The reservations line at the long-delayed, much-anticipated Wakiya at the Gramercy Park Hotel is now open. (212) 995-1330. At present they're accepting reservations for July 24th thru August 5th. Per the standard buzztastic protocol, there are no 8 PM tables being awarded, though you can still get 7 PM or 8:30 or later. Wakiya is the first American restaurant of Yuji Wakiya, a well-known chef of the Far East. He'd replaced Alan Yau, who was supposed to open a restaurant in the hotel last fall. Behind the scenes, Wakiya is being run by the Nobu brain trust of Richie Notar, Meir Tepper, and Nobu Matsuhisa. The last three sentences were to give the kids in the know a few extra seconds of dialing time. That you are still reading this and not dialing is a problem.
· Schrager Taps Yuji Wakiya As His New Alan Yau [~E~]