Brooks Brothers Steakhouse; Boulud & Bottura at Identità

MIDTOWN — Steve Cuozzo reports that Brooks Brothers is opening a large steakhouse at 11 E. 44th St. The new restaurant will be called Makers and Merchants, and a spokesperson says that the company is "looking at summer 2014" for the opening. It sounds like this could be the first location of a potential high-end franchise. [NYP]

PHOTO INTERLUDE — Actor Jean Reno joined hospitality titans Drew Nieporent, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Daniel Boulud for lunch today at Michel Richard's forthcoming restaurant Villard Michel Richard. Mr. Richard has been hosting a lot of his famous friends for preview dinners in anticipation of the restaurant's opening later this month. [EaterWire]

FLATIRON — Speaking of Daniel Boulud, D-Biggity and Massimo Bottura hosted an egg-themed demonstration over the weekend at Eataly as a part of the Identità New York event. Mario Batali joined the demonstration, at one point. Eater National rounds up the best quotes from the event. [Eater National]

NEW JERSEY — Former Chanterelle chef David Waltuck will create the menu for a new restaurant inside the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The restaurant will be called Victory Sports Bar & Nightclub and it's slated to open in November. The racetrack will also have a barbecue restaurant from Texas pitmaster Mike Rodriguez.
[NYP]