• Tuesday, May 4, 2010 4:30PM – Julian Schnabel, in sarong skirt and sandals, having late lunch at Mekong.
• Thursday, May 6, 2010 4:30PM – Ron Burkle with Danny "A" Abeckaser, having late lunch at Bar Pitti.
• Friday, April 30, 2010 9:30PM – NBC Extra‘s A.J. Calloway arguing his way into La Esquina.
• Wednesday, May 5, 2010 6:30PM – F&B superstar prodigal son, Pietro Pagano, having early dinner at Da Silvano.
Is it still Kiss Me, I’m Asian Month? Because that would be a great lead-in for my latest film recommendation. Not that I need an excuse, however, as The King of Masks is undoubtedly one of the best, most poignant movies I’ve ever seen in my life.
So, what more can I possibly say? You’ll be amazed.
yah so
by now, yalls have heard all about how poor eric-goode couldn’t get home from europe cuz the big stupid volcano in iceland wouldn’t let him. well, did you even stop to think about all the forlorn europeans and scandinavians and whatnot stranded here for the very same reason? no. no, of course you didn’t.
imagine, say— you were stranded at THOR for days and days on end with absolutely no knowledge of how long it would be before you’re able to return home. and so you went out one night and got drunk and passed out on a new friend’s living room sofa. and then somebody stole your pants, but you didn’t discover it until you awoke the next morning? and thus you had to walk through the strange, crowded, unfamiliar streets of NYC all the way back to THOR without your pants?
wouldn’t you looove if it were all captured on video so you could relive this awesome experience time and time and time again? sure you would— i thought so!
and so, without further ado, PX This presents: The New York Blues with Markus Keller and Marc Swoboda
or ya know— you can also check out professional "snow rider" Marc Swoboda (for Nitro®, Volcom®, Red Bull®, and Nike®) in action—
and/or former Olympian Markus Keller— with his pants.
nyeeah. take that, Page Six.
**See also (earlier):
• Homegirl Meets Coolest Dude Ever
• Euro Gap
• SPOTTED:
***With very special thanks to Kummi "Bunny" Kim
What is this "dialogue" of which you speak?
Sure, he probably didn’t exactly mean to address the F&B industry when he used the phrase "dialogue of the deaf," but Sir Salman Rushdie has a message for you anyway.
(Or, y’know— apply it to the world too, if you must.)
"Writers are very obstinate creatures, and they don’t respond well to being to told to shut up, they tend to speak more loudly when told to shut up… we can rely on [them] to resist that intimidation…" – Sir Salman Rushdie, BBC World News
*See also (earlier): OMG SALMAN RUSHDIE IS MY "FAN"
Trazado Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Maipo Valley, Chile
Cost: $24.99/bottle
On my way to the checkout counter at my local wine shop, I came across this in the “featured” aisle— with a sign expressing that this is Chile’s version of a Read 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?
This is cute.
Please rate the Bar:
More like a dining counter than a bar— and cramped, but OK. Comfortable enough. And clean, considering. Good for lunch or a quick late-afternoon/early-evening drink.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Cocktails are N/A. The wine list is brief and a bit trite. Mostly French; not so eclectic. And expensive for the caliber level. If you’re with friends and insist on wine, go straight for the bottle, as the glass pour is frugal and hardly a value for your dollar.
Nice selection of freshly made juice concoctions, however. But where the menu says "mix your own," it’s a lie. They don’t actually have all the fruit ingredients they claim to have.
Please rate the Dining Room:
Not bad. Aesthetically pleasing if not entirely comfortable. Also somewhat cramped, but the high ceiling makes it seem loftier.
Please rate the BOH:
Satisfactory; maybe a C+ or B-. Simple offerings, decent quality— but again, expensive for the offerings.
How was the staff?
Fine. Not exactly amiable; very French. Adept, but neither particularly enthusiastic nor conscientious.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
House Salad : Fine. Fresh. Adequate balsamic vinaigrette, and the walnuts are a nice touch. All tartines come with a complimentary house salad, so keep that in mind when you order.
Caesar Salad : Eh. The croutons are stale. And the dressing is a bit bland. Cheap parmesan. Also, it would have been nice had the waiter informed us (2 people) that the tartines include a house salad (or offered us an upcharge for Caesar instead of House) when we ordered. 2 people: 2 tartines (with 2 House Salads) and 1 Caesar Salad. Do we look like rabbits, or are you just a niggardly shyster? Hmm….
Foie Gras Tartine : Really? This scant a smear of foie gras for $18.50? I don’t even know if it’s good, because I can barely taste it. Good thing it comes with a dollop of fig jam, or it would have nearly no flavor at all.
Croque Madame : Good. Elementary, but tasty enough. Is all the money collected from patrons allotted to flying the bread in from Paris or something? Because this quantity of food/drink at this level of quality does not warrant these pretty hefty price tags. I’d get an in-house bread baker to follow the recipe instead.
(And, I’d rather you keep your “free” House Salad, and just give me a better tartine for my money.)
What did you like?
The concept.
What did you dislike?
The pretentiousness (especially for such a casual eatery).
What was your last impression?
$90 for 2 people (including 1 glass of wine, 2 juices and tip) and I’m still hungry. I could have had a good full dinner for this amount elsewhere.
Would you come back?
Maybe— but I’d really have to be craving a (very small, open-faced) sandwich badly to spend an average of $12 on one.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thanks and best of luck.
