••• “Helicopter tours would be banned in the five boroughs under a controversial bill re-introduced to City Council in the wake of last month’s deadly East River crash, chopper proponents said Monday. Brooklyn Councilman Carlos Menchaca’s legislation—which was introduced three years ago and voted down—would prohibit sightseeing helicopters from taking off and landing at heliports owned by the city if they break ‘stage 3 noise limits.’ And industry insiders say there’s no way for tour choppers to meet those noise requirements—and are pleading with lawmakers not to pass the bill.” And spending a lot of money to persuade them, no doubt, just like last time. “Menchaca introduced the bill along with Manhattan Councilwomen Helen Rosenthal and Margaret Chin.” Hold firm, Chin! —New York Post

••• Chef Paul Liebrandt, who cooked so memorably at Corton (the restaurant that preceded Bâtard), is heading the kitchen at Racines NY through May. Starting next Monday, he “will offer three- and five-course menus with optional wine pairings by Pascaline Lepeltier, a master sommelier, and Arnaud Tronche, partners in the restaurant. —New York Times

••• “Downtown Manhattan was the center of the art world in the early ’80s, but 15 years on, most of the artists and galleries had left. These are the people who stayed.” The T Magazine group photo is neat, but the 15 artists are hardly the only ones to have remained in the area.

••• Restaurant-reservation app “Resy will launch a new loyalty program, Resy Select, in late April. Perks will include exclusive booking windows at popular restaurants, early dibs on event tickets, wait-list priority, and experiential events like meeting your pasta idol. It’ll be invitation-only and in beta mode when it launches, but will expand down the line.” One of the main reasons we cook dinner more, rather than going out, is because getting reservations is just too much hassle. —Grub Street

••• Rivington Tattoo “will start inking customers later this month in a specially designed display” at the Saks Fifth Avenue in Brookfield Place. “The tattoo shop is part of Saks’s new concept floor, The Downtown Wellery, which will feature celebrity colorist Joel Warren of The Salon Project.” —New York Post