Intelligence Briefs is Scout’s weekly compendium of food and drink-related news stories. The briefings are published every Monday morning. For the complete archive, click here.

The Globe and Mail’s Alexandra Gill shares her picks for the top 10 best new restaurants in the city. Taking the top three spots are St. Lawrence, Fayuca and Bows x Arrows.

The Soap Dispensary on Main St. has recently expanded to offer a number of food staples in Vancouver’s first zero waste grocery store.

This week in strange food news: Researchers are experimenting with tofu to create a new alcoholic beverage.

Breaking: Superstar chef Mario Batali has stepped away from his empire following sexual misconduct allegations.

Think sexual harassment in restaurants is just a kitchen thing? Think again.

From the same folks that brought us Pourhouse, Ask For Luigi, Pizzeria Farina and St. Lawrence comes di Beppe. The new Italian eatery opened at 2 Cordova this past week.

When you think about the best sushi, you don’t typically think of airports. That’s about to change  with the opening of a mini version of Japan’s Tsukiji Fish Market at the Newark airport.

Heading up to Squamish? Consider a pit-stop at The Salted Vine to try this chai-infused rum cocktail.

Necessity is the mother of invention! A high rate of choking deaths in Japan has resulted in the development of choke-proof foods!

According to scientists, the quality of Champagne can be heard. Fascinating stuff:

To measure the sounds of wine, researchers used small hydrophones—microphones which can record underwater sounds. They poured California Brut and Moët & Chandon Imperial champagne into flutes and listened in as the bubbles formed. The results suggest that they could indeed hear the fine champagne, discerning that bubbles of this drink are slightly smaller in size, more evenly sized and have more activity than the lower-quality sparkling wine.

Eater announces the winners of their 2017 Eater Awards. In great news for the PNW, the nod for Restaurant of the Year went to Seattle’s JuneBaby.

As stress levels continue to rise under the current political climate, people are turning to unhealthy strategies to cope such as increased alcohol use and poor eating habits.

Tip-pooling is back on the table as Donald Trump seeks to allow restaurant owners to collect and redistribute gratuities as they see fit.

“Backers argue it’s a regulation that could go a long way towards erasing income inequality between back and front of the house. Others say it’s a recipe for a host of evils, ranging from tip-pocketing by management to unsustainably high labor costs.”

And speaking of Trump, in a new book his former campaign manager reveals plenty about his fast food habits:

“Trump’s appetite seems to know no bounds when it comes to McDonald’s, with a dinner order consisting of two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate malted.”

How one man is using technology and crowdsourcing to identify incidents of food-borne illnesses and help to prevent further outbreaks.

Drinking via Instagram honours this week go to @wileatsvancouver because there’s no better way to kick your milkshake into high gear than to add a bit of booze!

It’s Saturday. Treat yo’ self to a boozy milkshake from Fable Diner! • • • • • #fablediner

A post shared by Wil Eats Vancouver (@wileatsvancouver) on Dec 9, 2017 at 2:12pm PST

Looking to upgrade your knife skills game? The test kitchen at SAVEUR magazine has your back with their picks for the best kitchen knives on the market.

While the city is still awaiting the driving service, UberEats launched in Vancouver last week in an already competitive food delivery market.

The count is in and, according to OpenTable, 14 of the country’s best restaurants that use the reservation service are right here in BC. Local favourites include the likes of Osteria Savio Volpe, Miku and Hawksworth.

How automation could lead to profound changes in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Looking for work in the industry? Check out who’s hiring!