♦ Frank Bruni has a few words of advice on what to do if a waiter serves you the wrong dish. [NYT]
♦ Sam Mason has a new bar planned for a space adjacent to Tailor. [GS]
♦ A look inside Aspen Social Club, the Steve Lewis-designed restaurant/bar at the newly-opened Stay hotel. [GofaG]
♦ Anthony Martignetti is opening a "private club without the membership policy" called Southside. [GS]
♦ Drew Nieporent's Corton opened last night in the space that was formerly occupied by Montrachet. [Eater]

♦ Convivio earned a three-star review in the Times today; chef Michael White, says Frank Bruni, "can do it all." [NYT]
♦ Armin Amiri's plans for Cafe Socialista? He says he's turning it into an "exclusive" 24-hour diner. [NYO]
♦ Jean-Georges Vongerichten's next project is a restaurant in the Mark Hotel. [Page 6]
♦ Amy Sacco just renovated Bungalow 8, but whether that's enough to bring back her A-list clientele is still up for debate. [NYO, GofaG]
♦ Chef Paul Liebrandt chats about his new restaurant, Corton, which he's opening with Drew Nieporent. [Metromix]
♦ Le Parker Meridian is opening a new bar called Knave. [NYT]
♦ JE Englebert, the publicity-seeking owner Prime and Suzie Wong, says he's starting a group called New Yorkers Against Bottle Service. [GS]

Back from 2001 downturn, it's the "comfort food during a recession" trend piece! Hey, writers, if you're assigned this topic, here's a peg: an "exclusive all night diner" is to open in dazed, freakoutnomic Manhattan: "Socialista mastermind Armin Amiri has decided to open an all-night diner—with a guest list from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.," reports the Observer. Filling the hole left by the democratic late-night Florent with "upscale diner food"? Irritating, but it might be perfect for the market right now: based on the sheer number of trend pieces, it is evident that people love (or can only afford) mac and cheese during hard times. Don't believe us?From 2008: The Tennessean, July 28: "Comfort food and a comfortable atmosphere seems to have appeal in a tougher economy. On the flip side, past boom times have led to expensive and outrageous fare. "When times buckle down, people say, 'You know, I just want to feel comfortable, secure and warm." The Early Show, Feb. 5: "So the fact is we want comfort food in our high-end restaurants. Again, please, take me to that place...where I can be secure and familiar... Now here's another really important part about the comfort food, and this is what—where we get to our recessionary times." New York Times, Jan 31: "Unlike previous portrayals of the late '50s and early '60s as a time of unalloyed optimism, fashion's latest embrace of the past appears to reflect the nation's darkening mood. ''It is the fashion equivalent of comfort food — I think we need it... things are timeless right now, or you want them to be." Seattle Times, September 17: "We've been around a really long time and actually, if you look at the history of the 5 Spot, when they started, the goal was to create a recession-proof restaurant. And it's working. People go back to comfort food in hard times." San Francisco Chronicle, September 28: "In a Union City factory that twists out 150,000 pounds of Red Vines licorice a day, plant manager John Nelson is betting that $10 million in capital investments, made when money flowed freely, will help his 240-person plant prosper through tough times. "We won't call it recession-proof, but licorice has always held its own. It's kind of a comfort food." From 2001: New York Times, Nov. 4: "We ate high on the hog and low on the calf. We ate our way through the Eisenhower recession, the Cuban missile crisis, Vietnam, the assassinations of J.F.K., R.F.K. and Martin Luther King Jr., through Watergate, the Persian Gulf War and the Clinton crisis. Recently a journalist friend was on the street, covering the World Trade Center disaster. She ordered a sandwich, saying: ''Don't bring me any fat-free mayonnaise. If the world is coming to an end, I want the real thing.'' New York Times, Dec. 26: "Comfort food and blue-plate diner dishes showed up all over town, sure signs of a looming recession, but the door was wide open for a chef who could make simplicity seem like an inspiration rather than a limitation." New York Times, Jan. 26, 2002: "There was a lot of talk after 9/11 about what was going to be palatable for audiences, that people were looking for the theatrical equivalent of comfort food. I felt that way too." BBC, July 30: "Food manufacturers, retailers and utilities will also be cushioned from the worst effects of any recession."

