Photo courtesy of Bravo

According to an industry source, the Top Chef heartthrob, who has been packing the beau monde in all summer at Surf Lodge, is looking to open up an eatery in Chelsea. The move couldn't make more sense: Talbot needs to leverage his cheesy sex appeal and quasi-celebrity while it lasts, and Montauk in the winter isn't the place to do that. Of course, on the other hand, it's not like we have the business plan in hand either. But don’t be surprised to hear that Chelsea is going to get some some beefcake delivered soon, either. Whether the result will be as lucrative as Surf Lodge, though—that's another story.

This week we review Chelsea's Bar Baresco, yet another spot to hop on the wine bar bandwagon. No big surprises here, but that doesn't mean it's not worth a visit.

Hits: The gleaming high-tech cruvinet (a wine preservation system) behind the bar keeps uncorked bottles fresh, allowing by-the-glass drinkers an opportunity to explore higher-end wines without shelling out the extra cash for a bottle.

Misses: With less than expert advise like, "the older one is probably better," some of the waitstaff could use more wine training, the lack of which only compounds the difficulty of trying to navigate the menu's tiny font in the dimly lit room.

Read our full editorial review of Bar Baresco, then peruse other New & Notable bar reviews or check out our list of spots that are too new to review (but not too new to get you hammered).

If necessity is the mother of invention, then perhaps longevity is the mother of reinvention. Marc Meyer and Vicki Freeman's first attempt at resurrecting Soho's Provence didn't quite work out as planned. But the tenacious couple won't give up the spot just yet. It's now Hundred Acres, a farm-forward eatery much in the vein of their Cookshop and Five Points restaurants. At the unveiling last night, new design details were exposed, like the subway-tiled bar, potted herbs galore (pictured) and warm wood paneling. Passed snacks: potato and wild nettle croquettes; asparagus tempura (billed as "Long Island asparagus fries"); oysters with smoky cocktail sauce and cheddar-topped sliders. Oh, and my sluggishness today reminds me of the nice pinot poured.

The requester: A friend

The request: "It's my brother's birthday and the family wants to get together to celebrate. He's a vegetarian who doesn't consider pasta a good alternative; the restaurant needs to be good for groups as we'll be a party of 11; it needs to be good for kids, since we'll have 4, aged 1 to 13; it needs to be on the West Side since many will be coming in from New Jersey; and it needs to be a spot that can take us early, like 5:30, on a Sunday night."

The suggestions: The Chinese/pan-Asian menu at Buddakan is so huge that there will be something for everyone. There's an entire section devoted to tofu and vegetables, and the enormous space has plenty of tables and nooks comfortable for large groups. Landmarc in the Time Warner Center is also good for groups and they are known for catering to kids. They don't have the largest vegetarian choices but there are plenty of entree-sized salads and one of their signature dishes, goat cheese profiteroles, is vegetarian. Everyone will enjoy the Central Park views. If you're in the mood for Indian, Bombay Talkie in Chelsea has a communal table, vast veggie choices, and is stylish enough to feel celebratory. The kids might like the DIY barbecue at Village Korean Do Hwa, whose veggie selections include a great spicy kimchee and tofu stew. Finally, Meatpacking's Fig and Olive has a nice choice of sharable dishes, like crostini and carpaccio (including a delightful zucchini version), plenty of vegetarian options and a space that accommodates groups well.

Talk about twisting the knife--it was bad enough that Mexican-fusion favorite Bright Food Shop was replaced by Chipotle wannabe Qdoba, but now Bright Food's adjacent takeout spot Kitchen Market looks like it's becoming a Subway. Chelsea officially wins "the new Upper West Side" award this week.

And yet, as one chain goes up, it looks like a smaller, aspiring chain must go down. Union Square sausage spot Mandler's (which never quite took off as the franchise its website promised) has the ominous "closed for renovations" in its papered window. What, are they remodeling the mustard bar?

Move over, Daniel Boulud: Your $32 foie gras burger seems like paupers' cuisine now that Old Homestead has announced its $81 Kobe burger. For roughly the price of a meal at Momofuku Ko, diners get 14 ounces of ground Japanese Kobe wagyu with 4 ounces of "barely seared sirloin medallion tucked inside." And, yes, in case you were waffling, the tater tots are included.

(Photo courtesy of Old Homestead Steakhouse)

What are the chances of having homemade potato chips two nights in a row at restaurants as diverse as Mia Dona and Greenwich Steak & Burger Co.? Usually, I'd say slim to none, but spots all over town are suddenly feeling very, er, chipper these days. At Mia Dona, chef Michael Psilakis's pickled fingerling slivers are a wowing take on the salt n' vinegar variety. At GS&B, a cone filled with thick-cut parmesan-flavored spuds (pictured above) arrive in lieu of a bread basket. I'm also noticing that chips are up at new spots like Friedman's Deli, The Smith and Mama's Mudsliders. All I know is, with a selection like this, I'm laying off the Lays....

"Chop suey, chop suey! Good, bad, intelligent, mad and screwy." I never thought I'd be able to use lyrics from "Flower Drum Song" on this blog, but these pretty much sum up our critic's take on Zak Pellacio's new pan-Asian restaurant.

In more exciting news, we take a look at the relocated 2nd Avenue Deli (seen above), which prompts this choice intro from our critic, "Like Streisand on repeat, the 2nd Avenue Deli recalls an endless strain of the way we were." And, in a bonus for pastrami-lovers, we also have a brief look at Friedman's Deli, Chelsea Market's bid in the kosher competition. Get all the meaty details in the full list of the week's new and notable restaurants.

Friedman's Delicatessen has finally opened in Chelsea Market, a scant five months after I first posted about it (though just in time for a buzz-boost courtesy of 2nd Avenue Deli). As you can see from the photo, the look is micro-diner, while the kosher menu offers up a surprisingly robust selection for such a tiny space. In addition to the usual sandwich suspects--pastrami, corned beef, tongue--knishes, burgers, soups, "chicken in a pot" and stuffed cabbage are available. Prices align with the neighborhood, with a $12.95 soup and half-sandwich deal, and folks wanting a touch of Meatpacking swank can get their fix with the "up and coming" Highline sandwich (corned beef and tongue, $19.95). Me? I'll probably just stick to the $3.50 hot dog. Click through for the full menu.

Last night was the opening party for new Tre Dici Steak, the newcomer above Chelsea Italian restaurant Tre Dici. Expect a bit of buzz based simply on the fact that entry is (for now)  through an unmarked door to the side of Tre Dici, up an elevator, through an undistinguished hallway and then past one more unmarked door. That's, like, four levels of hidden restaurant cache. As you can see from the photo above, the space does achieve the New Orleans speakeasy the press materials promised, and as long as the lights stay low, it manages not to feel too cheesy. As for the food, well, once it came out, folks were clustering by the kitchen door to ransack platters. In addition to tender, grassy strips of steak on toothpicks, the highlight had to be softball-size slider, the juicy patties peppered with potent specks of garlic. Consider this file open for further investigation, and click through for a look at the bar.