Grub Street

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 decor 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]

One year ago, pretty much to the day, fabled Ludlow Street bar Max Fish closed its Parliament Lights-smoke-aged doors for good, a victim of ever-escalating rents. Owner Ulli Rimkus pledged to reopen in Williamsburg, but the bar's longtime proprietor seized an opportunity to rebuild the Fish on Orchard Street. Max Fish 2.0 opens Saturday, August 2, and will keep hours of 4 p.m. to 4 a.m., seven days a week. The cigarette-shaped light fixture that once hung outside near the awning is now enshrined safely inside, and Rimkus says the old, beat-up pool table will be back soon, along with a rotation of new artwork by locals. "I don’t want it to be a Max Fish museum," she says. [DNAinfo, Related]

Voluminous Columbus Avenue restaurant Corvo Bianco, which opened a year ago with an ambitious-looking menu and acclaimed chef Elizabeth Falkner in the kitchen, has had a run of bad luck. The reviews were resoundingly not great, and Falkner, who replaced the Michelin-starred Andrea Cobbe, left in February. Its next iteration, with ex-Scarpetta chef Chris Wyman, didn't seem to fare so well, either; the restaurant is now closed, ostensibly for maintenance, and Eater hears a "big-name chef" is currently in talks for a reboot with restaurateur Luis Gonzalez. [Eater NY, Related]

In a ruling issued yesterday, the National Labor Relations Board announced that McDonald's Corp. can be considered a "joint employer" alongside franchisees when it comes to resolving labor-practice disputes. The decision came as part of a closely watched case brought by workers fired for unionizing, and the unprecedented move stands to broaden a previous interpretation of when, exactly, companies including Burger King and Yum Brands — whose stores are nearly all franchisee owned and operated — will be required to address instances of labor violations and lawsuits related to wages and discrimination. The fast-food giant, perhaps unsurprisingly, is trying to keep that franchisee-franchisor Great Wall in place.