From Reese Witherspoon to Natalie Portman, Hollywood just adores Rodarte, the wildly imaginative line by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy. And from February 11 through March 14, a selection of Rodarte designs from past collections will be on view at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in N.Y.C. as the focus of the upcoming “Quicktake: Rodarte” fashion installation.

Founded in 2005, Rodarte is widely acclaimed for its daring and conceptual collections. “Quicktake: Rodarte” offers a glimpse into the Mulleavys’ unique process and inspiration at an important point in their career. Rodarte’s creations feature complex manipulation of materials and other meticulous techniques evocative of haute couture through an American lens. The Mulleavys deliver emotionally powerful, dynamic collections that interweave extremely hard and delicate elements simultaneously.

In 2009, the sisters won the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award. Rodarte also has an affordable GO International Collection for Target, which promptly sold out upon hitting stores in December.

For more information, visit cooperhewitt.org.

Bill’s burgers will expand, and not just in your stomach.

Stephen Hanson, owner of the mouthwatering Bill’s Bar & Burger in the meatpacking district, plans to grow his business with a new Bill’s Bar & Burger at Rockefeller Center in May. It will be the largest independent burger restaurant in the country.

“We received such positive feedback from the public when Bill’s Bar & Burger opened in the Meatpacking District in October 2009, that we knew we wanted to offer locals and visitors another location,” says Hanson. “Everything fell into place when we saw the space at Rockefeller Center. The central location is ideal for us to serve the many people who work in and visit midtown Manhattan.”

He and his team at B.R. Guest Restaurants have reconfigured the floor plan of the two-story former Tuscan Square so that it will have room for 563 seats instead of 330. He expects to serve 2,000 five-and-one-half-ounce burgers each day.

Bill’s in the meatpacking district is known for blue-checked tablecloths, a crowded brick-walled bar, ESPN playing high in the corners, chicken wings, cold beer, russet-hued fries and of course, classic burgers. The new Bill’s Bar & Burger will bring a new low-key, casual vibe to an iconic place, where locals and tourists come to appreciate and celebrate Manhattan. Similar to the original Bill’s, the no-frills space will feature paintings and drawings by cutting-edge local artists Dan Clements, Katie Merz, Mark Newgarden and David Scher, who will release their creativity directly on the walls of the restaurant.

Filling out the menu are items ranging from $8 to $16 including grouper sandwiches, turkey burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, onion rings, milkshakes and great crispy veggie fries made with batter that is light and delicate.

Bills Bar & Burger; 22 Ninth Avenue (West 13th Street); (212) 414-3003

Calling all Saints and Colts fans…and foodies! On Super Bowl Sunday, Emeril’s Miami Beach at 1601 Collins Ave. will host the ultimate tailgate party serving up Big Easy faves that would make make any Saints fan feel right at home.

Starting at 4:30 p.m. and ending a half hour before the game, the bash will feature six large screens showing the game and signature dishes like Chicory Barbecued Chicken with New Orleans Dirty Rice, “Real” Muffalettas, Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, Emeril’s Kicked Up Chili, King Cake, and an open bar for $125 a person.

As for Mr. BAM himself, he’ll be at the game but will be participating in Mario Batali’s Super Bowl Super Brunch on Saturday. For more info, call (305) 695-4550 and check out the menu below!

Emeril’s Miami Beach Game Day Menu

Fried Green Tomatoes with New Orleans Remoulade

Gulf Fish Court Bouillon with Grits

Chicory Barbecued Baked Chicken with New Orleans Dirty Rice

Red Beans & Rice

Emeril’s Kicked Up Chicken Wings

Emeril’s Caesar Salad

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo with Steamed White Rice

Sliced Top Round of Beef with Horseradish Sour Cream, Homemade
Worcestershire Sauce and Potato Rolls

New Orleans Muffalettas – The Real Deal

Emeril’s Kicked Up Chili with Sour Cream, Grated Cheddar and Green Onions

Desserts

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Emeril’s King Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

A decrepancy in salaries between bartenders and waitstaff at Andre Balazs’ super swank Boom Boom Room is causing quite a frenzy. Evidently, the bartenders who make all the drinks wind up getting a small portion of the tips, while the servers can make up to $600 a night. The bartenders feel like they are getting the short end of the stick and want to arrange a more equitable split in the money. As expected, the servers would like to maintain the status quo. Can you blame them?

