GREATEST HITS: theForum@px.this
PX This hereby presents The Forum’s Greatest Hits, a thread-by-thread archive of the most fascinating discussions from "theForum@px.this" — our online F&B oriented community IP.Board (founded in 2007) made virtually obsolete by the re-launch of theBlahg, pxthis.com, on August 31, 2009.
[theForum@px.this will be fully and permanently dismantled upon the definitive completion of its archive.]
Started: March 16, 2007. 4:37 PM by ) *Dick Johnson* • Closed: September 30, 2010 12:45PM • Archived at 70,294 Views
PRIMARY SUBJECT : Chef Jody Williams‘s defection from Sasha Muniak‘s Gusto Ristorante to Keith McNally‘s Morandi (located several blocks from Gusto).
ADJUNCT SUBJECTS : Sasha Muniak, Keith McNally, eater.com’s Lockhart Steele and Ben Leventhal, former New York Times critic Frank Bruni, New York magazine’s critic Adam Platt, New York Post critic Steve Cuozzo
GIST OF TOPIC : Chef Jody Williams’s brief tenure as Head Chef of Morandi
SIGNIFICANCE: This fascinating discussion thread sets the background for PX This’s famous "The Grasshopper Chronicles" (ohhh, you don’t want to miss that one)! Marvel as the (insightful, sagacious, vastly-experienced-within-the-F&B-industry) members of PX This are denigrated and derided time and again by various NYC food/restaurant journalists/bloggers— only to eventually be proven 100% correct in all their declarations and assertions.
The blatant bias, misconduct, and lack of integrity within the "Food Media" will astound you. The rest of it will have you LOLROTF! Really, we promise.
RATING: ★★★★★
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: Ratings range from zero to five stars and reflect the discussion’s entertainment value, from amusing to hilarious, with edification taken into consideration. Hyperlinks contained within are subject to change.
The archives of theForum@px.this have been edited for the sake of clarity, brevity, and squeakiness. [If you require an original unedited copy of the discussion, please e-mail px.this@gmail.com]
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** [UPDATED] See also: The Grasshopper Chronicles (Did Chef Jody Williams try to undermine her former boss by planting a grasshopper in a sandwich wrap?)
For more on this subject, read PX Me – The Sequel to PX This – Coming Soon in the Spring of 2011
Dry Creek Valley – Endeavor Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Cost: App. $50/bottle
Lush fruit— currants, black berries, and blueberries, along with graham cracker pie crust and toasted oak, with a touch of smoke and dark chocolate. Layered in the mouth, a long decadent finish, a joy to sniff and of course to taste. Accompanied with an artisanal cheese plate followed with filet mignon, this wine has a voluptuous body that keeps giving on both the mid and back
palates. Wow.
Rating: 94
(Worth looking for; only 749 cases made. May be tough to find but worth the search.)
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 luck[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?
Oh, how did I not realize it’s across the street from Tao? Competing with yourself— nice.
Please rate the Bar:
OK. Not very welcoming (there’s an odd nightclubesque dearth of seats) and small, considering. How/why there are three people squeezed back there is completely beyond me (the dining room has its own "service" bar in the back). It makes them look about as graceful as three rats in a breadbox.
It’s also very, uh… Las Vegas?
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
The cocktail list is decent, about a dozen classics with a just twist or two (Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila, e.g.) and priced on the higher side at $14 each. The wines by the glass are fine and fair if not particularly adventurous. Didn’t manage to get a look at the wines by the bottle, because they grabbed the list away so quickly (maybe they needed it for someone else), but I would bet it’s relatively typical. Carnac the Magnificent says: Expect a range of "safe" selections skewed toward the $50 and up range.
Please rate the Dining Room:
It’s actually pretty cramped for such a sizeable room. Way to wedge thoses asses in there!
Please rate the BOH:
Not bad. The menu looks pretty expensive until you’re informed the plates "are all meant for sharing." And yeah— the’re huge.
All the steakhouse basics with "traditional" Italian thrown in. It’s very, uh… Las Vegas.
How was the staff?
Our waitress was good. A lot more adept than her minidress and big hoop earrings insinuate. Everyone else is very, uh… Las Vegas?
(Can’t help but notice the three hatcheckers are the cutest girls in the place. I’m just sayin’.)
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Meatball with Whipped Ricotta : Good. Huge. Simple but succulent and tasty.
