Dial zero

I don’t know what the actual restaurant count is in New York City anymore, but 15,000 has always been a pretty good ballpark. Which only makes me wonder why a certain pricey little Village cafe inevitably turns up on Grub Street at least once a month whenever the reservation game is played. And also why it is now savvy enough to consistently claim it is “fully booked” to appear hot even when empty. Admittedly, it once was fabulous. But Elvis left the wine bar a long time ago. . . .