SEASON'S
SEATINGS
EASY
TABLES MAKE WINTER OF OUR BLISS, CONTENT
Union Square Cafe and other usually hard-to-book restaurants are open
for reservations.
January
2, 2008 -- I called Nobu the other day, got right through on the phone
and scored tables for four at 8:45 and 8:30 p.m. on upcoming weeknights.
How was that possible? At the city's most legendarily inaccessible restaurant,
would-be patrons set their phones on speed-dial just to get through
the busy signals.
I didn't call the owners or use a secret number. I just dialed (212)
219-0500 for the original Nobu at 105 Hudson St. The miracle was due
entirely to the dates I requested - Jan. 9 and Jan. 15.
Winter's cold, first full month is the easiest time to penetrate restaurants
that are usually booked solid for weeks or months in advance. True,
lots of New Yorkers were away for the holidays; tables available now
might be gobbled up by next week. But if you act now, you can choose
your time at many places where you're normally lucky to be offered "5:45
or 11."
Not only that, the people on the phone at Nobu were nice. Is there something
new in the water, or is everybody hearing the subprime footsteps?
B.R. Guest founder Stephen Hanson predicts hard times for eateries this
winter. Other owners said the same thing privately. But that's good
news for customers.
I was startled by how easy it was in the past few days to find tables
for four at prime hours on nights I chose at random - Jan. 9, 12 (a
Saturday), 15 and 16. (The big exception was Babbo, where I never got
past a busy signal. I used fake names at all places.)
Union Square Cafe is the Zagat Survey's most popular restaurant. So
if I was merely surprised when I called last Thursday and booked at
7:45 p.m. on Jan. 9, I was astounded on Friday, when I found tables
for Jan. 15 at 7:45, 8 and 8:30 p.m.
As of Monday, Opentable.com still showed tables available at Union Square
Cafe at 7:45, 8 or 8:15 every night from Jan. 14 to 17.
What about trendy downtown? It was a cinch to book at 8 p.m. on Jan.
9 at both Balthazar and Spice Market.
Hanson's Fiamma, his Italian destination in SoHo, drew raves for its
new chef, Fabbio Trabocchi. When I called last Friday seeking a table
for four at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12, the reservationist first said
she was "fully committed," then decided she could "do
something at 8:30."
Modern-Italian spots Alto and L'Impero, where former Fiamma chef Michael
White now cooks, have similarly been all over the papers and Web sites
for weeks.
Using Opentable.com, I found tables at Alto at 8:45 on Jan. 12 and at
8:15 on Jan. 19. At L'Impero, they had 8:45 on Jan. 12 and 7:30 and
8:30 on Jan. 19.
It was even easier at old-school Italian destinations. At perpetually
packed Il Mulino in the Village, for example, I scored an 8 p.m. table
on Jan. 9 without working up a sweat.
A few months ago, Gordon Ramsay at London/NYC Hotel got a boost when
the Michelin Guide awarded it two stars. But when I called last Thursday,
I landed a table at 8:30 on Jan. 9. On Friday, I found tables on Jan.
15 at every half-hour interval except 8 p.m.
Elsewhere in Midtown, I found 8 p.m. tables on many nights just about
everywhere - including at the Four Seasons, Lever House and Estiatorio
Milos.
What if you can't wait even until next week to eat in a place with a
great chef? On Sunday, Opentable.com listed 8 p.m. tables at both BLT
Fish and BLT Prime for this Friday and at 8:15 at BLT Market the same
night. By Monday, BLT Fish and Market still had 8:15 on Friday night
and Prime still offered 8.
So, enjoy the honeymoon while it lasts. And if they try to bully you
with the "5:45 and 11" shtick, tell them to look harder.
Copyright 2008 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
ayza
Wine & Chocolate Bar
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