POCKETFUL OF DOUGH | 1, 2, 3, 4

IN TALKING TO PEOPLE about slipping money, I found a clear split: People of my father's generation seemed comfortable with the idea, knew the rules, believed it was part of the price of going out. People uder 40, by contrast, thought it distasteful, degrading, and showy. (The restaurants seemed to agree with the later. When asked for their policies at the completion of this project, responses ranged from "It's disgusting" to "The maître d' will be fired if he is caught accepting money for a table." A couple of the restaurants had no policy for or against.) A few days later, I walked into Nobu, the Mecca of nouveau Japanese chic, with a female friend. A couple in front of us, wearing golf clothes, were just being turned away. I asked for a table. Again the two people behind the podium (both women) surveyed our appearance - black from head to toe. "Actually, we do have a table," one said at last. "It's not one of our better tables. It's by the kitchen." "May I see it?" I said. The woman led me to the table and I asked politely if she had something else. "Hmmm," she said, looking around. As she did, I reached into my pocket, pulled out two twenties and a ten, and moved them toward her hand. She continued - "I'm afraid there's nothing" - when suddenly she felt the bills in her hand, claimed them, and announced cheerily: "Just a moment, I'll go and check."

Several minutes later she returned, holding the bills in her hand. "You might want to take your money back," she said. "There really isn't anything we can do." Then she added, "In the future, if you want a reservation, call me," and gave me her name. Just like that, I had bypassed the masses yearning to break in. I had become an insider. And it hadn't cost me a dime, merely the willingness to indicate that I would tip for service.

I had already learned a number of lessons. First: Go. You'd be surprised at what you get just by showing up. Second: Dress decently. Third, and most important: Don't be ashamed. They're not, and neither should you be.

Soon I ventured uptown. I was wearing a jacket; my friend, pumps and pearls. We entered the hallowed seafood manor of Le Bernardin, where I spotted a few empty tables. "Could you wait 20 minutes in the lounge?" the maître d' asked. Seconds later, with new confidence, I slipped a fifty toward his hand and said, "Is there any way you could speed that up?" The man felt the money, then pushed it back into my hand. "Sorry, " he said, "there really is nothing I can do."

Four minutes later, though, we were seated at a table for two by the window. Moreover, the maître d' came to our table several times to ask if everything was satisfactory. At the end of the evening, not because I had planned it but entirely because I felt like it, I gave him $30. He graciously accepted.

Outside, I realized I had just witnessed the gold standard. The maître d' turned down the money when it was a bribe, gave us the service anyway, then accepted the money as a well-earned tip.

If Le Bernardin offered the gold standard, I quickly encountered the opposite at Jean-George, a citadel of New French elegance. Once again, though the restaurant was fully booked, we were offered a table in the formal dining room and asked to wait 15 minutes in the bar. After ordering drinks, I stepped over to the gentleman in charge, eased a fifty into his hand, and whispered, "This is a really important night for me." He took the money and slipped it into his pocket. Fifteen minutes passed, with no sigh of him, and no table. Another 15 minutes passed, and no sign. Finally, one of his deputies escorted us to a table.

For the first time, I felt slightly oily. Here we were offered a table with no hint of money, then someone took my money and didn't deliver on his original promise. Worse, he didn't even apologize for what was probably a routine delay. Money slipped to a maître d', I was coming to believe, is a quick way of establishing a relationship, of becoming a valued customer. When no relationship developed, I felt I had been taken advantage of. I was a stooge, not a player.

Still, I was growing fearless.

There were 50 people lingering in the foyer of Sparks Steak House, a bastion of male power, when I entered at 8:15 with a male friend. We were told it would be 9:45 before we could be seated. I asked to be put on the list.

Given the size of the crowd and the length of the wait, I decided to reach for my right pocket. I waited until the man behind the podium was alone (Rule No. 6) and rested my left hand lightly on his back. Suddenly, I was Fred Astaire and he was Ginger Rogers. He knew exactly what to do. He pivoted toward me and turned his right hand from face fown to face up, giving me a targer, I slipped the bill into his hand and said again, "This is a really important night for me."

He disappeared briefly, then 45 seconds later, he reappeared at my elbow. "Right this way," he announced, and let us to a table. I had jumped a 50-person line and saved myself an hour-and-a-half wait. Forget Frank Sinatra. I was now James Bond.

Increasingly, I was struck by how much impact the experience was having me. Surmounting this challenge night after night was actually giving me a certain self-assurance, a feeling of having grown up. Some might find this disillusioning: "You mean like is not first-come, first-served?" I found I had a different reaction: "You mean all it takes to crack one of New York's most daunting thresholds is fifty bucks?" Even if I chose not to do it on a regular basis, just knowing how doable it is brought the whole puffery of New York restaurants into perspective. Bribing, it turns out, has as much effect on the briber as it does on the bribee.

A few nights later, the effect of this newfound glow became clear. I walked into Le Cirque 2000, the gift-edged establishment on the East Side. "Sorry," I was told. "We don't have a table tonight." No problem, I thought. I took a step back and tried to identify the person in power. Seconds later, a gentleman in a tuxedo approached. "We were wondering if you had a table for two?" I said, clutching a bill in my pocket ... but not handing it over. He bowed. "Your table is ready," he said, and led us into the dining room.

This was a new benchmark: I had bluffed my way in. Just by being prepared to bribe, I had achieved my goal. Was there some change in my appearance? Was I swaggering a bit or walking a little taller? Perhaps. A couple of days later, I bluffed my way into Aureole.

NEXT : THE UNION SQUARE CAFE AND TIPS ON TIPPING >>
PAGE 1, 2, 3, 4