Lately, dining out in Manhattan has been feeling a lot like dining in a high school cafeteria. The seats at the popular table are filled with everyone who is anyone, and unless you have Daddy’s Porsche or are cheer captain, you’ll never get to sit. Which is why it has been so difficult to round up my friends for a proper meal in this city. Suggest a reservation, and you’ll receive reservations. “What a headache,” one friend, a spunky PR princess purported. “It’s too expensive to eat anywhere these days, if you can even get a reservation at a good place ... it’s like a fucking aristocracy.” No doubt the economic downturn has affected many of my comrades' fun-funds, making the all-important New York dinner an endangered species. Our "industry" has peer-pressured us into thinking that the only bite worth eating is one we can barely afford, so how do you convince the industry folk that cheap eats can be chic eats?

"This seems like one big Republican party," an unnamed guest with a distinct southern accent noted last night at The Gates. "Either that or it's a Yale reunion." Amid all of this week's summery soirees, I was most happy to find myself at UNICEF's Next Generation Launch Event. With Jenna Bush Hager as a committee chair, Grey Goose-sponsored cocktails, and Josh Madden playing DJ, this one particularly disinterested party guest could not sour the bunch -- regardless if the bunch was made up of Republican Yalies or not. The event was hosted by the members of UNICEF's Next Generation Steering Committee, a group composed 30 thirty young scenesters, including Barbara Bush, Lauren Bush, Maggie Betts, and David Lauren, who banded together to party for their very first initiative: Project Sprinkles, as they pledged to raise $175,000 for the program. Not to worry -- the program isn't raising awareness for your Crumbs habit, though the delicious cupcakes were passed at the event. These sprinkles are sugar-free and save lives.

“It’s always better to beg forgiveness than ask for permission,” Gerard Butler said of his relationship with The Bounty co-star Jennifer Aniston last Friday at the Bullrun (pretty much the most glamorous of car rallies) kickoff party held at Soho House. Okay, so he didn't say that about Aniston, he said that about something else entirely, but with the media speculation that Aniston is doing it with yet another male costar, we may as well attribute that quote to some secret or subconscious desire, because in a few short hours, that is exactly what the entire bloggy sewing circle will be gossiping about, anyways. I mean, Aniston's contract states that she “Must have sex with hunky co-star more than once, preferably while dressed as medieval Spaniards,” so it's not a stretch. And since some source told Star that Jennifer "says Gerard’s a great kisser" (!!!), the fact that Gerard refused to skip a day of filming with his lady love last week in favor of racing to Pittsburgh for the first leg of Bullrun is starting to make so much more sense. Cutting to the chase, we decided to ask Butler directly. About Bullrun, that is.

Last night, makeup artist, author, and green-lover Lina Hanson stepped out to celebrate the release of her latest book Eco-Beautiful: The Ultimate Guide to Natural Beauty and Wellness at Sustainable NYC and supported by Zico (an eco-friendly sports drink we know around the office as the coconut-water hangover cure) and Johnny Love vodka (not sure if it's considered green, but vodka alone is worth mentioning). Hanson, who has worked with everyone from Brooke Shields to Elijah Wood, was excited to share her insight on getting eco-beautiful -- something Lina says isn't just a shallow buzzword. "Becoming eco-beautiful is about being good to the environment," she says, "and being good to yourself." The book covers everything from skin-friendly diets to DIY masks and brings a great zen approach to getting all made up for a night out. Below, some of my favorite tips straight from Hanson.

Usually when summer rolls around, I find myself eating less as tiny string bikinis and Hampton-thin bodies dance in my head. But last night at the Taste of Summer -- a benefit for the Central Park Conservatory -- I had a taste of what my summer will be, and this summer will be delicious. Roughly a thousand foodies and Central Park enthusiasts banded together at the Naumburg Bandshell to kick off summer in the New York, a city that takes pride in her beautiful, distinctive park and the significant culture that talented chefs and colorful restaurants bring to her table. There was no actual table -- I'm using a metaphor unless you were a VIP ticket holder and had the pleasure of sitting in the cafe area hosted by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality group -- but there was food, glorious food. The event was held al fresco in a tent that happily shielded party goers, the silent auction goodies, and over 40 renowned chefs from the drizzly evening weather. I could name-drop the UES socials caught fork-in-mouth, but the star of the event was without a doubt the food. Here, my own top five picks of the evening's pleasurable nibbles from places I wouldn't normally think to venture to.

