Here's a round up of some end-of-the-year tidbits we thought you'd enjoy before moving onto February...

NYC's Tavern on the Green was robbed in December 1996. According to Nation's Restaurant News, two men strolled up to the second floor bar when it was nearly deserted, ordered a Scotch and displayed a gun. They took $200 from the register and nonchalently left through the front door, fleeing the scene in a taxicab hailed by... the restaurant's own doorman! Not surprising—After all, the tavern *does* have a reputation to consider.

An Exercise in Bad Taste

True story: Two men in Louisville, Kentucky, were jailed on cocaine trafficking charges. The police had found a bag of white powder in their car, which the men claimed to be dried yogurt. They were held for two full days—until the substance was analyzed and discoved to indeed be legal: dried yogurt it was. The men, of Palestinian descent, were released. Dried yogurt is common in some Middle Eastern countries.

What to Name the Baby...

In its 1996 Year in Review issue, Nation's Restaurant News published its top picks for odd restaurant names. Selections from "The Name Game" include:

• Bits 'n Pizzas (Scottsdale, AZ)
• A Wok on the Beach (Gulf Shores, AL)
• The Greatful Bread Deli (Essex, Vt.)
• Pizza D' Action (Little Rock, AZ)
• Spaghetti Western (New York)
• Lox, Stock and Bagel (Upland, CA)
• Frank 'n Stein (St. Louis)
• Schooner or Later (Long Beach, CA)
• Lulu Belle's Beauty Shop and Chainsaw Repair (Tampa, FL)
• Bow-Thai (Coral Gables, FL)
• Fill a Buster (Boston)
• Rome on the Range (Winter Park, CO)
• The Deli Planet (Orlando, FL)
• Take It From Us (Seattle)

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