village. At least that's what Time Out says. [TONY] 
♦  Now that Dessert Studio has closed, Will Goldfarb is planning a move to Bali. [NRN via GS]
♦  Armed robbers are targeting Starbucks locations. [NY1 via Eater]
♦  JE Englebert, the owner of Suzie Wong and Prime, may sue the developers of the Gramercy Starck building on East 23rd Street because he doesn't like the small emanating from the McDonald's on the ground floor. [NYP]