♦ Complain about the economy all you want but Thomas Keller has no plans to lower prices at Per Se. [GS]
♦ The early reviews are mixed for Five Leaves, the Williamsburg restaurant that Heath Ledger was planning to open before his death. [Eater]
♦ Django, the Mediterranean restaurant on 46th and Lex, is closing this Thursday. [Eater]
♦ A list of who's cooking what at the NYC Wine & Food Fest's Grand Tasting event on October 11th. [Metromix]
♦ There's no zebra on the menu at Braai, the South African barbecue restaurant in Hell's Kitchen, but that's only one of many disappointments for Danyelle Freeman. [NYDN]
♦ More complaints about Gael Greene's list of New York's most important restaurants. [Serious Eats]

♦ Tom Colicchio is opening two more 'wichcraft locations in Midtown. [GS]
♦ Despite an appearance on Kitchen Nightmares last week, Black Pearl on West 26th Street has closed its doors. [Eater]
♦ An update on the UWS branch of Shake Shack, which remains under construction. [Eater]
♦ Not only is Daniel Boulud not worried about the recession, he also happens to be opening a new restaurant called Secession. [WSJ]

Everyone tortures themselves with this question: Did the parties used to be better? Probably not; It's just your mind playing tricks, pining for that magical time back when you and your friends were young and free and ready to take on the world—years before life and consequences trammeled your spirit. That said, New York magazine, as part of its 40th anniversary, has a slideshow of 40 years of parties. Here's one of precocious little brat Drew Barrymore chatting up party guest Moon Zappa... when she was ten. [New York]

Simon Hammerstein, co-owner of downtown burlesque theater The Box—which pretty much everyone in the neighborhood wants shuttered—is sort of defending himself—mainly via proxy—against charges that he's a grunting hog who sexually harasses his female employees. And he's doing it in the pages of the Times' Sunday Styles, natch. First of all: he could never be untoward. Because he's engaged to a lady! "Mr. Hammerstein said he had recently become engaged and would marry 'in Decemberish.' He did not elaborate. Mystery, he said, is really the core of his business." As for charges that he regularly slapped female employees on their asses hard enough to leave bruises and that he coerced the Porcelain TwinZ, Amber and Heather Langely, to dirty up their act so that he could rename it "Twincest"? Oh, pooh-pooh. He's an artist!

♦ It's only been a few months since it opened, but Sheridan Square has already closed. [Eater]
♦ Hand over $50 to the Obama campaign and you can watch the debate at The Box tonight. [NYP]
♦ Taavo Somer and Ken Friedman on cutting out half the menu at the Rusty Knot. [DBTH]
♦ There are actually bars in the city that serve $1 beers, believe it or not. [Metromix]
♦ The new Trader Joe's in Brooklyn is open! [Brooklyn Paper, Racked]

♦ Is Frank Bruni leaving the Times? Possibly, although he says he's not. [Eater]
♦ Eli Zabar has slapped an "energy surcharge" on all purchases at Eli's and some customers aren't happy about it. [NYT]
♦ A look inside Citrine, the new Flatiron club opening in late October. [DBTH]
♦ Now there are two Spitzers down for the count. The Department of Health has shuttered Spitzer's Corner, the LES bar/restaurant. [Bowery Boogie via Eater]
♦ Pork nut/amateur psychic David Chang says in the future we'll make do with less meat and eat more veggies. [Esquire via GS]
♦ Meet the five finalists in the annual Vendy Awards, which celebrates the city's finest food carts. [GS]

♦ Sasha Petraske's Mercury Dime won't be serving alcohol (it was denied a liquor license yet again last night), although Petraske is hoping to rebound by turning Milk & Honey into a "private social club." [Eater]
♦ Cocktail king Dale DeGroff is working with Marriott to create cocktails for the hotel chain. [NYT]
♦ Philippe's new West Village offshoot, Philippe Chow Express, is now equipped with touch-screen kiosks. [NYT]
♦ Guest of Guest's map of where the cool kids hang out. [GoaG]
♦ Le Cirque has dumped its à la carte menu. [Zagat]
♦ Steve Lewis corresponds with his old pal Michael Alig. [BB]
♦ A cooking lesson courtesy of Wylie Dufresne. [GS]
♦ Laura Bush clearly has no interest in what Frank Bruni thinks. She turned up at Michael's for lunch today. [MB]

It's not the economy, the stock market, or the cabaret laws anymore. It's the State Liquor Authority! Prominent clubs that have gotten their license pulled or failed to renew recently: the strip club Scores, the ultra-expensive cabaret the Box, and the ultra-exclusive celeb hangout the Beatrice Inn, and more....

♦ Restaurants are adjusting to the economy by lowering prices and offering coupons. Coupons? Things are worse than we imagined. [NYM]
♦ A handy map of the bars on Bowery. [DBTH]
♦ An armed robber stole $7,000 from Dylan Lauren's Dylan's Candy Bar this weekend. [NYDN]
♦ Rocco DiSpirito is happy to talk about the chicken minestrone he's downing by the quart to get ready for Dancing with the Stars. He's a little less eager to talk about his "primping regimen." [TONY]
♦ Cain is either shutting down this Friday or just closing temporarily for renovations. [DBTH]
♦ Sam Talbot may move from Montauk to his own restaurant in Chelsea in the near future. [Bottomless Dish via GS]

PMc is here! (Pause for applause). That, of course, is the name of the new iPhone-only magazine founded by nightlife photographer and long-aspiring celebrity Patrick McMullan. For only 99 cents on iTunes, you can now have a piece of this revolutionary bit of media progress. And McMullan himself is absolutely sweating to bring the latest in celebrity ruffle-wearing to his (dozens of?) readers:

Say what you will about dating columnist Julia Allison (I certainly have!), but she's basically the biggest Sex and the City fan ever. That's why even she was surprised to find a thin crowd at the extravagantly wrought DVD release party at the New York Public Library last night. "Okay, let's say that they just wanted it to be a big rope line," she told us. "Fine. Then why fly in roses from Colombia? Why have insane security when I didn't see a single boldface name—I'm not talking celebs, I'm just talking society people—or even press?" All very good questions—and what does this mean for the just-confirmed sequel?The crowd at 10:30 p.m., via Nonsociety.

