Jolly’s Dueling Piano Bar will be opening Friday. There will be 2 dueling baby grands, room for 125 and a menu put together by Brendan Smith of *Smiths. [Meal Ticket]

If Jose Garces decides to open a New York restaurant he says it will be an Amada. [Grub Street]

Meal Ticket has a slideshow and the menu for Grey Social,  French bistro spot that is promisingly swimming against the Old City current. [Meal Ticket]

Grey Lodge didn’t stop their refurb with new urinals, they also have gotten a glorious new sign. [The Grey Lodge]

Year after year Zagat polls diners to find out who is most generous. And year after year Philadelphia comes out on top. [KYW 1060]

Shinju Sushi at 930 Locust Street is moving to the former site of Aso Sushi at 719 Walnut Street. They’ll also get a cool new name, The Fat Salmon. [Meal Ticket]

MidAtlantic has started weekday lunch. [The Insider]

Sarcone’s Deli is adding a franchise in Delaware. [The Illadelph]

Stephen Starr places two restaurants on Restaurants & Institutions 2009 top 100 grossing independent restaurants list. New York’s Buddakan is number 7 and Morimoto NY ranks 53rd. The Jersey shore places The Lobster House and Carmine’s on the list as well. No Philadelphia restaurant cracked the list. [R&I]

Alma de Cuba’s Douglas Rodriguez will compete on the Food Network’s Top Chef Masters a spinoff of the hugely popular Top Chef. This version will have actual chefs compete and prize money will be donated to charity.

Wegman’s has been named top supermarket in the US according to Consumer Reports. [Philadelphia Business Journal]

Morimoto was ranked in Playboy’s recent list of America’s 10 Best Sushi Spots. [Playboy] via MenuPages

If you were hanging on the edge of your seat wondering what would happen to Angiebrown and Samantha Johnson of Soul on The Chopping Block, worry not, the un-aired episodes are now on Hulu. [MenuPages]

Foodwise, it’s a bit of a slow news day ’round these parts. So let’s turn our attention to NYC, the great gaping maw of the North, to see what’s happening there:

Mesa Grill, the flagship restaurant of Bobby Flay’s empire, got a one star spanking from Frank Bruni in today’s NY Times. Also, did you know that Mr. Foobooz, Bobby and I are now the best of friends?

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If anyone is up for a road trip then head up to New York tomorrow for the New York Brewfest at South Street Seaport. There are over 70 breweries participating. There will also be food and live music. The festival runs from 5 to 10 PM and tickets cost $45.

New York Brewfest [Official Site]

Just in time for your BYOB needs during Restaurant Week, Moore Brothers Wine Company comes up big with their post holiday 10% off everything sale. The sale runs from January 26th to February 5th at all three locations, New York, Pennsauken and Wilmington.

Moore Brothers [Official Site]

Stephen Starr talks with Steve Fishman of New York Magazine regarding megadining, celebrity chefs and enjoying dining.

Mr. Big Box [New York Magazine]

The New York Post reports on two more planned entries to the Stephen Starr Empire.

“We are looking to do two more concepts downtown,” Starr told The Post’s Braden Keil. He says leases are now being negotiated to open a version of his tapas-style continental restaurant and another Asian-influenced eatery.

Blazing Starr [Page Six]

We read the reviews so you don�t have to. Here�s Craig LaBan�s take on Starr in New York, pre-chewed for easy digestion.

For Starr, New York was something he had to do as part his deal to get Morimoto to Philadelphia. But it’s Starr’s New York Buddakan that really shines.
Northern Starrs