• So much for double-dip recession and waning consumer confidence: Philly will see as many as 60 new restaurants open between now and the end of the year. [Inquirer]
• Ocean City, NJ’s Committee of Petitioners for the proposed BYOB initiative there unanimously voted yesterday to withdraw the petition. [NBC Philadelphia]
• This might make you wish you were covered in tomatoes: See some amazing photos from Spain’s annual Tomatina festival. [Big Picture/Boston Globe]
• Time’s list of the best 100 nonfiction books includes a few foodie reads, including Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The Omnivore’s Dilemma. [Time]
• Numbers are showing July as a bad month for restaurants, mainly owing to a pessimistic outlook on the economy. [NRN]
• A CDC study shows that half of all Americans drink at least one sugary beverage daily; another study suggest 50 percent of the country will be obese by 2030. Coincidence? [NYDN, NYDN]
• From Yelp (yep) to Wine.com, behold the “best iPhone apps for foodies.” [Time]
• The Cheesecake Factory is all about “feeding the common man.” Explains a lot. [ABC News]