• A homeless man was crushed to death by a sidewalk freight elevator outside of Japonais. [NYP]
• The town of Champagne is concerned after job cuts at bubbly company Piper & Charles Heidsieck. [Decanter]
• Japanese mixologist (and creator of the “hard shake”) Kazuo Uyeda is coming to New York to demonstrate his technique in a workshop for a cool $675. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
• In case The Cove got you wondering what whale tastes like, it’s “similar to reindeer or moose.” [Slate]
• A trailer for a soft-core porn version of Top Chef has hit YouTube. Painful to watch. [Eater National]