♦ Ten places to feed your midnight cravings, including the usual suspects like Blue Ribbon and the Spotted Pig . [NYO]
♦ Jean-Georges isn't the only restaurateur who landed in hot water for skimming tips: A roundup of the dozen or so big-name venues that have faced similar legal trouble over the past year. [Reuters]
♦ The Food Network is looking for a "young, irreverent chef" with a "Yoga-like ability" to host a new show. [Eater]
♦ Frank Bruni offers up his take on Williamsburg's Marlow & Sons. [NYT]
♦ Sweet & Vicious is back in business. [Eater]
♦ Lucky Cheng's might be leaving the East Village for a new spot in Times Square. [GNML via DBTH]
♦ A peek at the new menu at Grayz. [GS]

Remember Giovanni Luciano, the high-living Italian playboy who scammed credit cards at Bungalow 8 and partied at the most exclusive places in Manhattan? He's been in jail since last year for grand larceny. Ever-enterprising New York Observer reporter Spencer Morgan wrote him a letter, then took the prison bus up to Coxsackie to meet with him. And that, friends, is where he learned about a devious money-stealing trick involving an Etch-a-Sketch.

♦ Nightlife impresario Noah Tepperberg (left) says bottle sales at Marquee have slipped 10 percent this quarter. [GS]
♦ Jean-Georges Vongerichten is paying $1.75 million to settle a lawsuit brought by waiters over skimmed tips at his restaurants. [Reuters]
♦ Todd English's Libertine opened inside Jason Pomeranc's Gild Hall hotel last night. [NYO]
♦ The city's best restaurants are in Hell's Kitchen; the best bars are in the East Village. At least that's what Time Out says. [TONY]
♦ Now that Dessert Studio has closed, Will Goldfarb is planning a move to Bali. [NRN via GS]
♦ Armed robbers are targeting Starbucks locations. [NY1 via Eater]
♦ JE Englebert, the owner of Suzie Wong and Prime, may sue the developers of the Gramercy Starck building on East 23rd Street because he doesn't like the small emanating from the McDonald's on the ground floor. [NYP]

♦ A very modest Daniel Boulud says his restaurant on the Bowery will be "the greatest diner on earth." [NYP]
♦ Serge Becker's new Swiss restaurant, Cafe Select, is finally open to the public, albeit only for lunch for the moment. [Eater]
♦ Frank Bruni says he doesn't understand the concept of bottle service. This might have something to do with the fact that he's 43. [NYT]
♦ Apparently you can find some decent food in Little Italy. [Metromix]
♦ Photos from Little Italy's festival of San Gennaro. [GoaG]
♦ Marco Pierre White thinks fellow Brit chef Gordon Ramsay is boring and only interested in money. [NY Sun]
♦ A round-up of the best bagels in New York. [VV via Eater]
♦ Alaskans really do eat moose meat. They serve it as steak, make it into hamburger meat, and even use it as a pizza topping. Yum. [NYT]

Poor Simon Hammerstein. First, the burlesque club owner's employee abusing-and-sexing ways were exposed when one of his star burlesque acts quit the Box, along with the tech staff. Then, CityFile rightly and hilariously accused him of setting the entire financial crisis into motion by reminding us that "It all goes back to Friday, March 7th when sleazy club owner Simon Hammerstein, headband-wearing scenester Arden Wohl, gay party boy Derek Blasberg, heiress Amanda Hearst, and gala staple Claire Bernard turned up at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the closing bell." Now, the Box has been denied a renewal for its liquor license, the Observer reports. Then the neighbors showed up, wielding virtual pitchforks and complaining about getting carded while trying to get into their buildings:

You would think that Ron Burkle would lead a charmed life, considering all the perks he enjoys as a billionaire mogul. He flies around on a private jet! He cozies up to starlets! He hangs out with fellow horndog Bill Clinton! He secretly backs Radar, and has the best flacks money can buy to control his press coverage! But no amount of money will allow Burkle to have it both ways; he wants the parties and models, but not the notoriety that comes with them. Sorry Ron, you have to choose one or the other. Because when you're out bothering models and sharing girls with Leonardo DiCaprio, we hear all about it: In the Daily News' Rush & Molloy gossip column today, there was this about Dicaprio: