Jackie Chan and 15 Stunt Doubles Swarm Rice & Gold

Rice & Gold does a Jackie Chan double-take

Jackie Chan rolls deep: The action movie star took 15 stunt performers to chef Dale Talde’s new Chinatown restaurant Rice & Gold this week. The restaurant in Hotel 50 Bowery opened last month serving a pan-Asian menu with dim sum and shared plates like whole smoked branzino. Chan later returned to get pho soup to take on his private plan back to Miami, according to Talde.

Altro Paradiso begins brunch

Cafe Altro Paradiso, Ignacio Mattos and Thomas Carter’s follow-up to popular Estela, has become a sleeper hit with its approachable menu and space. Now, the West Village Italian restaurant is adding brunch to the rotation on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dishes include eggs alla’Amatriciana with pancetta and focaccia, savory egg pie, and chocolate hazelnut sticky buns.

Eleven Madison Park’s new uniforms are of course uber-trendy

Along with the newly renovated space at fine dining Eleven Madison Park comes a new look for the staff. Designer Todd Snyder created the uniforms, which have a lot of bells and whistles especially for this job. The fabric is a special stretchy wool that is stain- and water-resistant, as well as anti-smell. There are also pockets for a wine opener, a crumber, a notepad and pen, and a lighter.

Sweetgreen, Cava, and Maison Kayser expand

Three fast-casual restaurants have added new locations: Mediterranean spot Cava’s third store is now open at 50 Spring Street in Nolita; French bakery Maison Kayser has added a space at 1400 Broadway in Times Square; and seasonal salad chain Sweetgreen joins Greenwich Village at 101 University Place for its 19th NYC location.

The history and contributions of Le Cirque

In an obituary of sorts in the New Yorker, former Eater editor Helen Rosner details the legacy of Le Cirque, that rarefied French fine dining restaurant of yore, which will likely shutter on December 31. Rosner writes that of all its years, Le Cirque’s most important contribution to the culinary world is pasta alla primavera. It’s a fascinating tale of privilege and a fall back down to Earth, and it’s worth a full read.

Mission Chinese grows its own mushrooms

Look up above the bar at LES’s wonderfully wacky Mission Chinese to see a new addition: glowing blue mushrooms via indoor farming company Smallhold. The restaurant has installed a mini, indoor mushroom farm right into the restaurant to use in dishes like beef jerky fried rice.

A Volkswagen van cocktail pop-up

Former Angel Share’s bartender — and winner of the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition in 2016 — Gn Chan is plotting his own bar called Double Chicken Please. To prep, he’s popping up at various spots around NYC in his old VW van, with one tonight at Extra Fancy in Brooklyn (302 Metropolitan Avenue). It’s a three-course “cocktail experience” that can be reserved by emailing ggnchan@gmail.com.

Speaking of creative cocktails, are these the weirdest drinks in NYC?