Tomorrow, Frank Bruni reviews Michael's, the venerable midtown power lunch spot. Today, the Eater oddsmakers have set the action as follows:
Zero Stars: 3-1
One Star: EVEN √√
Two Stars: 4-1
Three Stars: 15-1
Four Stars: 25,000-1
Michael's, legendary and unimpeachable, is Dr. Bruni's favorite type of review candidate. No matter the outcome, people will be up in arms. Too positive and The Frizzank doesn't know what he's talking about; too negative and he's just being a bully. Plus, with its current rating of two stars, either and upgrade or downgrade will ensure a mark is left. As for the result, let's rule out three stars—it's packed to the gills everyday with media types; if there was great food here, it wouldn't be a secret. Let's also rule out a deuce, because if only to reaffirm the previous total, the review would, indeed, be pointless. This brings us to one star, where our money is. Look for a decidedly critical, kick-in-the-ass type take, followed by long-time devotees coming in one-by-one for lunch tomorrow to tell Michael McCarty how much they love him and make sure their regular tables are secure.
· Michael's [NYT; after 8:00 PM]
√√ denotes the Eater bet.
