Whole Foods, Blue Coats, and a Weekend Roundup

Whole Foods Crosses Street: Are you confused yet? Well, you should be with all the development hopping happening up at 86th and Keystone. The IBJ reports this weekend that the Whole Foods originally planned for the development at the NW corner of 86th and Keystone is *now* planned for the new Venu development across the street in the SW corner of the 86th/Keystone intersection. Developers say making the NW corner development all residential silences neighborhood critics and they'll build a pedestrian bridge over 86th street. The important news for us foodies? Whole Foods says they are happily preparing for the new location -- and the lease they had signed with Kite for the NW corner was part of the sale and will move to the new SW Venu mall location. No ETA yet on opening. Lots of terms to still be worked out.

The Next Iron Chef: If you've been following the Next Iron Chef on The Food Network, the next new episode is tonight. They're down the last few chefs including Cleveland's Michael Symon (of Lola fame.) Ruhlman is a judge and has been blogging pretty regularly on each episode (and dishing on his fellow judges, especially Knowlton). And regardless of what host Alton Brown says about how much more serious this cooking competition is than, say, Top Chef, it owes an homage to that innovative show. In fact, you'll recognize some eerily similar challenges. The biggest differences? The cheftestants are established professionals (as well they should be as they vie for an Iron Chef spot), they have a judge from Bon Appetit instead of Food and Wine, and, well, Alton Brown is seriously more annoying than Padma. Airs on Food Network, 9:00 p.m.

The Shops at Snips: Jason over at Four Square No. 266 covers the Shops at Snips in Irvington including the neighborhood organic market -- Edibles, Cuppatea, and Jockamo's Upper Crust Pizza. I haven't tried Jockomo's but asked around. It gets mixed reviews, but, if you live in the neighborhood, you should check it out. (Pizza is very personal -- one man's soggy crust is another man's perfect pie.) Edibles seems to be the local connection for tidbits like Trader's Point, fresh meats, cheeses, and produce.

Blue Coats Take Over: Last week, you may have noticed a few tidy young people in spiffy blue jackets. I love the diversity of our downtown events. During large, high profile events (like the NFL combine or certain high equipment trade shows) you can't get a seat in a steakhouse downtown, but during "blue coat" week, you can't get a seat at Steak and Shake or PF Chang's. It's still all good news for downtown restaurants. People keep the wheels of commerce turning!

Sold Out: We hit our reservations cap for the iMOCA/L'explorateur wine dinner last Thursday evening. Looking forward to seeing folks there -- and meeting old and new friends alike! Look for pointers to the photos of the dishes and art next week along with the menu and wine list.