Banh Mi Sandwiches at Pret; New Chef at Hotel Griffou

GREENWICH VILLAGE— Grub Street reports that David Santos, most recently of the Five & Diamond, is the new chef at Hotel Griffou. Click through for the new menu. [GS]

CASTING CALLS— Want to be on MasterChef, the American Idol for the food world? The info for casting calls in New York is here. [EaterWire]

MIDTOWN— When a trend has really gone mainstream. Midtown Lunch brings word that Pret is now serving banh mi sandwiches. [ML]

'BUCKSWIRE— Every year, the holidays seem to start earlier and earlier, but Starbucks has decided that the start of the holiday season is November 2nd, apparently, as the coffee chain rolled out its holiday promotions today. For the uninitiated, this means the full range of Starbucks holiday lattes (Gingerbread, Eggnog, Peppermint, Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha, and Pumpkin Spice), and, of course, the red holiday to-go cups. Hooray holiday-themed environmental destruction! [Eater National]