We're still intrigued by what exactly goes on behind the scenes at reservations-scalping—or shall we say, concierge—services like PrimeTimeTables and Sorted. Just how do they get those reservations? A tipster sheds some more light on what we're coming to believe is the seedier underbelly of the food-writing biz in this town. Really, is nothing sacred?

With regard to your post yesterday about Prime Time Tables, you can gauge Heather Tierney's veracity by re-reading her quote: "I did work at Time Out for four years and left to start my own dining concierge business, but was never fired for working for PPT. "

No, she wasn't fired for working for PTT, she was fired for launching Sorted. And that was after she swore up and down that she wasn't running a concierge business when she was asked about it. Her partner in the
venture? She only referred to him by his first name: Pascal. Whether or not this is [PrimeTimeTables owner] Pascal Riffaud, I can't say for sure. But if it is, he should know Heather is willing to bite the hand that feeds.

In response, Heather Tierney asked us to reprint her response to our previous post about her company: "I am in no way related to Prime Time Tables, nor is my company, Sorted. I did work at Time Out for four years and left to start my own dining concierge business, but was never fired for working for PPT. The idea of making "false" reservations and selling them actually goes against everything Sorted stands for. My business is built on relationships that I have built over the years with restaurant owners, chefs, maitre' d and reservationists, and these people have not only become business contacts, but friends of mine. And I would never want to build a business on deception."

Curiouser and curiouser! Our naive little eyes are opening wider and wider.

And, update: Sayeth Heather: "Sorted is a dining concierge service, not a "reservation scalping" business. I provide people with advice on where to dine, recommend dishes to order and even wine pairings. Yes I book people tables too, but they are for members, all of whom are real people."

Earlier: More on Those Dining Concierge Services Everyone's Getting All Huffy About