Just a little teaser trailer for Big Chief, a project by your friends, Tim Naylor and Zainab Jah.
click here! —> Big Chief <— click here! (Quicktime required – free download)
:)
PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW
Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of lucks[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !
What was your first impression?
Well, it’s ‘warmer’ than BarQ.
Please rate the Bar:
Spacious! There’s a bar and there’s also a ‘raw bar’ / bar. It’s a little sloppy, but maybe they’re really going for that casual, laid-back look.
The bartender is friendly, and "…Eddie, the oyster-shucker" is particularly amiable. Very welcoming.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Apparently, "not all the liquor has arrived yet," but they have a healthy-enough inventory. The drinks are generous and inexpensive. The list is relatively eclectic and decent, especially considering its brevity. Perfectly satisfactory and compatible with the menu and ambience.
Please rate the Dining Room:
It’s OK. Not my particular style, but comfortable and commodious enough— a little ‘corporate’ even. I would imagine they’re enthusiastically anticipating the warmer months to make use of their ample outdoor dining.
Please rate the BOH:
Pretty good. I love the simplicity and nonchalance of the menu; make no mistake, this is an everyday place. If you’re the type that only goes out once a month or on special occasions. it’s probably not for you.
The only thing I’m somewhat confused by is: what— a fried ckicken, a burger, but no fish & chips? Odd.
Plus, there are a few missteps— but we’ll get to that…
How was the staff?
Very friendly. Good. On point.
The one guy that hovers around frowning at everything is a little daunting, but— well— I guess we’ve all worked with someone like that before. He doesn’t seem to be contributing anything productive at all, so he must be an owner or something. LOL.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Chips with Crab Dip : It’s offered on the menu, but I didn’t order it. But then they sent it anyway. So maybe it’s only delivered gratuitously (in lieu of bread, e.g.) if you order food; I’m not sure.
They were good— the potato chips are homemade and the dip is tasty.
Polish Sausage with mustard and sauerkraut: LOL. Love it. I thought this was a seafood house, but there’s the polish sausage. Go figure.
A nice healthy portion and pretty good.
Mushrooms with egg yolk: Delicious, but the presentation is a little blah. Maybe that’s their "thing," though; who knows? They should watch it on the salt— personally I liked it, but that usually means it’s too salty for most palates.
Topneck clams: This one needs a re-think. There’s a good reason these big, aging clams are usually chopped in strips and fried and/or minced for sauces. Shame— the broth is really delicious.
Fried chicken: Very good, but whoa!— that is one tortured side of kale all right. Tortured to death.
Brussel sprouts: OK, clearly, vegetables are not their forte. These poor veggies are straight out of Abu Ghraib. You can almost hear them whimpering.
What did you like?
The fried chicken was very good.
What did you dislike?
Those sad, whimpering, forlorn, tortured vegetables.
:(
What was your last impression?
It’ll be interesting to watch… sort of.
Would you come back?
It’s a possibility.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thanks, it was a pleasure.
As the Limelight “Mall” nears completion, PX This would like to mark the occasion by presenting the following excerpts from PX This – Diary of the “Maitre d’ to the Stars”:
[** REVISION: This post has been updated in recognition of the release of Limelight the documemtary, premiering September 23, 2011. **]
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2000. 8:33AM
… speaking of Palladium. So I finally got up the guts to call Alessandra Gatien. I have been thinking about her a lot lately, she’s pretty cool. I don’t think I ever mentioned about the meeting we had a whiles back, I was going to put a little Geld Iaz showroom dealie inside the new Limelight, but obviously it never panned out. Anyways holy cow, that Alex Gatien really impressed me intellectually, she is so smart, she practically knocked me out of my chair. And you knooow I ’m not awed that easily, especially by girls because usually they’re so fucking stupid. Anyhow, so all those “dragon lady” things everybody said about her— whatever— she is not messing around. Dragon lady or no dragon lady she got it going on, heehee eheee that poor one eyed fuck never stood a chance.
We chatted about websites and she showed me the new logo she designed for Limelight, it was great. Simple, just circular gradiated white center to green edge inside a sphere. To signify “captured light”— she said: “After what I’ve been through, that is how I feel. Like I captured light.”
And it was absurd, she showed me some fifty page “catalog” and it’s literally 500 of the ugliest unimaginative most generic logos you’ve ever seen. She said she was appalled, at first she tried to hire some graphics company but they wanted big money for this, “they take the letter L and the color lime and they plug it into a computer” and it spits out these McLogos and then you’re supposed to just pick one. Can you imagine, how lame.
She said she likes the Geld Iaz logo too, she is attracted to circles just like I am. That’s a “very Japanese” fungshooey thing apparently.
So there we were conversing all about other small business stuffs and the subject drifted to marketing and advertising and so then she gave me fun facts like: “to put your ad on the side of one bus is $30G’s but to put them on all the buses and all the stops is a mere $100G’s, see how fucked up it is?” And then she busts out with this web development outline talking about how she is learning HTML because all the web building companies want to charge her an arm and a leg and so she is simply going to build the website herself, she had projections for streaming deejays from around the world and Limelight albums and souvenirs and paraphernalia and geezus all manner of other money making hullabaloo …
SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2001. 9:45AM
… so anyhoo! Eric Goode’s brother… knows Baunau the ho-stess, and so he just randomly walks up to us at the podium one night and he says to Baunau “pleeease set my brother up with somebody.” And then they wander off together to chitchat. About a minute later Baunau comes back and immediately asks me if I "have a boyfriend?" So I reply yes and right away she asks “is it serious?” eeheee ha ha ahaa. Hellooo, can you imagine? Eric Goode! I am kinda a little in awe of him, you know. He’s one of my idols— Area and MK, how fierce is he. Even Andy Warhol says Eric Goode is great, come on now. Ha ha ahaa, if I were single and dated him, I would Alessandra-Gatien that boy so fast he would not know what hit him…
For more information about PX This – Diary of the "Maître d’ to the Stars" visit http://pxthis.com/thebook/
PX Me – The Sequel to PX This
(How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous,
and Married a Millionaire)
- COMING SOON IN THE SPRING OF 2012 -
* * * * *
Have you heard?
Until the release of PX Me – The Sequel to PX This (Spring 2012), this website will henceforth be updated only intermittently (approximately once or twice a week).
Abbe Diaz’s new (daily) blog is now at: abbediaz.com
Thank God it’s Friday. Let’s celebrate!
In the words of former doorperson/security extraordinaire, Jeff Telvi, “If you can’t dance to this, you’d better get yourself some lessons mi gente.”
:)
Welcome to: Where I Spent My Day Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"
So, what do you do in the industry?
I’m the General Manager for a [very popular] 160+ seater in midtown.
And you have how many days off a week, generally?
Two.
What did you do for breakfast yesterday?
I hardly ever eat breakfast; I just don’t have the appetite for it most mornings. Just two cups of my special recipe of blended espresso with a lot of hot milk, at home.
Lunch?
My friend and I went to Kelley & Ping, because we were both craving ramen. Normally, we probably would have chosen Ippudo, but I read that thing you guys had about the MSG (LOL)! Somebody should call them or something, and tell them to stop using that stuff; maybe they’re losing a lot of customers! They probably wouldn’t care anyway, though, they’re so busy all the time…
Anyway, Kelley &Ping was good; I still love that place, too.
And afterward?
Walked around SoHo and then stopped in to see our friend who’s a bartender at Balthazar. Had a couple glasses of white wine.
Dinner?
Met another friend at Perilla. I looove Perilla. They have this amazing sea urchin foam thing, and the seafood pasta dish is incredible. Sooo good. Their staff is really great, too— so professional and really nice.
Plus a lovely wine list— some good choices at decent prices. I refuse to go to places that have crappy overpriced wine, which actually, is like, half the places in the West Village.
My friend had "thai sausages" which were just OK, though. We also joked that the execution seemed more "Vietnamese" than "Thai," but whatever. And he also had the burger— was it duck? In any case, he liked it.
And afterward?
We decided to try Avenue, since neither one of us had ever been there before, and we were both curious to see what it looked like. And since it was a weekday and still earlyish, we figured we wouldn’t catch that much of a hassle at the door. Well, we were wrong. We got there probably right before 10PM, but the guy at the door told us it was a "private party" or "reservation only," something like that. We’re not the type to argue our way into places, so we just decided to have a drink at The Park next door instead.
My friend decided to order the mushroom fingers because it sounded weird and intriguing, even though we were both still stuffed from dinner. I only had a couple bites; they were eh, not bad, but not great either.
Then as we were leaving The Park, my friend saw Wass Stevens, whom he knows, manning the door at Avenue. So then we went in.
I mean, so ridiculous— clubs in NY are so retarded now— do you want us, or don’t you? Maybe that other guy was just new or something, but seriously? A guy and a girl at 10PM and you’re going to give us a hard time? Not to sound conceited, but we’re not exactly hideous, you know.
So then we get inside and of course the place is totally empty. As we’re getting drinks at the bar, a waiter recognizes my friend (who’s also in the F&B industry) and takes us to table and says he wants to introduce my friend to the Maitre d’ or whatever. And he offers to send food, but we tell him we’ve already eaten. So then he sends over a mochi dessert! I mean, this is why nightlife is so crappy now. Make up your minds— you don’t want us to come inside, but then when we’re inside you’re happy to see us? So ridiculous.
We didn’t stay very long— we just had the one round.
How much did you blow today?
About $30 during the day, including lunch and half the tip at Balthazar. My friend insisted on paying the check at Perilla, The Park, the two drinks and the tip at Avenue, but I’m going to get the next one. Or maybe I’ll just cook for him.
"What a shame. I was looking forward to trying Chef Trabocchi at FourSeasons but just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Personally I think he’s very talented and I’ve heard great things about him from his staff.
Does "philosophical differences" mean "money" ?
I know a restaurateur who had pretty extensive interviews/discussions with Chef Trabocchi and liked him very much. In the end it boiled down to Chef’s salary requirements— which were astronomically high.
It would be a travesty if Chef Trabocchi were to remain unemployed for as long as his last hiatus. But I suppose if he can find someone (else?) to pay that exorbitant price, then God bless him."
- By abbe_diaz on 01/14/2010 at 11:09am
Best of luck to you, Chef. – Sincerely, Your fans @ PX This.
***MORE on Fabio Trabocchi [For Members Only]
***THIS JUST IN***
• Tuesday, January 12, 2010, 5:30PM – "At the airport watching Eric Goode and Maurice Rodrigues stalk Anthony Bourdain. I’m not kidding. Those two clowns were walking AROUND over and over looking for him after he was spotted. Then they ran into and proceeded to chat with Ted Danson, who is now Eric’s BFF text buddy. Oi."
***This has been a PX This Spotted Special Report***
The bar/restaurant at the hotel, Mama Shelter, in the 20th Arrondissement in Paris. - James Mielke
All of the rooms in this Philipe Starck-designed hotel are equipped with the new iMacs. And they’re set up so that you can take a picture of yourself, e-mail it to yourself, and also allow the hotel to use it. It is then displayed on one of the many monitors they have spread around the hotel, in the restaurant, on their website, and in your room (if you choose ‘photo book’). Pretty cool feature for your exhibitionist self. - James Mielke
The carousel near The Louvre - James Mielke
my favorite view of notre dame… a bit of snow this day - Steve Lew
outside my door in the 14th arrondissement - Steve Lew
contrescarpe square, 5th arrondissement, paris- it’s snowing - Steve Lew
The Good Thief, Layer Cake, and L’Empire des Loups
Well! Who would have thought the "Netflix This" feature would have so many fans with such raging testosterone? After our last recommendation of Bad Influence, suddenly Y chromosomes started coming out of the woodwork. It seems most of our suggestions have had a decidedly "pussyish" "feminine" bent, but it certainly was never our intention to neglect the brutisher sex. Settle down there, boys! I got something for you, too:
The Good Thief, Layer Cake, and L’Empire des Loups (not necessarily in that order).
You will absolutely love them. Trust me. So call Domino’s, grab a six-pack, snuggle into your Lazy-Boy and enjoy!
But don’t forget to take out the trash first.
• Which nightlife impresario is being "forced" to keep "embellishing" the truth? Rampant speculation has pushed him and his team into a corner, and creative storytelling is the only way to keep the dream hype alive. The truth is: despite multiple gestures and promises by a prospective deep-pocketed investor, the money simply hasn’t been delivered.
• Which well-known chef just got busted cheating on his wife again? Word on the street is his long "suffering" wife is so used to it, she doesn’t even care anymore. Refreshingly, her consistent gracious and courteous demeanor has softened the edges on sharp, snake-like forked tongues. Despite all his money and authority, it’s she who’s captured the hearts of the minions. Unfortunately, she can’t stop the tongues from wagging, but maybe she can at least take some comfort in knowing the mongering often ends, "… but she’s sooo nice… I really like her."
• Let’s play PX This – Mad Libs! From the Members Only forum (fill in the blanks):
"Now that the big day is drawing near and the hype is starting to build, can we place our bets on how long __________ and __________ are going to last with each other? Two notorious ________ under one roof yet again. This could be more fun to watch than ____________ at ____________." [Answers revealed to Members here.]
A concerned reader just wrote in to point out where we were remiss.
