We appreciate Gawker taking the lead on ripping Timberlake's Destino a new one, because we're quite sure they were the only ones at last night's press tasting with the sass to go at a Grubman restaurant client on day one of official previews:
No glitz, no glamour, no real style or design to the place whatsoever (save for the venue’s ceiling, pictured above, which rivals that of the Sistine Chapel). Not even the coziness of Rao’s — just leather banquettes, an out-of-sorts chandelier in the entryway, and a hefty dose of wall sconces. We couldn’t help but wonder if someone like Timberlake would even go to a restaurant like this, which was very Little Italy.Note to restaurateurs, Gawker cannot be bought by Sistine Chapel knockoffs and preview invites alone. And speaking of Bruni, it will be very interesting to hear what the former Rome bureau chief has to say about that ceiling.Wait, the food. Yes, technically Destino is about food. We give it an “eh” or so: good meatballs, bad clams. Pasta decent, but overpriced. Everything was eaten with fork (for you, Hesser, all for you). Everything else was sort of unremarkable, which made us rather sad for having ventured so far from our typical environs. But the wine was good, and the servers were attentive…and that’s about the best we can muster a Frank Bruni imitation.
· Destino: Justin Timberlake Was Not Our Waiter [Gawker]
