Chelsea: Appellation Wine & Spirits is hosting a summer-solstice wine tasting tonight, with help from Chelsea Market’s Green Table restaurant, who’ll provide the “duck rillettes on house-made blue-corn crackers, organic fresh crudités with seasonal dips, [and] cheese and grilled bread.” [Strong Buzz]
Cobble Hill: The pop of the owner of Sam’s Restaurant, at 238 Court Street, talks about pizza-making in this video about some of the neighborhood’s old-school spots. [Slice]
East Village: Mercadito Cantina is opening on Monday at 172 Avenue B with a taco-centric menu that lets you make your own and pay by the kilo, plus specialty cocktails. [Grub Street]
Midtown West: To tenderize octopus for Kellari Taverna owner Gregory Zapantis’s grilled recipe (which seems to be missing the grilling step), you should place it “in a washing machine, putting it through one cycle. Five octopuses can be done at one time in the machine.” Who knew? [Restaurant Girl]
Tribeca: A potential diner is taking issue with Matsugen for not being able to hold his 11 p.m. reservation, even though the receptionist explained that “at that point [11 p.m.], it’s going to be really awkward — you’ll be the only people in the restaurant.” [Eater]
Upper West Side: Eighty One has created a special summer prix fixe that’s only $42, for two courses. [Zagat Buzz]
