It was a typically atypical lunch crowd today at Michael's — Tom Brokaw here, Joan Rivers there, Cobb salads everywhere — making the Diet Cokes and Pellegrinos go down like fine wine. A quartet of Rubensteins — Howard, Richard, Steve and Atoosa — dined at four separate tables, while the Michael of Michael's, Michael McCarty, explained to us the finer points of Michael's New York vs. Michael's Santa Monica. "Fridays and Saturdays are big in L.A.," he told us. "In New York, it's Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday."

See, New York is so badass, we need the weekend to recover from the week. Suck it, Hollywood!

The table-by-table breakdown:

1: Tom Brokaw, looking very Tom Brokaw-like, with George Stevens.

2: David Patrick Columbia with Jen Goodkind and Jayne Chase of "'The Fashionable Life,' WGCH in Greenwich, 1490 on your AM dial."

3: Mayor of Michael's Joe Armstrong and Men's Health's Dave Zinczenko, who were in an uncharacteristically serious-looking discussion, pausing often to meet and greet passersby.

4: Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.

5: Allen & Co. fortune heir Terry Kramer and her son-in-law.

6: Lunch at Michael's regulars Peter Rogers (happy birthday!), Alex Hitz, Bill Rondina, Tom Fallon and Brooke Hayward Duchin.

7: Joan Rivers, long-time agent Billy Sammeth and always-affable VH1 Best Week Ever producer Fred Graver.

8: Second seating: Michael Gross with Sheila Weller, whose triple-biography of Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon, Girl's Like Us, is due next year on Atrium. First seating: David Patrick Columbia, David Chase and Jen Chase.

9: Former WNBC-TV anchor Felicia Taylor and "her boss." Taylor, in jeans, stopped by Table 3 to say hi to Armstrong and Zinczenko.

11: B. Friedman — who?

12: Deborah Fine and NBC's Natalie Morales. Morales, in a skirt and black leather boots, also stopped by to kiss frequent Today show guest Zinczenko at Table 3.

14: Neil Sedaka.

15: HarperCollins editor and soccer-aficionado David Hirshey.

16: Richard Rubenstein, a younger blonde woman with a faux-ski sweater and an older woman wearing a white-and-black knit hat wrap thing. The most colorful-looking group, save for ...

19: ... ex-Seventeen editor and MySpace blogger Atoosa Rubenstein, in a shimmering, Kelly green attire.

17: Avenue magazine founder Judy Price.

18: Howard Rubenstein.

20. Elizabeth Harrison.

21: Judy's husband, National Television Academy president and Emmy macher Peter Price.

22. Restaurateur (or is it TV producer?) Dan Gasby.

23: Polo PR chiefs Jim Abernathy and Nancy Murray.

24: Deloitte partner Scott Singer and Kate McEnroe.

25: Tom Goodman.

27: Fortune's Tim Arango and Time Warner EVP Ed Adler.

28: Editor Diane Reverend.

29: Cablevision spokesman Charlie Schuler.

30: Moesha (Moisha?) Koffman (Kaufman?).

33: David Copley, owner of the Copley Press chain of newspapers and at one point one of Forbes' 645 richest people.

At the bar: Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey Don Henley cohort, session guitarist and producer Danny Kortchmar. Also, our lunchmate, Page Six reporter Corynne Steindler, who had had too much caffeine.

Please send comments and corrections to dylan AT mediabistro DOT com & Lunch AT mediabistro DOT com.