Grub Street

Radar notes today that the Odeon, while not quite back to the glory that landed it on the cover of Bright Lights, Big City, is still quite the little lunch spot, per a spot check that turned up Seth Lipsky of the New York Sun, Philip Gourevitch of the Paris Review, and our own John Homans. This excerpt from an advance copy of Observer critic Moira Hodgson’s memoir, It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time, might shed some light as to why. She reviewed the restaurant as a critic at the Times.

Odeon was more than just a scene: it was a real restaurant, and that’s why it has lasted so long. It was a hangout not only for artists, but also for the new breed of workers that was moving into the neighborhood: bankers and stockbrokers. Odeon set a trend and helped to open up Tribeca, a role that Keith [McNally]’s bistro Pastis was to play in the meatpacking district some years later. And Odeon made restaurants so cool, it often seemed to be cooler to work in one than to be a customer.

Then again, it might just be the new ice-cream cart.

Is The Odeon The New Michael’s? [Eater]