Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

♦  Frank Bruni delivered a zero-star review to Kurve in today's Times. After complaining about the puzzling service and frequent menu substitutions, he wonders how any restaurateur could "pour this much money and this much vanity into a project and bungle it to the extent that the Kurve brigade does?" [NYT]
♦  Noah Tepperberg's plans for the space formerly occupied by Earth weren't approved at a community board meeting last night, but they weren't denied either. [GS]
♦  The early reviews have been mixed for the new tapas bar Txikito. [Eater]
♦  The latest drink trend involves adding a blob of bacteria and yeast to sweetened tea. [NYP]More

♦  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]

• Frank Bruni visits media mogul central, Michael's, and hands the restaurant the zero-star review it fully deserves ("gloppy, affected pub grub") although he points out that the food there "isn't really the point," which is true, too. [NYT]
• Adam Platt gives Convivio three out of five stars this week in New York. Chef Michael White is "Midtown's answer to Mario Batali," according to Platt. [NYM]
• Randall Lane is a fan of Michael White, too. The TONY dining critic gives Convivio five out of six stars. [TONY]
• Ryan Sutton was a little dissapointed that he spent $300 on lunch at David Chang's Momofuku Ko and still left hungry. But he praises the "subtle and complex" lunch menu anyway, describing his meal as "brilliant." [Bloomberg]

• New York's Adam Platt visits Convivio and gives Michael White's kitchen three stars. [NYM]
• Not all Upper West Side residents are excited about the Shake Shack's opening on West 77th Street in October. [NYT]
• Why isn't there more high-end Chinese food? The Wall Street Journal will tell you. [WSJ]
• Rob Walker of the Times weighs in on the fro-yo wars and quotes Pinkberry's CEO, who claims the arrival of Red Mango hasn't impacted business. [NYT]
• The Food Network is launching a magazine. [Gawker]
• A few pointers on cooking seafood at home, courtesy of Eric Ripert. [WSJ]
• Cocktails at The Eldridge will be the highest in the city—$26. [GS]
• Delta will begin selling Junior's individual-sized cheesecakes for $5 a piece on transcontinental flights. [The Lede]

• Frank Bruni of the Times heads to Elizabeth and bestows a single star on the restaurant that has seen two chefs come and go in recent months: "It has its problems, annoyances and confusions. Just four months old, it has already changed plenty, and it still doesn’t seem entirely sure of what it wants to be." [NYT]
• Danyelle Freeman isn't overwhelmed by gimmicky Delicatessen, and gives the SoHo spot a single star. [NYDN]
• Jay Cheshes of TONY is much more impressed with Delicatessen. Notwithstanding the long waits (and the Charlotte Ronson uniforms), the restaurant gets a four-star review. [TONY]
• GQ's Alan Richman visits Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Matsugen and takes Bruni's side in the critical dispute over the unconventional soba house. [GQ]
• Paul Adams of The Sun pays a visit to Convivio and he's impressed. [NYSun]
  

• Frank Bruni offers up a brief take on Marc Forgione's Forge in this week's Times and delivers a mixed review, ultimately concluding that the restaurant is "inconsistent." [NYT]
• TONY's Randall Lane also takes on Forge this week and also describes it as inconsistent, handing Forgione three out of six stars. [TONY]
  
• Ryan Sutton's take on Convivio: It's "Manhattan's most exciting southern Italian joint." [Bloomberg]
• Danyelle Freeman of the Daily News wasn't a big fan of the "damp" entrees at Parlor Steakhouse, although she did like the the desserts and gives the UES restaurant two out of five stars. [NYDN]
• Alan Richman can't say enough good things about Veritas' new chef, Grégory Pugin. [GQ/Forked]
• Paul Adams of the Sun says Socarrat "feels like a pleasant step off the more-authentic-than-thou merry-go-round of tapas." [NY Sun]

• 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 finds Midtown seafood stalwart Oceana "still very much worth boarding," handing it three stars and deeming its fish "superbly cooked." [NYT]
• New York's Adam Platt is the latest to shower praise on Scott Conant's meatpacking Italian restaurant Scarpetta, where he give out three stars for the "high-minded, almost priestly brand of Italian cooking." [NYM]
• Gourmet's Ruth Reichl "fell head over heels" for the "gutsy, flavor-forward food" and "extraordinary" pastas at Michael White's brand-new Convivio. [Gourmet]