In New York City, chef Michael White’s Altamarea Group has birthed a new sibling for Marea, Ai Fiori, Nicoletta, et al.: Costata is a contemporary steakhouse with a characteristically Italian twist and a bar run by the famed Eben Freeman to supplement the lengthy wine list. Similarly, Jo-Ann Makovitzky and Marco Moreira have expanded their Manhattan brood—including Tocqueville and 15 East—to include The Fourth, a morning-to-night "American" brasserie whose roots in Europe nonetheless dominate on both menu and wine list. In Washington D.C., Etto has opened to dispense pizzas, salumi, and primarily Italian libations, while Atlantans are descending on King + Duke, whose coal- and wood-burning ovens yield everything from roasted ratatouille with house-pulled mozzarella to a Pekin duck duo with mustard greens and plums; all 30 wines on beverage director Lara Creasy’s list are available by the glass.

Far more ambitious than the name suggests, Chicago’s new Parson’s Chicken & Fish is a sprawling indoor-outdoor hang with a retro air and a cheeky approach to regional fare as well as cocktails. Speaking of cocktails, Grant Achatz has announced the return of Alinea alum Andrew Brochu to his fold; he’ll be in the kitchen at The Aviary. Meanwhile, sommelier James Rahn has left Chicago, where he worked at Girl and the Goat and Benny’s Chop House, entirely to join the team at The Heathman Restaurant & Bar in Portland, Ore. And San Diego’s acclaimed Addison at The Grand Del Mar welcomes new wine director Elizabeth Huettinger (pictured), who comes from Spago in Beverly Hills to oversee the 37,000-bottle cellar.

(photo courtesy of The Grand Del Mar)

This video from editor David Vogels includes tips on reading Sommelier Journal on a mobile device. He uses an iPad as the example, but many of the functions will be the same on any mobile device.

In Somerville, Mass., Tim and Bronwyn Wiechmann—already acclaimed for T.W. Food in nearby Cambridge—are inches away from launching Bronwyn, a Mitteleuropean gastrotavern featuring the likes of housemade wurst and foie gras knishes alongside the region's brews, wines, and spirits. The folks behind Washington, D.C.-area Leesburg Brewing Co. have a background in winemaking and buying, so rest assured there will be bottles as well as house pints to accompany the small selection of bar grub. Waters: Bonnell’s Coastal Cuisine has opened in Fort Worth, Texas, to serve up buckets of oysters—raw, fried, and grilled over pecan wood—as well as crawfish spring rolls, chicken-fried rabbit loin in bacon-cream gravy, and more, plus a lengthy wine list. And Los Angeles’s Farmshop now has a satellite in Larkspur, Calif.; Thomas Keller alums Jeff Cercielo and Mark Hopper are behind the farm-to-table venture, where the bar program is as locally focused as the seasonal menu—think fried Half Moon Bay smelts over potato-sorrel salad or grilled halibut over cracked wheat, smashed beets, spiced leeks, and pickled-walnut pesto.

A flock of winemakers has also landed in California: Rudd Oakville Estate has appointed Frederick Ammons (pictured above), most recently of the Napa Valley Reserve; Marla Carroll alights at Franciscan Estate Winery in St. Helena; and Lodi’s Oak Ridge Winery has brought on head vintner Michael Borboa. On the opposite coast, Finger Lakes producer Red Newt Cellars welcomes Bob Madill, who will retain his position as grower-manager at Sheldrake Point Winery.

(Photo by Sarah Chatham)

In Somerville, Mass., Tim and Bronwyn Wiechmann—already acclaimed for T.W. Food in nearby Cambridge—are inches away from launching Bronwyn, a Mitteleuropean gastrotavern featuring the likes of housemade wurst and foie gras knishes alongside the region's brews, wines, and spirits. The folks behind Washington, D.C.-area Leesburg Brewing Co. have a background in winemaking and buying, so rest assured there will be bottles as well as house pints to accompany the small selection of bar grub. Waters: Bonnell’s Coastal Cuisine has opened in Fort Worth, Texas, to serve up buckets of oysters—raw, fried, and grilled over pecan wood—as well as crawfish spring rolls, chicken-fried rabbit loin in bacon-cream gravy, and more, plus a lengthy wine list. And Los Angeles’s Farmshop now has a satellite in Larkspur, Calif.; Thomas Keller alums Jeff Cercielo and Mark Hopper are behind the farm-to-table venture, where the bar program is as locally focused as the seasonal menu—think fried Half Moon Bay smelts over potato-sorrel salad or grilled halibut over cracked wheat, smashed beets, spiced leeks, and pickled-walnut pesto.

A flock of winemakers has also landed in California: Rudd Oakville Estate has appointed Frederick Ammons (pictured above), most recently of the Napa Valley Reserve; Marla Carroll alights at Franciscan Estate Winery in St. Helena; and Lodi’s Oak Ridge Winery has brought on head vintner Michael Borboa. On the opposite coast, Finger Lakes producer Red Newt Cellars welcomes Bob Madill, who will retain his position as grower-manager at Sheldrake Point Winery.

(Photo by Sarah Chatham)