After transporting a collection of impressionist paintings from their Hamptons home to their Manhattan apartment, a New York Family woke up to find their beloved art work had been accidentally thrown away.

According to The New York Times, the family had left the last batch of packing to a maid who accidentally tossed the valuable impressionist paintings. The mishap was not discovered until the family had prepped the walls for the artwork only to realize they were down four pieces.

“They scrambled around the next day, looking everywhere,” said Colin Quinn, director of claims management in the United States for Axa Art Insurance. “At the end of the day, they reported it to us.”

Really, could there be anything ladies love more than chocolate and high heels? Madame Chocolat of Beverly Hills doesn’t think so. That’s why she whipped up just in time for Valentine’s Day (or any day) Madame Solid Chocolat’s red-bottom High Heels. They combine every woman’s love for chic footwear and chocolate!

Made from the finest Belgian chocolate and inspired by Paris’ own Christian Louboutin, each beautiful solid heel is decorated with a gold snakeskin design using classic French culinary technique. Oh la la!

Madame Chocolat; 212 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 247-9990

What do you do when the urge for chocolate strikes during your sun salutation…Run, don’t walk to your nearest yoga studio embracing the latest trend to hit the yoga community: Foodie Yoga.

Merging eating and yoga, this new combination of exercise and indulgence starts with an hour of yoga and ends with encouragements to “ssssssmeelll the squaaash waaafting through the air” as yogis chow on butternut squash soup, pasta, chocolate and wine.

Tapping into the trend, David Romanelli, a yoga teacher at Exhale Spa in New York City, devised a “Yoga for Foodies” series that he plans to expand to Chicago, Cleveland and Dallas. Romanelli said any pleasure of the senses, eating included, can bring on a “yoga high.”

But not everyone agrees that the enjoyment of food and wine is compatible with yogic enlightenment. Yoga purists say that many foods (like wine and meat) are still a big no no. Others, like Mr. Romanelli, say that anything goes, as long as it tastes good. The debate is exposing rich ores of resentment in the yoga world.

“The culture of judgment in the yoga community, I call it yogier than thou, is rampant, and nowhere more than around food,” said Sadie Nardini, a New York yoga instructor.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, you can be sure if happy hour yoga starts, spandex-sporting folks will start coming out of the woodwork.

According to New York City records, Caryn Elaine Johnson, a.k.a. Whoopi Goldberg, sold her two-bedroom apartment at 101 Wooster Street to Thrillist.com founder Benjamin Lerer and wife Emily. They paid $2.985 million.

The shabby chic loft was originally listed last summer at $3.9 million through Sotheby’s International Realty. In October the pad had gone into contract, but since then there hasn’t been much news…Until now. Check out the photos below…What do you think? Worth $2.985 million?

Looks like celebs aren’t immune to the dipping real estate market. A real estate broker says Nicolas Cage’s $8.5 million 14,300-sq.-ft. foreclosed home in Vegas sold for $5 million its first day on the market. The buyer has not yet been identified.

The lavish mansion, which the actor bought before running up a $6.3 million tax bill, boasts six bedrooms, seven-and-a-half baths, a 16-car subterranean garage, a theater and a glorious view of the city’s downtown Strip. Estate agent Ken Lowman, who sold the house on behalf of the bank who foreclosed the property, said he believed Cage had bought it as an investment.

Cage, 46, earns $20 million per film, and his latest, the supernatural thriller Season of the Witch, opens March 19.

Forces are gathering in the Bay Area to slow down developments. Why? Well, some people say that a proposed San Francisco ballot initiative that would place extensive limits on buildings that cast shadows on parks is in reality an effort to stop developments altogether. This can either be bad news or good news, depending on how you feel about these developments. It could very well abolish all intended skyscrapers that had been proposed for the downtown area. Mayor Gavin Newsom is completely against this new initiative, though, according to reports. “What it effectively does is pretty much prevent most new high-rises,” said the city’s planning director. The president of the board of supervisors that is adamantly pushing this initiative says that his constituents have begged him to “protect our sunlight.”

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