It's a small world - especially when it comes to food and the New York restaurant industry as the dreaded "Editor's Note" in today's Times' corrections column points out:

Editors' Note

A restaurant review in the Dining section last Wednesday about Spice Market, on West 13th Street in Manhattan, awarded it three stars. The writer was Amanda Hesser, The Times's interim restaurant critic.

Last May, before her assignment to that post, Ms. Hesser published a book, "Cooking for Mr. Latte," that was praised in a jacket blurb by the restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who later opened Spice Market.

He wrote: "Amanda Hesser's charming personality shines as the reader experiences the life and loves of a New York City gourmet. `Cooking for Mr. Latte' is perfectly seasoned with sensuality and superb recipes." The review should have disclosed that background. (Go to Article)

Actually, if her editors had known Vongerichten had written jacket copy for Hesser's book, would she even have drawn the assignment at all? And how was the assignment determined? There are an awful lot of restaurants in Manhattan.