Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

• Today was Frank Bruni's last day as New York Times dining critic. In honor of the momentous occasion, Bruni shares some thoughts on, well, just about everything you've ever wondered during his five-year tenure. [NYT, NYT]
• Bruni-blitz, con't: Two more interviews with Bruni are online today, including the longest one you'll probably ever see, courtesy of Team Eater. [Eater, TFB]
• The "disastrous, wipeout summer" that many chefs and restaurant owners were fearfully predicting just a couple of months ago never really came to pass, Steve Cuozzo happily reports today in the New York Post. [NYP]
• Today in food reviews: The Daily News' Danyelle Freeman gives The Mott three stars out of five; Pete Wells of the Times pays a visit to SHO Shaun Hergatt; Time Out's Jay Cheshes hits the Standard Grill and has very good things to say; and Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton surveys the city's sandwich scene. 
• Corton's Paul Liebrandt may be widely respected chef. But to describe him as an unpleasant interview subject would be a huge understatement. [BlackBook] More

• In his next-to-last review for the Times, Frank Bruni upgrades Danny Meyer's Eleven Madison Park from three stars to four, making it Bruni's sixth four-star review in five years and making Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park's 32-year-old chef, an extraordinarily happy man, suffice it to say. [NYT]
• Related: Over on Diner's Journal, Bruni explains the big decision. [NYT/DJ]
• Other reviews this week: Time Out's Jay Cheshes gives Aureole four out of five stars; Restaurant Girl comes away from the Standard Grill very impressed; the Post's Steve Cuozzo is thrilled with the Standard Grill, too; and Bloomberg News's Ryan Sutton gives two stars out of four to SHO Shaun Hergatt.
• As rumored a few months back, the Sant Ambroeus team is taking over the former Lever House space and turning it into Casa Lever. [NYT]
• Todd English has signed on to oversee the kitchen at the Great Jones Hotel, a 13-story hotel that is currently under construction. [Eater] More

• Sam Sifton, the Times' new restaurant critic, answers a couple of questions about his new gig over on Diner's Journal. Meanwhile, Grub Street and The Feedbag sound off on how food criticism has changed over the past few years.
• The 24 stars that Frank Bruni reclaimed during his five-year tenure. [Eater]
• Douglas Rodriguez has parted ways with Nuela, which opens this fall. [NYT]
• Gabriel Stulman's new spot, Joseph Leonard, opens this eve. [Eater]
• The critics: In his third-to-last review, Frank Bruni downgrades Danny Meyer's Union Square Cafe from three stars to two; the Daily News' Danyelle Freeman is more impressed with the drinks at Hotel Griffou than she is with the food; TONY's Jay Cheshes gives SHO Shaun Hergatt three out of five stars; the Post's Steve Cuozzo tears Harbour apart; and Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton heads out to Nick & Toni's and decides the best thing about it "is the parking lot."More

• Today in restaurant reviews: Frank Bruni of the Times isn't the least bit impressed with Goving Armstrong's Table 8; Danyelle Freeman is pretty happy with Brooklyn's Prime Meats; Adam Platt thinks Locanda Verde is way better than Ago; and Time Out's Jay Cheshes pays a visit to Locanda Verde, too.
• Ron Perelman is no fan of Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton today: Sutton says dinner at the Perelman-owned Blue Parrot in East Hampton "evokes the universally miserable experience of eating crummy food in an economy class seat." [BN]
• Related: The Post's Steve Cuozzo heads out to the East End and concludes that "the best place to eat in the Hamptons is in a garden or on a porch—at your house or a friend's." But you probably knew that already. [NYP]
• Tragic news for douchey fans of West 27th Street: DBTH reports—and Zagat confirms—that both Home and Guesthouse are now finished. [DBTH]
• Rocco DiSpirito's career isn't totally dead. A new cookbook is coming! [GS]More

• Aquavit's owner says the rumor the eatery is closing is pure nonsense. [GS]
• More good news: Although it appeared as if Ama has gone bust a couple of weeks ago, the closure was temporary and it's now back in business. [Eater]
• The critics: Frank Bruni of the Times gives Aldea a very solid two-star review today; Bloomberg's Ryan Sutton is pretty pleased with Locanda Verde; and the Post's Steve Cuzzo is happy to report Benoit is "a lot better." [NYT, BN, NYP]
• Rumor has it William Grimes may step in as the New York Times' temporary restaurant critic when Frank Bruni takes his leave next month. [TFB]
• A roundup of restaurants that have opened recently. [NYT]
• Joey Chestnut's record-setting 68 hot dogs at the Nathan's eating competition translates into 20,200 calories, in case you were wondering. [TFB]More

• Keith McNally's Minetta Tavern and its selection of steaks score rave reviews—and three stars—from Frank Bruni in today's New York Times.  [NYT]
• A peek around Warren 77, the bar that Ranger Sean Avery co-owns. [GS]
• Jeffrey Chodorow's next project, set to open in the new Kimpton Hotel in 2010, will be a Spanish restaurant and "global food park." [IC]
• A wine auction at Christie's last night raked in $1.1 million. [NYP]
• Dining in a recession: AMNY's list of spots that offer free good. [AMNY] More

• Today in restaurant reviews: Frank Bruni gives Zak Pelaccio's new Fatty Crab two stars; the Post's Steve Cuozzo is pretty pleased with Josh DeChellis's La Fonda del Sol; and Jay Cheshes hits up Minetta Tavern. [NYT, NYP, TONY]
• The good news/bad news about the Cooper Square Hotel's Table 8. [Eater]
• Ryan Sutton on Monkey Bar: "A-listers and alcohol are the main event" while the "food is a simian sideshow." All things you knew, undoubtedly. [Bloomberg]
• It's what every chef dreams of: Tom Colicchio is on the new cover of Guitar Aficionado magazine. Yes, the mag exists and, yes, Tom loves guitars. [GS]
• It looks like the space once occupied by Florent/R&L will reopen as 69 Gansevoort Cafe shortly. It will probably remain a 24/7 diner, too. [Eater]
• NYC will look like LA pretty soon: A second Baja Fresh is on the way. [ML]More

• Frank Bruni takes on La Fonda del Sol and Txikito in the Times, giving the former two stars for Josh DeChellis' "less forced and more exuberant" cuisine, and the latter a single star for its "complicated" cooking. [NYT]
• The Post's Steve Cuozzo likes the murals, mirrors and lighting at Monkey Bar. But he thinks Graydon Carter could be doing a better job with the food. [NYP]
• Bradford Thompson, formerly the chef at the late Lever House in Midtown, is now behind the stove at Terrance Brennan's Bar Artisanal in Tribeca. [TFB]
• More on the Gates, the over-the-top lounge "with the attitude of Soho House, Rose Bar and GoldBar rolled into one marble-encrusted crazybox." [UD] More

• Starting in 2010, all restaurants will have an inspection grade—a blue A, a green B or a yellow C—posted in the window. It's official: NYC is now LA! [NYT]
• The UWS branch of Fatty Crab opens next week. [GS]
• The John Dory begins brunch service this weekend. [TONY]
• A peek at Julian Schnabel's private dining room at the Old Homestead. [GS]
• Brooklyn's Buttermilk Channel gets a one-star in this week's Times. [NYT]
• Inakaya opens in Midtown tomorrow. [Eater]
• Chef Joël Antunes has "parted ways" with the god-awful Oak Room. [GS]
• Limelight may reopen as a store. (And, no, not a drugstore.) [NYO]
• Please excuse the Post's Steve Cuozzo. He's in a bad mood today. [NYP]

♦  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

Cranky Cuozzo | Post dining impresario Steve Cuozzo's list of everything he hates about new restaurants includes (but is not limited to!) consulting chefs, sushi in non-Japanese restaurants, poorly-cooked octopus, overly talkative waiters, overly quiet waiters, and overly expensive burgers. Someone needs a long weekend! [NYP]

• Frank Bruni of the Times gives three stars today to Matsugen (left) for its "obsessive attention to detail." He especially likes the noodles ("never too floppy or too firm") and the "startling" desserts. [NYT]
• The Post's Steve Cuozzo checks out Matsugen, too, but the "ordinary" shrimp and overpriced Wagyu ribeye leave him less than enthusiastic. [NYP]

The New York Post's Steve Cuozzo has never been much of a fan of Arrigo and Giuseppe Cipriani's restaurant empire—he once described Giuseppe as "Public Enemy No. 1"—but he stuck up for them this morning, railing against the Liquor Authority for threatening to yank the restaurateurs' precious license. Cuozzo argued that taking away their license would cost 1,000 employees their jobs and leave several iconic venues empty for the foreseeable future. His argument seemed reasonable enough. And apparently it was pretty convincing to the State Liquor Authority, too: They voted today to allow the Ciprianis to hold on to their license in exchange for paying a $500,000 fine. Commissioner Jeanique Green, who cast the group's deciding vote, said she made her decision out of concern for Cipriani employees. Sound familiar? Someone is going to enjoy (or suffer through) a complimentary dinner at the Cipriani venue of his choice in the near future!

• 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]

• 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]