While many of us are dismayed at the potential closing of the 2nd Avenue Deli, this week's New York magazine offers a gastronomic celebration, with Adam Platt's perfectly precious list of the 101 most important restaurants in the city.

Hmmm. The most interesting thing about the cover story was the choice to cap the list at 101 (cf. New York's "123 Reasons to Love New York Right Now"--Does Adam Moss have some secret fascination with three digit prime numbers?).

Herewith, 10.1* things I'd rather do than read the feature**:

1. My taxes
2. Your taxes
3. Swim to Staten Island
4. Work for any publication owned by American Media Inc. (this does not include Men's Fitness. There are few fates worse than having to share office space with Neal Boulton)
5. Visit Rockefeller Center during the holiday season
6. Spend an evening with Roger Toussaint discussing labor practices
7. Listen to the audio recording of Everyone Worth Knowing
8. Explain to my friends why I have the audio recording of Everyone Worth Knowing
9. Discuss my inability to be emotionally expressive with my girlfriend***
10. Watch mutliple episodes of Two and a Half Men (but only if available in high definition)
10.1 Eat a satisfying meal with common folk at any of the hundreds of diners, pizzerias, falafel joints and cuchifritos not listed in the issue

*Were I not lazy (and/or were I getting paid to write this) I would have done a list of 101 things. Alas.

**I am not one of those media snobs who hates New York magazine because doing so is fashionable. To the contrary, I quite like their features and reviews (and have written for the magazine). This is more a commentary on list-driven features that attempt to rank.

***My girlfriend did not endorse the use of this "joke."

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