Restaurant culture

The two things industry people talk about here, in my observances, are film and food. I'm of the firm belief that understanding food and wine can be used as both a carrot and a stick - like everything else here, it's about power ultimately. Witness the below story:

"In 1984, after "The Terminator" made $72 million for Orion Pictures, studio principals Eric Pleskow and Arthur Krim invited producer Gale Anne Hurd and director Jim Cameron for lunch at New York's Le Cote Basque. Cameron suggested Champagne; Hurd requested Krug.
That's when "Terminator 2" slipped away. Says Hurd, "Orion said Krug was too expensive."
The waiter brought a bottle of Perrier Jouet; Hurd and Cameron brought their sequel to TriStar."

I offer this as incentive for you to occassionally check Variety's new blog, the Knife.

As its writer says:
"A long time ago, I was the sous-chef in a Dallas restaurant that deserves historical footnoting only for employing Owen Wilson as a waiter; he was fired for telling a customer to fuck off. (He also used to annoy the staff by telling us how he was going to be a movie star. Who knew?)
Later I became a restaurant critic, then an editor at a food magazine. Then I got bored and made a short film. Before I realized that it was really bad, I decided to learn something about the film business. When I started writing about about the film business, I wasn’t bored anymore.
Ten years later, I’m the film editor for Variety. And I’m writing The Knife, a blog about restaurants favored by the entertainment industry. Monday through Thursday, The Knife is where to eat and drink in the name of work; Friday is reserved for eating that isn't work.
I’ll look at new restaurants angling for your expense accounts and let you know if old standbys still make the cut. I’ll tell you if there’s unpleasant surprises at the valet stand, if the chairs are comfortable, if you can hear yourself speak, if you can’t get out for under $100, how much they're marking up the wine, where you can eat halfway between two studios, where there’s private rooms and where you wouldn’t want to be caught dead.
The Knife is because Hollywood wouldn’t work without back-to-back breakfast meetings, lunches booked weeks in advance and the calculations of whether someone is worth drinks or dinner. And just because our "good" restaurants are often judged by who's next to your table rather than what's on your plate, that’s no reason you shouldn’t eat well. "

I realize that as students, and without expense accounts, you guys won't necessarilly be dining out at many of these restaurants, but there is power in knowledge, so read away. I'm going to add this blog under LA Matters. Meanwhile, it's here.