Bicoastal mega-chef Sachin Chopra (who racked up time at Sakoon, Mantra, Amber India, Daniel and others) steps out on his own at All Spice, a vibrantly decorated converted Victorian in San Mateo where Chopra fuses contemporary mainstream fine dining with Indian flavors and techniques; as the name suggests, spices abound, gracing everything from various room names to the moderately priced dinner entrees to the quirky, rotating slate of housemade ice creams (think basil yuzu or lemon thyme with roasted garlic).

1602 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo

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Four Loko may have been responsible for shuttering Eddie Huang’s Xiao Ye, but that hasn’t stopped the black-market sale of the now illegal malt-beverage. And who would want to sell the stuff for a markup of about $8 a can? The usual purveyors of black-market goods – people on Craigslist and NYU students. We found a few ads on the online classifieds that listed the cans as “collectibles.” Um, we didn’t realize people like to collect hangovers. Also, a source at NYU reports that a number of students purchased the drink by the case during the last days of legal sale and will be selling it out of their dorm rooms for a similar markup. Gotta love their business ingenuity – mom and dad must be so proud!

• What’s will all those jittery kids? 75% of children between 5-12 drink caffeine, according to study (@nydailynews) http://zagat.bz/hl8ReN 6 mins ago
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After the glow of holiday gift-giving wears off, and you’re left staring in disbelief at your depleted bank account, any kind of discount is sure to ease the pain, no? So the timing of the 10th annual Dine Around Town, offering savings on dining from January 15–31, couldn’t be better. More than 100 restaurants will be running special two-course prix fixe lunches ($17.95) and three-course dinners ($34.95) along with their regular menus.

The list of participants is pretty broad, including power spots Luce, Spruce, Townhall and Waterbar; see-and-be-seen haunts Dosa, Foreign Cinema, Nombe and Skool; and tried-and-true neighborhood haunts Chapeau, Marlowe and Maverick. For a searchable list of participating restaurants, head here, and don’t forget to come back to ZAGAT.com to make your reservations.

Finding a holiday gift can be difficult, especially for your picky foodie friends. And it doesn’t help that for every quality knife set, there’s a Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill. We decided to round up some of the food-related gifts you might want to think twice about before buying:

Banana Case: The only reason anyone has ever carried one of these around is because he or she didn’t want to offend the present-giver. Or to hide drugs ($9.25).

Diamond Ice Tray: You may want to make ice that looks like, well, ice. But none of your friends do, unless you happen to be pals with Carol Channing or Kanye West ($9.07).

Egg Cuber: Good kitchen gadgets solve problems and/or make things easier. This one shapes hard-boiled eggs into cubes. If that makes things easier for you, well…what the hell are you doing in the kitchen ($2.99)?

Foie Gras Dog Biscuits: Look, it’s odd that your friend keeps insisting his dog is “totally a foodie.” If you get him this, you’ll just be feeding his delusion (literally). Dogs especially love these when served to them from a silver tray ($2.50 each, 7 for $15).

Four Foot Tall Statue of a Polar Bear Holding an Ice Cream Cone: First of all, it’s really cold at the poles – is that bear really in the mood for ice cream? Second of all, it’s a four-foot tall statue of a polar bear holding an ice cream cone ($699).

Kitchen Technology Center: Equal parts cookbook, television, digital photo frame and Internet portal; the Pandigital PANTV1512 sounds like a swell idea until you try to navigate the touch-screen with tomato sauce on your hands ($149.99).

Nutrisystem: You think you’re giving her the chance to design her own 28-day-long menu, and have it delivered to her door. She thinks you’re giving her a not-so-subtle hint. Yes, you’re a jerk ($299.95).

Reality Food Television Video Games: Always creatively named (“Top Chef: The Game”, “Hell’s Kitchen: The Game”), these games make reality-TV reunion specials seem entertaining by comparison (Top Chef, $4.99; Hell’s Kitchen, $7.94).

Water-of-the-Month Club: Two different waters every month. Cool! Guess what’s cooler? Literally any other “of-the-month” club you can think of ($19 or $29).

– Graham Kates

• Many thanks for the #FF love! @indieeats, @cocovinna, @BellaLatina79, @PaulaGAmato, @LauraZolnoski, @AnglimWinery, @raileurope, @BNCDetroit 1 hr ago
• Thx for the #FFs @NoJobsNoPeace, @DaveBrews, @Raulimari, @BalloonsByRenee, @clubmagazine, @BBQAddictsJason, @fabioviviani, @LEMINIMALISME 2 hrs ago
• Chotto Check Into the Marina http://zagat.bz/ggSSXd 16 hrs ago
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Preach it, sisterman. [Twitter]

– A statement in the marketing material for Dannon’s Activia yogurt. Claims like these were banned as part of a $21 million settlement with the FDA, which deemed it an “unsubstantiated health claim.” [Fooducate]

We’re all used to top 10 lists at this time of year, so how about a look back at the best Twitter chatter? Metromix rounds up the best tweets sent by chefs in 2010. What do we learn from all of this? Chefs love to make psychotic threats online just like everyone else. Also – food personalities like to over-share (c.f. @GaelGreene’s comment on necking with her husband). Plus, @nateappleman really, really doesn’t like pretentious restaurants. Check out the full list here.