● Betel (West Village) - A stimulating vine leaf serves as the inspiration for this sleek new Thai spot.
● The Brindle Room (East Village) - New American small plates and more from Okie Jeremy Spector.
● Vareli (Upper West Side) - Uptown grocery gets into the refined dining game with a candlelit Mediterranean duplex.

The final collection from the lateAlexander McQueen made its debut in Paris today. The highly anticipated show, despite having previously said otherwise, did in fact allow a few select cameras into the baroque room; models walked "slowly" through a tangibly somber setting (tears filled more than one editors' eyes). Inspired by the tortured, unsettling paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, the collection included especially ornate gowns and overcoats topped off with gilded mohawks that, rather than appearing severe, conveyed a sense of angelic serenity. "The anger and energy that had always driven Mr. McQueen to his finest work had turned to a mesmerizing calm for this 15-piece collection, which he completed before his suicide last month," the New York Times' Suzy Menkes says.

Celebrating 25 years at The Village Voice this month, literary icon Michael Musto had more than enough material for his most recent book, Fork on the Left, Knife in the Back. His latest work is a follow-up to his hilarious and scathing offerings Downtown-V285 and Manhattan on the Rocks. Between his columns at The Voice and Ocean Drive, writing for Out Magazine, and the Sundance Channel blog SUNfiltered, his books and his appearances around town (he always arrives on his bicycle), Musto has become something of a celebrity in his own right.

The casting of Captain America, Marvel’s latest action-adventure blockbuster, may be the most chaotic, rumor-filled and err, “open” campaign in recent Hollywood memory. First, a “short” list was leaked a couple weeks ago, revealing Chance Crawford, Scott Porter, Michael Cassidy and three other steel-jawed blond dudes as contenders. John Krasinski from The Office also joined the frenzy -- an unlikely if amiable choice (go John!). Now, rumor has it Dane Cook and -- brace yourself -= the Jonas Brothers have auditioned. Cook broke the news on his Twitter feed, tweeting:

Arrests have been made after American Apparel's North 6th Street outpost in hipster-ridden Williamsburg was attacked this past week. In what should be the latex and jersey Mecca's most beloved stomping grounds, a group of hooligans reportedly busted through the store's windows and wreaked havoc inside. American Apparel responded to the controversy shortly after a slew of blogs picked up on the story. "As far as anything goes regarding a black-clad hipster uprising or mobs of angry retail protesters terrorizing Brooklyn, there hasn't been anything to confirm this apart from a few blog comments," they say.

Gap has been struggling in recent seasons to really find its niche. The beacon for basics has launched its own series of designer collaborations and thrown a fair bit of money at fun, eye-catching ad campaigns. But, over all, things at Gap HQ have felt a bit bland ... especially in comparison to competing brands cultivating a classic, workwear-inspired sense of Americana (read: Ralph Lauren and J. Crew). But thanks to a new store in Vancouver that has quite literally turned the traditional shopping experience on its head, Gap is garnering headlines once again.

Newbie model Anastasija Kondratjeva was on hand as we perused denim looks for our March issue (her pick: black skinny jeans from Marc by Marc Jacobs). The Latvian-born 18-year-old stomped into the scene in 2008; inaugural shows included BCBG Max Azria, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuitton, Moschino Cheap & Chic, Hervé Léger and Marc Jacobs. That same year she closed the Antonio Marras show -- and we all know closing is the new opening. Since then she's been sharpshooting for mags like Purple, Citizen K and Brazilian Vogue. I cornered her for her beauty picks and peeves before she jetted off to do back-to-back international Fashion Weeks.

● Lanvin (Upper East Side) - At long last, French couture icon plants a flagship in NYC.
● Gansevoort Park (Murray Hill) - The Gansevoort injects a little Meatpacking into Park Avenue.
● Hurricane Club (Flatiron) - Quality Meats peeps channel Trader Vic's. AvroKO dons a grass skirt.

And so, after a few weeks of hype, Mike and his apartment are going quietly into the night. Grub Street has published an in-depth piece on the future of the fleeting New York epicenter of cool: there is none.

● The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne will make a second film, and he wants Justin Timberlake to appear in it. One imagines the results will look something like this. [Billboard]
● There’s a new Tron trailer out, and it looks pretty dope. [EW]
● The University of Texas acquires David Foster Wallace’s archive, which includes his annotated books and dictionary. Words he circled include gravid, abulia and valgus. [Ransom Center]
● Precious' Gabourey Sidibe will appear in the Showtime series The Big C, which stars Laura Linney as a woman with cancer. [E!]