— Hillary Clinton stopped by Jackson Diner in Jackson Heights yesterday for lunch. Her to-go order included tandoori chicken, goat curry, and bhindi aloo from the buffet.
— Seattle-based coffee company Caffe Vita is moving into part of the space in the Hotel on Rivington that previously housed Co-Op Food & Beverage, among many other failed restaurants.
— A location of popular shaved ice shop Snowdays is going to open on the same Forest Hills block as the new Shake Shack later this year.
— Last summer, Smorgasburg's organizers brought a handful of vendors to shipping containers at Coney Island, including Red Hook Lobster Pound and Bon Chovie. But this year, Smorgasburg will not have a presence at Coney Island. Co-founder Eric Demby tells local blog Amusing the Zillion: "Not this year for us." Landlord Thor Equities is apparently close to signing a contract with another food vendor for the summer.
— In other seasonal dining news, nine vendors will be returning to The High Line for the spring/summer months: Terroir, Blue Bottle, L'Arte Del Gelato, La Newyorkina, Melt Bakery, People's Pops, La Sonrisa Empanadas, Brooklyn Soda Works, and The Taco Truck. The vendors will return for the season on April 23.
— A new location of Philly's hit third wave coffee company La Colombe is coming to the corner of Sixth Avenue and 40th Street in Midtown. Signage went up last week (see above).
— Last week an employee at The Bean on Second Avenue asked a senior citizen who was sitting on one of the cafe's benches to leave unless he bought something. The man argued that he had a respiratory illness and frequently paused on the bench without any hassle. The Bean's owner, Ike Ezcava, vehemently apologized for the incident, telling EV Grieve: "We consider ourselves to be part of the East Village community and hope that people realize that even people with the best of intentions can make a mistake, as we did in this situation."
— Mariella Pizza in Gramercy recently closed after 37 years in business. The restaurant originally shuttered because of a gas leak, but it never reopened. The owners auctioned off the restaurant's equipment over the weekend.
— A new 160-seat Italian restaurant/lounge called Oro is slated to open at the end of the month at 41-17 Crescent St., in Long Island City.
— Ravi DeRossi is hosting a launch event for his non-profit BEAST at Mother of Pearl on Thursday, April 14. $300 tickets include a seven-course vegan feast, plus admission to an after party at Ciengfuegos. All proceeds will benefit the Sea Shepherd Conservatory. Tickets are available here.
— A health inspector temporarily shut down Yorkville's Genesis Bar & Restaurant last week after finding evidence of mice, and inadequate sink space. The restaurant fixed the problems and was given the okay to reopen yesterday.
— And finally, here's a look at how Red Hook Lobster Pound's signature dish is made: