Caracas Arepa Bar Returns, Prosperity Dumpling's Alley Kitchen, and More Intel

— The East Village location of Caracas Arepa Bar is back in business after an 18-day hiatus due to issues related to its gas line. Workers called Con-Ed after reporting a "strong smell of gas" on August 8, and the problem was resolved a few days later. The manager claims that the reopening was delayed because the company she hired to fix the gas, Roto-Rooter, waited a week to file the necessary paperwork.

— The bad news is that the workers from Eldridge Street classic Prosperity Dumpling use a back alley as a prep kitchen where rats roam freely. But the good news is that, according to the photo obtained by Gothamist...the workers are at least wearing hats and the workspace looks pretty clean and organized? Owner Dong Xiazhu tells Gothamist: "We're a very small shop, we're a very clean shop, we can watch over everything. And we wash our hands, of course...I've been doing this for 9 to 10 years, how could I not know [the rules]? I've always gotten an 'A' rating." Indeed, the restaurant currently holds an A-grade from the DOH...but for how long?

— Coldplay singer Chris Martin had a date with Peaky Blinders actress Annabelle Wallis at Lucali last week.

— The owners of two-year-old Greenwich Village wine bar Virgola are planning a new location of the restaurant at 111 East Seventh St. The restaurant will be three times the size of the original. It's slated to open in November.

— Here is your daily dose of inspiration from Gabe Stulman, a restaurateur who has made some big changes across his collection of West Village cafes and bistros recently:

Don't be afraid of failure. Have an idea, and have conviction, and try it. But also don't be stupid and not notice when your idea is failing. God willing, it works. But if it doesn't, be smart enough to notice that you need to pivot and make changes. It doesn't make you a failure because you changed something that wasn't working.

The other thing I would say is to share: Share your success, share creativity. It took a lot of people to get us where we are. If I keep it all, it suggests that I was the only reason, and I know damn well I wasn't.

— A 300-seat beer hall is coming to 114 Lawrence St. in Downtown Brooklyn. The proposal shows that Fulton Beer Hall will have 49 indoor tables and some outdoor seating, and a food menu that will include pretzels, wood-fired pizzas, chicken, salads, and steak.

— At neo-hippy delicatessen Harry & Ida's, the menu includes a sandwich made with freshly slaughtered eels. Chef/proprietor Will Horowitz tells the Times: "It’s been a learning process...The way my grandfather used to do it was pretty violent. Try to fillet something that’s got the skin of a Goodyear tire wrapped around your arm."

— To drum up excitement for its impending opening in Hearld Square, Chick-Fil-A handed out over six thousand fried chicken sandwiches near Madison Square Garden earlier this week.

— And finally, here's how to make stock like Charles Phan, the chef of San Francisco's celebrated Slanted Door: