Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

People magazine's "inside story" about Padma Lakshmi's pregnancy doesn't address the big question, namely who it is who impregnated the Top Chef hostess and ex-wife of author Salman Rushdie. (The fact that she got pregnant even though she suffers from endometriosis isn't all that uncommon, as the doctors quoted in the article point out.) In fact, People doesn't even speculate as to who the dad is, except to say that it is not her cousin. (Gee, thanks, People!) Nor does it make any mention of the man she's been dating the past year or two—and who we strongly suspect is Padma's baby daddy—elderly billionaire Teddy Forstmann. Which is especially weird considering even Forbes is comfortable mentioning their relationship (and Forbes isn't usually in the habit of being more gossipy than People.) But then the magazine gets even more ridiculous and examines how Padma is going to survive as a single mom. Raising kids isn't cheap, you know!More

Us Weekly is reporting (and has confirmed) that Padma Lakshmi is with child. It's a particularly welcome development for Lakshmi, who suffers from endometriosis and has had difficulty conceiving over the years. Although when her publicist asks that the media respect the Top Chef host's privacy, it probably doesn't have all that much to do with her medical condition, which she's never been shy about discussing:More

Padma Lakshmi takes it off for the April issue of Allure, which the mag dubs its "Nude Issue." In the accompanying Q&A, Padma says she enjoys spending her free time in the buff, since she's a "sensual-leaning woman." Let's all take a moment to be thankful that Padma's boyfriend, Teddy Forstmann, doesn't spend his free time attired in quite the same manner: More

• Why, yes, of course there's a shawarma lunch cart in Midtown named after Barack Obama. [ML]
• The good news/bad news about Minetta Tavern. [Eater]
• A roundup of restaurants slated to open next week. [TONY]
• The Four Seasons Hotel is opening a "caviar lounge" on March 23. Genius. That's totally what NYC needs. [GS]
• Padma Laskshmi supposedly flipped out when she and elderly boyf Teddy Forstmann were forced to wait for a table at Schiller's last night. [Gawker]
• Most BYOB restaurants are breaking the law, it turns out. Also? Stretch limos that serve booze are in violation, too. Please take note, Mineola. [Crains]

Ted Forstmann and Padma Lakshmi walking into Madison Square Garden last night to attend the Knicks game. [Splash News/CelebGuru via GS]

It looks like the Yellowstone isn't the only members-only club having a hard time making ends meet in these precarious economic times. Founding members of the Core Club, the VIP hangout on East 55th Street founded by Jennie Saunders, have been warned that they may not get back the $100,000 they invested in the club when it first opened in 2005. More

♦  Now that she doesn't have Guy Ritchie to boss around, Madonna is finding more time to control everyone else: She's supposedly been "begging" Gwyneth Paltrow to leave her London home so they can spend more time together in New York. She's also busy orchestrating a reunion between Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears: All three will be performing together at Madge's concert in LA tonight. [The Sun, E!]
♦  Padma Lakshmi is apparently on a "man-search" for a filthy rich boyfriend now that her flings with Ted Forstmann and Russell Simmons are over. [P6]
♦  Now that the election is over, Tina Fey says she will be officially retiring her Sarah Palin impression. [Extra]More

NYC to India: Please Come and Visit | New York City's tourism marketing agency, NYC & Company, announced today that it plans to open a tourism office in Mumbai. An ad campaign directed at Indian tourists will soon feature hotel developer Sant Singh Chatwal, director Mira Nair, and cookbook author/TV hostess Padma Lakshmi. Because clearly there's no better way to endear the city to a billion Indians than to feature a man accused in his native country of bank fraud and a woman who dumped her Indian husband for an elderly, white billionaire. [City Room]