Alder's Greatest Hits Menu, UrbanSpace Vanderbilt Sneak Peek, and More a.m. Intel

— For the final month of service at Alder, Wylie Dufresne and his crew are serving both tasting menus and a la carte options in the dining room. A few months ago, the restaurant switched to only serving a prix fixe menu in the main dining room, but now you can get "greatest hits" like the pigs in a blanket, the pastrami pasta, and the French onion soup rings at a table or at the bar. Dufresne still hasn't commented on the reasons for the closure.

— Here's a look inside the UrbanSpace Vanderbilt market, which is slated to open at the end of the month or early September with kiosks from Ovenly, Amali, Red Hook Lobster Pound, and Mimi's Hummus. Daniel Delaney will debut a new fried chicken project he's been working on, and word on the street is that Roberta's will have some kind of presence here, although the team has yet to confirm or deny anything about it. It's located at 230 Park Avenue, near Grand Central Terminal:

[Photo: the Eater Tipline]

— A new team of restaurateurs is vying for the old Mission Chinese space at 154 Orchard St. Three principals — including Oda House co-owner Beka Peradze — are planning a new restaurant with a liquor license in that subterranean space and the one next door, although no word yet on what type of food it will serve. Danny Bowien extricated himself from that situation because of the pest problems caused, no doubt, by the construction of Soho House LES. It's a clunker of a space in more ways than one.

— East Village restaurateurs Shane Covey (Upstate) and Adam Elzer (Sauce, Frank, Lil Frankies) have applied for a liquor license for the East Sixth Street space that housed Gandhi until last week. The application filed with the CB3 does not indicate the type of food that will be served, but the plans show 14 tables, about 40 seats, and an eight-stool bar.

— A-Rod celebrated his 40th birthday at Rao's in East Harlem.

— Fraunces Tavern — the ancient Financial District bar where George Washington said farewell to his officers — is getting a $587,550 grant from the state to help repair damage to the building caused by Hurricane Sandy. The tavern was dark for 40 days after the storm because the floodwaters fried the electrical system.

— Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin had lunch at Joni's in East Hampton this week.

— Willie Jack Degel, the proprietor of the Uncle Jacks' Steakhouse chain, thinks that landlords aren't giving restaurateurs a fair shake right now. He concludes an op-ed in Crain's: "Manhattan real estate is like filet mignon. The real estate industry and government must be careful not to choke on it in their haste to devour money."

— Roland Emmerich — the director of Independence Day — has made a film about the Stonewall Inn riots. The movie tells the story of a fictional young man who moves to New York, becomes part of the queer community in the Village, and gets involved in the 1969 protests. Gothamist notes that the film was largely shot in Montreal, but you can't really tell from the trailer:

— Police and DWI task force members routinely make stops at Montauk hot spots The Crow's Nest, Ruschmeyer's, and The Surf Lodge to check on the noise. The Post reports that local authorities are trying to crackdown on the Manhattan tourists raising hell in the charming little town during the summer. East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell explains: "Longer term, I think the people of Montauk prefer to move away from the model of being a party town."

— Paulie Gee is opening a location of his hit pizzeria in Columbus, Ohio this fall. The new restaurant will be helmed by Terry Gibbs, who worked at the Brooklyn original for a year.

— This year's New York City Wine and Food Festival will feature panel talks with people like Danny Meyer, David Rockwell, and Martha Stewart. During this event, three people will get to pitch their ideas to the restaurateurs for feedback. You can submit your idea for the panelists on the NYCWFF website.

— And finally, diners at Old Homestead Steakhouse tried to send Danny DeVito lobster and Champagne during his meal there earlier this week, but the star politely declined. According to Page Six, he wolfed down "a 2 ½-pound porterhouse, creamed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes" during his dinner.