** UPDATED 2/1/2015:
NEW YORK TIMES STAFFER CYBER-HARASSES/ VIOLENTLY THREATENS AUTHOR FOR UNVEILING ALLEGED NY TIMES IMPROPRIETY
A New York Times staffer at the center of the controversy has issued multiple malicious messages and physical threats against author Abbe Diaz, since the release of PX Me – The Sequel to PX This in July of 2014. The apparent motives and complete timeline of the cyber-harassment and physical threats are HERE. **
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.]
THE HOSTESS DIARIES CONSPIRACY
Started: May 27, 2008. 12:47 PM by (Forum Administrator) *jo* • Closed: June 22, 2010 11:56PM • Archived at 15,935 Views
PRIMARY SUBJECT : New York Times article "My Year at a Hotspot" by Coco Henson Scales, July 11, 2004
ADJUNCT SUBJECTS : Former gawker.com Managing Editor Choire Sicha, Former New York Times food critic Frank Bruni, Former Hue hostess Coco Henson Scales (and friend, William Diggs)
GIST OF TOPIC : Did Choire Sicha and/or Coco Scales (along with Frank Bruni) "conspire" to misappropriate the subject matter in PX This for their own glorification and/or personal gain?
SIGNIFICANCE: In June of 2004, Abbe Diaz purchases a short-running advertising spot within gawker.com to help publicize her book, PX This – Diary of the "Maitre d’ to the Stars" [nee Diary of the Potted Plant]. Within several weeks of that advertisement, the aforementioned article in question, “My Year at a Hotspot,” appears in The New York Times, ostensibly written by former (prominent PX This "character" Karim Amatullah‘s) Hue hostess, Coco Henson Scales.
Gawker Editor Choire Sicha declares the article the "best celebrity venality exposé ever!" and goes on to exhort, "if Gawker had a required reading syllabus, it would consist entirely of this article." He then further exalts the article by declaring Coco Scales "The People’s Hero" on his personal blog as well, choiresicha.com (now semi-defunct).
Within hours, "fans" of PX This ("anywhere from 15 to 35 people") send e-mails to Sicha drawing attention to Diaz’s book, with at least one pointing out Diaz’s status as a former Gawker advertiser. Diaz herself forwards a mention of her book in the Daily News to Sicha. Sicha responds via e-mail to Diaz (and at least one "enthusiast") but, despite referring to himself as a “big fan,” fails to publicly acknowledge the existence of Diaz’s book in any way.
It is later discovered the climax of Scales’s riveting narrative is completely fictional.
Upon speculation as to how a fictional essay (by a previously unknown/unpublished writer) could possibly appear in the New York Times as a non-fictional feature in the first place, it is discovered Choire Sicha "dated Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni for a few months."
Scales has written nothing since.
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]
* * * * *
*Pictured (from boston.com): Choire Sicha, Former Gawker blogger, Emily Gould
** See also:
• THE CURIOUS CASE OF COCO HENSON SCALES
• MEDIA COLLUDES IN COVER-UP OF JOURNALISTIC MISDEEDS
• Freelance Writer Wanted (for investigative piece on The Hostess Diaries Conspiracy)
For more information on the media’s unscrupulousness toward PX This and its author, Abbe Diaz, visit http://www.pxthis.com/tag/corruption-in-the-media/
or read PX Me – How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous, and Married a Millionaire – Coming Soon in Winter 2012 April of 2013 July of 2014.
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?
cute.
Please rate the Bar:
N/A— in a way; the bar is essentially more like a "to go" counter that happens to store liquor. good thing they have lots of tables (in the summer, that is).
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
the cocktail list is a bit contrived in that hotelesque kind of way; it’s trite but sorta tries to pretend otherwise. also, opt for wines by the glass instead of by the bottle— a glass of ChateauMinuty e.g., is $9, but the bottle is $60. so ya know, figure that one out. no wait don’t bother, save your brain energy, i’ll just lay it out for you. it’s HotelGansevoort— in the meatpacking district. make sense to ya now? yah i thought so.