Tuna Tartare : Not bad. Also huge. Layered over avocado. Very reminiscent of uh… Las Vegas, actually. Decent quality but not extraordinary.
Eggplant Parmigiano : Whoa, it’s gigantic, enough for three people. Or maybe, ya know, two people from Las Vegas. Other than that, it’s… OK.
Sauteed Wild Mushrooms : Just a bit overcooked but flavorful enough. Anomalously, its portion size doesn’t quite live up to its $10 pricetag.
What did you like?
The meatball?
What did you dislike?
Umm, overall, it’s just not my… style?
What was your last impression?
This is sort of what I would have imagined Morandi would look like. Except with male bartenders.
Would you come back?
Wellll, I’ve only ever been to Tao once, and it’s right across the street.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thanks, have a good night.
Admit it, you could use a drink right now. (The fact it’s only 10:44AM is totally irrelevant.) Need a cool recipe? (Ha, lookit that: September 27, 2010 – Avion Tequila Coffee Shooter! See? It’s got coffee in it!)
Check out your boy Yusef Austin‘s brand-spanking new webspot for ELITELIXIRS! It’s dope.
No seriously though, I’ve had it running in the background on my desktop for like 10 minutes now, cuz I really like that song. I almost feel like I’m sitting at Boom Boom with Yusef right now.
Except I’m missing a cocktail.
:(
♪♪ "… done my tiiime, paid my duuues, packed my bags and away i flew…." ♪♪
Okay okaaay, I messed up. Yes, I’m a week late. Yes, I did see these beyoootiful photographs earlier, and yes, I meant to steal them— but I like totally spaced and completely forgot. And yes, you are googling Karim Amatullah all day long and for some reason expect to find his shiny bald round head here. (Sorry, he’s actually more like here. And uh… here.)
In any case, fine. Now you’ve found him. He’s at the Jay Z & Eminem concert at Yankee Stadium! Or at least, he was. (Check it out, dude. Time travel! Wheee!)
Enjoy! Or ya know, try. Seeing as you’re probably dejected and disconsolate now you weren’t actually there in person.
:(
** With very special thanks to Karim Amatullah of Green Tea Innovative Marketing Concepts and Matthew Katakis
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For more on Karim Amatullah, read PX This – The Revised Edition and PX This Too (The Sequel to PX This) – Coming Soon
GREATEST HITS: PX This [The Blahg]
Hi! Thank you for your "search"!
This website is currently undergoing changes as it continually progresses, so the entry for which you are seeking has likely been archived within "The Greatest Hits – PX This [The Blahg]". It was removed from its original location in preparation for the upcoming release of PX Me – The Sequel to PX This. If you would like more information and/or further clarification on this particular narrative, please read PX This – The Revised Edition and/or PX Me (coming soon).
And so without further ado— by popular (search engine) demand, we proudly present THE GREATEST HITS of PX This [The Blahg]
[*** warning: Eats, Shoots and Ladders Leaves freaks, please CLICK HERE* and HERE before reading any further. then take that favorite book of yours and stick it up your ass. thank you! ***]
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2008. 12:18PM
this one goes out to my ole pal *hongkongcavaliers*
– for being there when i needed him.
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pxthis.com archives
This is an abbreviated version of Abbe Diaz’s diary/blog entry on November 10, 2008, for archival purposes only. A far more detailed, thorough, and incisive account is to be included in Diaz’s upcoming second book, PX Me (How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous, and Married a Millionaire) – Coming Soon in the Spring of 2012
* "…The intellectual community, as usual, showed itself to be timid and divided, and even the most unexpected graphologists engaged in controversies regarding their inconsistent analyses of my handwriting. It was they who divided opinions, overheated the polemic, and made nostalgia popular…. Make no mistake: peaceful madmen are ahead of the future." – Gabriel García Márquez
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[Edited by Admin]
P.S. And this next one goes out me, *Dick Johnson* because I deserve it.
* * * * *
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
Okay, yeah yah, there’s a lot to absolutely despise about fashion, we all know this. But, every once in a thousand lifetimes or so, a great designer/label comes along with a collection that kinda reminds us all why we got into this ridiculous business in the first place. No big surprise this season it’s: Christopher Bailey of Burberry Prorsum.
What can we say? His shit is dope.
