In which Matthew defends Tom, somewhat

Tom Colicchio unveiled his plans for a new restaurant which, like Brigadoon, will magically appear at designated intervals, then vanish from sight. It will be called Tom: Tuesday Dinner. But Mr. Colicchio appeared far from sold on the name, at one point saying, “If somebody can think of a better one, I’ll change it.”... The restaurant will probably serve about 80 diners a month, which is almost certain to make this one of the toughest tickets in town. Reservations will be taken by telephone six weeks in advance, and the price of the meal ($150 to $250 depending on the menu) will have to be prepaid with a credit card. Menus will only be announced about a week before each meal... And with that, we will take suggestions for a new name. Can anybody improve on “Tom: Tuesday Dinner”?

It's the New York Times's fault, not Tom's. They posted a short piece on his new idea, but right now isn't really the smartest time to even mention overpriced dinners to anybody, especially to a notoriously snarky and/or whiny readership with the ability to append comments to any article -- and to then ask them to rename the restaurant.

The most clear and direct zinger was I suppose the people attending these dinners will be the ones we bail out with our savings and our retirement funds. But while I am suspicious of the consumers, I respect the supplier. I worry that we might suddenly distrust any high style, cuisine, or art because we're nervous about the economy. Cultural treasures are sometimes the first to be destroyed when tax riots happen -- because they are visible and symbolic, even though their actual worth is dwarfed by the real soul-selling Wall Street nonsense. The people end up no richer, the real villains remain comfortable, and big bloody chunks get taken out of everything that is beautiful. And good food is art; Tom doesn't call it Craft for nothing.

That said, the new names are amusing so far: "Marie Antomette," "Let Them Eat Fake," "Guillotine," “Narcissist Nosh," "Cluelessly Conspicuous Consumption," "Elite Eats," "Let Them Eat Bailout," "The Emperor’s New Clothes," "Tom Much Money," "Tom: Yurt Dining Coming Soon @ $400 Per Plate," "Fool’s Diner," "Tom: Let’s Hope the Euro Stays High," "Arrogance, by Tom," "The Optimist’s Club," "Tom: No Rent Overhead... But Still Passing it Along to You," "Tom Foolery," "Sucker," "T.G.I. Tuesday's," "Wood-Fired Publicist."