Grub Street

Not to be outdone by Rob Rhinehart's supra-nutritional slurry, someone's just gone ahead and flooded the market with its science-fiction namesake to see if there are any takers. Just as its actual shelf placement suggests, it seems that Soylent Green falls somewhere between canned corned beef and mackerel fillets packed in tomato sauce, popularity-wise.

Yesterday was possibly the last for the Mud Truck, the four-wheeled, 14-year-old East Village institution known for its strong coffee. The Mud Truck is being displaced by Astor Place construction, at least temporarily, but an employee says that while it's technically just a summer hiatus and they hope to have a new permit by fall, the truck is apparently "on its last legs," futuristic new silver paint job notwithstanding, so permanent retirement is also a possibility. You can still get a cup of Mud at its brick-and-mortar location and at Mudpark on Houston. [Gothamist]

"I'm a big believer that you go with your cravings," says Jane Pratt, the creator of xoJane, and the founding editor of Sassy and Jane. That explains the anything-goes approach she takes to her diet: She'll chase a Breslin lamb burger with Domino's pizza, get lobster delivered from Wolfgang's, and throw together duck-egg pancakes with xoJane contributor (and former Diet subject) Courtney Love, just to see how they turn out. To read all about this — and so much more — check out this week's Grub Street Diet.

Physicist turned wacky chef Manuel Linares has blown the internet's socks off with a color-changing ice cream made from "entirely natural ingredients." The invention was apparently his thesis for a master's degree he just picked up in the field of "Creating Artisan Ice Cream," issued by a Barcelona trade group called Asociación Empresarial Nacional de Elaboradores Artesanos y Comerciantes de Helados y Horchatas, which we're guessing is like the Ivy League of horchatas and ice cream.

This year's Center for Science in the Public Interest "Xtreme Eating Awards" names not one but three Cheesecake Factory dishes to its top nine list of the nation's most abominably calorie-laden chain menu items. The French Toast Napoleon's 2,900 calories are a solid 700 to 900 more than recommended for moderately active adults, and even a slice of the chocolate peanut-butter variety of the namesake cheesecake would require three and a half hours of aerobic exercise to eliminate. That's a lot of laps, but thrill-seekers can in fact do worse: An A.1. Peppercorn Burger, steak fries, and a Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake combo at Red Robin manages to amass 3,540 calories. [CSPI]

Anyone in Tokyo who is sick and tired of Pikachuburgers can now enjoy this Moogle angel-food cake at their very own Final Fantasy–themed restaurant. Eorzea is a joint venture between Pasela Resorts and Square Enix, the company that makes the video game, and it's apparently modeled around a locale called Carline Canopy from the current game, Final Fantasy XIV (yes, that many). The décor is part Aetherial Bladed Lantern Shields, part floating Moogles, one of whom must've lent its likeness for the dessert. No word on what the Texas toast with a pat of butter on mixed greens is doing there, but the menu offers the RPG's die-hard fans a unique chance to non-virtually savor cioppino-esque fish soup in thematic blue broth while sipping potion bottles through a sword straw. [Game Watch Impress, Related]

Word on the street is that Chat n' Chew, which opened 20 years ago opposite Union Square Cafe sporting old barn siding on its dining-room walls and a menu of things like chicken-fried steak, has closed for good. Chat 'n Chew was for years the self-proclaimed opposite of the more prevalent industry's "turn and burn" mantra, a place that deployed its "small town beanery" vibe to great effect in getting customers to stay a while or opt for a slice of Coca-Cola cake. The café was directly across East 16th Street from Danny Meyer's first restaurant, which will also close at the end of 2015 in advance of relocation. [Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, Related]