Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

• The guy behind the Campbell Apartment in Grand Central is turning part of the Empire State Building's ground floor into a swanky bar. For reals. [Eater]
• The new Jane Hotel and Ballroom, owned by ever-expanding hoteliers Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode, officially opened last night. [Thrillist, Eater]
• Bruni visits Soho's Savoy in this week's Times, reaffirms its two stars. [NYT]
• Both Ryan Sutton and the Danyelle Freeman weigh in on Table 8. [BN, NYDN]
• For his part, TONY's Jay Cheshes gives Harbour five out of six stars.  [TONY]
• Steve Cuozzo hits up "the Bowery's new Big Enchilada," aka DBGB. [NYP]
• If you've fantasized about turning your living room into a replica of the Gramercy Park Hotel's late Wakiya, you may want to note that all the restaurant's fixtures and furniture go up for sale next week. [GS]
• Europe's big rosé crisis has been settled. What a relief. [NYT] More

Didn't expect to see the day when Giorgio Armani would be blogging? Well, that day has arrived: The Italian designer is spending the week blogging for The Moment, the New York Times's fashion blog. And it hasn't taken him any time at all to master the medium. He's already complaining a lot, sharing too much info, and putting other people down, such as Scarpetta chef Scott Conant.More

Bruni's Best | Frank Bruni's list of the 10 Best New Restaurants of 2008 is online. Here they are: 1. David Chang's Momofuku Ko, 2. Drew Nieporent and chef Paul Liebrandt's Corton; 3. (tie) Scott Conant's Scarpetta; 3. (tie) L'Impero; 5. Dovetail; 6. Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Matsugen; 7. Adour Alain Ducasse; 8. Daniel Boulud's Bar Boulud; 9. Allegretti; 10. Mia Dona. [NYT]

• 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]

• 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]

• 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]