Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

• Rumor has it Thomas Keller is planning to open another restaurant to NYC in "one of the new high-rise buildings in Chelsea." Keller's denying it. [TFB, GS]
• The day in reviews: Frank Bruni is a little disappointed with Locanda Verde; the Post's Steve Cuozzo totally digs SHO Shaun Hergatt; Danyelle Freeman of the Daily News thinks Marea rivals Le Bernardin but is way too expensive; and GQ's Alan Richman and Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton both tackle DBGB.
• Andrew Silverman's City Lobster & Steak is now bankrupt. [Crain's]
• The NYPD is cracking down on narcotics sales involving club promoters. [BB]
• A man was indicted today for allegedly raping a woman at Marquee. [NYP]
• Momofuku may jump into the food cart fray. We'll second TFB's sentiments: "This gourmet cart/truck business is getting out of control." [Eater, TFB]More

• Water Taxi Beach opens at the South Street Seaport this weekend. [GS]
• Danny Meyer has decided against bidding on Tavern on the Green's lease. But Seth Greenberg and Dean Poll are still in the running. [NYP]
• Alan Richman's list of "the 25 best pizzas you'll ever eat" is online. [GQ]
• A drug racket that served up Ecstasy, Special K, and GHB to clubgoers at places like Pacha and Mansion has been broken up by the cops. [NYDN]
• A look around The Brooklyn Star, Joaquin Baca's new restaurant. [Eater]
• An amusing chat with Chris Santos, chef/owner of Stanton Social. [Decider]
• Be on alert: Starbucks biggest marketing campaign ever is underway. [NYT]

♦  Frank Bruni reviews Allegretti this week and gives it two stars: "Although some dishes are overwrought, with an ingredient or two too many, and a few utterly miss their mark, more are executed with finesse and with a wicked sense of indulgence." [NYT]
♦  Alan Richman is pleased with Paul Liebrandt's Corton, reserving special praise for its sous vide chicken. [GQ]
♦  A report on how restaurants across the country are coping with the downturn. [NYT]More

• Frank Bruni visits Perbacco in the East Village and gives it two stars, describing it as "worthy of its name, which means 'wow.'" [NYT]
• Adam Platt wasn't thrilled with Matsugen in this week's New York. Jean-Georges Vongerichten's response: Platt didn't like the restaurant because he missed the concept, which is "pure, authentic, Japanese cooking." [NYM, JGV]
• The New York Sun's Paul Adams pays a visit to Kafana, and describes the meaty dishes as "invigorating." [NY Sun]
• Jay Cheshes at TONY checks out two Brooklyn restaurants this week: James, which lands four stars and surpasses his expectations with a burger that's close to "perfection," and The General Green, which "fails to live up to the hype," says Cheshes. [TONY]

• Frank Bruni of the Times hands out three stars today to Scarpetta, Scott Conant's new meatpacking eatery: "Conant has been reunited with his best instincts." [NYT]
• The Post's Steve Cuozzo isn't quite as enthusiastic about Conant's new baby: "It's reassuring to see Conant in the house, but his firm hand doesn't always show up on the plate. It's great having him back, but a little more diligence, please." [NYP]
• Alan Richman of GQ tackles Forge, the Tribeca restaurant owned by Marc Forgione, the son of Larry Forgione. "I think the kid might turn out to be a better chef than the old man," says Richman. [GQ]
• Danyelle Freeman of the Daily News also visits Forge, handing over two stars out of six. The Village Voice's Sarah Gregory's take on Forgione's spot: It "looks like the Little House on the Prairie crossed with Dracula's dining room." [NYDN, VV]
• Over at TONY, Randall Lane awards four out of six stars to Veritas, which recently took on a new chef, Gregory Pugin: "Pugin's flair is visible in each plate." [TONY]
• Paul Adams of The Sun isn't so impressed with Harlem's Asian fusion Talay. [NYSun]

• A Queens man is suing Subway for a million bucks after finding a 7-inch serrated knife baked into his foot-long sandwich. [NYP]
• Season two Top Chef winner Ilan Hall may reemerge from obscurity to man the stoves at a circus-like Spanish restaurant in the meatpacking district called ¡pasé! [Grub Street]
• Frank Bruni finds iPhones can help you decide where to have dinner, when they actually work. [NYT]
• Manhattan's sliders scene: ridiculously vibrant! [NYT]
• Octopus is the hottest cephalopod on upscale menus right now. [NYP]
• GQ's Alan Richman picks his five favorite New York City burgers, starting with Shake Shack. [GQ]

• New York's Adam Platt spanks Alain Ducasse's new brasserie Benoit with a zero-star review. Some of his least favorite dishes? The lobster ravioli (a "viscous mess"), cassoulet (tastes like it was "preheated in a microwave"), and the steak tartare ("dressed with enough horseradish to choke a cow.") [NYM]
• The Times' Frank Bruni wasn't quite as unhappy, handing over a single star. Bruni found the baguettes "adorable" and the halibut "delicious," but couldn't excuse the place for bungling the "must-ace dish" of roasted chicken. [NYT]
  

• Taking on restaurant-y wine bars, the Times' Frank Bruni gives a star apiece to Jody Williams' Gottino and Marco Canora's Terroir, where he deems the pork blade steak the best dish he's had in months. [NYT]
• Going with a barbecue-themed double review, New York's Adam Platt finds some "compulsively tasty" dishes at Anita Lo's Asian 'cue spot Bar Q (two stars) but has fewer kind words for Steve Hanson's Wildwood (one star). [NYM]

• If you're going to pay a farewell visit to the about-to-shutter Florent, forget about ordering eggs Florentine. The gas at the restaurant has been turned off for good. [Eater]
• The first auction of a reservation at David Chang's Momofuku Ko is underway, and the resy is already commanding a price of $620. The fact that this is a charity auction makes that a little less disturbing.[cMarket via Eater]
• Todd English is teaming with ex-Tao partner Sam Hazen to develop  "new concepts." [Grub Street]
• Just in time for summer, New York explains how to "suck out every last ounce of meat" out of a lobster. [NYM, video]
  
• GQ resto critic Alan Richman still ain't apologizing to nobody for his infamous 2006 piece insulting the food of New Orleans. [Metromix]
• Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano's 1OAK did not get raided and temporarily shuttered for drug-related offenses last week, okay? [DBTH]