Waverly Inn Eclipses Da Silvano in Press, But Blog Still a Snooze
The latest from the Waverly Inn’s blog brings the tale of a Spanish “lifestyle counselor” (hmm, we thought these only existed in the U.S.) being strangely content when only a 9:15 p.m. seating was available for a high-profile client. Yawn, we know Spaniards eat late — give us juicy stories about Lindsay Lohan showing up! Meanwhile innkeeper Graydon Carter, who once told the Guardian he’d be hesitant to seat Simon Cowell prominently (but no qualms about Lindsay?) can take solace in Gawker’s accounting that the Waverly Inn has eclipsed his old haunt, Da Silvano, in press mentions. But has his cachet been depleted at other restaurants? Gawker also brings the tale of someone who says he received shabby treatment at Gramercy Tavern despite the fact that Carter made a reservation for him. But come on, it’s not like this guy was Lindsay Lohan.
Ye Waverly Blog: The Spanish Visitor [Ye Waverly Blog/VF]
Graydon Carter: Restaurant Promoter [Gawker]
Is Graydon Carter’s Cachet Depleted? [Gawker]
Vanity Flair [Guardian]
Mediavore
Zagat Empire for Sale; New Low-Cal Girl Scout CookiesThe Zagat family has put their empire of burgundy books on the market, with Goldman Sachs handling the search for a buyer who will have to drop at least $200 million for the acquisition. [NYT]
Stereo, the club outside which a patron was shot last week, closed after a weekend police raid. [NYDN]
Howie Mandel’s mention of the Waverly Inn on Live With Regis & Kelly made Graydon Carter’s restaurant a highly searched Google item. [Gawker]
Mediavore
No Plaza for Graydon; Mr. Rachael Ray Drops $35K for LunchboxGraydon Carter won’t be taking over the Plaza’s Oak Room, so you’ll still have to head downtown to the Waverly Inn for that truffled macaroni and cheese. [NYP]
Jean-Georges Vongerichten seeks the elusive fifth taste by serving “umami bombs” at his restaurants. [WSJ]
Related: Waiter, There’s a Fifth Element in My Soup
It’s possible that locally grown products have a comparable or even greater carbon footprint than food that travels long distances, so you can stop patting yourself on the back for being a greenmarket fanatic. [NYT]
Related: Local Schmocal [NYM]
Neighborhood Watch
Vive Les Classiques at Payard on the UES; Snorting Not a Problem at the WaverlyDumbo: Pie Social! This Sunday at Bubby’s! Noon to 3 p.m. [Dumbo NYC]
East Village: Mo Pitkin’s gives up the ghost October 20. [Eater]
Greenwich Village: One of the best places to get risotto in the city is … surprise! Risotteria. [amNY]
Meatpacking District: The first rule of Clubland: “You must bring something to the party … Good looks, money, personality, or women.” [NYDN]
Upper East Side: Payard chef Philippe Bertineau is resurrecting classics like bouillabaisse and crispy pig’s feet for the restaurant’s tenth anniversary. [Restaurant Girl]
West Village: A Radar mole tests the cocaine limits of popular nightspots and “here he is at Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter’s Waverly Inn, where it is apparently completely okay to get your snort on.” [Radar via Gawker]
The Gobbler
Congratulations: You’re Headed to Siberia!During the course of a recent breakneck tour of restaurants in London, the Gobbler found himself paying Kobe-beef-like prices for taxi rides and eating, among other things, more pig’s head than he ever thought humanly possible. Unlike in New York, the maître d’s of London weren’t lying in wait for the Gobbler, and photos of his giant mug weren’t plastered in every kitchen. So he also found himself dining in that vast restaurant wasteland known as Siberia. He was seated by the great yawning kitchen doors at a hot new restaurant in Piccadilly, among tourists from Singapore at Gordon Ramsay’s newest place, and next to a giant flower pot at the Connaught Hotel. The experience prompted the Gobbler to compose another one of his lists. You know you’re sitting in Siberia when …
Back of the House
Graydon Carter Acts Out; the Ultimate DietIf you’re a regular New Yorker and you don’t like the sound of construction outside, you’re out of luck. If you’re Graydon Carter, you’re still out of luck, but at least you can lash out. [NYP]
Readers write in to Bruni’s blog on the subject of the Cult of the Chef. Some of them seem to actually be in favor of it, to the critic’s surprise. He gives no ground, though. [NYT]
Dusty cakes sitting in the window of a Williamsburg bakery have officially reached landmark status. [NYT]
Restroom Report
Head to Head, Round Two: The Loos at the Inns
Earlier this week we noted that Paul Sevigny’s the Beatrice is shaping up to be the downtown set’s own private Ye Waverly Inn. Only time will tell which of the historic, soon-to-officially-reopen West Village taverns will become the more chic destination. But at least you’ll know what to expect from the bathrooms.
Back of the House
Rocco’s Reality; Sacco’s Igloo; Three Ways Into the WaverlyRocco returns to reality TV. [Snack]
Now in Carroll Gardens, “the largest selection of Italian after-dinner drinks in the country.” [Gridskipper]
Graydon Carter not looking to be the godfather of Bank Street. [NYP]
Three ways to score a table at Ye Waverly. [NYO]
Sacco has an igloo. [NYO]
More zingers from the Batali roast. [NYDN]
Rogue taxidermists teach “jackalope”-making at Union Hall. [Gawker]
Did Food Network lift celeb-kitchens idea? [Gawker]