Please rate the Dining Room:
i kinda like it. it’s simple but aesthetically pleasing. spacious, comfortable— and it’s a pretty nice view.
Please rate the BOH:
it’s very… hotel. all the tourist favorites are here— caesar salad, turkey panini, lobster club, burger etc, with the unique addition of crepes. the presentation is hardly creative (except for maybe the dried strawberries in the side salads), but it’s not bad. and the prices are pretty reasonable.
How was the staff?
nice. amiable, professional, conscientious.
personally it’s my opinion the host should maybe rein it in just a wee bit addressing all the passersby. i realize it’s the Gansevoort but hello— this aint miami. if you want to give our fair visitors the true downtown new york experience, you have to be a little more haughty and elitist than that, come on now.
but overall i’d say they get a B+ or perhaps even an A-
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
i tried the turkey panini, pat-lafrieda "cafe" burger, and spinach/mushroom crepe. and it was all okay— rather european in the execution actually. certainly none of it is earth-shattering, but that’s likely not their intent anyway. it’s perfectly fine hotel fare, but it won’t exactly compete with its neighbors at this level. luckily for them, it probably doesn’t have to.
What did you like?
the ambience.
What did you dislike?
nothing really. but i mean— i didn’t have very high expectations.
What was your last impression?
it’s a very pleasant place to relax for a drink.
Would you come back?
if i were in the area already? sure.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
thank you and have a good day.
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: Nov 21 2007, 01:58 PM by *what’s anorexia?* • Closed: February 17, 2010 12:10PM • Archived at 44,539 Views
PRIMARY SUBJECT : Former gawker.com blogger Joshua David Stein aka "the ignorasshole"
ADJUNCT SUBJECTS : Former gawker.com blogger Emily Gould. Gawker owner/publisher Nick Denton. Former NY Post journalist and gawker.com blogger Ian Spiegelman. Former Gawker managing editor Gabriel Snyder. Former Grubstreet blogger Josh Ozersky. Brian Grazer.
GIST OF TOPIC : Joshua David Stein is an ignorant asshole. Also, a hypocrite. And apparently, a bit of a horntoad who slept with his co-worker. Lots of links and quotes and whatnot provided. Some jabs at gawker.com too, because "they suck" in general.
And then everyone at Gawker who was ever a jerkface suddenly quits or gets fired. Riveting.
SIGNIFICANCE: Abbe Diaz and Joshua David Stein have serious beef from way back (Sept 2007). The guy is a tool; this thread pretty much proves it.
Also, *abbe* randomly drops a comment in a Gawker item, and houses owner Nick Denton’s ass. Fun times.
Gawker bans Abbe Diaz from commenting at Gawker [weak sauce!] because they’re immensely intimidated by her. Twice.
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]
***********************************************
For more on this subject, read PX This Too – The Sequel to PX This – Coming Soon in the Autumn of 2010
Welcome to: Where I Spent My Day Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"
So, what do you do in the industry?
I’m a restaurateur/operator for several F&B enterprises in [downtown/midtown Manhattan] NYC.
And you have how many days off a week, generally?
I usually take a half day on Saturday, and on Sunday I try to limit work to about an hour or two.
What did you do for breakfast yesterday?
We had breakfast at Sunset Beach. We normally stay with friends whenever we visit the Hamptons (I sold my own house ages ago), but this time we decided to try something different. Even though the weather forecast wasn’t great, we figured we’d get out of the city anyway. I’d called Sunset Beach at the last minute, and (presumably due to the forecast) I had no trouble booking a room the night before.
Breakfast was good— nothing too fancy, but a nice eggs benedict with spicy hollandaise and a mushroom frittata with a side of apple-smoked sausage. The coffee could have been better, though. I have noticed this before— even awhile back when I used to stay at The Raleigh in Miami Beach, the coffee always sucked. Not an AB Hotels strong point, I guess.
But the service was good and friendly, especially for so early in the morning (by young NYers in the Hamptons).
Lunch?
Silver’s in Southampton. My Hamptons lunchtime staple. It’s hard to get there sometimes, because they close at 3:30PM, and obviously, if you’re on the beach, it isn’t easy to get there on time. If Garrett [Wellins] is around, he’s usually more accommodating to the regulars, and you can get a seat closer to 4PM. But if not, forget it; it seems the staff starts turning people away at 3:15.
Normally I go for either the lobster roll or the lobster salad, which are the best I’ve had anywhere, but this time I opted for the crabcake and was not disappointed— it was excellent. My wife had the burger, which is also one of their specialties (it’s the size of your head) and that was really delicious too. It’s not hard to imagine how Silver’s manages to stay in business working 3 hours a day 6 months out of the year. The quality of the food is truly superb.
And afterward?
Just walked around and did a little window shopping… and stopped in for a gelato cone from Sant Ambroeus.
Then back to Sunset Beach for a sunset drink. It really turned out great that the weather forecast was so bad, because it was unusually serene— normally it’s a madhouse. But the weather actually turned out okay; by 6PM the sun was peeking out and the temperature was perfect. We had a chance to chat with all our pals who are running the place this year; generally the staff is running around like chickens without heads it’s so busy. So it was really very nice lounging relaxedly with a nice bottle of rosé and a very good platter of crudité. I liked the olive tapenade so much, I’m stealing the idea for the crudité I serve in my own places. Between all the locations, we must have barrels of tapenade, but nobody ever thought to serve it with the crudité.
Dinner?
We hadn’t planned on leaving the island again, but then we got a call from friends who happened to be staying in Sag Harbor for the weekend. So we decided to meet them for dinner at B. Smith’s on the marina.
Ugh, it was horrible. The service was OK, but the food was awful. Since I’d missed my usual lunchtime lobster roll at Silver’s, that’s what I ordered, and my wife chose the "special" lobster salad. Plus we had Blue Point oysters to start.
Well, the oysters were pretty bad; they have a terrible shucker. He let all the natural juices drain out and there were shells shards everywhere. And the lobster was a joke. Overcooked, over-refrigerated, tough, and chewy like rubber— which for the Hamptons especially, is a real travesty; you’d think there’d be great fresh seafood everywhere. And don’t even get me started on the wine by the glass.
The waffle fries were good though.
And afterward?
Just back to the hotel, and by this time the bar seemed to really be pumping. Not nearly as packed as usual, but definitely pretty crowded. We were tired so we just went back to our room, which was essentially pretty nice. Simple and unadorned but clean and cozy and comfortable. The bathroom is small, but everything else is pretty good. And the balcony is spacious and pleasant.
How much did you blow today?
Including the room? Probably about a grand.
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 gee, this is unique. (That’s sarcasm.)
Please rate the Bar:
It’s… typical. (See: The Waverly Inn, Monkey Bar, Minetta Tavern, Hotel Griffou, Abe & Arthur’s, East Side Social Club, Vintry Wine & Whiskey, Rabbit in the Moon…)
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Oh come on, really? See above.
Please rate the Dining Room:
Smaller than you imagine. Remember how expansive was Village’s dining room? Well, now it seems as though a lot of that is now the open kitchen— which sort of makes you wonder where the kitchen was before. The high ceiling makes it seem much more capacious than the room actually accommodates, and yet, for some reason, less spacious than its prior incarnation. (Dude, maybe it’s like totally an optical illusion!)
Also: see above.
Please rate the BOH:
Ha ha ha ha. See: the first half of above.
I mean seriously though, what is it you expect from this review anyway? An epiphany? You know you’re not going for the food.
Oh wait, I got something BOH for ya. Remember back when someone kept sending e-mails to us, claiming that chef John deLucie was actually not "on leave" from The Waverly Inn as was reported but was, in essence, "fired"? And then deLucie responded via text message refuting those claims? Well, it turns out— apparently, he lied. (So, to whomever was so generously trying to apprise us of the paradox all along: Our bad!)
How was the staff?
Fine. Especially considering it’s pretty much everyone you already know. Which, ya know, can be a good thing. Or sometimes… not. LOL!
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Tuna Tartare, Beet Salad, Pappardelle, Burger / Oh, like you care.
I mean seriously though, what is it you expect from this review anyway? An epiphany? You know you’re not going for the food. Which is probably a good thing, because you’ve had all this stuff already. Yeh, the biscuits too.
What did you like?
It’s conveniently located?
What did you dislike?
The redundancy.
What was your last impression?
"Been there. Done that." That proves I’m fierce, right?
Would you come back?
Hmm, maybe I’ll just wait for the next place just like this to open. It’ll be what— 4 to 6 months, tops?
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Ha ha ha, I’m sure you will! At the next place. Anna Wintour’s maybe.
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?
Out on the sidewalk standing in front of the place? Uh… Wow.
Inside the door? Huh… Not bad.
Please rate the Bar:
Nice. Spacious, comfortable, accommodating and clean, if not entirely welcoming. The bartenders are a bit frosty at first, but they warm up after a minute or so.
The glassware is… Eh.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Selections are sparse and somewhat trite… for now. I get the distinct impression they’re still feeling their way though ("… the cocktail list is pretty much what you see on the shelves…"). I mean, the liquor assortment is so oddly curated, they may very well just be sales samples from purveyors. (Hey, waste not, want not, right?)
I’d give them a little more time to sort it out.
Please rate the Dining Room:
Better than you’d think from the outside. Cozy, if you like the darkness. But, the downstairs "lounge" area is prettier and more creative than the upstairs dining room.
Please rate the BOH:
Very good. Lots and lots of potential here. The menu is relatively scant (for now?) and decidedly far more artistic than the "gastro-pub" description would have you believe. Much more impressive than I’d expected (given the operators’ pedigrees). Definitely worth keeping an eye on.
How was the staff?
Fine. Proficient and experienced, if not particularly amiable. A few familiar faces; been around the block a time or two…
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Foie Gras Torchon : Good. Nice presentation. Flavorful.
Salmon Tartare : Also good. Fresh, tasty. Personally, could have done without the fruit (not my thing), but the orange slices were not a terrible addition. Again, very nice execution.
Sturgeon Salad : Excellent. Different; not what I imagined at all. Love the poached egg "surprise." And the whole thing perfectly fried like that? Beautiful.
Bangers and Mash : If there’s one thing of which I’ll likely never tire in restaurants, it’s simple homestyle dishes done exceptionally well. Delicious.
What did you like?
That sturgeon salad was pretty impressive. The mashed potatoes were great too. Actually, I liked it all.
What did you dislike?
Oh dude, that facade… (But, I’ll live).
What was your last impression?
Go, Rocco?
Would you come back?
Sure.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thanks, and all the best…
but if you’re really bored, feel free to entertain yourself by familiarizing yourself with some of pee ex this dot com’s history before you read PX This Too (the Sequel to PX This).
look— you can start here! and then just keep following all the links backward until you can’t stand it anymore. it’ll be oodles of fun!
oh and by the way, PX This Too is going to be a bit behind schedule. obviously the printed (and official Kindle and iBook, etc) version[s] of the Revised Edition are running late and so that kinda pushes the whole rest of the mess back too.
thank you.
:)
** See also (earlier): The Dog Ate My Homework
This photograph is dedicated to our fan, “Blah.” I think I stole it off of someone’s Facebook page, but I can’t even say for sure, because I don’t remember.
Happy Thursday!
:)
Rudd – Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay 2006 – Russian River Valley, California
Cost: $65/bottle
Dining at a newly opened restaurant in our neighborhood, we are treated to an impressive selection of fine Italian dishes. During appetizers, we enjoyed this bottle of Bacigalupi Vineyard chardonnay, the signature white wine of the Rudd Estate. Its impressive nose of pear, mild citrus, a hint of black licorice and minerals is gorgeous to sniff. The full-bodied, rich, and layered textures unfold impressive white and yellow fruit while retaining that fine acidic structure but remaining smooth on the mid and back palates. An outstanding wine, worth its hefty premium price tag.
Rating: 92
= "personne extraordinaire"