Side Dish, the Breakup Bangs Edition

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• The New York Times heads to the Big Easy to check on Emeril Jr.s (E.J., if you will) revamp of Emeril’s. TL;DR it’s tasting menu only and has lots of tiny foods.
• Vogue is all in on Ojai, calling it America’s new culinary hot spot.
• Whole Foods unveiled its 2026 food trend predictions and it’s all about the three Fs: fiber, female and fancy.
• The ‘World’s 50 Best Bars’ list dropped. The winner is an Italian bar that’s not in Italy. Discuss amongst yourselves.
• After 1,200 reviews and countless wigs, WaPo’s Tom Sietsema is stepping down and finally revealing the face behind D.C.’s most-watched fork.
• The Bay Area is about to get Gooped.
• Tyra Banks tries to explain her new “hot ice cream” brand and everyone is still confused.
• Just a steak nugget in a chicken tender world. Arby’s is betting big on beef.
• Hard pass on the Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice with a jerky beetle garnish.
• Turns out dumplings are big business as Din Tai Fung becomes America’s top earning chain, with each store raking in over $27 million a year.
• Cue the Swifties overrunning L.A.’s Musso and Frank to find out which booth Tay likes best.
• More restaurants are ditching the written wine list. Pro: more interaction with your server. Con: more interaction with your server.
• The L.A.Times clocks Sean Brock sliding into the dining scene and the DJ booth at Darling.
• Small space, big tastes as the New Yorker heads to Bartolo in the West Village.
• Behind the velvet rope, Drew Nieporent serves the drama, from Nobu’s rise to Tribeca Grill’s glory days.
• From Mumbai’s Masque to a noodle bar in Bandra, India’s dining scene is rewriting what fine dining looks like.
• The Longest Table turns one Chelsea block into a 1,200-person dinner party, and a cure for city loneliness.

• In the clerb is taking on new meaning as hospitality businesses trade nightlife for wellness.
• The Michelin guide unveiled its first global selection of keys but some are wondering how they’re paying for all of this.
• Chicago reigns again, named the #1 big city in the U.S. for the ninth year running in CNT’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards.
• Elephant rides are out, for good. Major travel companies are cutting ties with exploitative encounters once and for all.
• Florida retirees and cyberpunk fans agree. Chongqing is the sci-fi megacity you have to see IRL.
• A $350K Steinway turned Paso Robles into California’s most surprising jazz destination.
• Air Canada’s latest perk? Free beer and wine in economy. Finally, something worth toasting at 35,000 feet.
• The Eiffel Tower’s gone dark, again. Massive strikes across France just shut down Paris’s top attraction.
• The parks are open, but barely. During the shutdown, national parks run on fumes with staff furloughed and restrooms closed.
• Europe’s ditching passport stamps for fingerprints and face scans. Souvenir collectors, beware.
• PLAY Airlines grounded. The Icelandic budget carrier shut down mid-flight plan, stranding travelers.
• Trace Springsteen’s Jersey Shore: Asbury Park haunts, boardwalk lore and where to stay now.
• Chicago’s coolest new art gallery fits in a vending machine.
• Hilton just launched Outset Collection, a boutique brand blending local character with global perks.
• American Airlines is ditching bag sizers at gates, leaving carry-on calls to agents’ judgment. That should go well.
• Martha’s travel rule: always pack two phones, a camera and a plan for fine dining.

