July 17 (Bloomberg) -- Waverly Inn, the celebrity-studded tavern in Manhattan's West Village, has a ``new location'' in the East Village called Gemma.

It's Italian. It's in the Bowery Hotel. It's packed.

There's no direct phone number just yet. That's because Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson are the owners of the restaurant and hotel. They -- along with Graydon Carter -- brought us Waverly, with its organic chicken (crispy), manufactured buzz (stale) and A-list exclusivity (bitter).

Waverly's listed phone number always connects to an answering machine. The menu had ``Preview'' stamped on it for months. The place was packed with the famous and fabulous throughout the winter, while hosts claimed that it wasn't officially open.

At Gemma, expect similar gimmicks.

Menus bear the preview stamp. The venue hasn't set up its phone -- will it ever? Reservations aren't accepted.

When Gemma first opened, I was seated immediately. Almost a week later, the host desk quoted 90-minute waits.

Skip the dining room. Eat at the bar.

Be warned. The counter is cramped. The stench of perfume is three dresses deep. Socialites will reach over your veal chop to snag wine from the bartender.

A pizza oven in back spits out fire. Candles are everywhere: on ledges and wooden tables, in heavy chandeliers. Remember Waverly's sexy glow?

BlackBerry screens float throughout the shadowy space like iridescent jellyfish in deep water.

Mandatory Casual

The dress code for men is an untucked shirt with two buttons undone. The code for women is tall and thin.

A slinky customer approached us.

``Do either of you have an iPhone?'' she asked.

Chef Chris D'Amico isn't as trend-obsessed as the clientele. His menu is a collection of cold cuts, cheese, pizza and pasta that can be found at almost any Italian restaurant. It's standard fare, just like the well-executed classic American grub at Waverly.

The owners are following the path to restaurant success that Keith McNally employs at Pastis, Balthazar and elsewhere: simple, straightforward food mixed with beautiful people.

We tried orecchiette with broccoli rabe (underseasoned), linguine with octopus (overcooked) and mushroom-dotted pizza (undercrisped). A veal chop looked 3 inches high. It was moist, medium-rare and, most important, $36.

Bricked Chicken

Can't get into Waverly? The chicken here is similar: roasted under a brick with salty, crunchy skin. As the city goes gaga for pork served 18 ways, I can't overlook the unhealthy ecstasy of chicken fat.

Or butterfat. Cue the mascarpone tartlet with port cherries. Enter the olive-oil gelato with plum cobbler. Savory and sour play a stronger role than sweet in these desserts.

My three-course dinner for one cost $51. Our four-course dinner for two, plus two drinks each, cost $120.

Gemma is at 335 Bowery, at East Third Street. Information: +1-212-505-9100 (phone number for Bowery Hotel).

New Chinese

Wakiya, the long-awaited restaurant at Ian Schrager's Gramercy Park Hotel, opens July 24. The chef, Yuji Wakiya, is Japanese. The food is ``inspired by'' traditions of Shanghai and northern China. Reservations will be hard to come by.

Wakiya is at 2 Lexington Ave., at 21st Street. Information: +1-212-995-1330.

(Ryan Sutton is a writer for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this story: Ryan Sutton in New York at rsutton1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 17, 2007 00:05 EDT