• A scandal has erupted in the world of wine after revelations that writers for influential newsletter Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate have been traveling on the dollar of wine-industry groups. [WSJ]
• 49 percent of respondents to a recent poll said they’ve stopped dining out. [NY1]
• Alison McDaniel, the woman who is suing Southern Hospitality for sexual harassment, alleges that she was accosted in her apartment by an intruder who told her “You better watch your back.” [NYP]
• At 80, Elaine Kaufman, owner of Elaine’s, is still going strong. [VF]
• A 73-year-old man who has bartended at the Stadium Club in Yankee Stadium for 27 years is suing the team after being fired because of what he alleges to be age discrimination. [NYP]
• After trace amounts of cocaine were found in Red Bull Cola, six German states have stopped selling the energy drink. [NYP]
• Organic farms are newly popular as internship opportunities. [NYT]
• Danny Meyer on the future of fine dining: “I don’t think there’s going to be sustainable demand for restaurants that force you to spend hours there. Long tasting menus will continue to be elected by some but cannot be legislated by the restaurant.” [WSJ]
• New York likely has the nation’s highest concentration of live-animal markets where customers can choose the animal that they want to have slaughtered. [NYT]
• Liquid smoke is popping up on cocktail menus across the country, including Elettaria’s. [Gourmet]
• A new study shows a strong association between childhood obesity and food allergies. [NYT]
• A former Cipriani chef is suing the company for unpaid overtime. [NYP]
• A man who has made it his goal to visit every Starbucks in the world is having a hard time, as outlets keep closing. [WSJ]
