• Fake speakeasies, “one of the strangest exercises in nostalgia ever to grip the public,” remain wildly popular in New York. [NYT]
• Seven Park Slope restaurants were burgled (or suffered attempted break-ins) last week. [Brooklyn Paper]
• The Hold Steady appear in a print ad for Top Chef Masters, claiming they’re excited to watch the show on their tour bus. [Pitchfork]
• Webster Hall allegedly owes $600,000 to a variety of sources. [Down by the Hipster]
• The owner of a Long Island restaurant called Japonais is suing the owners of New York City’s Japonais, alleging that he came up with the name first. [Cityfile]
• A federal judge has blocked New York from collecting deposits on water bottles until at least next April. [Crain’s]
• After viewing the new cooking-school documentary Pressure Cooker, Eric Ripert told star Fatoumata Dembele “your omelettes are better than mine.” [NYP]
• Six outer-borough supermarkets must pay back wages to baggers after an investigation revealed they were paying only tips. [Crain’s]
• Elementi has filed for bankruptcy protection. [Crain’s]
• Sal of Sal’s & Carmine’s Pizza passed away last week. [Bronx Banter via Slice]
