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Self-hating power-Jew paranoia runs deep, and now it's leading us to the Prime Grill — where, according to the Observer, the real power brokers are doing lunch. Forget the Grill Room and Michael's; it seems that everyone from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to General Wesley Clark is wheeling and dealing over the steak and (gefilte?) sushi. But it's not easy being kosher, and the Prime Grill struggled (as is necessary!) for years prior to its current success:

That gradually began to change in 2002 and 2003, however, as word of the restaurant spread beyond the kipah crowd to the broader Jewish and even non-Jewish world. One customer brought another customer who brought another, until eventually the celebrities began showing up.

These have ranged from the typical landsleit types, like Jackie Mason and Steven Spielberg, to the downright unexpected, like U2 front man Bono, Mets pitcher Kris Benson and Mr. Benson s stripper-turned-model wife, Anna. (The appearance of the latter apparently set off some serious palpitations among the Lipitor set.)

Madonna has come "at least 10 times," Mr. Allaham said, and more recently the inimitable prankster Sacha Baron Cohen (also known to HBO audiences as Ali G, Borat and Bruno) showed up for a surprise kosher fix. The chef, however, regretted to inform him that the restaurant didn t have any "Jew claw" on the menu that night.

It's official: Judaism is v.v. hot right now! Will the city's trendiest denizens follow suit? After all, if you can get past the velvet rope, the downstairs Shabbat at Butter has always been the place to see and be seen.

The Power Nosh, 5765 [Observer]
Earlier: Israeli Companies In WTC Area Make Inviting Terror Targets [Gawker]