Summer is just another word that means party to me and other nightlife enthusiasts, and last night such enthusiasts were at it again in Midtown, as the likes of Lisa Anastos, Fabiola Beracasa, Kipton Cronkite, Peter Davis, and Thom Filicia along with The Young Patrons Circle of American Friends of the Louvre celebrated I.M Pei, the 20th Anniversary of the Louvre's Pyramid, and a few other topics that Elle Magazine, Dior, and British Airways felt necessary to celebrate. Held in an Pei-designed penthouse with Pei himself in attendance, and set to the beat of Absolut cocktails, cocktail attire, and an absolutely gorgeous night view, the event certainly stood out in strength of atmosphere amongst the varied summer soirées -- however, some of us forget the cultural significance of partying for a cause. How does one navigate the mix of muddled parties to know what it is they're benefiting? Soirée au Louvre benefit host committee member and arty partier David Chines breaks down last night's event, discussing the significance of the party venue and how we can also be a friend of the Louvre (yes we can!).

Charmed. That was the overall feeling that lingered after exiting Tamsin Lonsdale’s Supper Club opening party for the Hudson Sky Terrace last night. To be frank, I was not expecting it to pan out this way. Upon arriving (on time, which apparently is not the thing to do at Supper Club events), I was greeted by ethereal servers dressed in cultish white with freakish Eyes Wide Shut smiles -- unnerving for a girl who had never been to a Supper Club event, who was brazenly going solo, and who had arrived to a near-empty terrace on the 15th floor of the Hudson Hotel.

Those art worlders in-the-know, whomever they may be, have been touting a new frontier. These economic times have paved the way for regenerating new interest, and new artists ... the big-time artists' chips are down, and the once-stuffy galas and galleries are forgoing their usual $900 plates and frivolous to-do’s in favor of cocktails and casual bids. The end result is at once despairing and opportunistic; as new players enter, many important and recognized artists are rendered anonymous by a fledgling crowd. Take last night’s ARTSEEN, an auction held at the Friedrich Petzel Gallery to benefit NYFA, featuring “affordable art” at bidding prices starting under $400, posh sips by Bubble Lounge and a mix of predominantly young bidders, many of whom were unable to identify iconic artist Andres Serrano even though they were really stoked about the Real Housewives of New York City, namely Alex McCord and Simon Van Kempen.

A hundred women with perfect highlights, but not a pot of bleach in sight. The Frederic Fekkai salon was filled with ladies in waiting, but not for a trademark Fekkai bob. Instead they gathered for Jill Kargman's John Hancock last night, in celebration for the release of her newest novel, The Ex-Mrs. Hedgefund. Steak tartare and white wine sated the elegant mob, such as Meredith Melling-Burke and Sylvana Soto-Ward as well as the hosting committee, which included Allison Aston, actress Byrdie Bell, alice + olivia's Stacey Bendet Eisner, and Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss. Gentlemen in attendance took notice of the well-heeled crowd. "This place is filled with cougars and pumas," one dapper fellow noted.

Apologies for the cliché title, but how could you not weave in Suvari’s ‘American’ connection with her personal interest in Character Project, an ongoing artistic initiative committed to celebrating the characters of--you guessed it--America! Last night Suvari, noticeably without pie or Kevin Spacey, discussed her own artistic undertakings as she played hostess for USA and Vanity Fair’s gallery opening of American Character: A Photographic Journey at the Stephen Weiss studio, along with Jeff Goldblum and a slew of supporters ranging from Lucy Lui to Christian Siriano.