Grub Street

Pete Wells gives the three-month-old West Village restaurant Sushi Nakazawa four stars, the highest New York Times rating possible. Referencing the work of acclaimed chef Jiro Ono, Nakazawa's one-time teacher, Wells praises the ten-seat sushi counter's minimal and masterful approach to fish like fatty tuna, hay-smoked skipjack, and ultrarich mackerel. "Welcome to New York, Mr. Nakazawa," he concludes, echoing the praise heaped on the place by New York's Adam Platt. [NYT, Related]

In a new feature, Rolling Stone takes a very close look at animal cruelty on factory farms. As it covers the billions of animals raised and slaughtered each year for the sake of meat and dairy put on sale everywhere from supermarket shelves to fine-dining restaurants, the piece is worth as much time as you can give it today. Chickens, cows, pigs; they're all here, and there's suffering involved. To make matters worse, Paul Solotaroff writes, the widespread reach of "Ag-Gag" laws — which seek to inhibit the work of whistle-blowers and activists — are now making the American way of meat much less transparent, against all odds.

Brice Jones, Brad Gallagher, and Juan Carlos Vasquez believe in the overlap between work and downtime. Den, their immense new project at South 3rd Street and Kent Avenue, directly opposite the former Domino Sugar factory lot, is designed to demonstrate that concept. “It’s really about the work during the day, and then play at night,” says Jones. “It’s that transition.”

Bidding on eBay starts at $1,000 for these very, very limited-edition, custom-engraved sneakers, but they're also available for a Buy It Now price of $5,000, or roughly the cost of 333.33 pastrami sandwiches at Katz's Delicatessen. (Shipping is free.) On the plus side, these Nikes come packed in a handmade wooden box etched with the Katz's logo and façade, and you even get an iPod nano preloaded with the When Harry Met Sally soundtrack. Because there's no better way to commemorate nabbing a pair of $5,000 shoes than listening to Harry Connick Jr.'s version of "Winter Wonderland" while strutting across Houston Street. [Bedford + Bowery]

Up until now, the (sort of literal) bread and butter of Crown Heights restaurant Glady's, which opened in April and is named for owner Michael Jacober's paternal grandmother, has been its sandwiches. There's the corned beef Bubie, the dry-aged burger with melted Tilsit, and more. Now Jacober has two major developments in the works: First, he's signed a lease on the space next door, which he'll devote to the very first brick-and-mortar outpost of Morris Grilled Cheese, his other endeavor. Come next spring, expect a takeout spot featuring some of Morris's staples, as well as some dishes from Glady's favorites, including prepared foods and ice cream.

Is the Writing Room, which is scheduled to open next week on the Upper East Side in the old Elaine's spot, fated to be forever known as the restaurant that's not Elaine's? The New York Times set out to get the answer, beginning with the place's new owners, Michael and Susy Glick, who were at one time regulars at the storied and much-lamented restaurant. The legacy of Elaine Kaufman, who died in 2010, happily and predictably proved to be too big for the Glicks to shut out, so expect loads of photos depicting Elaine's heyday on the walls — though plenty of other changes are afoot.