Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

• Time Out's annual "Top 100" list is now online. [TONY]
• Frank Bruni hands out three stars today to Drew Nieporent's Corton thanks to Paul Liebrandt's ability to find "the sweet spot between disciplined cooking and intricate, imaginative leaps." [NYT]
• The good news/bad news for John Dory. [Eater]
• Alice Waters, Ruth Reichl, and Danny Meyer have volunteered to join Barack Obama's unofficial "kitchen cabinet." [Feedbag]
• La Cave des Fondus (where wine is served in baby bottles) is open. [NYM]
• As predicted, Upstairs is closing at the end of the year. [DBTH]
• One bonus to the recession: lobsters are cheaper than ever. [NYT]

♦  Charles, the West Village spot that's been billed as the next Waverly Inn, is opening tonight. [Eater]
♦  A list of 18 spots ideal for fireside dining and boozing. [The Feedbag]
♦  Danny Meyer says sales are up at his budget-friendly restaurants (Shake Shack) while his pricier joints (Tabla, Eleven Madison Park) are beginning to suffer. [GS]
♦  A look inside West Branch, Tom Valenti's Upper West Side Brasserie opening tonight. [Eater]
♦  It's not too late to make Halloween plans: GoaG has a guide to festivities across the city, including a number you're probably not invited to. [GoaG]

♦  A behind-the-scenes tour of Corton, courtesy of Drew Nieporent and Paul Liebrandt (left). [The Feedbag]
♦  Danny Meyer, Donald Trump, and Drew Nieporent are just some of the people possibly vying to take over Tavern on the Green when Jennifer LeRoy's lease expires at the end of the year. [P6 Mag via NYO]
♦  Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody and Nathan Connolly are two of the backers behind the Houndstooth Pub in Midtown. [GS]
♦  Nino Selimaj will not be stopped. The ubiquitous restaurateur is opening a new Nino's (imaginatively named Nino's 208) at—wait for it—208 on East 58th Street. [GS]More

CNN isn't the only news network with its own temporary restaurant set up for the Democratic National Convention. But it is the only one with a menu certified by Danny Meyer. The dining impresario's Union Square Hospitality was tapped by the marketing agency Civic Entertainment Group to craft the menu for the "CNN Grill." Don't expect to see Meyer in person—he's in Italy at the moment, although he dispatched his deputy Richard Coraine to stand in for him and says he plans to make it to the Republican convention himself. And don't expect any fireworks from the menu of pub grub. After the jump, Danny and chef Michael Romano's official menu, including "CNN fries" and a tuna salad sandwich.More

• Graydon Carter has backed out of hosting Vanity Fair's next Oscar party at Tom Colicchio's LA iteration of Craft because he doesn't like the Century City complex spot's "corporate feel." Laurent Tourondel's BLT on Sunset Strip will probably host the celeb-glutted affair instead. [P6]
• It's official: Danny Meyer will open a second Shake Shack at Citi Field, the Mets' new stadium. His Union Square Hospitality Group will also operate several other concessions, including an outpost of Blue Smoke, a taqueria, and a fries stand called Pop Fries. [Eater]
• A look at the "family meal"—what restaurants serve up to the staff—at various spots around town. [City, via Eater] 
• It looks like the Red Hook Ball Fields vendors will open for business the weekend of July 19th or 26th. [EIT]
• New York's five families... of celebrity chefs. [Grub Street]

• A throng of more than 120,000 pig eaters is expected to descend on Danny Meyer's annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party in Madison Square Park on Sunday. The temperature is supposed to be 95 degrees. Hope you like other people's sweat on your pulled pork. [NY Sun]
• Daniel Boulud now has a completely meaningless statuette to put next to his James Beard Awards: He won the "A-List Chef" award at Bravo's A-List Awards. [NY Post]