How do you get a table at the most exclusive restaurant in New York City when there’s no phone number?  You’d better know someone.     

And in the case of dinner at the Waverly Inn — New York’s swanky “A-list restaurant” — that’s exactly how I got a seat on a recent Saturday night.  Before I tell you the set of events that led to this dining experience, let me tell you what we ate:

*Roasted carrots and black truffle infused fries that tickle the pallet.

*Organic salmon over a bed of micro-beluga lentils and kale.

*Braised short ribs with celery root puree.

*And “illegally juicy chicken with the crispiest rendered skin,” as my new friend Chris describes it.

All of it, amazing!

So how did I get in?  Well, I have to thank YouTube for helping me out.  I had posted a video a while back about another dining experience at the famed restaurant The French Laundry.  I had gone there a few years ago with my best friend Shane and made a video about our lunch there.  Shane — it so happens — is an actor. 

So, low and behold, I get an email out-of-the-blue from a guy named Chris who had seen my French Laundry video.  He titled the email, “Am I crazy or what?”

Curious, I opened it up.  It said, “Am I crazy or did I just see the guy from the Cisco commercial in your French Laundry video?”  He had.  (Turns out, along with being a major foodie, Shane also acted in a popular commercial running nationwide for Cisco.) I quickly responded to Chris’ email, “Yes indeed, that’s him!” 

From that moment on we bonded over talk of food and our favorite restaurants.  And then Chris made the offer:  He had a standing table at the Waverly Inn. “Next time you are in New York,” we’ll have dinner there.  So, we went.  And it was fantastic.  And it was as exclusive as ever! 

I had hoped to do a video inside, but learned quickly it was not allowed.  “No photography,” Chris told me to my disappointment.  And it is no wonder.  This place is so private, you are likely to see Madonna or Jay-Z dining at the table next to you.  So what did it look like inside?  You’ll have to use your imagination, or maybe find out for yourself by posting a video on YouTube because you never know who’s watching.