FIRST IMPRESSIONS: BIKINI BAR
The title of Coolest, Cutest Café in Tribeca can safely be handed over to Bikini Bar, newly opened on Duane.

CB1 TRIBECA COMMITTEE: THE UNOFFICIAL MINUTES
Sample menus and other details for Marc Forgione’s Laotian restaurant (right), the global brasserie coming to the old Matsugen space, a new vegetarian restaurant, and the Greek spot replacing Turks & Frogs. Also: More on 50 Varick, sidewalk seating at Locanda Verde and Aamanns, and a couple street events.

IN THE NEWS
••• 12/13: Capsouto Frères. Plus: Another 7-Eleven; Holly Hunter drops out; SantaCon bypassing downtown; west Soho air rights purchase.
••• 12/16: The Dead Rabbit, the soon-to-open pub in FiDi and grocery, looks promising. Plus: Pace planning a 34-story dorm; Hudson River Park, still hurting; parks officer arrested for theft; man rescued from subway tracks; Seaport Museum reopening postponed.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: BENARES
I had enjoyed the lunch special at Benares (left) last week and was mulling going back before writing about it when Suzanne filed an in-depth report as a comment in the Restaurant Guide. She clearly knows more about Indian food than I do, so I’m handing over the reins on this one.

REAL ESTATE SALES REPORT
Courtesy of StreetEasy, these are the properties whose sales were “recorded” by the city in the past seven days (ending 12/15/12)—the sales may have taken place earlier.

AMINAH ET LES AMIS IS CLOSING UP SHOP
The last day on Warren Street will be Tuesday, and owner Haddy Faal having a big sale, as well as four concurrent trunk shows, including Polkadot What and local hatmaker Sally Imperato, as she looks for a new space and works on an e-commerce site.

WHERE IN TRIBECA…?
Congratulations to Jim Smithers for correctly IDing the location of last week’s Where in Tribeca…? (right). Click the link to see the answer.

SEEN & HEARD
••• 12/13: Federal Plaza gets classy. Plus: 58 Reade’s facelift; “restricted parking” signs on Greenwich; Alex Katz prints for sale; Baba Ghanouge expanding to FiDi.
••• 12/14: New wine bar. Plus: Brooklyn Bridge closures start up again; what’s coming to the old Bon Chon Chicken space; new pasta restaurant; can anyone help Mike?
••• 12/16: New sake bar. Plus: Donations for single parents and their kids; looking for shopdogs and shopcats; more great photos of parts of the 1 World Trade Center spire making its way down Greenwich.

WELCOME TO TWEEBECA—SPECIAL CELEBRITY EDITION!
All good New Yorkers know they’re not supposed to talk to celebrities, but that doesn’t mean they can’t tweet about spotting them out and about. Or hoping to, anyway. Plus: Two Tribeca tweets from celebs.