Tomorrow, Frank Bruni reviews Provence, Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer's resurrection effort on Macdougal Street. Today, the Eater oddsmakers have set the action as follows:
Zero Stars: 6-1Restaurants gets interesting this week, as we come upon a subject with good bones and history, pulled from its grave by a name-brand owner and chef, who already boast having solved the two-star riddle. There's a back story ready to service at either the one or two star level (sane bettors will not even consider an outcome other than one or two stars) and this review will come down to the Bruni's soft spot for Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer, with whom he has some history—at Cookshop and on matters more mundane. One other bit to consider: this is technically a re-review, The Reichl having given the restaurant one star in 1998 (Asimov later concurred). An informal polling of Eater staff and associates (many of whom hide their affiliation with Eater as CIA operatives guard their identities) indicates a torn field of experts. The most pragmatic are going with one, while those who place higher weight on the Bruni-Freeman-Meyer affiliation are going with two. By the numbers, one star is the most likely outcome, but Eater is taking two stars, betting on the combined forces of the Bruni's affinity for warm, small spaces; his willingness to give these restaurateurs the benefit of the doubt; and the appeal of giving the people a rare Bruni Upgrade.
One Star: 3-1
Two Stars: 7-2 ??
Three Stars: 25-1
Four Stars: 25,000-1
· Provence [NYT; after 8:00 PM]
?? denotes the Eater bet.
