• The new edition of the Michelin Guide is out and five spots earn a coveted three stars: Per Se, Masa, Le Bernardin, Jean Georges, and Daniel. [GS]
• Café Boulud reopens this Wednesday following a month-long refresh. [TONY]
• A roundup of restaurants opening in the next week or so. [TONY]
• Carnival, the amusement…
• The club atop Andre Balazs' Standard Hotel won't be known as the Boom Boom Room for much longer. It looks like it will be renamed "QT" instead, possibly because another venue by the same name raised objections. In other Standard news, the as-yet unopened bar across from the Boom Boom Room is going to sport a…
• Michelle Obama had lunch at Gramercy Tavern today; chaos ensued. [BB]
• The Jane Hotel drama continues: Apparently an article about the hotel/club's outraged neighbors was supposed to run in the Times last weekend, but the Jane's co-owner Richard Born managed to get the paper to quash it. [Curbed]
• Trader Joe's may…
• The Beatrice Inn will need to install fire sprinklers, add an additional exit, and create a wider entrance to the haunt if it wants to reopen its doors. [P6]
• Frederick Lesort's Frederick's Madison filed for bankruptcy today. [Crain's]
• Masa charges a 20% service charge to diners' tabs, although they prefer to…
• Masa is cutting prices. The set menu at Masa Takayama's sushi temple went from $450 to $400, but it has nothing to do with the recession, okay? [BN]
• Despite the economy, several pricey new venues are opening anyway. [WSJ]
• Speaking of pricey: Daniel will host a truffle-laden dinner on March 8. It's $1,000 per…
• The Cipriani saga continues: The family has filed suit against landlord Tishman Speyer for terminating its Rainbow Room lease and is asking for $1.8 million in damages. [NYP]
• Here's some good news (or perhaps some wishful thinking): A handful of America's priciest restaurants, including Masa and Per Se, say that…
♦ The 2009 Michelin guide will hit bookstores tomorrow. Masa has moved up to three stars, joining Per Se, Jean Georges and Le Bernardin. And Momofuku Ko, Adour Alain Ducasse, and Gilt were all added to the two-star list. [NYT]
♦ David Burke is opening up a fish bar called Fishtail David Burke on East 62nd Street.…
A hearty congratulations to the folks at Masa, who have so effectively raped and pillaged the wallets of New York foodies as to be named Forbes' most expensive restaurant in America. With its beloved prix fixe menu situated aspirationally at $350 per head, is it any wonder? Of course not.
