Joey Campanaro writes in to share the sad news that West Village fave The Little Owl was broken into last night. And because the crook literally broke in, he caused some major damage to the front of the restaurant and the door frame. Campanaro will close for brunch on Saturday, one of the few no-reservations services at the Owl, to make the necessary fixes. Disappointed brunchers take note: those that head over to Market Table Saturday morning can get a free cup of coffee.

Let's hope this isn't the beginning of another restaurant crime wave, like the one that hit Perilla, Black Iron Burger Shoppe, Delicatessen, and others last winter.
· Crime Watch: Cops Nab Serial Restaurant Robbers [~ENY~]
[photo credit]

Throughout the New York City Food & Wine Festival this weekend, Eater welcomes bloggers, journalists and food world stars to our lounge at the Standard Hotel. As the peeps pass through, we're going to chat them up and spit out the dialogue here in this business, From the Eater Lounge. Right now: Little Owl owner, the one and only Joey Campanaro.

What's new at The Little Owl? JC: Well, Zagat—we're really happy about that. The article in The Guardian about the 50 greatest things to eat in the world, and the hamburgers from The Little Owl were on there, so lunch just got kind of crazy. Lunch has just become what I really wanted it to become.

There are difficult reservations to get and then there are the ones that are nearly impossible to come by. Some require the use of an inside phone number, while others don't have any phone numbers at all. Eater took a survey of restaurants that are the toughest to crack, and came back with a final culled list of The Ten Most Wanted Resys.

1) Rao's: The famous Italian joint is an obvious shoe in for the number one spot except for one lingering question: Do they even take reservations? All signs point to no. With only ten tables and one seating per night, there's pretty much zero chance you're getting a table here unless you've got some old school "connections."
455 E. 114th St., 212-722-6709.

2) Momofuku Ko: David Chang's 12-seat, prefix only restaurant is famous for it's impossible to crack online reservations system. Chang makes no exceptions for VIP's, as evidenced by the now famous story that the chef wouldn't even let his own parents skip the line.
163 1st Ave., No phone number, online resys here.

MIDTOWN— And now we present the case of the missing Tisserie. At the end of December, the Tisserie on the north end of Union Square closed due to a rent increase. Owners told the Times they were opening a shop on 55th and 7th and it looks like they did. But a tipster tells us it's nowhere to be found. A correspondent chimes in with the same news: there's no sign of the pastry shop uptown. If anyone has seen the location, let us know. [EaterWire]

MIDTOWN— The signs advertising Oceana's big move from 54th between Park and Madison to an old Strawberry store at 1221 6th Ave. at 49th St. are now up in the new plywooded space. They plan to open in September. [EaterWire]

WEST VILLAGE— In honor of Presidents Day, The Little Owl is going to be serving brunch on Monday. [EaterWire]

On Friday we gave away reservations to The Little Owl and Lupa. We received emails from the usual suspects: brokenhearted romantics, depressed office drones, folks with anniversaries, and Little Owl fans who are great at coming up with sob stories. Read though the the best of the lot to see what people will write to get a coveted reservation:

"Please bestow the awesomeness that I have not experienced of The Little Owl upon me. And with this oppressive heat and humidity my hair is going to be a frizzy, fro'd out mess and the makeup is going to melt of my glisteningly sweaty cheeks. Little Owl's sliders will be the only way to distract my boyfriend from this imminent catastrophe. Please help me. Also, I think I've been a pretty good sport seeing as how I've competed for this same resy at least two other times." (winner)

"The DEP is working on the water main outside our building so we have no water or A/C today. Dinner at Lupa would lift our spirits." (winner)

"I think I could use the reso to Lupa because I've had a bad week… a root canal and a stomach bug… a good meal could make it all better."

On Friday we gave away reservations to The Little Owl and, later, Peter Luger. We received emails from the usual suspects: jobless foodies, depressed office drones, newly single ladies, and husbands with impending anniversaries. Read though the the best of the lot to see what people will write to get a coveted reservation:

"Why do I deserve this? I just had eye surgery to correct a childhod problem, and for the past two days, my eyes have been sore, red, and I have been tearing blood much like the James Bond villain Le Chiffre. (I am really not making this up.) Needless to say, I'm not in the best of spirits and dinner at The Little Owl will cheer me up to no end."

"So i totally deserve this resy because today was the first day in the office at my new job and I literally wanted to run away screaming. I think I made a HUGE mistake and I'm hoping that an awesome dinner this weekend will calm me down and make coming back in on Monday a little more bearable. please...please...please." (winner)

"My boyfriend, who was laid off some time ago, is quite depressed, and our attempts at cooking to try to save money is not helping his general malaise...I'd love to treat him to a nice dinner out, and we've both been wanting to try The Little Owl for some time now."

WEST VILLAGE— Gotham Gal is reporting that the partnership-that-could behind the West Village success The Little Owl and its more modest sister Market Table has dissolved, and co-owner Gabriel Stulman is out at both restaurants. However, as he did when similar reports surfaced a few months ago, Stulman denies all rumors that there's trouble in paradise: "There's nothing to report. All my efforts are on opening my new restaurant Joseph Leonard." For the record last time we asked Stulman about any issues between him and partner Joey Campanaro, he said "There's no truth to it right now." Considering that that neither one of those statements are exactly vehement denials, that these rumors persist, and that we haven't spotted Stulman in either restaurant in quite awhile, we remain skeptical.
· Little Owl and Market Table [Gotham Gal]
· Look Whoo Whoo Whoo Is Out Now! [My Memoirs]
· EaterWire: Little Owl Rumormongering [~E~]
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Didn't get that spot at Ko and need a resy for tonight? Skip the resy scalpers. In an attempt to throw a meaningful albeit small wrench in their system, we'll be giving away primo reservations. Every Friday. For free. Boomski.

This Week:
· 7:45 p.m. resy for 2 tonight at The Little Owl
· 9 p.m. resy for 2 Saturday night at Lupa

If you want either one, email tips@eater.com with the name of the restaurant in the title and why you should go. We'll get back to you by 4 p.m.

RED HOOK— Cheyenne Diner, shuttered two weeks ago and thought to be doomed to demolition or to Wyoming, has been saved: "The Cheyenne Diner has been saved and will be moving to Red Hook, preservationist Michael Perlman told amNewYork this afternoon. 'I am elated to report that a contract has been signed between George Papas and its new owner, Mike O'Connell. It will gain a new lease on life in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and contribute to the appeal of an up & coming neighborhood...'" [Urbanite]

WEST VILLAGE— Here's your chance to finally eat at the Little Owl without giving a month's notice. Cutty reports that the West Village restaurant will begin lunch service tomorrow: "'We have to turn a lot of people away at night,' Campanaro says regretfully. 'There’s always people coming in during the day, seeing if they can get in. Now they can.'" [Cutlets]

Last Friday, we gave away reservations to Le Bernardin, Dovetail, The Little Owl, and Allen & Delancey. There were two major takeaways here: You people love The Little Owl (and to a lesser degree A&D), and you're getting more creative with your emails. Picking a winner this time around was a tad heartbreaking. Here are some highlights:

"I'm desperate, I tell you! I'm going on a date-- for the first time since puberty, practically (I'm 44)-- and I've dialed so many restaurant numbers for tonight that gangrene is setting into my fingertip(s). Nothing sexy available. Why the Owl? It's sexy."

"Not so much because of the food, but because I love owls. I like them so much, I've make pictures of them from computer symbols (attached in pdf) ." (winner for creativity)

"My friend spent hours last week to get a Ko reservation and I'd love to get him this in return as he's never been to The Little Owl and has wanted to go since his wife left him."