Alinea And Eleven Madison Park Collaboration Site Is Live And More News

The Daily Meal brings you the biggest news around the food world.

Industry
• Good numbers for eaters: NPD Group finds that almost 1,000 independently owned restaurants have opened within the past year. [Forbes]

Restaurants
• The Eleven Madison Park and Alinea switcheroo is slowly falling into place. Their official website is live now (pre-register to expedite your ticketing process, since they're bound to go fast). No tickets are on sale yet. [Twenty First Century Limited]

Humor
• Here is a long, strangely insightful, often hilarious review of Guy Fieri's new Times Square restaurant. [Village Voice]

Food for Thought
• New England's groundfish depletion sparked the Commerce Department to issue a formal disaster declaration for the fishery industry. [NY Times]

Health
• A woman claims she lost 85 pounds just by eating everything from Starbucks (calorie counts, plus healthier options than fast food, probably helped). [USA Today]

Scandal
• Apparently, French cops felt the need to question chef Joël Robuchon about alleged embezzlement at a Parisian hotel chain, Relais & Chateaux. Grub Street notes they were probably hungry? [AFP]

Politics
• California is looking at a bill that requires the labeling of all genetically modified products. Surprisingly, organic brands are also fighting the bill. [NY Times]