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— Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten sat down for a chat with Eater.com yesterday, and shared this tidbit about the success of breakfast at his new all-vegetable restaurant abcV: “In America, breakfast is always too sweet, too heavy, too much bacon. We wanted to create much more savory recipes. When I was in Asia, I tried congee, dosa, and these things blew my mind. So we decided to offer something really new. For a little time, we thought nobody would come or [we thought people] would at least ask: ‘Where is my bacon?’ But it worked. We have 60 seats and serve more than 150 breakfasts a day.”
— Mexico City-born Contra and Wildair chef-owner Fabian von Hauske got real on immigration with Eater Upsell this week, saying, “It’s just kind of weird to have that idea that you might have to leave or you might have to go back or something.” Von Hauske is awaiting a green card and is not currently under threat, but the topic has been large on his mind since the election. Check out the full interview here.
— East Village pizzeria Bruno is turning lunch fast casual, and has even come up with a new name for the service: yopizzy! The idea is to test new ingredients for dinner service, which means the more experimental the topping, the less money it is. The organic, wood-oven pizzas are completely customizable, from sauce on up. Lunch has been pretty empty in recent weeks, so this may be a move to help save the daytime operation.
— The Pickle Guys on the Lower East Side are one step closer to opening their fried pickle restaurant. Last week marked the grand opening of their new retail shop at 357 Grand Street, and they have officially settled on the name Frickle for the restaurant side. Look out for a mid-July debut.
— Flo Fab has the details on the latest doughnut iteration, the doughflower from Doughnut Plant. It’s exactly what it sounds like: A doughnut in the shape of a rose for $5 each.
— The nightclub space formerly known as Pacha may grind again, this time as FREQ, if the owner of Space Ibiza New York has his way. Antonio Piacquadio has applied for a full liquor license until 4 a.m. daily at 618 West 46th Street, with a limited menu of dishes like poutine and a burger.
— Lower East Side art bar Sensei is on the move, down one floor to street level at 135-137 Eldridge Street. The space is already built out, and owner Joseph Latimore is seeking Community Board 3 approval.
— Though no concepts have been announced, Bronx developers are looking to “bring more dining diversity to the neighborhood” via a former railway station at Hunts Point. Potential ideas include a food hall or “a hip, affordable dining spot,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
— Häagen-Dazs’ annual Free Cone Day is back. Score a free scoop of ice cream or sobet in a cup or cone today from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at any participating location.
— Finally, just let yourself zone out on this 45-second video of pastry magic: