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Neighborhood Rezoning Hasn’t Brought Many New Restaurants; Olive Gardens Are Getting a Makeover

• Because of the costs associated with turning a retail space into a restaurant, the lifting of those zoning restrictions hasn’t resulted in many new restaurants in the Castro, the Haight, or Noe Valley. [WSJ]

• Did you know that St. George’s distillery in Alameda, where they make Hangar One vodka and that swell absinthe, has actually made eau de vie for decades? [Drink Me]

Aziza pastry chef Melissa Chou would be lost without her kitchen radio. [Scoop]

• The Chron visits Jodie’s, an “Albany hole-in-the-wall” with eight seats and great fried chicken. [Chron]

• More than half of all Olive Garden restaurants will get a “Tuscan farmhouse” makeover. Guess OG execs have been doing a little travel memoir reading! [NRN]

• The cookbook Diamond Dishes, coming out tomorrow, features recipes for A-Rod’s kale chips and other favorite manly dishes from baseball stars. [NYP]

• In Italy, delivery services exist to help mamas send homemade food to their grown children living far away. Could they send us some too, please? [WSJ]

• Gluten-free diets are having a moment, but at least one chef has admitted to lying to abstinent diners and serving them full-gluten starches. [Foodista]

Neighborhood Rezoning Hasn’t Brought Many New Restaurants; Olive Gardens