“…Love your site… but you forgot one picture from the Standard staff Xmas party… lol…”
You’re absolutely right, dear reader! Thank you! Who says the holidays are over? They’re over when we say they’re over. The gifts just keep on coming…
:)
***Earlier: “Celebrate the holidays… with the staff of The Standard Hotel”
PX This presents THE F&F REVIEW
Hey, sorry we couldn’t make it to "Friends&Family," we were out of town/ had to work/ not invited. We’re really glad we finally managed to come by, though— it’s so nice to see you!
What’s that? You would still like us to take the time to fill out the F&F survey, because you’d love to take advantage of all our vast experience, knowledge, insight, and expertise as long as we’re already here? Because you invited 75 people to F&F, and afterward all you got was 41 "Congrats[es]!" 22 "Awesome[s]!" 3 "Ciao[s]!" and 9 "Best of lucks[s]!" ?
Of course, we’d be honored. Oh ha, yesss, we’ll be honest— brutally honest even, ha ha! After all, that’s what friends & family are for!
No no please, don’t send anything more, we’re stuffed, we can’t breathe, you’ll have to roll us out of here, ha ha ha… !
What was your first impression?
Everything always looks so much better in photos. But this is kinda cute, I guess.
Please rate the Bar:
The bartender is very amicable. And call me crazy, but it’s pretty refreshing to see a Mexican behind a bar at a Mexican restaurant.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
The wine list, although small, is better than you’d expect (albeit just slightly expensive for the offerings), and the cocktails list looks good. I opted for wine though— after all, this is supposed to be "french-handed Mexican," right? Gotta admit, I’m intrigued.
Please rate the Dining Room:
OK. Simple. Rustic. A bit more blah than it could be; it could use a heartier infusion of personality. Love the music though— the all-Spanish playlist is definitely a nice touch. A decent use of space, but it could be better. (And why did they cover over the great original tin ceiling? Is that a ‘noise issue’ thing? Bummer.)
Please rate the BOH:
Not bad. The plentiful small dishes and sides presented on the menu are smart and gratifying; it seems there’s something for everyone here. The food is good but lacks the spark I anticipated from a highly trained and experienced chef. Simple, rustic and homey is one thing; prosaic is another. Then again, at this very reasonable price point, there’s little room for complaint.
How was the staff?
LOL. Fine. Both guys were just fine.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Chorizo Nachos (Bar Menu) : Not bad. I would have preferred fresh jalapeño to pickled, but OK. And for $3, it’s actually pretty good. But yeah, I’m beginning to see the un-Mexican-ness, I think. Unless of course this is some deep down profound homestyle Oaxacan Indian Mexican recipe of which I’m completely unaware.
Crab Chimichangas: Looks more like a spring roll. Decent, but the ‘pre-packaged’ attributes are pretty apparent in the crab— a little bland and lifeless.
Boquerones: OK. The dressing on the salad is nice. A little sweet, somewhat Asian— is that soy sauce I taste?
Rib-eye: Not bad, but this is definitely rustic all right. Thin fillet, but tender and well-prepared. Very homestyle. The sauteed baby spinach on the side is good, and I really like that stuffed "indigenous mexican vegetable" (looks like a cactus?) relleno.
Esquites: Not on the cob, but that’s OK. Tasty. Fine.
Grilled mushrooms: Simple but delicious.
What did you like?
The cactus whatever relleno. The music. And for $36/bottle, the pinot noir from Williamette was pretty good.
What did you dislike?
Nothing in particular.
What was your last impression?
There’s room for improvement, but definitely not a hopeless cause. Plenty of potential here.
Would you come back?
I think so.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thanks, it was a pleasure.
Domaine Paul Blanck – Pinot Blanc D’Alsace 2007, France
Cost: $11.99/Bottle
Often overlooked at wine stores amongst a sea of chardonnays, white Burgundies, or pinot grigios are wines from Alsace, and their pinot blancs are extraordinarily good for the hard earned dollar. For about $12, Paul Blanck makes a fantastic dry white wine loaded with nice citrus, lime, and sour gummy bears flavors. While dry, it’s fruity with excellent grip on the palate. Refreshing and hits the spot.
Rating: 87
In honor of this week’s Travel Series, we present “Learn English.” Ha ha ha ha ha— go on, have a laugh; it’s a new year!
:)
Welcome to: Where I Spent My Week Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"
So, what do you do in the industry?
I currently own three restaurants in NYC.
And you have how many weeks off a year, generally?
I try to take off at least twice a year, for about a week to 10 days each time.
