GROUP EFFORT

Colors, to be owned by former workers at Windows on the World, is scheduled to open January 7 at 417 Lafayette St., next to Butter restaurant. The 120-seat restaurant will feature dishes interpreted by chef Raymond Mohan from family recipes given to him by Colors’s 48 or so partners, who hail from 28 different countries. The restaurant was partially funded by a grant from the union-based Restaurant Opportunity Center of New York and other not-for-profit organizations. As the seed money from those organizations is paid off, ownership will be taken over by the former employees of the landmark restaurant that was at the top of the World Trade Center. All of the workers are to be paid a “living wage,” of at least $13.50 an hour.

EAT AND SHOP

David Burke’s dual-concept David Burke at Bloomingdales (1000 Third Ave., 212-705-3800) opened yesterday on the 59th Street side of the department store.

Burke-in-the-Box, his take-out lunch spot, offers pizza, sandwiches, soups, salads, and the like in the $8 – $9 range. Sandwiches include a duck meatloaf slider with sweet potato vanilla puree and an “Haute Dawg” with ham and cheese.

Counter space and booth seating also are available amid decor that features 40 jacks-in-the-box and tables with recessed, glass-covered centers filled with flower petals, fruit, twigs, and other embellishments. Those same tables are across the hall at David Burke Bar Cafe,a wine bar and restaurant serving three meals a day and 20 wines by the glass. Dinner entrees, including Mr. Burke’s take on steak, meatloaf, and mac-and-cheese, range in price from the mid-teens to mid-$20s.

ALL OVER INDIAN

A new venue for upscale Indian cuisine opened on Friday.The food at Mint (150 E. 50th St., between Third and Lexington avenues, 212-644-8888) is all over the Indian map. It features chicken xacuttifrom Goa, cooked in coconut and aromatic spices and served with tamarind rice and komriKolhapuri, a Bombay-style chicken dish with bell peppers and mint rice.

Mussels porial are from the deep south, and lamb seekhkebab is from the far north.The origins of tandoori wild salmon are unknown. Seven types of rice are available, including goat biryani. Eight vegetable specialties, not including two kinds of dahl, are on hand for those in meatless moods. Entree prices range from the low teens to $28 for the tandoori lamb chops or lobster masala.

NOT CRUMMY

Mia and Jason Bauer have opened their third Crumbs bakeshop, across from Bryant Park in the Grace Building (43 W. 42nd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-221-1500), offering cupcakes, muffins, brownies, and so on. It’s open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. during weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Everything is kosher.

GINGERBREAD FUN

If you’re looking for a way to have fun with a child this Saturday, you might want to bring him or her to Silverleaf Tavern (43 E. 38th St. at Park Avenue South, 212-973-2550), which is hosting a build-your-own-gingerbread-house party from 1 to 3 p.m. Children will be provided with chef hats, aprons, and gingerbread-house building materials, including gingerbread pieces, frosting, candy canes, gum drops, peppermint disks, and shredded coconut “snow.” Hot chocolate, apple cider, and snacks also will be provided. Half of the money raised at the party will be given to P.S. 116 Mary Lindley Murray School. Children’s tickets are $50 and parents get in for free.

HAPPY INDEED

If you want a more grown-up treat, stop by Obivia (201 Lafayette St., between Kenmare and Broome streets, 212-226-4904) any day between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., where new happy hour specials include $3.50 drafts of Blue Point.Magic Hat “Mother Lager” is available for $4, and mixed drinks start at $5. The eats include various mini-burgers for $2.50 each and half a dozen wings for $4.

Mr Thorn is food editor of Nation’s Restaurant News.