• If you thought Erewhon couldn’t get any more bougie, you were wrong.
• Are you more Lemon Glaze or Confetti Cake? Why do we all smell like donuts these days?
• “You’re tacky and I hate you,” is the general gist of Grubstreet’s feelings about this cookware brand.
• Gen Z continues to lean into analog. Is the Thomas Guide next up for a reboot?
• It’s a Frank Sinatra winter.
• Financial therapists spill the tea on curbing impulse buys before that “add to cart” hits.
• The rich aren’t buying anymore. Luxury rentals from NYC to LA are the new status symbol of flexibility.
• Retail’s new buzzword? Third place. Brands want stores to feel like cafés, but can commerce build community?
• Forget age gaps. The swag gap is the relationship dealbreaker Gen Z won’t ignore.
• Surf camps over shot glasses. Bachelor and bachelorette parties are trading chaos for connection.
• Secondhand is the new first pick. With resale booming, more shoppers are ditching stigma for sustainable style.
• Cut to: Ralph Lauren is flipping its own closet. The brand’s vintage resale venture turns heritage into high-end hustle.
• Nicole Kidman just joined Chanel, debuting breakup bangs in Paris.
• Corporate core takes the runway. Tailoring’s everywhere, and this time, it’s about craft over capitalism.
• Shein is going brick-and-mortar in France, opening stores inside Galeries Lafayette, and sparking backlash.
• Turns out your brain’s got a social limit—about 150 friends, no matter how many followers you rack up.

• If butter went to outer space, it would feel like Jakarta’s new Butter Baby.
• Will the fisherman aesthetic dominating restaurant design make for smooth sailing into fall?
• Lay’s is going under the knife for a rebrand. We’ll see if the yassified new look will get the Cracker Barrel treatment.
• Errybody in the club getting...Dommmino’s? Domino’s also rolled out a new, minimal look...and jingle. By Shaboozey. Because, as their CMO says, “You literally can’t say ‘Domino’s’ without saying ‘mmm.’ Hookay.
• On that note, meet the new and improved Flamingo Estate.
• There must be something in the water because fishy fave Long John Silver’s ALSO introduced a rebrand this week. But, with a…chicken.
• Taylor Swift’s “Showgirl” weekend pulled in $33M. But one detail’s flying under the radar: the Showgirl font started in a Nicaraguan classroom.
• Patrick Ta went full food-core, teasing his new products across social with mouthwatering flair.
• Paris Fashion Week is being called a “game changer.” Here’s why.
• Hint: it’s not because of this.
• To celebrate the big 5-0, Zara tapped creative pals like Naomi Campbell and Pat McGrath for a limited-edition collection. $2,000 surfboard? Right this way.
• Ghia’s founder swapped Glossier-pink tiles for chocolate marble in her dreamy Paris pied-à-terre.
• Forget coastal cities, Gen Z is planting roots in Grand Rapids. Midwest charm wins this round.
• Halloween’s coming fast. Here’s what to wear when you are the party—butter, sardines and all.
• Charms and brooches are the new quiet luxury. Sales are up 207%.
• Rosewood enters a new era with Discovery Green, a color, and campaign, rooted in wanderlust.

• The Cotswolds invasion continues as Sam Edelman brings a gaggle of influencers to live out The Holiday fantasies IRL.
• Vogue and Vanity Fair are slimming down print, but bulking up on luxury paper and collectible clout.
• People, Inc. acquired Feedfeed, giving more access to food content and the creators who make it.
• Welp, Gap has jumped on the creator marketplace bandwagon with its new affiliate platform. It’s getting hard to keep up.
• She sells pancakes with punchlines. How Judy’s Family Cafe became the internet’s favorite diner.
• AI-powered bot networks are dragging brands like Cracker Barrel into fake culture wars, and CEOs are panicking.
• From Lady Gaga to live fandoms, Netflix wants to exist beyond your screen. Will viewers care IRL?
• AI won’t replace influencers, it’ll empower them. Here’s how brands are reshaping influencer marketing for 2026.
• Butter, but make it Bose. The brand’s SoundLink Plus promo shows viral aesthetics now drive tech sales.
• While most schools panic over ChatGPT, students in California are the ones drafting the AI rulebook.
• The girls are being real, just not on main. Finstas are back, and the chaos is refreshingly honest.
• Spotify and Amazon Ads team up, letting brands buy audio and video spots straight through Amazon’s platform.