Having successfully analyzed the wheat genome, which is 4 times the size of a human genome and much more complex, scientists have discovered a way to produce wheat in a more efficient way.

“…many modern what cultivars are susceptible to water stress…[the] utilization of the wild genes in wheat breeding programs promotes producing more yield for less water.”

Dr. Zvi Peleog – Hebrew University of Jerusalem

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Pairing food with wine is simpler than you think!

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The eight-year-old cocktail bar was unable to renew its lease with the landlord. Mayahuel played a part in the rise of single-spirit centric cocktail bars and helped popularize tequila and mezcal as spirits that could be used for purposes other than making a margarita. The establishment was roundly well-received and appreciated – in 2009 the NYT wrote that it “[was] the world’s first tequila bar with a hypothesis…”

You can read more about the closing here.

This is really happening: Franny’s has long been among the best places in Brooklyn to get pizza — no small feat — as well as a neighborhood favorite for straightforward Italian food, with one of the most impressive wine lists in the city. But according to a note sent out this afternoon (and a message on the restaurant’s website), owners Francine Stephens and Andrew Feinberg will close Franny’s for good after service on Sunday, August 20, though they promise the restaurant “will continue in some way in the future.”

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After much study, he has determined that the old business model simply doesn’t work anymore. “The real estate would cost 400,000 euros, and then they had to buy equipment, so by the time they opened, the average boulanger was 800,000 euros in the red,” he said. “They then would be working 20 hours a day because they couldn’t afford to hire anyone to help them, and still, they had trouble turning any profit.”

He plans to get around that problem by shrinking each store, reducing the number of people needed to run it, buying ingredients centrally to enhance the shops’ bargaining power and limiting the number of products sold. “To try to make profit, boulangers were trying to sell anything and everything, instead of trying to sell more of the things people really want — the baguettes des copains, the ficelles, the boules,” Mr. Rigo said.

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Grubstreet has compiled a list of some of the best breakfast options in the city, and has highlighted them as “the new happy hour.” Many restaurants are coming to understand the value of an earlier service and are reacting accordingly. Atla stands out as a particularly intriguing option for breakfast, as they serve their entire menu from the onset – you can get slight variations on Cosme dishes for much cheaper as well.

See the entire list here.

The debut is part of a $50 million marketing plan to shape the what the future of the restaurant looks like, says Crumpacker; NEXT Kitchen is part of an internal “NEXT Team” — Chipotle employees from real estate, architecture, technology, operations, and menu development dedicated to exploring the future of the company.

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The Italian bakery and cafe that Starbucks invested in last year will soon be opening a space in Red Hook.

Starbucks and Princi — a Milan-based bakery from Rocco Princi serving breads and pizzas — signed a lease for a commissary kitchen and bakery at 160 Van Brunt Street, according to the Post.

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“She’s the creator and CEO of Basbaas Sauce, a line of condiments that so far includes tamarind-date sauce and coconut-cilantro chutney. (She’s also involved in fundraising efforts for ZanaAfrica.)

[…] Lunch is at Colonia Verde. I go there at least once a week, and it’s become my favorite local hangout. I love taking my Manhattan friends there. We order Cómodo’s sliders, which are lamb meatballs with cranberries on gluten-free pão de queijo, and a big salad.”

Follow the rest of Hawa’s food adventures here

Now five years in the making, Chicago’s Alinea group makes its New York City debut tonight at the top of the Mandarin Oriental with the speakeasy portion of its experimental cocktail bar, The Office.

“This is New York-ified in every single way,” Achatz says. That means double the ceiling height, double the seat capacity (44 here), and incredibly luxe food and drink. The food menu is studded with ingredients like foie gras, jamon Iberico, and caviar, and there’s an entire drink menu devoted to rare spirits that ring in at $500 an ounce.

Read more along with stunning photos of the restaurant here