Oi! So, you think you know what’s what, what? Well, let yer ol’ chum Mark Baker tell you the bloody score, chap. This nightlife business isn’t all jolly good fun ‘n games, innit. This is serious bloody business; you’d be positively knackered and gobsmacked if you’d ever seen some of thing ‘e’s been through. Bloody bollocks, some of it! So, sit yer arse down and ‘ave a lesson. Or bugger off, slag!
Pip pip, cheerio and all that rot.
*See also (earlier):
• Mark Baker’s wedding to Vicky Andren
• PX This presents: The Travel Series
** And, for even more on Mark Baker, read PX This – The Revised Edition (and PX This Too – Coming Soon in the Summer of 2010)
Rumors swirling within the industry have Chef Akthar Nawab slated to take over the kitchen at a very popular downtown Mexican eatery. Which begs the question, "what about Zengo?" True, Zengo’s early populace reviews on the internet and word-of-mouth have been mixed at best, but even the most insightful, jaded veterans of the industry are raising their eyebrows over a move that practically takes transience to a whole new level. And let’s never mind the head scratching over why this particular downtown "classic" Mexican eatery (which remains one of the hottest spots in town despite its persistent lack of a boldface-worthy chef) would court a media darling like Nawab in the first place. Some insiders speculate its plans to expand by opening its first offshoot in Miami (ambitiously but tentatively scheduled for the next Art Basel) may have something to do with its new foodieblog-gratifying outlook, but others insist Nawab’s superficial popularity has little or nothing to do with this latest (alleged) development, noting, "he’s just a downtown dude… ya know… with friends in the restaurant." And still others feel fit to surmise the Miami location’s impending opening is still very much on precarious footing anyway, as potential investors continue to engage in the ol’ Subsidizers’ Shuffle.
[But, on a semi-related note: this famous Mexican restaurant is said to be aggressively advancing on its goal to establish a new Jamaican counterpart.]
Whatever? We’re just sayin’.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Salman Rushdie hearts PX This – The Revised Edition by abbe diaz
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, here we go. another one of these…
Please rate the Bar:
okay. small, but comfortable. nice enough. and the bartender is sweet— poor child, in that hideous awful uniform.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
ugh i’d already started my evening elsewhere so i completely forgot to look to the wine list. sorry! but one of my guests this evening is a wine aficionado, and she opted for glass of wine, so the offerings can’t be all bad. there’s a pretty sparse selection of liquor though— the bartender did say they’re "working on" the inventory and was kind enough to make note of my request for don-julio blanco. but they did have chopin, so— somebody’s thinking.
also: SoHo prices. of course.
but yet: stoli bev naps. whatever, kids.
Please rate the Dining Room:
it’s okay but personally i think the front dining area is sightly nicer than the back. i would have done it differently, but hey— to each his own. actually i thought it was better than the photo i’d already seen, but my wine snob buddy commented something along the lines of: "was some of this shit here already [in its prior incarnation]? cuz i can’t imagine anyone would throw this look together on purpose." oh snap.
i didn’t think it was that bad— on the contrary, i can well imagine someone did throw this look together very much on purpose (and probably got paid for it too). but i mean, really— i’ve seen worse. (i kinda like the "chandeliers"!)
really bad acoustics, however.
Please rate the BOH:
pretty good. seriously, better than i expected— especially from one of these joints. yesss, Beba is so totally jumping face forward into the whole tired assed nightclub posing as restaurant trend. you just have to take one look at all the lovely staff ladies in those hideous awful uniforms to know this— Hooters® by marc-jacobs (or some shit).
so, i feel a little bad for the poor, sure to be underappreciated BOH. but maybe they’re making such great salaries in the club business they really couldn’t care less.
How was the staff?
sweet. lovely. very pretty. and friendly. those poor girls in those hideous awful fucking uniforms.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
i just tried a bunch of the smaller things cuz, like i said, i wasn’t expecting the food to be that good. there was the "selection of spreads," calamari salad, salmon and tuna tartar, keftedes (meatballs), and grilled sausages. and it was all quite good. a bit fancy (there’s the whole bit with the ice cream scoop presentation for the hummus and taramosalata etc, e.g.) but certainly not cloyingly so. and really very tasty. clean, quality execution. a great twist on greek classics, made with an undoubtedly accomplished, artful hand.
but who cares, right? i know i know, you’re a little too busy right now ogling the Hooters® by marc-jacobs.
What did you like?
the food was really a very pleasant surprise.
What did you dislike?
did i mention how i feel for those poor lovely ladies? i’d rather work for lois-freedman than don one of those atrocious things. and you knooow i mean that shit literally.
What was your last impression?
well, it was sweet of fellow diner matt-levine to say "nice meeting you!"— but uhh, we didn’t actually meet. duh.
Would you come back?
bar, drinks, nibbles— sure, i think so.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
thank you, and best of luck to you.
Rarely has a restaurant-themed movie been as hilarious, moving and sagacious as Spain’s Fuera de Carta aka Chef’s Special. Watch it for the uproarious laughs— and to behold one of the most gorgeous commercial kitchens you’ve ever seen in your life! But, keep watching it to appreciate what happens to Xantarella, the movie’s Michelin-star-obsessed chic and sophisticated eatery, as protagonist "Maxi" strives to live happily ever after.
Brava, Fuera de Carta! As quoted from PX This – The Revised Edition: "You know your shit…" (Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if everyone did?)
= "personne extraordinaire"