NYPD Chiefs Get Busted for Steak Dinners, a New Chef Enters the Kitchen at Ganso Yaki, and More Intel

— Two NYPD chiefs and one retired chief had to pay $1,500 fines for accepting lavish steak dinners from former Queens Library boss Thomas Galante. The Daily News reports that Galante, who lost his job after charging excessive personal expenses to the library, entertained the police chiefs on separate occasions at Quality Meats, Christo’s Steakhouse, Wolfgang’s, and San Pietro. City employees are not allowed to accept gifts larger than $49 from people who have business relationships with the city, so the police chiefs had to pay for their mistakes.

— Harris Salat’s Downtown Brooklyn izakaya Ganso Yaki has a new chef: Rick Horiike. A veteran of Morimoto and Nobu, Horiike has added a few wafu pasta dishes to the menu, as well as grilled steak, roasted chicken, and marinated pork spare ribs. Popular dishes like okonomiyaki and fried chicken are still available, and Ganso Yaki also serves a few sushi items from its next-door sister establishment, Sushi Ganso.

— The number of hot dog vendors in front of The Met ballooned to about 20 to 25 per day after some renovations to the plaza in front of the museum. But at an event this week, the museum’s CEO Thomas Campbell explained: "Now there’s a limitation on the number and there’s eight at the corners of the blocks, and it’s much more manageable. We’ve got a good, happy medium."

— Aside from a few dishes that miss the mark, Tables for Two’s Jianyang Fan likes the eclectic vegan fare at Ladybird near Astor Place: "The olives and cornichons—perfectly pert, coated in seasoned rice flour and gently fried in chili oil—proved to be the kind of addictive nibblers that make you forget the etiquette of communal dining. The cauliflower, nestled in a bed of robust chive pesto, lemon ricotta, and chia, was both flavorful and masterfully subtle. Charred eggplant, topped with feta and apricot-jalapeño jam, had the zestiness of Sichuan-style eggplant without a slick of grease."

— Tonight, the nightlife hot shots at EMM Group will open an outpost of their perennially popular MePa clubstaurant Catch in Los Angeles.

— The opening of the new location of Tompkins Square Bagels at 184 Second Ave is delayed because of an electrical issue in the building. Now Christopher Pugliese is hoping to get the bakery open by October 15.

— Superstar Olympian Usain Bolt partied at Tao Downtown this week.

— Rego Park is getting its first Chipotle.

— The people behind Gordo’s Cantina, a pop-up taqueria that has appeared at local street fairs, are planning to open a permanent location of the restaurant at 24-11 Queens Plaza in Long Island City next week. Gordo’s will specialize in the food of Central Mexico, and the tacos will feature hand-made tortillas.

— The corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues was just co-named for Nathan and Ida Handwerker, the original proprietors of Nathan's.

— A "for rent" sign went up in the window of D’Auito’s bakery on Eighth Avenue near 30th Street. The shop, which peddled Baby Watson’s cheesecake for decades, has been dark since 2013. Jeremiah Moss writes: "Once someone takes the lease, we'll have to say goodbye to that glorious storefront design, with it colorful cheesecakes and naked baby, and the antique neon, too."

— And finally, here’s a look at Hill Country’s dry-aged barbecue: