Chang Tweaks the Acoustics at Nishi, The Return of Maria’s Mont Blanc, and More Intel

— Swiss old-timer Maria’s Mont Blanc is getting a second lease on life. After a long battle with the landlord, the owners of the Hell’s Kitchen restaurant were forced to close the dining room at 315 West 48th Street last May. But now DNAinfo reports that a manager of the 35-year-old restaurant is planning to reopen Maria’s Mont Blanc at  344 West 52nd Street, in the space that previously housed a sushi place called Bamboo 52. The new version will be called Mont Blanc 52. No word yet on when it will open.

— Tribeca restaurateur Matt Abramcyk (Tiny’s, Smith & Mills) is gearing up to open a new restaurant in the old Ivy’s Bistro space at 385 Greenwich Street. It’s called Yves, and Tribeca Citizen hears that it could open as early as this weekend.

— Several critics, including Eater’s Ryan Sutton, complained about the noise at David Chang’s most unusual restaurant, Nishi. This week, Chang announced that he made some upgrades:

Nishi fanatics will note that the walls in the front portion of the space are now green as opposed to white.

— Josh Capon just got his first batch of white truffles for the season. He’s shaving them over a burger at Burger & Barrel and over roasted filet mignon at Bowery Meat Company.

— A new team of restaurateurs is vying for a liquor license in the Second Avenue space that was home to The Cock for many years until it moved to the old Lit Lounge address. The application for 29 Second Ave indicates that the crew wants to open a restaurant that will serve specialty sandwiches and drinks from the early afternoon through 4 a.m. daily.

— Desert Trip — AKA baby boomer Coachella — kicks off in Indio, California tomorrow night with food from a number of big NYC players, including The Nomad, Pok Pok, Roberta’s, and Marcus Samuelsson. Eater LA has a look at all the food options out in the desert.

— Ligaya Mishan is slightly disappointed by the Indian-Chinese food at The Chinese Club in Williamsburg: "One menu item comes with the warning — or enticement — 'Not what you think.' This could apply to almost every dish, like mapo paneer, which bears no kinship to its Sichuan counterpart despite the ostensible presence of fermented black beans and Sichuan peppercorn. (Still, paneer is a worthy rival to tofu, giving as much flavor as it takes.)"

— After a brief closure for renovations, the IHOP on 14th Street is back in action. The bright blue awning was re-installed on the front of the building earlier this week.

— Tock, the reservation platform from Chicago restaurateur Nick Kokonas, just raised $7.5 million from a slew of high-profile investors, including Andrew Zimmern and EMP’s Daniel Humm and Will Guidara.

— Marian Bull praises the egg dishes at Alex Raij and Eder Montero’s Tekoa in Cobble Hill: "The egg-in-a-hole packs its protein into the middle of a triangular, Hot Pocket–esque spinach pie. Then there's the Turkish breakfast, served on a sectioned-off tray, school-lunch style, to present: a soft-boiled egg; olives; sliced tomatoes and cucumbers; tangy-firm manouri cheese; pickled guindilla peppers; a swoosh of sumac-dusted yogurt; and house-made simit. "

— And finally, here’s a look at the giant soup dumpling that’s being served at Drunken Dumpling in the East Village right now: