When it comes to finding out whether the new lounge at the Gramercy Park Hotel is open yet (it is) or whether the Cain Estate in the Hamptons is really worth checking out before summer's end (likely not), there are plenty of places to turn to. There's layman stalwart Shecky's, trying-to-be-trendy Thrillist, and hipper-than-thou UrbanDaddy. But with a broadband Internet connection, some may approach approach online culture guides the way they do porn: still images just aren't doing it for 'em anymore. Enter video — and enter CODE.TV.

Launched publicly a mere two months ago, Code's flagship New York edition is already flanked by Hamptons coverage and, as of last week, a full-blown Los Angeles edition (which the publicity team at Freud managed to get The Hollywood Reporter to weigh in on). Its editorial mix is nothing but glowing praise of whatever is being covered, from Pink Elephant's reincarnation to Knife + Fork's East Village Euro offerings. And given that Code bills itself as "the first television network for wealthy 25-49 year old urbanites … who want and can afford a red-carpet style lifestyle," we had to know more — so we sat down for a Soho House lunch with founders Joseph Varet and Morgan Hertzan for a little chat on how they plan to become the DailyCandy of their space. Which might be hard, given that they're in DailyCandy's space.

Consider co-founders Joseph and Morgan the online equivalent of Jason Binn. They recognize that luxe content is the key to putting advertisers in touch with the $100,000-plus earning demographic and, when you manage to put that two-piece puzzle together, one can turn some PR-friendly editorial into a profitable cottage industry. Unlike Niche Media's Binn, however, this twosome – who actually went to junior high together, though weren't close – have earned their cool factor, as far as the kiddies are concerned: They come from MTV. Responsible for launching many of the 43,293 (a rough estimate) international offshoots of the network and getting the programmers together for endless nights of Papa John's and computer code to create MTV's broadband effort Overdrive, Joseph and Morgan are now taking their well-honed TV production skills to the Interlands. And should you be curious: Unlike their days at MTV, they have no interest attracting the average Yo Momma viewer. Nah, they're after the Plum TV audience with a broadband connection and plenty of employers' hours to waste.

Which means, for the record, they have no interest in tourists. "We don't want anyone who doesn't live in and know New York to be watching Code," says Joseph. Read: They're elitists, and damn proud to be. Or at least that's their business model to their publics. But New York insiders don't a viable business make, claims Lance Broumand, founder of UrbanDaddy, perhaps the most exclusive (read: invitation only) online food, nightlife, and style guide that reaches out to the same market as Code. (Both sides acknowledge each other as competitors, which might seem odd to an industry hell bent on insisting Esquire and GQ don't walk all over each other.) "When they say they're not for tourists, I don't buy that at all. [The tourist market] is going to be their bread and butter. Anyone who knows what's going on is going to look for a more current source."

And how much bread and butter is needed to go around? "Around 100,000 unique visitors" per month, says Joseph. Without that traffic level, he claims, advertising dollars just won't add up. And while that viewership could possibly be spread across coasts – between New York and L.A. editions – are there really 50,000 New Yorkers clamoring for video entree into Dani or Drive 45 — especially when Code isn't necessarily bringing anything immediately new to the table?

"Current" is what UrbanDaddy's Broumand claims is the real currency when it comes to this culture guide space. "They're never going to be able to break stories. If if they're not looking to break stories, I wonder what sort of buzz they're going to achieve." That is, being the first outlet to report a restaurant opening or a new lounge opening is crucial to relevance and ability to retain readers. "Breaking [stories] is a critical part of what made DailyCandy what it is." Counters Joseph: "Code is about discovery and rediscovery." Finding a fresh take on an already-opened speak easy, he argues, is still fair game.

But alas, for everything that DailyCandy is (like, say, worth $100-plus million), the girls shopping and review guide doesn't have video. Neither does Thrillist. And neither does UrbanDaddy. Add video the mix and you're potentially attracting an entirely different audience — and advertisers willing to loosen their budgets. Especially when you've got some of the best eye candy this side of YouTube.

Finding hot hosts is an integral part of Code's strategy, says Morgan. From fratboy facsimile George Oliphant to the unassuming Sara Gore (pictured), the cuisine on the screen isn't the only thing worth checking out. (So in demand, Gore even went on a date with a chef from one of the restaurants she reviewed for Code. Though, to be fair, the date took place after the review.) Hosts are found through a formal casting process, while Code's L.A. edition already boasts pretty young things like MTV's SuChin Pak to Tyra Banks’ stylist Yaniece Piper Thomas. It's no accident the two-to-three-minute segments have faces worth admiring.

Broumard, however, still isn't buying. "A lot of people are like 'It's DailyCandy with video.'" It's not DailyCandy. It's just video. … The edge is maybe the hot women that're on there. But George Oliphant? Am i interested in watching that walk around the city? Absolutely not." Though some folks certainly are: Code's founders claim their hosts are being recognized on the street regularly.

Like any self-professed group of insiders, Code is looking to attract what marketers call the "influencers." In hipster terms, that means Joseph and Morgan are not going after the A-symmetric hairstyled, skinny jeans wearing crowd — but the folks who make the T-shirts this St. Marks-to-Williamsburg throng wears. But richer. And actually, like, hip, so long as "hip" means "Meatpacking District and expense account friendly."

When you dangle a world of exclusivity in front of the masses, you'll usually at least attract a respectable fraction of the B&T crowd. But Code.tv hasn't caught on en masse, or at least that's the impression Joseph and Morgan uncomfortably convey. "We don't talk about [readership] numbers," says Joseph, which in PR speak usually means, "Numbers are small in the way Colin Farrell is, ahem, big" Which might be fine at this point, since Code has yet to slap ads all over its video player. Though all of that is coming, Morgan promises, once the slick production teams produce a sizable library of content. That, and there's the little matter of convincing the BMWs of the ad market they should be in this space. And that's a pretty big "if."

Sure, maybe YouTube hasn't figured out how to sell its 20 million visitors viewing some 100 million videos just yet. But those viewers are the Jackass variety, not the Centurion-card carrying crowd Joseph and Morgan are after.

So what does the future hold? We wouldn't be surprised to see a Miami edition, followed by London, Paris, and, perhaps in 24 months, even Hong Kong and Cape Town. And why not? The South African elite need to know what luxurious access their unlimited rand grants.

As for Joseph and Morgan, they'll carry on their regular routine of pilfering the posh. And why not? It certainly makes getting a reservation at Le Bernardin a little easier.