Hello, readers! My name is Greg Morabito. I took a year-long break from writing about NYC restaurants to lead Eater's engagement team, but now I'm back in the New York groove, just like that song. I promise not to mess with too much stuff — you'll still get up-to-the-minute news about the hottest Nordic-tinged Bushwick kaiseki counters, and upscale Noho taquerias from former EMP sommeliers. But, at the risk of making promises that are hard to keep, I hope to bring you a little something extra — something that I remember and cherished from the older, looser days of this very site.
Eater's coverage of Florent's farewell got me hooked on restaurant blogging. I loved how Amanda Kludt and the Eater team were celebrating a special place and the people that made it tick. The food was not the point. The restaurant was the point.
New York diners are more obsessed with food than ever before, and that's great. But a lot of the time, the most interesting stories aren't happening on the plate, but rather at the host podium, at that A+++ table in the corner behind the frilly fern, and in the cramped subterranean office near the walk-in. And they're happening all over the city at all types of restaurants at all hours of the day. I hope that, along with all the news and intel about this city's hot spots, essential restaurants, and cheap eats destinations, Eater can provide stories that you won't find anywhere else.
I consider myself lucky to be joining an immensely talented group of people — Robert Sietsema, Ryan Sutton, Nick Solares, Devra Ferst, Layla Khabiri, and Levi Dalton. We've got some exciting stuff coming down the pipeline, but, as always, Team Eater can't do it alone. We need your help.
If you spot any openings or closings in your neighborhood, please send a note or photo to the tipline. If you hear any gossip about a chef or restaurant — even if it's seemingly trivial or preposterous — please let us know. And if you discover a restaurant that you think we absolutely need to visit, well, we're always taking recommendations.
As a reward for making it this far, I will leave you with a bonus fun fact about this blog, which I only learned after a few years on the job, but now I pass on to you, dear reader: Eater's logo is partially inspired by the letters of the "R & L Restaurant" sign that hung above Florent. It's definitely one of the Top 10 Most Essential Pieces of Eater Logo Trivia, June 2015.