Frank Bruni Is Not Scared To Say The Food At Michael's Sucks

The ultimate confluence of a prestige media restaurant reviewer and prestige media restaurant has finally occurred: Frank Bruni has reviewed Michael's for the Times. At this point we should skip all the background, because those who don't appreciate the import of this moment will never be invited to Michael's anyhow. Suffice it to say that the city's most famous critic visited its most famous media power lunch spot, and, in a blinding flash of meta-media honesty, declared that it sucks big time: More »

Unemployed Magazine Publisher Randomly In All The Papers This Morning

The Times metro section ran a story this morning about Joe Armstrong, and how he's "the Mayor" of Michael's, the media power-lunch sport, and a ubiquitous presence there and friends with all the regulars and, according to Carly Simon, "probably the most loved person in New York.” It was the same sort of atmospheric, getting-to-know-your-city type column the same writer did on Nikola Tamindzic, our own nightlife photographer. Fair enough! Armstrong was publisher at New York, Rolling Stone, Saveur and was involved to a lesser extent with a bevy of other publications, like Harper's Bazaar and USA Today. He's on sabbatical from ABC News and has been doing charity work for the past two years. He's still well-connected, the Times insisted. As if to underscore this point, the Post, this same morning, ran a friendly item on Page Six about a pin Armstrong wore, tongue-in-cheek, to a book party: "the image of John McCain hugging President Bush under the words, 'Four More Years!'" I hate to say this about someone so beloved but, Joe, if you can get this much coverage just, you know, hanging out, maybe consider a career in PR. Or as an editor-at-large for Star! They pay six figures for doing basically nothing, and we could probably make an introduction. (Photo via Trinity University)

Michael's Slammed By Waiters Again

Michael's, the midtown "institution" for media types, continues to be accused of abusing waiters. Echoing a server's scathing review last year, two posts on an industry message board said the restaurant's "douchey" general manager likes to yell, cut shifts at the last minute and, best of all, put waiters in "time warp" clothes that make them look like "a complete tool." Also, media people are apparently hell to wait on (go figure). Writer Michael Wolff, who famously boycotted the restaurant after being refused a table, would surely be tickled by the slams. Some of the better dirt: More »

Management Of Michael's "Blatantly Abusive"

Michael's, the less-literary Elaine's and less-cool Waverly Inn, seems to have taken some management cues from its clientele of magazine editors and publishing brass. On a restaurant industry message board, one ex-employee writes:

Trust me, this is an overrated, blatantly abusive and toxic enviornment.... [sic] [P]rior to each shift there is this demeaning and cruel pre shift where the GM who thinks that he's god's gift to restaurants unnecessarily grills you and makes you feel like you are a piece of shit. The ambiance reminded me of an intense, grueling audition. The money is nothing to brag about either. For all the work and abuse, you are better off working at a diner... When I was there, the entire staff seemed overworked, underappreciated and scared like little, beaten children.

Just as we always suspected, working at a media restaurant is exactly like working in publishing, except you get tips and a staff meal. More »

Santa Monica Michael's Is No New York Michael's

Half of us was on vacation in Los Angeles last week — oh, that's sweet; we missed you, too — and so you can imagine our excitement when, walking back to the car in Santa Monica, we found ourselves passing the original Michael's. More »

'Washington Post' Explains New Trend of 'Power Lunching'

The Washington Post's discovery of Michael's — it's a midtown see-and-be-seen power-lunch spot, apparently — is so boring and late and unoriginal (and cringingly headlined) that there's nearly no need to mention it. Except for this one bit: Finally, there's an explanation of why in God's name the restaurant allows Laurel Touby to skulk around the place with a seating chart and a notebook: More »

A Publisher's Lunch of Cobb Salads

We were pleased to see this (admittedly somewhat old) news in last night's Publishers Lunch roundup: More »