3-Alarm Fire Hits Upper East Side Diner

Three-alarm fire burns Upper East Side restaurant

A three-alarm fire broke out Friday night at Highlands Cafe, a diner on the Upper East Side. Initial reports identified the fire — which started on the first floor and spread to ducts and the second floor — as originating at Jacques Bistro, but the French restaurant posted to Instagram that the fire was next door. About 130 firefights flocked to the scene, and the fire was under control by midnight; two firefighters reportedly sustained minor injuries. Multiple calls to Highlands Cafe have gone unanswered.

Openings, closings, and coming attractions

Budding pizza chain Marinara Pizza will open a third location on the Upper West Side at 483 Amsterdam Ave., selling its cauliflower crust pizza and other Italian dishes. Mamo restaurant at 323 West Broadway has reopened after a fire this summer. But the East Village location of Ravagh Persian Grill on First Avenue has been closed recently, with a sign in the window saying it’s undergoing a renovation. In Park Slope, two new French bistros are on the way, Le Mistral at 332 Fifth Ave. and Le Succulent on Fifth Avenue between 1st and 2nd streets. Plus, there’s a new tavern at 75A Fifth Ave. called Lizzie King’s and a tropical cocktail bar called Shaka Shaka Tiki at 64 Sixth Ave. in Prospect Heights. But vegetarian Italian restaurant La Vellutata at 172 5th Ave. has closed.

New York attorney general finds lots of fish fraud

A report issued by the state attorney general has found “rampant” fish fraud in New York state supermarkets. In New York City, 43 percent of the fish sold was mislabeled — the highest level in the state. Typically wild salmon was actually farmed, while different fish is often sold as red snapper and lemon sole. AG Barbara Underwood is now trying to stop the mislabeling.

Area man finds pearl at Grand Central Oyster Bar

A guy eating at iconic restaurant Grand Central Oyster Bar reportedly found a pearl in his food. Rick Antosh was eating the pan roast when he found a pea-sized pearl in his mouth, which a jeweler tells the Post could be worth between $2,000 and $4,000. Executive chef Sandy Ingber said this is just the second time in his 28 years at the restaurant that a diner reported finding a pearl.