••• David Chang’s chicken chain Fuku is open in the Hudson Eats food court at Brookfield Place. Thanks to Archie for the photo.

••• Behold the huge Chick-fil-A coming to Fulton Street.

••• A bit of curveball from Mulberry & Vine.

••• The Goldfinch filmed in the Mr. Chow area yesterday. (More on it here.) I despised that novel. The first 200 pages had promise in a Dickensian way—moving from one milieu to the next, the vague, lost child at the center proving a useful foil to the lively surrounding characters. And then it doubles back on itself, shining way too harsh a light on characters who were drawn far too thin in the first place (the alcoholic father, the chilly Park Avenue matron, the gentle giant, the nerdy boy, and on and on and on). And then—my jaw dropped—the book turns into a crime drama. Does anyone picking up a critically acclaimed, 771-page literary novel hope that it will climax with a shootout in a parking garage? (A parking garage?! Clichés do not come bigger than that!) I kept reading, mostly because I had the flu, but also because I was sure that Tartt would regain control. Instead, the main character makes bad decisions and tells lies, then wonders whether he should have made that decision or told that lie—and, hey, even though there was no mention of it in the past 100 pages, he still loves that girl and he’s a drug addict. Worse, the book is written with countless allusions that serve no purpose but to allow readers to pat themselves on the back for getting them. If I had more strength, I would’ve thrown The Goldfinch across the room. And that concludes my rant.

••• In non-avian news, Market Lane, the store/restaurant near the 4 World Trade Center entrance to the World Trade Center mall, looks far from opening.

••• Roberta Roller Rabbit is having a big sale. (Everyone’s a VIP!)