Topless coffee shop goes bust, poisoned chickens, speakeasies on the rise
• A Ryerson University professor is developing a time-release salt that delivers an initial burst of flavour followed by smaller doses over time. This would trick the taste buds into thinking that a food is saltier than it is, theoretically reducing the need to add the taste booster to foods. [Daily Gleaner]
• Nightclub impresario Charles Khabouth—the man behind Tattoo Rock Parlour, Ultra and the relaunch of Rain (now Ame)—talks about surviving in a crowded and broke market. In the process, he describes the first opening he organized in Toronto: the place was decorated by Canadian Tire, and the tiger he’d rented broke a window, catching the attention of cops and the humane society. [ROB]
• The subtly named Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Maine burned down on Wednesday; police suspect arson is to blame. A week earlier, neighbours had complained that one of the servers stepped out of the doughnut shop without covering up her double-double Ds. [Boston Herald]
• Just as Toronto embraced secret dining clubs, New York is falling hard for the speakeasy trend. Low-key bars are popping up in derelict areas of the city, complete with hidden entrances, peepholes and shady bouncers. Unlike the 1920s, though, these bars are fully licensed, proving that nostalgia is good, but making money is better. [NY Times]
• Chinese health authorities are cracking down on restaurants serving chickens that have been bitten to death by poisonous snakes. Ironically, the poultry dish supposedly has detoxifying effects. [Reuters]
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