Updates Notebook

November 22, 2002 Updates... The big question has been answered: it's a rice pudding emporium.... New Ludlow velvet-roper Pianos has added an obnoxious faux "New and Used Pianos" sign, dropping it a few notches below our previous estimation... New York Magazine has the scoop on Tenement, which we noticed last month. To our eyes, it appears to still be under construction... From the same story, General Store on Ave. B looks like it might be worth a shot... Word from Below 14th sources is that Wylie Dufresne has stage fright and won't open WD50 until everything's just perfect, so it could take longer than we thought... SA alerts us that New York Mag handed out chef awards last week, including one for Scott Conant at L'Imperio, where we dined well last night just a stone's throw from Phil Donahue. I had capretto for the first time... Reports from several companions indicate that the food has not improved at Apizz since we dined there in September. Pity...