Grub Street

The details are very thin at this stage, but Matthew Kaner, budding empire ruler/restaurateur, "magnetic" lover, and seller of wine at Covell, is planning a New York offset of his (and Dustin Lancaster's) beloved and quirky Hollywood wine bar**. Kaner tells us the location may be lower Manhattan, but he and his team are still trying to gain traction on the ground just to obtain the precious liquor license from the State Liquor Authority. Covell's famous for its abandonment of printed wine lists and bespoken wine ordering, so maybe that would work better in Brooklyn? No word on whether the East Coast location will also get an ornamental hanging moped.

American kids are still getting way too fat — and still in alarming numbers, too. But there is some promising news: They aren’t getting quite as tubby as they were a few years ago. The New York Times reports that between 2007 and 2011, the number of obese children dropped 5.5 percent in New York, 5 percent in Philadelphia, and 3 percent in Los Angeles. Researchers were so surprised by the drop in obesity rates that they first questioned the accuracy of the numbers. What’s more, they’re not sure what’s behind the downtick. But surely far-reaching and multifaceted efforts, like those in play in Philly to rid schools of sugary drinks and fatty foods while educating kids about portion sizes and exercise, appear to be helping. [NYT, Earlier]

Decorated with boomerangs and a didgeridoo, a new Aussie-by-way-of-Astoria restaurant called the Thirsty Koala is poised and ready to bring some Queensland to Queens, following its final preopening with the liquor authority this week. The Koala is the collaboration of three Astoria mates, the former FDNY chief Katherine Fuchs, a Greek-born bartender Alex Styponias, and Christine Chellos, a financial adviser from Australia.