We heard through the grapevine that the boiler at Tom Valenti's new UWS project West Branch is busted, delaying the restaurant's opening and causing Valenti to let his staff go. The same boiler was to be used by the new Fatty Crab, meaning Zak Pelaccio's restaurant might be experiencing similar setbacks. Calls to Valenti's other restaurant, Ouest, and the On the Ave Hotel (where both restaurants are located) failed to get confirmation from Mr. Valenti himself, so don't set this bit of gossip in stone. Still, this is potentially devastating news for Upper West Siders looking forward to one of the neighborhood's hottest fall openings.

UPDATE (3:29pm): A commentor who identifies himself as Tom Valenti says:

"Hello, all....we're still here! The boiler is new, as is Fatty Crabs (two separate units)...inspection was what we were delayed by. Our secondary staffing was set on hold as we were awaiting the boiler inspection. Now that we've been given the green light,we're hoping to feed you all very soon."

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.

It's that time of year again--time for you to help us choose New York's best restaurants in more than 20 different categories like outdoor dining, people-watching, comfort food and brunch. By now you know the drill, but just in case, here's the deal: We chose the nominees, and you can vote once per day in each category for your favorites. Voting will continue through Thursday, September 11, and the winners will be announced the following Friday, September 19, with two winners in each category (one selected by you, one selected by us). So, better get cracking--and be sure to check out past winners in all our other Best of Citysearch polls. 

Covering restaurants has been a pain the ass lately. First R&L opened for a glorious couple of days before closing down indefinitely, and then Kurve kept everyone guessing by constantly closing and reopening. Which brings me to Black Iron Burger Shop, the new upscale burger joint that had everyone from Shecky's to the NY Times droolin'. I kept calling and visiting after their supposed open date, but sadly got no response. But as of this week, the wait is finally over.

Right now the casual East Village spot is only open from 6pm-3am, but it will open for lunch at 11am starting Saturday. It has a casual, worn-in feeling, with bar stools, exposed brick walls and classic punk tunes on the radio. The burgers themselves were delicious and well-worth the very reasonable $7 price. The griddle created simple, misshapen burgers that let the natural flavor of the beef really shine--no fancy special sauces needed here.

What really impressed me was the beer selection, which ranges from Sixpoint Brownstone to Saratoga Lager, all priced at $5-$6. The waitress was friendly, if a little green, as is to be expected at a brand-new restaurant.

The best thing of all? It's open until 3am, meaning I can stumble across the street after playing skeeball all night at Ace Bar.

Tong Thai Brasserie has been in the works for quite a while over on East 13th Street, and as per the signage above, they'll officially open this Thursday. If only every new restaurant were thoughtful enough to provide all this info right in the window.

The space looks nice and the menu is interesting and quite affordable, with small plates (like fried squid, smoked chili soup and pencil spring rolls) ranging from $5 to $7, and larger plates (like blue swimmer crab fried rice) weighing in at $9 to $14.

Tong will also be delivering between 23rd Street and Bleecker Street, from 7th Avenue to 2nd Avenue. The restaurant will begin serving lunch daily sometime next month.

I'm sad to say that 26 Seats, one of my favorite French restaurants in the East Village, has been closed by the Department of Health. The notice is dated August 6th, and as of last night the gate was down during the dinner hour. No word on precisely what violations led the restaurant to close, but we hope they are able to re-open soon. 

In January, we got word of a new neighborhood cafe coming to 182 Avenue B at 11th Street, in the space formerly occupied by the Furniture Place. At the time, we were told that the owners expected to open "in February." Then in April, we reported that the cafe appeared to be on the verge of opening--there were flower-filled vases in the window, stacks of glasses behind the counter, all the equipment seemed to be in place, and to my knowledge, the place never even sought a liquor license, so they weren't waiting on that.  So for reasons I cannot explain, two more months passed without a bagel sold or cup of coffee poured.

But as of yesterday, De Nova cafe officially opened its doors, and today I took the opportunity to check it out. The menu is a bit strange for a place that looks and feels like a coffee shop. At the counter they offer the usual--pastries, bagels, coffee, various other drinks like raspberry iced tea. But the sit-down menu is a cross between random American pub-grub (like nachos) and small plates with a decidely Greek flavor (grape leaves served with yogurt salad; a feta cheese and olives small plate). There are also five or six different salads and several larger plates.

Whether or not the menu will work remains to be seen, but I will say that the prices can't be beat. My enormous iced coffee was just $1.50 (compared to $2.45 for a small at my usual place, just two blocks north), and the salads are all between $5 and $6.50. It's probably not a destination unto itself, but for the locals chances are it'll be a welcome addition to the 'hood.

After what seems like an unnecessarily long period of construction and preparation, the new Hot & Crusty at 14th and 1st, which we brought news of several months ago, is certified open as of today. Last night, in addition to a sign in the window that said "grand opening Friday," the display case was already stocked with various "fresh" baked goods in anticipation of today's opening.

Long vacant Mexican restaurant Nopal Del Este on 13th Street and Avenue A is apparently on its way to becoming a new Lebanese restaurant / lounge / cafe called Al Diwan, as per the signage pictured above ...

In other East Village news, I was stopped in front of my building last night by a man looking for signatures to petition for a liquor license at his soon-to-open Japanese restaurant, also in the vicinity of Al Diwan. He told me he hasn't yet chosen a name for the place, but is toying with the idea of "Fu"--"as in 'F-U.' It's my name," he explained.

Any day that begins with truffled egg toast is a great day. And so I started the week off right yesterday by visiting 'ino for breakfast. I learned a few pieces of good news while digging into the cheesy treat. First, they now deliver. The parameters are small, however, but the staff assured me that the area will expand after they get their "delivery legs" strong. And fans of owners Jason and Jennifer Denton's first cookbook, Simple Italian Sandwiches, can look forward to a sequel, Simple Italian Snacks, coming in the fall, not-so-coincidentally when the spot turns 10. Quite an achievement in NYC's restaurant scene. A hearty, early congrats to the little sandwich shop that could.