I saw this on Brownstoner. It was in the Daily News (What’s in the Daily News, I’ll tell what’s in the Daily News…from Guys and Dolls)

It’s good news for everybody.Or is it?  I like the sound advice for sudden fame from the owners of The Grocery, which enjoyed sudden fame nabbing a very high rating in Zagats. Get a second phone line and someone to answer it, they say. Don’t forget the customers who stuck by you when you
needed it most, they added. "Give priority to the people who supported
you." YEAH.

Congratulations to the two Joshes and everyone who works at SPC. Hep and I do love it there.

Ready for another water-cooler argument over the best restaurant in New York?

The 2006 AOL CityGuide City’s Best List has a brand-new name to add to the mix: Brooklyn’s Stone Park Cafe.

The nationally obscure but locally popular Park Slope eatery took first
place among restaurants, according to 2.6 million voters nationwide who
logged their choices on AOL.com – edging out the likes of Manhattan
mainstays Daniel, Gotham Bar & Grill and Per Se.

"We’re very thrilled – winning these types of contests really attests
to the loyal support of our customers," says Stone Park chef and
co-owner Josh Grinker. "We really see what we’re doing as bringing up
the standard of neighborhood restaurants."

Other winners among the 41 categories weren’t quite as surprising.

The mustached barkeeps at West Village lounge Employees Only won
handily for best signature cocktails, Happy Ending in SoHo won for best
overall bar and Crobar topped the dance clubs group.

John’s on Bleecker St. was crowned best pizza, while Peter Luger’s was
tops among steakhouses – and also pulled off a minor coup in winning
the best burgers race, with Blue 9, Burger Joint and Corner Bistro
close behind.

Other predictable winners: Nathan’s of Coney Island for hot dogs, Brooklyn Brewery for beer selection and H&H for bagels.

AOL also devised city-specific contests for the 37 locales included in
the survey – and in the Big Apple, this meant a category for Best
Jewish Deli. The winner: Katz’s at 205 E. Houston St., followed by the
now-defunct 2nd Ave. Deli and then Artie’s on the upper West Side.

Nominated establishments were chosen by local correspondents. The 2.6
million votes represented a big increase over the roughly 1 million
cast in the 2005 online poll.

Been-there advice

If the folks at Stone Park Cafe want the recipe for
dealing with sudden fame, they should check with the owners of another
Brooklyn restaurant that went from neighborhood favorite to culinary
superstardom.

The Grocery in Carroll Gardens catapulted out of its underground popularity courtesy of Zagat’s 2004 rankings.

Partners Sharon Pachter and Charles Kiely went from
leisurely taking reservations while cooking up meals at their 30-seat
Smith St. hideaway to juggling a nightly line out the door.

Their No. 1 advice: Get another phone line – and someone
to answer it. "We couldn’t run credit cards because there were so many
phone calls coming in," Pachter said.

And don’t forget the customers who stuck by you when you
needed it most, they added. "Give priority to the people who supported
you," Kiely advised.