Good afternoon, everyone.
Last night, after a drink at Bar Oliver, I walked into the new Cafe Gitane location that opened last week above the East Broadway subway stop. There were eight other people in the restaurant, including two Gen Z men who were debating how to split their check. As one went up to pay, the other rolled a cigarette at the table. Cool. The chicken satay with peanut sauce held up, and someone should shoot their holiday campaign with the snappy-dressed hostesses. I learned that Nima Garos, the former owner of Jajaja (which was located at that address before Cafe Gitane), is now a partner with the original owner Luc Levy and… Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead. Apparently he was a fan of the original Gitane location.
When I got home, I turned on NBC News and watched Steve Kornacki in awe, wondering what his stimulants of choice are off-screen.
Today’s newsletter includes: Four editors on why they’re investing in movie clubs this year, Curtis Sittenfeld’s bestselling prep school novel is assembling a Netflix writer’s room, RIP Coperni, podcast set wars, the musicians behind the Hey Arnold! score are on tour, and election night made a good case for live streaming on Substack.
FOR YOUR CALENDAR
🇺🇸 Flatbush Library and Prospect Park Alliance are hosting a walking tour of the park to learn more about the Battle of Brooklyn, the first and largest battle of the American War for Independence, on Saturday, November 7.
🌰 Bloom Farm in Pennsylvania is celebrating chestnut season with chestnut cake, open-fire grilled bites, and guided tours at their Chestnut Festival on Saturday, November 7.
🐚 Useless Things, a curated silver and curiosity shop (I like their mother of pearl trinket dishes), is hosting a pop-up in Midtown from November 7-8.
🌗 Rose Hill Farm is hosting a new moon star party with the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association on the darkest evening of the month on Sunday, November 8.
🦐 Le Duc, one of the most famous seafood restaurants in Paris, is taking over Penny in the East Village on November 9 and 10.
🦃 15-pound smoked Thanksgiving turkeys from The Meat Hook are $185. For those of you who ordered early, Boots Bread will be serving cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy to those in line on November 21.
Prime reel estate.
After writing about the uptick in media company-hosted movie screenings for the last few months, I caught up with some of the editors who have made the decision to pivot from parties to popcorn. 🍿
Inboxes across the five boroughs are about to experience a surge of holiday party invitations. There are a few expected events that hit your calendar every year: cookie swaps at an old friend’s apartment, awful brand events where everyone declines free cocktails, and then, once a season, you’ll stare out the window in a taxi home listening to Christmas music, and be grateful that you left the house.
But there’s been an event trend specifically adopted by media companies that that I didn’t expect to see become so popular in 2026. The New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, The Midcoast Villager, and, yes, Feed Me have all decided to host movie screening series. I’ve been writing about this for the last few months, but I finally reached out to the organizers themselves to find out why they’re trading mingling in a restaurant for two hours for the theatrical experience.