Every year stress is a main ingredient during the holidays. With Halloween around the corner and Thanksgiving and Christmas not far off, most of us think say the same thing to ourselves: This is the year I will shop early so I can avoid last minute shopping. I will begin the holiday season fully relaxed and enjoy it!

Yet every year time seems to slip away and suddenly the holidays arrive. You end up racing to the stores, panic-stricken, trying to find candy in the empty racks or a beautiful turkey for the dinner table that is now triple the price because the only store that has any left is the high-end market down the street.

1) This week SIV skips states and shares her top picks for where to dine at Vegas' new City Center: "With Twist at the top of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Michelin three-star chef Pierre Gagnaire has opened a quietly confident restaurant. It's certainly not over-the-top luxurious...This food is much less elaborate, much more approachable and is built on impeccable technique and arresting flavors." Next up, Bar Masa for "sublime sushi," though after agreeing on a $150 per person omakase SIV still leaves hungry and disappointed, "To get the real experience, you'd need to spend at least $300 per person." SIV heads to Julian Serrano for "the most authentic paella I've had in this country," followed by Sage where "food is deeply delicious and satisfying." SIV enjoys lunch at Lemongrass, breakfast at Silk Road and one last dinner at Jean-Georges Steakhouse: "The sophisticated take on a steakhouse has a menu strong in first courses and sides." LAT 2) Jonathan Gold heads back to SG Valley for knife-cut noodles, this

Looking for the food equivalent of following your favorite yoga instructor down to Cabo for a "retreat?" Well, this is just like that: Slanted Door chef Charles Phan is heading to Halekulani hotel in Oahu to host a cooking demonstration and a sunset reception inspired by the French Vietnamese cuisine of his restaurant. Tickets to "An evening with Charles Phan" seem reasonable at $75 or (about what you'd pay for a prix fixe dinner plus drinks), but of course you'll have to get yourself and your Chef-groupie friends over to Oahu and set up with a $460-a-night room at the Halekulani as well. EaterWire

A reader sends word and a call to the restaurant confirms that the $2 million flagship of Kyochon, the Korean chicken chain, will open up for dinner tonight at 7 PM. Workers at the restaurant have been handing out menus and passing out free samples all day to get the masses ready for the fried chicken onslaught. But is Kyochon ready for the competition? Signs have gone up to announce that rival Bon Chon Chicken is coming soon just down the block at 325 5th Ave. in an already crowded Koreatown fried chicken market.

· A Look at Kyochon, the Chicken Flagship Opening this Week ~ENY~

Santa Monica's Dakota Live Music Lounge introduced its new chef and menu at a media tasting last week, and Eater was on hand to meet executive chef Zach Saunders and sample a slew of his offerings. First off, the run-of-the-mill bar food has been replaced with fresh and creative small plates. Saunders, whose resume includes kitchen experience at Melisse, Anisette, and a two-year stint as chef de cuisine at 3 on Fourth, says he wants to get music-goers to come in for a bite to eat before a show, and is hoping to attract a separate dinner crowd as well. If Dakota, which took over the former Temple Bar space in the fall of 2008, can successfully attract those hungry patrons, customers should be more than pleased with Saunders' offerings. He's done an excellent job of adding unexpected ingredients and housemade twists to his dishes, whether its kimchi in the fish tacos — a standout with deep-fried miso-marinated wild Atlantic cod — or candy-cane beet chips to go with a green goddess dip (the f

Image via: EaterWire After yesterday's report, we got a couple updates on what's going on behind the Tyvek Homewrap at 2000 Union Street. As one commenter noted, the Bacchus Group (owners of Spruce and a few others) are opening Cafe des Amis - a "Parisian-style brasserie serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and a late-night menu consisting of traditional French cuisine with Northern California flair." That fine specimen of citizen journalism up there shows the current state of the space which is slated to open in June according to this Craigslist post for a Front of House Manager. Finally, we've received word that Chef Ed Carew, currently of The Cottage Eatery in Tiburon (formerly of Gramercy Tavern) has signed on with the Bacchus Group to handle the kitchen duties at Cafe des Amis. EaterWire

The entire family of devices built on the iPhone OS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) have been designed to run only software that is approved by Apple—a major shift from the norms of the personal computer market. Software developers who want Apple's approval must first agree to the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement. So today we're posting the "iPhone Developer Program License Agreement"—the contract that every developer who writes software for the iTunes App Store must "sign." Though more than 100,000 app developers have clicked "I agree," public copies of the agreement are scarce, perhaps thanks to the prohibition on making any "public statements regarding this Agreement, its terms and conditions, or the relationship of the parties without Apple's express prior written approval." But when we saw the NASA App for iPhone, we used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to ask NASA for a copy, so that the general public could see what rules controlled the technology they could use with their phone

Remember last fall when a slew of French chefs took over the kitchens of the Momofuku Empire and wd~50 for a night? And resys were pretty much impossible to get? And Dave Chang and Michel Bras cooked an all vegetarian dinner in Wylie Dufresne's kitchen? It was all brought to you by Omnivore, an iconoclastic French dining guide. And they're putting on another show this June. Details are still scarce but the folks at Blue Hill do confirm the Reichl tweet that they'll be hosting a dinner on June 6 at 6PM. The chef tentatively scheduled to take over their kitchen is Italy's avant garde Massimo Bottura (praised here by Frank Bruni). Stay tuned for details on which other chefs and restaurants are involved and what shenanigans they have in store. Oh, and that other big French invasion, the two day Le Fooding festival that took place at P.S. 1 last year, is also a go for 2010.

· All Coverage of Last Year's Omnivore Event ~ENY~

Click the image above to view the full photogallery. WEST HOLLYWOOD— Soho House opens today and a batch of interior shots have surfaced on Facebook showing off the multi-floor space. It definitely doesn't stray too far from those original renderings, overall a very clubby vibe with those tufted sofas and plush leather chairs. Reminiscent of Cecconi's design aesthetic as well. EaterWire HOLLYWOOD— Last month LifeFood Organic opened on Cahuenga offering raw, vegan fare for Hollywood' health-conscious. The cafe offers mostly take-out, view the menu here. ATWB WEST HOLLYWOOD— Tomorrow night XIV will hold a pricey wine dinner in collaboration with Alec Sysses of Domaine Dujac. A slew of premier cru and grand cru wines will be paired with an 8-course menu, $185 per person. No set time, tasting menu available all evening. EaterWire

Wow. On Sunday The Cove, a gruesome documentary that exposed the horrific dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan won an Oscar. Nicely done! According to a NY Times article published yesterday, the team behind The Cove took their animal-saving operation one step further and have revealed that Santa Monica's The Hump, a famous sushi spot for devout raw fish consumers, has been serving illegal whale meat. Charges could be brought against the restaurant as early as this week. The whole maneuver began in October when the documentary’s associate producer heard from friends that The Hump was serving whale. Just like in the movie, he created a secret camera that chronicled an entire, lavish omakase dinner and caught the restaurant red handed when a waitress served something she referred to a whale. The meat was stashed in a bag, analyzed in a lab, and proved to, in fact, be from an endangered Sei whale.

·Oscar Winners Try To Keep Whale Off Sushi Plate NYT

Pressed Cubano at Ironside, SF. Photo: Dina Brooks 1) Mission: For those of you who have had the pleasure of sampling chef Adriana Lopez Vermut's authentic Venezuelan fare at Pica Pica Maize Kitchen in Napa and have been wishing for more opportunities closer to home, there's good news! A second location is in the works and will hopefully open by early April. "We always hoped to open a location the Mission - after all, Pica Pica is Latin, this is our neighborhood - so now San Franciscans can get their arepa fix seven days a week," she shares. "And we'll still be in Napa at the Oxbow Market with Pica Pica Bar and the special activities, as well as out on the festival circuit this summer at concerts like Outside Lands, street fairs such as Castro, Folsom, Carnaval and other events - this expansion is definitely a response to Bay Area and San Francisco demand." So, stay tuned for signature arepas, cachapas, and maize'wiches, along with empanadas, yucca fries, sweet plantains, soups, salads, and of course, c

Photo courtesy of UrbanDaddy Ebb & Flow, the 40-seat seafood newcomer from Vincent Schofield and brothers Tony and Craig Droplas, is right on track to open for dinner on Wednesday. Schofield, who has worked for many years at Boulevard, opened Sundance Kabuki as exec chef, and most recently cheffed at the Willows Inn on Washington's Lummi Island, says he and his co-owners have teamed up to provide simple and delicious food with a high emphasis on service. Schofield has a couple of ex-Boulevard cohorts on board: David Vogler will be co-executive chef and Simon Lapof is the G.M. Lunch service will begin on Thursday. NB: This is the trio's first restaurant endeavor together, but certainly not the last. Schofield and the Doplas brothers are also working on opening Taqueria Del Reforma, a rustic Mexican eatery near San Francisco State some time in June. More on that as things develop. See earlier Eater coverage on Ebb & Flow. 598 Guerrero Street; 415.355.9191. EaterWire

OAKLAND-- From the looks of this snapshot sent in by a reader, Tamarindo Antojeria in Old Oakland is in the midst of expanding. A call to the restaurant confirms that the owner is taking over the space next door, previously occupied by New World Vegetarian. Their Yelp page says they are working on adding a full bar and will be taking reservations. We'll keep you updated. Eaterwire PACIFIC HEIGHTS-- Over at Grub Street, Jay Barmann reports that Elizabeth Falkner's new Fillmore Street digs may take a little longer than expected to roll out. The target date of March 15th is probably not going to happen; instead, she is hoping for a week after or thereabouts. While opening day for the new Citizen Cake is uncertain, we do know, thanks to Barmann, what is on Falkner's lunch and dinner menus. They include an eclectic mix of dishes such as escargot, arepas, beet salad with grilled beef heart, and beer floats. Grub Street SF MISSION –-- Nombe, which recently earned 2 1/2 stars from Michael Bauer, has anno

Aria Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas TheAge.com Welcome to Breaking Down The Times, in which Gridskipper tries its best to speed things up for you by sifting through the NYT Travel Section and telling you what you need to know. 1) Las Vegas, Nevada: Fred Bernstein takes on the task of reviewing the enormous Aria Hotel, one of the main components of the CityCenter development. And you know what? He likes it. "The hotel is huge, and it feels that way, but thanks to thoughtful design, it also feels luxurious and, at times, even cozy." Some essential points: 1) If you decide to stay there, don't take a shuttle from the airport, as it'll leave you too far from reception. 2) The bathrooms are great. 3) The views are both good and bad, so try and see if you can secure a room with a great view beforehand. 4) Restaurants are good and varied (our Vegas Restaurants Of The Moment map includes some). 5) Perhaps most importantly, the luxury you get for $149 a night can't be beat. 2) Palm Beach, Florida: For this