I had a nice chat yesterday with Joseph Scherr (Milford Mill, '82), who is the Maitre d' at Manhattan's Gotham Bar & Grill, which recently received its fifth 3-star review from the New York Times. I'll be telling you more about that converstation next week, but one thing came up that relates particularly to the conversation about Civil Dining.

Joseph told me that each morning he reads and rereads the reservation book for the evening seating. Some of the reservations have come in through Open Table and some over the phone, and they often, but not always, include such information as special occasions being celebrated, time constraints and dietary restrictions. All of this information is useful to the Maitre D', Scherr said.

I asked Joseph if there was such a thing as overcommunication when making a reservation. He said there wasn't.

Is there anyone who thinks differently?