Bright Lights, Big Appetite - Big Mistake

Could it be true? Jay McInerney of "Bright Lights, Big City" fame is going to replace William Grimes as the New York Times restaurant critic?!?

He may write a wine column for House & Garden, but c'mon. This seems a bit of a stretch.

Besides, it's ridiculously easy to get a photo of McInerney. Do I think that most restauranteurs knew what Grimes looked like? Yeah. But, still, there has to be some sort of attempt to remain anonymous while reviewing.

And, to top it off, even though he hasn't had a bestseller for a long time, McInerney's BLBC success does qualify him as literati glitterati. You really think that muckety mucks from the publishing world won't recognize him, if he's visiting a new midtown brasserie. They'll stop by his table to schmooze and the jig would be up before the first course.

I know that the NYT is trying to add an edge of hip to it's image, but jeez. A: They are about 20 years too late by hiring McInerney. And, B: The New York Times doesn't do hip well. (As evidenced by my earlier link.)

If hip is what they really want, they should just hire John Mayer, Chloe Sevigny and Dave Eggers and be done with it. But, stay away from my Dining In, Dining Out section, lest it start resembling the current line-up on the Food Network!