Japonica's Triumphant Return; April Bloomfield's Origin Story

GREENWICH VILLAGE —  Less than three months after closing, Japonica — one of the city's very first sushi restaurants — is now back in business a few doors down at 90 University Pl.  As you may recall, all the businesses in this building were forced to close because the structure is being torn down to make way for condos. In a bizarre twist, this is actually the space that the restaurant originally inhabited when it opened back in 1978. [EaterWire]

ORIGIN STORIES — In a new video for T Magazine, The Spotted Pig's April Bloomfield talks about growing up in England, how she wanted to join the police force, and how she got into cooking. The vid includes a fun picture of Ms. Bloomfield as a young chef. [T Magazine]

NOHO — Starting tomorrow night, Eli Sussman will serve family-style Middle Eastern dinners from Tuesday through Saturday at Mile End on Bond Street. The $40 per person menu will include things like homemade pita, hummus, seared cauliflower, grilled merguez, and schwarma-spiced chicken. The regular menu will also be available. Mile End is accepting reservations over the phone and on OpenTable, but they are not required. [EaterWire]