Williamsburg Pizza Champion, TipsForJesus Hits Manhattan, And More Intel

— Is Italian restaurant chain Serafina eyeing a new location in the Lower East Side? The restaurant applied for a liquor license at 98 Rivington St., but it was taken off the agenda for next month without a reason.

— Tribeca dive bar Raccoon Lodge has continued to serve drinks despite its fate for closure. It was supposed to close in January so that the building could get demolished for condos, but the bar managed to stay open long enough to celebrate a 34th anniversary. A final closing is now more imminent.

— Bluestone Lane Coffee is opening its Astor Place location next week.

— Williamsburg Pizza owner Nino Coniglio won big at the International Pizza Expo competitions this month. The pizza maker, who has locations in Williamsburg and the Lower East Side, took home the 2016 Pizza Maker of the Year Champion award. Other local winners include Andrew Scudera from Goodfella's in Staten Island, who won first in the Northeast region and third place overall in the non-traditional pizza division finals, and Gazmir Zeneli of Rossopomodoro in Brooklyn, who won second place in the pizza Napoletana division. Here's a video of Coniglio making pie:

— Mysterious megatipping group TipsForJesus hit La Pecora Bianca in Nomad last night. According to the group's Instagram, they left an $1,000 tip on a $1,100 bill for a waitress at the casual Italian restaurant. The anonymous group has been leaving big tips on bills since 2013 and last left a $5,000 tip in Arizona shortly before Christmas.

— Bâtard is launching no-corkage fee Mondays next week, a throwback to shuttered restaurant Montrachet. At Montrachet, Monday "was a truly special evening," when wine lovers would bring in unique bottles and talk to fellow diners and the restaurant about wine, Bâtard's John Winterman tells Eater. Bâtard's version will be a "bring one, buy one," where every bottle purchased at the restaurant allows you to bring in one of your own without paying a $50 corkage fee.

— Bushwick's new movie theater and restaurant Syndicated is debuting brunch this weekend with free screenings of "Marie Antoinette," Sofia Coppola's 2006 film starring Kirsten Dunst. The showings will be at 12:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Brunch options include $11 bottles of Wolffer Dry Rose Cider, sourdough pancakes, and a breakfast sandwich with housemade sausage on a pretzel croissant.

— Grand Central's free samples on Mondays starts again in April. Vendors like Murray's Cheese, Jacques Torres, and Juice Press will be offering free tastes in Vanderbilt Hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for the Taste of the Terminal next month. See a full schedule here.

— And finally, here's how Wylie Dufresne makes custardy eggs benedict: