Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

• The week in reviews: The Times's temp critic Pete Wells hands out a single star to the Standard Grill (and some controversy follows); NY's Adam Platt has mixed things to say about "pre-recession throwback" SHO Shaun Hergatt; Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton takes a knife to the new Aureole; and TONY's Jay Cheshes bestows four out of five stars on Ryan Skeen and Allen & Delancey.
• The Jane is striking back at its very angry (very noise-averse) neighbors. [P6]
• Coming in 2010 (maybe): Chumley's, the Village landmark that closed a couple of years ago, is hoping to make a return. And Todd English is looking to open a hotel restaurant named Oliver Todd on Great Jones Street. [Eater, GS]
• How did Danny Meyer come up with Shake Shack? Allow him to explain. [BT]
• Wine prices are at all-time lows, in case you haven't heard. [Reuters]
• How are some chain restaurants luring in customers during these tough economic times? By offering up discounts on drinks, naturally. [WSJ]
• Did you know Sunday is International Pickle Day? Now you do! [Decider, BB]

• This week's reviews: Pete Wells of the Times slaps Michael Psilakis' Gus & Gabriel Gastropub with a zero-star review today ("The problem is that it fails to achieve even its low aims"); The New Yorker's Leo Carey comes to an entirely different conclusion; Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton hits Williamsburg to pay a visit to Brooklyn Bowl (with food by Blue Ribbon) and the Brooklyn Star; TONY's Jay Cheshes gives a "generic" Civetta two stars out of five; and NY's Adam Platt finds that "most things deliver" on Dan Silverman's menu at the Standard Grill.
• The Post's Steve Cuozzo is sick and tired of "menu sprawl," the practice of giving diners 478 things to choose from. Steve likes to keep it simple. [NYP] 
• A Q&A with Andrew Carmellini, chef and co-owner of Locanda Verde. [RG]
• NYC International Pickle Day is October 4th! Mark your calendar. [GS]
• Renee Zellweger and Jon Bon Jovi co-own a Mexican restaurant (East Hampton's Blue Parrot). With Jen Aniston now saying she would like to open a Mexican spot in Manhattan, that makes three, so it's officially a trend. [Eater]

• The Shake Shack expansion cannot be stopped. Late last week, word dropped that Danny Meyer's burger chain was planning to open seven locations in the Middle East and three new outposts in Manhattan; today comes word that the first of these three will be at the corner of Mulberry and Prince Streets.
• A Voce will soft open this evening in the Time Warner Center. Here's a peek inside. And here's an interview with chef Missy Robbins. [Eater, Zagat]
• This week's reviews: New York's Adam Platt gives one star apiece to DBGB and L'Entrecôte; Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton is very pleased with what he finds at the Standard Grill; TONY's Jay Cheshes visits Brooklyn's Prime Meats; the New Yorker's Shauna Lyon checks in on to Locanda Verde; and the Village Voice's Robert Sietsema finds the food at Joseph Leonard "often spectacular."
• The John Dory closed on August 29. Now the eatery's landlord has filed suit against Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich for $75,000 in unpaid rent. [NYDN]
• Josh Picard (Chinatown Brasserie, Lure, Locanda Verde) is taking over the old Cub Room space; meanwhile, Jason and Joe Denton of 'inoteca will be taking over the space formerly occupied by Frederick's Downtown. [Eater]More

• Today was Frank Bruni's last day as New York Times dining critic. In honor of the momentous occasion, Bruni shares some thoughts on, well, just about everything you've ever wondered during his five-year tenure. [NYT, NYT]
• Bruni-blitz, con't: Two more interviews with Bruni are online today, including the longest one you'll probably ever see, courtesy of Team Eater. [Eater, TFB]
• The "disastrous, wipeout summer" that many chefs and restaurant owners were fearfully predicting just a couple of months ago never really came to pass, Steve Cuozzo happily reports today in the New York Post. [NYP]
• Today in food reviews: The Daily News' Danyelle Freeman gives The Mott three stars out of five; Pete Wells of the Times pays a visit to SHO Shaun Hergatt; Time Out's Jay Cheshes hits the Standard Grill and has very good things to say; and Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton surveys the city's sandwich scene. 
• Corton's Paul Liebrandt may be widely respected chef. But to describe him as an unpleasant interview subject would be a huge understatement. [BlackBook] More

• Trouble is brewing for Cru on lower Fifth Avenue. The restaurant has been served up with eviction papers and it now appears to be closed. [Eater, GS]
• Los Feliz, a new taco/ceviche spot brought to you by the team behind Spitzer's Corner and the Dark Room, opens this Friday. [UD, BB]
• A few recommendations on where to eat at the U.S. Open. [NYM]
• Tien Ho, the man who will be running the show at the Momofuku in Midtown, details what's in store for the forthcoming Chambers Hotel outpost. [GS]
• The Standard Grill is serving lunch as of today. [Zagat]More

• In his next-to-last review for the Times, Frank Bruni upgrades Danny Meyer's Eleven Madison Park from three stars to four, making it Bruni's sixth four-star review in five years and making Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park's 32-year-old chef, an extraordinarily happy man, suffice it to say. [NYT]
• Related: Over on Diner's Journal, Bruni explains the big decision. [NYT/DJ]
• Other reviews this week: Time Out's Jay Cheshes gives Aureole four out of five stars; Restaurant Girl comes away from the Standard Grill very impressed; the Post's Steve Cuozzo is thrilled with the Standard Grill, too; and Bloomberg News's Ryan Sutton gives two stars out of four to SHO Shaun Hergatt.
• As rumored a few months back, the Sant Ambroeus team is taking over the former Lever House space and turning it into Casa Lever. [NYT]
• Todd English has signed on to oversee the kitchen at the Great Jones Hotel, a 13-story hotel that is currently under construction. [Eater] More

• Hell freezes over: Rocco DiSpirito says he's been in talks with restaurateur— and onetime enemy—Jeffrey Chodorow about opening a new restaurant. [GS]
• The Standard Grill started up breakfast service today. [TFB]
• New York isn't the only magazine with a "Cheap Eats" issue on newsstands this week. It seems Time Out New York has got one, too. [TONY]
• The latest urban food fight: fruit vendors are now squaring off. [NYT]
• It's Bastille Day! Here are a few places to go to celebrate. [GS]More

• Today in restaurant reviews: The Times' Frank Bruni gives one star to Bar Artisanal; Restaurant Girl hands out three to Brooklyn's Mesa Coyoacan; and the Post's Steve Cuozzo pays a visit to DBGB. [NYT, NYDN, NYP]
• A few impressions of Charlie Palmer's brand-new Aureole. [TFB, Zagat]
• A total of 27 restaurants closed their doors during the month of June. But 48 new ones opened, so clearly it's not all bad news. [Eater]
• Following a little snafu last night, Gus & Gabriel opens tonight. [GS]
• How do you snag a table at Minetta Tavern? Try passing a fat wad of cash to Keith McNally: "I never take gifts, ever. It's against my principle. I do take cash, however. And as much of it as I can get." (Yes, he's kidding.) [Eater] More

• Charlie Palmer's new Aureole at One Bryant Park will accept walk-ins beginning this Saturday and will officially open on Monday. [GS, Eater]
• Daniel Boulud's DBGB starts serving brunch this weekend. [Eater]
• Another day, another food truck: The La Cense Burger Truck in Midtown is now serving up "all-natural, grass-fed Angus steakburgers." [ML]
• The Standard Grill has set up its sidewalk café. [GS]
• A roundup of brunch recommendations courtesy of Time Out. [TONY]
• Healthy ice cream spots like Stogo and Golosi say business is up. [NYDN]
• The New York Botanical Garden will show you how to grow your own food beginning this weekend. Guess we're still in the middle of a recession. [NYT]

• Is Amy Sacco's Bungalow 8 about to broke? That's what some former staffers claim, who say they haven't been paid in weeks now. [Gawker]
• Ward III, a new "saloon" by the team involved with Macao, The Odeon, and Grace—and decorated with Wakiya cast-offs—opens on Friday. [Thrillist]
• A roundup of spots that have closed in recent days. [Eater]
• The feud between Mr. Chow and Philippe is heating up, it seems. [GS]
• Raines Law Room has opened a "clandestine garden," not that anything can be very clandestine when it appears on Vogue's website. [Vogue]
• Michael Huynh has another East Village Baoguette planned. [EVGrieve]
• Wolfgang Puck's latest, quasi-food related venture: He plans to take control of the top-level domain .food and then sell off the Internet addresses to chefs and restaurateurs. Sounds, uh, interesting. [WSJ/Speakeasy] More

