While Rick Bayless did indeed win last night's street-meat episode of Top Chef Masters (recaps here, here, here, and here), details are finally out about the Santa Monica restaurant that Stefan Richter would only hint at when we last spoke to him. Turns out, Richter is taking over the kitchen of L.A. Farm, and Stefan’s at L.A. Farm will open on August 6. Per the release: “An array of light California cuisine will dominate the restaurant’s lunch menu. Dinner will include numerous unique and flavorful tapas dishes. Indulgent cocktails as well as casual and affordable drinks are available, including Milwaukee’s Best and Pabst Blue Ribbon. Vegan and gluten-free menu options are also available.” And there will be a giant bull with glowing red eyes outside. All very good, but we’d only go if there’s an open kitchen.

Speaking of Matt Levine, four new “cocktalian luxuries” (what the Eldridge is apparently calling cocktails now) will soon be unveiled at a party D.J.-ed by — who else — Paul Sevigny. The priciest of them, the Houston, will set you back $29 (about the price of a full bottle of the liquor that goes into it). We wonder what Schiller’s is going to say about this — they’ve long had a Delancey of their own, albeit one that costs just $10. Anyway, take a look at Charlotte Voisey’s latest libations.

Panino’teca 275 in Carroll Gardens will close after Sunday service, according to a sign chef-owner India Ennis posted in the window this week. The Italian-Mediterranean restaurant has been on Smith Street for eight years. There’s no indication (and we haven’t heard back from Ennis) whether the restaurant closing is due to the recession, a lease issue, or whether the owner is simply calling it. Get your last brunch in this weekend.

Okay, so now that we’ve had a look inside Tribeca’s new “bespoke cocktails” spot (opening Friday, they’re now saying), let’s take a look at the operating plan. There’s a lot to digest here. First off, check out the list of house rules — some of them are straight out of Milk & Honey’s playbook (“don’t be creepy”!), but then there are the ones like “if you are only drinking water, please do not take a bar stool.” Clearly the former Odeon, Macao, and Grace barkeeps are amped to finally be in charge of things. Drinks are $12, but the “bespoke cocktails” may cost a little more — below, you’ll find a list of “flavor profiles” that you can use to convey your preferences. Note that if you inspire something worth adding to the bar’s repertoire, you get to name it. Of course, the food menu also follows.

We hate to see a budding restaurateur smacked with a lawsuit just a week after opening, but then again we love any excuse to throw up a photo of Superdawg’s lovable hot-dog mascots. When Danny Omari was set to open his MacDougal Street hot-dog stand, we pointed out that the name at the time (Superdog) reminded us of Chicago institution Superdawg. Sure enough, according to Crain’s Chicago, Superdawg sent a couple of cease-and-desist letters, and even though Omari has changed the name to Super Hot Dog, they filed a lawsuit on Monday. Who else would pay to see Super Hot Dog’s super-wiener in a cage match against Maurie and Flaurie?

Crain’s Chicago via MenuPages Chicago

Eating in Translation experienced a mishap at DBGB’s newly launched $22 three-course lunch, but what’s the big deal that he got the dessert course first? We’d still eat it. We were more perplexed by something that happened when we recently ordered the bar’s lovely Spicy Paloma drink, consisting of Del Maguey mescal, grapefruit juice, and ginger syrup. See, the bartender recommended we have a beer instead. To be fair, the Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse he pointed us to was really good, and shared some flavor elements with the Spicy Paloma, so let’s leave aside the weirdness of recommending a beer in lieu of a mixed drink. The thing is, he failed to mention that the pour costs $15 for just half a pint (DBGB’s menu lists it as 250 milliliters, to the bewilderment of imbibers who happen to prefer their liquid measured in ounces). That’s $3 more than the cocktail we would’ve been perfectly happy with. And it’s $4 more than a bottle of the same beer (twice the size!) at Blue Hill, per Beer Menus. Regardless of the markup, perhaps the bartender was too harried to sweat the details, and this wasn’t a case of egregious upselling? We’d like to think so, since Boulud has been touting DBGB’s affordability. Has anyone had a similar experience? Oh, and so you don’t end up in this situation, the colossal drinks menu is below. You might also want to install a milliliter conversion app on your phone. Update: Plus, take a look at the lunch menu!

DBGB Beers, Wines, and Cocktails [PDF]
DBGB Lunch Menu [PDF]