BruniBetting: Convivio

Tomorrow, Frank Bruni reviews Convivio, chef Michael White's swap-in for the restaurant formerly known as L'Impero. Today, the Eater oddsmakers have set the action as follows:

Zero Stars: 6-1
One Star: 5-1
Two Stars: 3-1 √√
Three Stars: 4-1
Four Stars: 25,000-1

So, the case for three stars goes like this. Chef White and his front man, Chris Cannon, know how to spot a critic like an unincarcerated pusher knows a NARC. They've got an eye for the enemy is the point. Certainly, the Bruni was made on every one of his at least three, probably four or five, visits to the casual-for-the-nabe restaurant. The kitchen was firing at its absolute best for dude—and at his best White, especially via his pastas, is definitely three-star-good. On the other hand, there's the question of how high this restaurant aims, and the fact that it is an uneven show for civilians (there's also a quiet consensus out there that White's proteins, while good, don't sizzle like his carbs do). So if those things make their way into the Bruni's thinking, which they just might, Convivio's going to find itself pretty firmly in DueceLand. The all-in for Eater this week has this race extremely tough to call, but we have to bet on two stars for Convivio, the review being one that reads three star good and has White and Cannon lobbying for a re-review by noon tomorrow.
· Convivio [NYT; after 8:00 PM]

√√ denotes the Eater bet.For more stories from Eater, go to eater.com.

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