Grub StreetNew York

• New York
• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• Chicago
• Philadelphia
• Boston

Oh, the horror! Nick Solares of A Hamburger Today went to the new midtown location of Defonte’s around 7:30 p.m. and then to Baoguette only to find them both out of sammies. We feel for you, guy — more than once, we’ve hit up Porchetta only to find a sign on the door that says something like “ out of pig — sucks to be you.” Because we don’t want this happening to you: Porchetta closes at 11 p.m., but they suggest you get there before 9:30 p.m. to be safe. And they sometimes run out of meat during the day, but rest assured they’ll have more an hour or so later. No matter how frustrated you are, do not resort to Subway.

Double Sandwich Fail at DeFonte's and Baoguette [Serious Eats]

A denim-sporting Daniel Boulud, Michelin-multi-starred French chef Michel Troisgos, and Eleven Madison’s Daniel Humm will collaborate on a four-course menu for the casual Citymeals-on-Wheels benefit "Black Truffles, Blue Jeans, Burgundy & Blues" at Daniel on Sunday, March 8. If the shortlist of extraordinary dishes — from Flocons de Chataignes aux Briseurs de Truffe Noir (chestnuts shaved over truffle) to Nova Scotia lobster — doesn’t justify the $1,000 seat price (or $25,000 for a ten top and access to better wines), keep in mind that 100 percent of what you pay goes to charity. Translation: tax deduction! To book: call Heather Gere at 212-687-1290 or email heather@citymeals.org. See the full menu with wines after the jump.

On those rare road trips when we end up staggering into a McDonald’s, we want our Big Macs with Coke, okay? That’s how it’s been since 1955. So we’re glad to see that Mickey D’s has thought better of offering bottled Pepsi products like Mountain Dew (by the way, who the heck orders a bottle at fast-food joints? It’s almost as annoying as slice joints that don’t have soda fountains). If the Obama staff prefers Coke to Pepsi, so should everyone! One beverage change we wouldn’t mind seeing: Bring Cadbury Creme Egg McFlurries to the States!

McDonald's Has Stopped Tests Of PepsiCo Bottled Soft Drinks [CNN]

If you’ve had roast chicken on the brain ever since Lidia Bastianich claimed she’d have it for her last meal, take note of a new two-person, three-course prix fixe now available at her restaurant, Felidia. The $48-per-person feast offers the choice of a roast chicken for two (pictured here), and it seems like a decent deal, since it includes a bottle of Bastianich wine. One hitch: It’s only available on weekdays, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., or after 9 p.m. The full menu follows.

Earlier we brought news that Terrance Brennan was scouting locations for a new pizza, tapas, and wine concept, Artisanal Table. Now The Wall Street Journal, in a piece about splashy openings in today’s economy, reveals that a landlord has accepted Brennan’s offer on a space in Chelsea: “If all goes well, he should open a $1 million unit of Artisanal Table there in June.” Elsewhere in the article, we learn that Harbour, the Hudson Square restaurant we told you about yesterday, cost a whopping $3 million. Wonder how much of that was for the chandelier.

Grand Openings in Grim Times [WSJ]

Top Chef cast members have been so busy with the bar room PDA that you’d think it was the Real World they were on. "Page Six" hears from a bartender at Madame X that Leah and Hosea (who, we’ll remind you, was dumped by his girlfriend after the show) were “really going at it” at the bar last week. Snogging at a brothel-themed bar is pretty much a forgone conclusion (in fact, it’s so NYU-freshman that we find it hard to believe the item), but check out the live chat with Toby Young where he says he personally witnessed Stefan “sucking face with this cute lesbian” working at Jamie’s girlfriend’s bar. Said Stefan: “There you go. She’s back on our team now.”

Update: In a conference call, Hosea confirms that he and Leah have been k-i-s-s-i-n-g.

'Top Chef' finale: LIVE Chat with Toby Young today at 11 a.m. PST [LAT via Amuse Biatch]
Hot Dishes on the Side [NYP]