Walden, Ramen Misoya, Brooklyn Taco Now Open

1) Lower East Side: The Times reports on some changes at the Essex Street Market: Heritage Foods USA is opening a shop in the old Jeffrey's Meat Market space. They'll serve fresh cuts of meat, sandwiches, and cured meats, including salamis made by Armandino Batali. Next door, a former Maialino staffer named Jesse Kramer has opened a small stand called Brooklyn Taco, serving Mexican food and Blue Bottle coffee. Status: Heritage Foods opening tomorrow, Brooklyn Taco now open; 120 Essex St., 212-539-1111.

2) Williamsburg: Zagat reports that a new restaurant called Walden, reported about earlier here, is soft open on Lorimer Street in Williamsburg. They sell bar snacks and small plates in a diminutive space that was recently home to restaurant Baba. Status: Soft open, official opening Thursday; 502 Lorimer St., 347-227-7133.

3) Gramercy: A restaurant called Three Hens will open on Lexington Ave. and 28th Street this Wednesday. According to a rep, owner Shiva Natarajan hopes to "reintroduce New Yorkers to the traditional American favorites they loved as children and reinvigorate it with a contemporary flair and gourmet edge, by adding new flavors and taste combinations." Everything will be healthy, local, sustainable, etc. Status: Opening Wednesday; 115 Lexington Ave at 28th St., 212-679-4713.

4) East Village: TONY reports that a new ramen shop Ramen Misoya is now open on 2nd Avenue. It's a spinoff of California based miso factory Misoya USA, and the focus here is on fermented soybean pastes, of which there are three varieties: "red miso with corn and potatoes, white with fried tofu, and dark with fried chicken and shrimp, all accompanied by thick, curvy noodles tailor-made for miso broths." Status: Certfified Open; 129 Second Ave., 212-677-4825