When Momo opened in the late '90s, London was still shedding its reputation as a culinary wasteland, hurtling towards its new status as one of the stopovers on the 21st Century Foodie Grand Tour. Proprietor Mourad Mazouz followed with the absurdly trendy Sketch, which immediately became one of the pre-crash international yardsticks for measuring one's ability to effectively see and be seen.

If there's one disadvantage to working in the travel industry, it's constantly having to leave New York City. I miss my friends, my neighborhood, and, most of all, the food. Seriously, I've been to places where the food has sucked (Philippines), lacked variety (Greenland), and was neither here nor there (Fort Lauderdale). New Yorkers are super-privileged to be in a city where the culinary scene is diverse and, more often than not, really damn good. Not only can you get a hearty, amazing meal at a cheap ethnic joint, you can splurge on high-end dinners knowing you won't be disappointed. Best of all, with NYC Restaurant Week next month, you can get that "splurgy" experience at that "ethnic joint" price. Or something like that.

● Faustina (East Village) - Au courant from Scott Conant fills Table 8 vacancy at Cooper Square Hotel. Small plates Italian for fellow Roman empresses. ● Tully's Gluten-Free Bakery (East Village) - NYC's first non-vegan gluten-intolerant cupcakery trumps competition with rampant use of butter and eggs.

At Lucky magazine's Lucky Shops:

The girl who rasied Victor Vargas gets a Nip/Tuck ...

Sure, she was still a child in the ’80s. But given her string of command performances, we knew that Claire Danes was perfect for our fashion story on the revival of powerhouse dressing inspired by the greed decade. After all, her strength on-screen -- and off -- made Zac Efron quake in his boots at the mere thought of working with her in Richard Linklater’s upcoming film, Me and Orson Welles.

The high voltage actress gets electric.

I'm not sure how to pronounce the name of the flat iron restaurant Ilili. I don't know the origins of its name. Alls I know is that I had dinner there the other night with publicist Kelley Blevins and a special friend, and it was great. I'm not sure if my blog readers read BlackBook magazine as well; I have an article in there every month. I and all the other people associated with the magazine are asked each month to list their current favorite hangout. My entry from the August issue was "Nightlife Correspondent Steve Lewis Ajaxx (NYC)." Ajaxx was the rooftop restaurant/lounge my partner and I were designing for Greg Brier at the Stay hotel in Times Square. It's Tokyo 2050 graffitti design has not seen the light of day due to tip-toeing by economy-influenced decision-makers and all sorts of bureaucratic bureaucracy.

After only a few years spent navigating the social waters if Manhattan, Rachelle Hruska left her cushy job at a mutual fund company to work on her hobby: social media. Her website, Guest of a Guest, not only deciphers New York's social hierarchies, but, as Hruska puts it, provides "a guide for what is going on among the young and influential tastemakers shaping the collective culture." Hruska's pluck and insight keep her focused. "After identifying an open niche in social media that I thought I could fill, it was necessary for me to venture into the unknown"-- a leap that propelled Hruska into hosting her own events, sussing out the newest hotspots and basically showing face on a nightly basis. "I see us taking Guest of a Guest to other cities around the world," she says. "I have met a lifetime's worth of interesting people in the past two years."

● Per Se at the Time Warner Center (Midtown West) - Discreet and intimate, with stunning attention to detail. That's how one would choose to describe this advanced gastronomy resto at the Time Warner Center. It doubles for the bathrooms. Discreet, intimate, and roomy. I can name more than a few hookup tales thanks to these private rooms. ● 1 Oak (Chelsea) - Private bathrooms lined in a row for a gorgeous group waiting in a line. Floor to ceiling coverage, low lighting, and mirrors where you just barely make out your own reflection. Bonus for the fact the attendant never seems to be around. Maybe he's getting it on as well? ● Plaza Hotel (Midtown West) - Act like you're old money having an affair like the rest of the clientele. Restrooms are private and off main grid of the palace, though everyone's too wrapped up in themselves to notice your vulgar behavior. Posh, gilded -- dare we say fucking tacky -- catering to tacky, sexy quickies.