And yesterday at 4PM London time, Burberry did the smartest thing any person in Fashion doesn’t usually have the brain cells to conceive— it hired a genius computer geek and ran a live feed on the internets of its Spring/Summer 2011 runway show.
OMG, hallelujah! High Fashion, meet High Technology; High Technology, meet Moron Idiot Johnny-Come-Lately (aka Anna Wintour).
One look at this collection had us feeling both invigorated and forlorn. Invigorated, because it’s really great to see fashion making a semblance of sense every once in a fucking while. Forlorn, because we realized that in comparison, New York really sucks right now. Did you seeee the shows this season? Holy cow, we really suck, what an embarrassment. We have a famine of beauty, hunny— a FAMINE OF BYOOTEE!
On the up side, however, our models are MUCH better walkers— yup, even the regular non-super variety. Wooo child, even if you’re not into fashion at all, watch this show anyway just for a gander at the poor lanky clods. (Ohhh dear, maybe you should have stayed in bed for less than $10,000 today, sweetie.)
Anyhoo, the video directly at Burberry has far better quality, or check out the handy yootoob version offered below if you’re too lazy to click over. Enjoy!
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For a factual, in-depth, and uniquely insightful peek into the world of high-fashion, read PX This – The Revised Edition featuring true-story encounters with such luminaries as Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Azzedine Alaïa, Mohamed al-Fayed, Graziano de Boni, Ann Demeulmeester, Marc Bagutta, and so much more…
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 luck[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… !
Restaurant i @ The Charles Hotel
What was your first impression?
Uh, there were so many things at once, I don’t even know where to begin. But okay, my very very first impression was: What is this? But in a good way, I think.
Please rate the Bar:
Wellll… let’s just say I’d have done it differently. Otherwise we’d be here all day, and then I’d have to invoice it.
The bartender is amicable and proficient enough though, I suppose. But he really needs to re-think his technique or something. Look, with 15+ years of bartending under my own belt, I ‘get it,’ I’m neither naive nor anal. Sure, there was many a night I stuck my hand in the jar of olives or fingered the limes and lemons. But the very germane difference was I never did it front of the customer. Or if I did, it was too damned dark in the club (or you were too damned drunk) to see anything anyways. Plus, the DOH wasn’t as pervasive and stringent back then. This was also long before patrons even realized you could contract Hepatitis-A from a bartender (and my mama taught me to always wash my hands after a visit to the loo).
So, alls I can say is: thank your lucky stars I paid you a visit first, and get a fucking set of tongs, can you? (In the meantime, I’ll keep doing my best to strengthen my immune system and pray my personal hypothesis that strong alcohol kills cooties indeed holds true.)
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
It’s a hotel, and it shows. The drink list is typical (one look at the "calls" mentioned in the house-cocktail recipes gives a pretty good indication of the anticipated clientele), but relatively well-priced at $12 each. Decent beer list, and the wine-by-the-bottle selections are of the "safe" variety. I think you get the picture.
Please rate the Dining Room:
Not bad. Especially if you like rainbows.
Spacious and comfortable, but maybe a tad austere. Let’s just cross our fingers the kaleidoscopic color scheme works better for you than it did for Duvet, shall we?
Please rate the BOH:
Better than I expected. Particularly since the totally flavorless fried noodle "amuse" (paired with ketchup, of all things) didn’t exactly portend much promise.
How was the staff?
Overall, eh. Okay. But if you really want my honest opinion, the four owners or investors (or whatever they are) with the palpable overbearing presence— I think they’re just making everybody way too nervous or something. All the aura and fungshooey up in this muhfuh is just screaming for mercy, christ almighty.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Aforementioned Fried Noodle "Amuse" / Bar Snack : Bleah. Okay, free tip here, bitches: SHRIMP CHIPS. Come on, with all this psychedelic color in here, why not colorful shrimp chips instead? How fun. And unique. And better tasting than these shits.
Butternut Squash / Coconut Milk Soup : Mm, not great. Way too sweet, and I knooow me some yummy coconut soup, honey (Kittichai, Double Crown, Republic, in that order). Also, kinda watery.
Short Rib Steamed Bun : Good! But where’s the spicy? This is more like pickled cabbage than "typical" kimchee. So either stop being so scared and wishy-washy or I dunno, stop calling it kimchee maybe.
Seared Salmon and Tuna Salad : Very good. Great presentation. Tasty, fresh, light— delicious. Too bad the tuna being so refrigerated is kinda killing the flavor a bit (yeah yeah, the DOH, I know).
Lamb Burger with Feta and Yogurt Sauce : Outstanding. Succulent, juicy, and beautiful. But I mean, how come so determined with the burger temperature (nobody offered me an option, i.e.) but so gutless with the kimchee? It’s kinda confusing.
What did you like?
The burger was my favorite.
What did you dislike?
Uhh… the idea of people persistently pouring vast amounts of money into venues that make no fucking sense? But ya know, that’s just me.
What was your last impression?
Ha ha ahaa. Well, I really was kinda very tempted to offer the four poor antsy dudes some help on my way out, but the honest straightforward approach never works. Everybody wants to learn the hard way.
Would you come back?
Siiigh…
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thank you and best of luck.
What up, homeslice?! Have you checked out yer girl… getting her… uh… face touched? Sure you have, but let’s see it again! ‘Cohs eets so punny, ‘de ba? LOL!
I mean, it’s a little weird how Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel used to have a show together, and then Adam Carolla dissed Filipinos and now Jimmy Kimmel has everybody touching homegirl’s face outside his office. Oh, and also: Jimmy Kimmel once laid the smackdown on former Gawker-blogger/swimsuit-model Emily Gould.
It’s like totally cosmic almost, isn’t it? Haw haw.
Happy Monday!
:)
GREATEST HITS: PX This [The Blahg]
Hi! Thank you for your "search"!
This website is currently undergoing changes as it continually progresses, so the entry for which you are seeking has likely been archived within "The Greatest Hits – PX This [The Blahg]". It was removed from its original location in preparation for the upcoming release of PX This Too (The Sequel to PX This). If you would like more information and/or further clarification on this particular narrative, please read PX This – The Revised Edition and/or PX This Too (coming soon).
And so without further ado— by popular (search engine) demand, we proudly present THE GREATEST HITS of PX This [The Blahg]
[*** warning: Eats, Shoots and Ladders Leaves freaks, please CLICK HERE* and HERE before reading any further. then take that favorite book of yours and stick it up your ass. thank you! ***]
"Mark Baker and Vicky Andren"
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2005. 10:48AM:
we just got back from europe, we went to the wedding of mark-baker and vicky-andren in stockholm, sweden.
wow, it was lovely. and totally fascinating.
weddings are such a trip.
ah haaa. literally
… there was rebecca-de.mornay and angie-everhart and ingrid-seynhaeve. and at the table with us was caroline-winberg (and her boyfriend "of two years" who apparently runs the Lydmar Hotel, he was really nice) and erik-wachtmeister who is the dude that founded aSmallWorld…
yah so then after that faboolous weekend in stockholm, we dropped by barcelona, spain…
*********************************************************************
pxthis.com archives
This is an abbreviated version of Abbe Diaz’s diary/blog entry on August 8, 2005, for archival purposes only. A far more detailed, thorough, and incisive account is to be included in Diaz’s upcoming second book, PX This Too (The Sequel to PX This) – Coming Soon in the Autumn of 2010
* "…The intellectual community, as usual, showed itself to be timid and divided, and even the most unexpected graphologists engaged in controversies regarding their inconsistent analyses of my handwriting. It was they who divided opinions, overheated the polemic, and made nostalgia popular…. Make no mistake: peaceful madmen are ahead of the future." – Gabriel García Márquez
okay yah, i have a very strong and twisted love/hate relationship with fashion, we all know this. bad me, bad me— it’s Fashion Week right now and i couldn’t care less.
BUT! i gotta admit, this was a good one.
sigh. yes, my photos suck and my stupid BlackBerry video thingie turned out to be all jiggly jumpetty and the size of a postage stamp. so i found this other video on the interwebs from like last year or whatever (sure, it’s "old" but at least you can get a better look at all the great clothes). so shoot me.
"asians love my work…" hee eheee. well, there you have it.
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For a factual, in-depth, and uniquely insightful peek into the world of high-fashion, read PX This – The Revised Edition featuring true-story encounters with such luminaries as Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Azzedine Alaïa, Mohamed al-Fayed, Graziano de Boni, Ann Demeulmeester, Marc Bagutta, and so much more…
Nuela may have waited two months for its official kinda wishy-washy New York Times review, but evidently that was enough time for Chef Adam Schop to greatly impress discerning patrons and astute investors (you know, the ones who aren’t afraid of the big bad scary pictures).