What made you choose la República Dominicana for this vacation?
It came highly recommended to me by a good friend of mine.
And where did you stay?
Tortuga Bay at the Puntacana Resort. My friend told me great things about it, and it sounded right up my alley. So I took a chance, and I’m glad I did.
How was the ambience/service/amenities etc?
Wonderful. Actually better than I had expected.
Any major glitches and/or disappointments?
Major glitches? No, none. The food could have been a little better, but it wasn’t bad. As a food professional in NYC, sometimes you have to learn not to be so spoiled by the standards we keep.
Oh, and the outdoor jacuzzi on our balcony didn’t look entirely clean to me, but I tend to avoid public jacuzzis and hot tubs in general, anyway. Nasty.
Any great standout experiences?
Wow, where do I begin? First of all, I love the fact that they pick you up right on the airport tarmac and whisk you past the immigration line and you’re off and away and in your room in what feels like 10 minutes. And the little golf cart they give you is so great. I love that you can feel as private or as social as you like, because you have access to the bigger and more bustling Puntacana Resort. So all you have to do is drive your golf cart over, and it feels like a night out on the town. The little restaurant all the way over by the marina was our favorite.
And the beach is incredible. Is that the whitest sand I’ve ever seen in my life? Could be! The current kicked up the sand so the sea wasn’t quite as clear as I would have liked, but still, pretty nice. The ecological trail is fantastic, too. My kid went crazy in those lagunas. How does that water stay so unbelievably clean and clear? It was amazing.
And the fact that you have all this less than 4 hours away is incredible. I would definitely come back here.
How much did you blow all week?
Less than I would have thought. Flight: About $550 each. Room: About $750 per night. Meals/drinks daily: About $200 to $250 averaged.
Welcome to: Where I Spent My Week Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"
So, what do you do in the industry?
I was a floor manager and beverage director for a [very popular] 110+ seat restaurant in SoHo, but I recently left. I’m currently on hiatus to travel until March.
And you have how many weeks off a year, generally?
It seems to vary a lot from year to year. This year I took off about 11 weeks.
What made you choose Las Vegas and Santa Monica for this vacation?
It was a last minute trip. I just decided I didn’t want to stay in NYC for the New Years holiday, because so many of my friends were going out of town. I have friends living in both Las Vegas and Santa Monica, so I decided to visit before I flew to San Francisco where my family lives.
And where did you stay?
In Vegas, at The Wynn. I think I would have preferred to stay at THE Hotel at Mandalay Bay, but my friend booked this stay through his company somehow, and that’s where we ended up. In Santa Monica, I stayed at The Viceroy.
How was the ambience/service/amenities etc?
The Wynn was fine, but a little cheesy— like almost everything in Vegas. I thought The Viceroy was beautiful and I really liked it a lot, but then toward the end of my stay, I started to get this sort of "swinger" vibe— like it seemed as though people were leaving their room doors open as some kind of sex invitation. I mentioned this to my friend who lives in Santa Monica and he just laughed at me like I’m so naive or something. I don’t know, maybe I am! That’s not quite my scene, sorry!
Any major glitches and/or disappointments?
Well, since you asked— Oh my god, why is the service so bad in Las Vegas? I mean, I guess that’s just Vegas, but the service was so bad. Ugh, we went to Alex and that was awful. Sooo awful. And Bar Masa? What a joke. I mean seriously— if you’re going to charge $80 for a bowl of risotto, you’d better get your shit together, what the fuck. OK, it was a $48 sea urchin risotto, but then they put truffle on it for an extra charge. Well, why wasn’t the truffle freshly shaved at the table? It’s supposed to be shaved last minute. But this was like they shaved it in the kitchen and then stuck it the window under the lamps or something. It was all messed up on top. And personally I thought the space was so ugly. Granted, not as ugly as the one in NY, but probably even uglier because you know they got millions of dollars to build this huge ugly place.
Ugh, we would have been so much better off just having dinner at Dos Caminos (where my friend is a manager)… and that’s saying a lot.
Any great standout experiences?
We did to go to Guy Savoy, too. And that was amazing. Really great.
Also, my friend works for Blue Plate Oysterette in Santa Monica so I tried dinner there. It was so good I went back a second time a day later.
How much did you blow all week?
Umm, well, I didn’t blow much. My friend paid for nearly everything in Las Vegas; I think he feels guilty because he makes so much more money than I. And I was "a guest" to my friends in Santa Monica so they took care of a lot of the expenses there, too. Right now I’d say I’m less than a $1000 down total.
= "personne extraordinaire"