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Yao Ming Forwards Chinese Wine; Sherry Slams Strand House

• According to the Wall Street Journal, former NBA player Yao Ming “is an unlikely connoisseur and a trailblazer on the Chinese wine scene.” [WSJ]

• Unswayed by the cougar meat on display, S. Irene Virbila gives The Strand House a half-star review, calling the restaurant “amateurish and not ready for prime time.” [LAT]

• The rising price of peanut butter is causing big problems for the country’s food banks. [WP]

• Even though roughly one-half of all new fast food franchises fail, that isn’t stopping people from putting their life savings into their own locations of Popeyes and KFC’s. [LAT]

• Feeding America is working overtime to provide meals to hungry U.S. residents following federal cuts that have sapped about 45% of donations to food banks. [WSJ]

• An investor in Madea Vodka, which has a “WiFi-capable, electronically powered illuminated display,” is suing the founders, saying they pocketed his $7.5 million investment in the brand. [Page Six/NYP]

• More and more Russian artists and socialites are investing in Moscow restaurants, making celebrity restaurants a “confirmed Russian fad.” [Toronto Sun]

• Violence broke out at a Washington, D.C., restaurant over the weekend: One person died from gunshot wounds and five others were injured. [WP]

• It’s apparently illegal for bartenders in Iowa to make their own bitters, but one restaurateur is fighting to get the law changed. [Eastern Iowa Life]

Yao Ming Forwards Chinese Wine; Sherry Slams Strand House