Grub Street

Reps for the French chef announced this afternoon that later this year he'll open the second branch of his four-year-old, casual East Village restaurant DBGB Kitchen & Bar at the Venetian and Palazzo in Las Vegas. The bistro derives its name, but not much else, from New York's gone and lamented punk institution CBGB. There is little formal service and fewer white tablecloths, but there's an abundance of sausages, oysters, and a mind-boggling array of housemade charcuterie. (There are also baked Alaska and sundaes delivered by trolleys.)

Springfield from The Simpsons isn't actually in Florida, but a Springfield-themed park inspired by the show is coming this summer to Universal Studios Orlando. What this means for you food-wise is that a real-life Duff Brewery will open and suds will ship out next door to the bona fide Moe's Tavern, which is entirely likely to be much more well-lit and kid-friendly than its small-screen dive-bar counterpart. The Frying Dutchman, Krusty Burger, doughnut shop Lard Lad, a shop selling Bumblebee Man's “Tacos Freshos," and Luigi's Pizza will round out the fine food establishments. Eater spots Cletus' Chicken Shack and other food landmarks from the show's 24 seasons, which you can check out — Danny Elfman score and all — straight ahead.

If you follow restaurants in New York at all, you've seen or heard Maimon Kirschenbaum's name. It's synonymous with — some would say infamous for — a steady stream of wage-violation lawsuits brought against star chefs such as Mario Batali, Daniel Boulud, and Keith McNally (he's won settlements from all three), and he's targeted restaurants like Nobu, Philippe, and Le Bernardin. Depending on your point of view, he's either a modern-day Robin Hood, fighting for workers' rights in a business full of corruption, or an ambulance-chasing bully determined to put the city's restaurants out of business.

Ivan Orkin's return to New York has been met with a response you might call rapturous fanfare as people await the opening of his Ivan Ramen shop on Clinton Street, now scheduled for mid-July. ("Hopefully," Orkin says of the date. "We're going through the throes of the build-out.") Even still, he says his own heart is still in Japan: "I didn't leave because I didn't like it. I left because it was time to do a new project." And so, while he gets his New York project together, he still found some time this week to head to Tokyo with his new chef. The goal: "We're gonna eat like motherfuckers." To read all about sushi and intestine hot pots in Japan, a Mission Chinese feast in New York, and lots and lots of ice-cream cake, read on in this week's Grub Street Diet.