• Ron Perelman's Blue Parrot in East Hampton is now open and serving guacamole and margaritas to Rachel Zoe and Martha Stewart. You'll have to leave your Blackberry at home, though, since texting is banned. [GS] 
• La Goulue has been issued a reprieve and will stay open till August. [NYO]
• A roundup of restaurants that just opened, or will be open soon. [Eater]
• Marea just opened, but chef Michael White is already talking expansion. [IC]
• The Setai Club, the "new member's only social club for the Wall Street set," is now accepting membership applications. For $5,000 a year, you'll have a spot for "midday martini-tinged dealmaking," as if that happens anymore. [UD]
• Just in time for your 4th of July barbeque: Danny Meyer gobbles down a bunch of supermarket hot-dogs and picks the winners and losers. [NYM]
• The fast food chain Sonic has arrived. Well, it's arrived in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, but that's about as close as it's going to get for now. [NYP] More

• A month shy of its 15th anniversary, The Cub Room in Soho has closed. [GS]
• A roundup of restaurants that have opened in the past couple of days. [Eater]
• A few more details about the Standard Grill at the Standard Hotel, which will open for dinner next Monday and breakfast/lunch the week after. [GS]
• The cost of food—both at home and in restaurants—is up, so you know. [NYT]
• One more way restaurants are saving money in these lean times: They're hiring fewer servers so that "no one's being paid to just stand around." [NYT]
• One more silly eating competition coming to Coney Island soon: a bunch of human beings will square off against a bunch of elephants on July 3. [BP]

• The Grill at the Standard hotel is in friends-and-family mode at the moment. (It should be open to the public sometime next week.) In the meantime, though, you'll be pleased to hear (and see—left) that some serious bartender training is currently underway. [HotelChatter, Flickr]
• New York's very first spot for 24-hour-a-day pho is coming soon. [GS]
• Chocolate mousse is popping up all over town, according to Kate Krader. Exhibits 1-4: Monkey Bar, Minetta Tavern, Bar Artisanal, and Kefi. [F&W]
• Another list of downturn-friendly bars offering free food with drinks. [NYT]
• Good news for strip club fans: Drink prices, cover charges are down. [WSJ]
• Some breaking news from Tuesday evening's screening of Food, Inc.: Rocco DiSpirito says he's been known to occasionally eat a Cinnabon or two. [NYDN]More

• Danny Meyer's latest outpost, the concession stand in Central Park called Public Fare, officially opens its takeout window tomorrow. [Eater, GS]
• The paper is off the windows at the Standard Grill, the new resto inside Andre Balazs's Standard hotel. Grub Street snapped some pics through the glass. [GS]
• Geoffrey Zakarian has had some trouble as of late, but he has two projects to look forward to: Lamb's Club at Vikram Chatwal's hotel on East 44th, which opens in September (with a bar by David Rabin and Will Regen); and he's also taking over The Emery Bar at The Benjamin hotel next year. [Crain's]
• A sneak peek at Charlie Palmer's new Aureole at One Bryant Park. [Eater]More

• The bistro inside Andre Balazs's Standard Hotel will be called the Standard Grill and will probably open its doors "in the next couple of weeks." [Eater]
• A Q&A with Michael Psilakis of Anthos and Kefi fame. [RG]
• Frank Bruni checks in on Sue Torres's Mexican spot Sueños. [NYT]
• Eight bars that provide free food along with the drinks. [TONY]
• For $105, Morimoto will provide you with sushi and sake "while cruising New York Harbor on an 80-foot schooner." Sounds like a blast. [GS]
• Everything you were told about eating healthy was probably wrong. [NYDN]
• Don't forget that tomorrow is National Donut Day! Both Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme have specials in honor of the grand occasion, naturally. [ML]