It's not Wednesday and I'm not Laurel, so this isn't an official "Lunch at Michael's" post, but per Keith Kelly's Oct. 7 column, it's worth noting that for a 1:30 reservation today, the place was ridiculously packed.

From Kelly's column:

Michael's, the West 55th Street restaurant, is getting so popular with the media elite that some of the regulars are having trouble getting choice seats in the front room — and at least one long-time patron is looking elsewhere. Vanity Fair writer Michael Wolff devoted a whole chapter to Michael's and the view from Table 5 in his last book, "Autumn of the Moguls." Still, when he called for a reservation Wednesday morning, he was told the place was filled to the brim for lunch that day..."I'm officially shopping for The Next Place," he said..." Where's he going next? "Nobu is opening nearby and there is that Greek place, Milos. The food is really good there," said Wolff. "Or even the Four Seasons, the food isn't any more expensive."

[Ed.—If he does that, I'm going to have to start sending Laurel to Nobu, Milos and the Four Seasons. Nobu Monday, Milos Tuesday...]

I was with Kurt Andersen, who is more or less responsible for the Lunch at Michael's feature in the first place (he suggested it) and there were no seats in the front so we got shuttled past all the full tables to the back room. Contrary to expectation, space and time did not collapse when we crossed the threshold, and the people in the back room look remarkably like the people in the front room, except they usually work in advertising and therefore emanate twice as much ennui.

(Since it's Kurt...)
SEPARATED AT BIRTH:

But while we're here, per tradition: the people I spotted, er, on the way to the back room included New York mag's Stephen Rodrick lunching with former governor Bill Weld at the table by the door, Cablevision's Charlie Schueler, and David Patrick Columbia at his usual table. Seated in the middle of Siberia: me (Elizabeth Spiers) and Kurt. True to his word, Michael Wolff was not there.