UNION SQUARE—Some movement on the Gitane front down on Claude Lane sees the Cafe Claude-spinoff moving into the old Blupointe space at 239 Kearny. Opening date continues to get pushed back—now it's February—but the liquor license has already been approved (not applied for; issued), so things are looking good. Chin up, Claude Lane. [EaterWire]
SOMA—Speaking of liquor license doings, 3rd Street's unassuming Italian eatery/pizzeria, Pazzia, finally got its keys to the liquor cabinet. [EaterWire Inbox, ABC]
WATERFRONT—First we worried about Dungeness season. Then we found some momentary relief. Now, it seems that the threat level is back to red. Very red. Says one crabber: "There's a good chance we would postpone the season if the spill extends over the crab grounds ... I'm just one fisherman, but I think we should postpone it. If the crab come up through the fuel, they could be contaminated." Even worse, the Bay is currently a nursery for baby Dungeness, and as the oil spreads, it could "it could devastate crab numbers for years to come." That's not going to be good for anyone. [Chron]
KITCHEN STADIUM—Fact the first: this Sunday is the season finale of The Next Iron Chef. Fact the second: you can watch a sneak preview of the finale on the Food TV site. Question: who will win? Answer: now that Cosentino's out, we don't really care. Unless it's Ruhlman's best friend Michael Symon. [Food Network]