The owners of Nuela have already signed on the dotted line and slowly begun work on their next project. Located at the former Ottimo space just east up 24th Street from Nuela (and next door to Eataly), this latest undertaking endeavors to bring Schop’s creative and scrumptious West Coast Chopperesque touch to Argentinean steak.
Mmmm… beeeeef…
Not so fast there, Meateater. The anticipated date of launch is a "good year or so away… like, laaater." (Place your bets now on which color of the rainbow gets top billing. Kidding!)
We’re just sayin’.
Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon – Altitude Series 2005 – Galil, Israel
Cost: $49/Bottle
Wow! Who would have thought a wine like this could be made in Israel (and Kosher to boot)? This wine is unbelievable. Dark, rich, ruby in color, full-bodied, with an inky texture loaded with black fruits, currants, and black raspberries, saddled with espresso, toasted oak, and anise. The flavor complements the consistent aromatic sensation. This is quite a surprise to me— a quintessential cabernet from Israel. Awesome. (And did I mention it’s Kosher?)
Rating: 95
Yeah yah, it’s NYC Fashion Week. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m totally flattered by the e-mails and Facebook® messages and whatnot, looking for my usual remarkably insightful and brilliantly sparkly perpspective on the whole rigmarole— but uhh… rilly?
Come on, you knooow you don’t want to get me started on this topic, do ya now? God forbid you end up all jaded and inured about all the glamour and "fabulosity," yes? How in the world would you ever be able to stand yourself?
Here, just look at all the pretty pictures instead:
Siiigh. Therrre you go, alllll better now…
*With very special thanks to Marc Bagutta
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For a factual, in-depth, and uniquely insightful peek into the world of high-fashion, read PX This – The Revised Edition featuring true-story encounters with such luminaries as Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Azzedine Alaïa, Mohamed al-Fayed, Graziano de Boni, Ann Demeulmeester, Marc Bagutta, and so much more…
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 luck[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?
First impression? Oh, huh. Smaller than I thought— I’d heard it was gigantic.
(And then I was given the full tour later on, and holy cow, it’s gigantic!)
Please rate the Bar:
Well, there are a lot of them, but they’re not all fully open just yet. But the big one with the naked swimming girls is the nicest.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Good. High quality, nice volume, hotel prices. (It’s the Gansevoort, you see. So, yah— like that.)
Please rate the Dining Room:
Uhh, N/A? Although they do serve food pretty much everywhere.
Please rate the BOH:
Better than I expected! Pretty solid, actually. And the menu is huge.
How was the staff?
Great. Our waitress was friendly, sweet, and conscientious, and the army of runners/bussers were amicable and super efficient.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Tuna Sliders, Lobster Sliders, Kobe Sliders, and Veggie Sliders : Delicious. All of them. But the veggie turned out to be the most impressive, because absolutely nobody expected a veggie slider to be that tasty.
Chicken Tenders : Nice. Who doesn’t love a good chicken finger?
French fries : Very good! Like Thomas Keller Sysco frozen fries good. No, seriously.
What did you like?
The food was really outstanding. And the drink presentation is excellent.
What did you dislike?
Urrgh… this location…
What was your last impression?
That was a lot more pleasant than any other Gansevoort Hotel I’ve ever been to. No joke.
Would you come back?
Sure. The best part? It’s open all day! Apparently, you can even "have a nice coffee in the morning or a relaxing sunset cocktail…" And that is where I’m sold. (Unfortunately, the pool deck is "for guests of the hotel only" during the day. Boo.)
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thank you, it was a pleasure.
Yeah yeah, it’s Fashion Week, we know. (Believe us, we know.) Hooray for Fashion.
But, while you’re preparing to go out running around to all the parties tonight like Anna Winotur’s lemming pawn, please try to bear in mind: September is also the month of the year when the dolphin slayings begin again in Taiji, Japan. Aside from watching The Cove (a must-see!), you can also take part in the campaign to end the massive senseless slaughter of these innocent and highly intelligent creatures once and for all.
Thank you!
:)
(Sorry, didn’t mean to rain on your Burberry. Thanks again.)
= "personne extraordinaire"