Vanity Fair editor and restaurateur Graydon Carter spilled some details about the resurrection of the Beatrice Inn, restaurant and once-hot spot (before the D-list moved in) that closed in 2009. But it doesn't seem like Chloe Sevigny has any reason to root for it anymore. more ›

Rub the war criminal's belly three times and make a wish! Yes, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger took a little stumble this morning as he left the Manhattan State Supreme Court building. He had been testifying in the trial of Brooke Astor's son Anthony Marshall and his lawyer Francis Morrissey; the men are accused of looting Astor's fortune. more ›

The storied restaurant Monkey Bar, which was sold last year and closed for renovations, is now in a super-stealthy friends-and-family mode. New owner Graydon Carter also operates the exclusive Waverly Inn and inspires such awe and secrecy among his customers that those who have so far previewed the menu have declined to be identified in articles about the restaurant. But the first (anonymous) reports reveal a throwback menu that’s all blue-plate specials gone to high-end heaven: “Meatloaf, chicken Payard [sic] and the old iceberg wedge with blue cheese,” the Observer reports. Andrea Strong hears Waldorf Salad and "Lobster Newburgh" [sic] are in there, too. “Chef is from London,” Strong’s tipster says, but up until now the chef’s identity has remained secret. We have it on good authority that Monkey Bar’s new executive chef is Elliot Ketley (pictured), who worked as chef for 4 years at exclusive NY club Soho House, but also at some of the most well-regarded restaurants in England. more ›

Marilyn Dorato, president of the Greenwich Village Block Association and next-door neighbor of Waverly Inn, used to be a vocal critic of the celebrity haunt because of all the idling limos, paparazzi and all-around obstreperousness erupting from the exclusive restaurant. But some locals who still hate the place say she changed her tune once co-owner Graydon Carter hooked her up with a regular table and put her photo in his magazine, a little publication called Vanity Fair. Of course, Dorato insists it isn't the star treatment that won her over, but the security firm hired by Carter to control the limo traffic, and the new late morning garbage pick-up time. She tells the Post, "I'm treated very well, but I don't think it's a payoff." Obviously not! Note to Graydon: We too want to destroy the Waverly Inn, and have no dinner plans tonight. more ›

Toby Young's tome on Graydon Carter and life at Vanity Fair, How To Lose Friends & Alienate People, is hitting the big screen just like its female counterpart The Devil Wears Prada. more ›

This week Bruni goes to P*ong, the dessert/savory restaurant brought to us by pastry chef Pichet Ong (formerly of Perry Street and Spice Market), awards the restaurant one star. Finds the restaurant "tantalizing, often irritating," and says it challenges one's ideas of what should be sweet and what should be savory. But the desserts are the restaurant's strenth, says Bruni, and also it's too crowded and the service is not good enough to make staying for a longer meal worth while. He likes the special cocktails, though. more ›

New York Shitty's Miss Heather let us know that this adorable cat named Julie needs a new home. Miss Heather rescued the husky and healthy adult cat from terrible conditions last December and found a temporary home for her. Miss Heather writes:

Well, her temporary home (a local bodega) ended up being just that: temporary. Although the owners of this store (and their landlord) love her dearly, the decision to let her go was not theirs to make: someone saw fit to call the Department of Consumer Affairs and complain about her. more ›

9.) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.The latest inspection, which took placed on Thursday, which gave the Waverly Inn passing marks is not online yet. Carter assured the Times that there were many signs now, "I think this is probably part of the game, the kind of thing that all restaurants have to go through. They don’t have health inspections at magazine offices. They probably should.” And he spoke of ways the Waverly would be branching out: A Waverly cat, perhaps, and maybe even a children's book. Above all, Carter expressed an appreciation for health inspectors: “I like clean food and that sort of thing.” more ›

edited by Rachel Fershleiser and Smith, to be published by Harpercollins in 2008. But that's just the beginning, as Smith is quick to point out. Gothamist chatted with Smith about his very common last name, print vs. web magazines, and why six words can be enough to tell a good story. more ›

Like many New Yorkers, Graydon Carter could care less about noise caused by new development, renovations, and all the like. But who knew he'd be up for throwing scaffolding down in extreme frustration while wearing shorts in 36 degree weather? Luckily, the Post has the "photo exclusive" that shows the Vanity Fair editor get up in a construction worker's business. more ›

Bruni one-stars The Waverly Inn, writing the review in the form of a letter to Graydon Carter. He doesn't get to the food until about halfway into it, first covering the space (cozy), the scene, the $55 mac and cheese (no, you can't order it without the truffles) and the difficultly in getting a reservation. While "it's not attention-getting cuisine," he likes it. Calls it "a modest menu of comforting favorites." more ›

Bruni three-stars the recently renovated Picholine. Though he doesnt much like the physical changes-"still too quiet and sadistically bright"-the renovation "reinvigorated this restaurants soul," he says. In fact, he now likes it so much he celebrated his recent birthday there. more ›

Rachel Sklar, co-editor and writer of FishbowlNY more ›

Legendary Director Roman Polanski (Chinatown, The Pianist), who testified against a Vanity Fair article - via video, of course, to avoid extradition in the US where that sex with a minor issue is still hanging over his head, just won his libel case in a British court. The VF's article claimed Polanski seduced a woman at a NYC restaurant en route to the funeral of his wife Sharon Tate and their unborn child, who were viciously murdered by the Charles Manson clan in 1969. So, if Gothamist gets this right, you flee a country because you're too spineless to face justice, only to seek it once a magazine dares to run some gossip - good to know that Polanski’s inability to self-examine himself is almost laughable. more ›

The Hollywood Reporter says that Meryl Streep will be playing the Anna Wintour-inspired devilish boss in the movie of The Devil Wears Prada. Streep has already played another Conde Nast employee, New Yorker writer Susan Orlean, in Adaptation, so we can't wait until she plays Graydon Carter or Jeff Jarvis next (hey, she played a rabbi in Angels in America - she can probably do it!). We think that someone like Lara Flynn Boyle, with aging makeup, would be more physically like Wintour, but these are the movies and Streep can play insane well (see Manchurian Candidate, She-Devil, and Death Becomes Her). Streep does have experience playing people in journalism - she was a thinly veiled Nora Ephron (who wrote for Esquire) in Heartburn. more ›

Tamar Adler, Editor at Harper's more ›

Phew! Turns out that all of our worrying that Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter and Mayor Bloomberg really hated each other was just that - worry. And by worry, we mean "passing interest." The Times looks at the Carter-Bloomberg relationship, which suffered a low with the Mayor's smoking ban. Carter, nic addict, struck back with a damning editor's letter in Vanity Fair earlier. Even though Carter smokes up in public to ruffle the Mayor's feathers, the Mayor noted many (probably many not working in media) support the smoking ban and that only there's "one magazine editor who's apoplectic about this...His own people turned him in because he was breaking the law." more ›

Gothamist was wearing a sweater and puffy coat during this week in June. There are so many things wrong with that. Anyway... more ›