Kenny Kenny regrets to inform you that Juliet Supper Club has forsaken Tuesday night BonBon, co-hosted by Susanne Bartsch (and once by Tinsley Mortimer), for "the bottle-service crowd." He states, "Uck. See you at Vandam Sundays at Greenhouse!"
For shame, Juliet! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon/ Who is already sick and pale with grief… Oh forget it, never mind.
:(
Aaaand, that’s the state of nightlife…
** See also (earlier):
• "SPOTTED: Rosario Dawson at BonBonTuesdays"
• "VANDAM Fashion Week -by Kenny Kenny"
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?
Hmm, nice.
Please rate the Bar:
Small, standing room only— that screams "club" to me; bleah. But, apparently it opens at 6PM so that’s slightly more appealing. It’s about 8:30PM right now and kinda quiet and cozy, just the way I like it. But, reportedly, it gets pretty "pumpin" later on.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Brief but impressive cocktail list— enough to tempt me into a cocktail, and I’m generally a liquor-neat/wine kind of guy. The wine list is (sigh) very hotel-esque; maybe skip it, or save your wine imbibing for ‘Inoteca next door, just like I did.
Please rate the Dining Room:
N/A. But, I think they’re serving goods from ‘Inoteca. Double check, though. I gather it’s a practice they haven’t quite officially implemented.
Please rate the BOH:
N/A; the BOH (for now?) is ‘Inoteca ("upstairs").
How was the staff?
Great. Everyone (including the doorman) was warm, welcoming, amiable, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. Kind of a contrast to the the sleek, frosty decor and apellation. They’re nice; I like them.
What did you eat?/ How was the food? No food, but I did try:
High jump? Or ski jump, was it? : The one with the Reykjavik vodka and frozen grapes. Delicious— not too sweet but flavorful. Clean. Very nice.
Terra Nova : With Don Julio, some other stuff, chocolate bitters, vanilla and— smoked salt? Huh. Very interesting flavor with that salt actually. Slightly sweeter (not my style) but pretty damned good overall. There is definitely some expert mixology at work here. $17 each; a little steep, but OK. It’s a hotel after all, and the volume of the drinks is at least somewhat appeasing.
Had to save some room for wine "upstairs," or I would have gladly tried another.
What did you like?
The staff. The drinks.
What did you dislike?
Nothing really. Although the location is sort of eh.
What was your last impression?
This is a rather delightful hotel.
Would you come back?
Probably.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thank you, it was lovely.
Cakebread – Sauvignon Blanc 2007, California
Cost: $58/bottle at Koi in the Bryant Park Hotel, NYC (Retails for about $35 at your fine wine shop.)
With a cornucopia of sushi, spicy shrimp appetizers and wasabi sauce, you need something cool and refreshing to wash it all down; what better dry white wine than a Sauvignon Blanc by Cakebread Cellars. Its ripe lime, lemon and grapefruit scents with just a touch of minerals, and overall citrus infused flavors certainly do the trick, harnessing the palate enough to still relish the cuisine while savoring the wine. Cakebread’s Sauvignon Blanc is superb with its crisp character, clean and long finish. Perhaps the best sauvignon blanc I’ve had in quite some time.
Rating: 93
Rosario Dawson at Tuesday night BonBon hosted by Kenny Kenny and Susanne Bartsch at Juliet Supper Club.
• See also (earlier): "SPOTTED: (Volume 20)"
* With special thanks to Kenny Kenny
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?
Oh, this is cute.
Please rate the Bar:
It’s a sweet little thing. Small— about a half dozen stools, but well done. Brief but carefully crafted wine list. Just enough food to keep the munchies at bay.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
N/A on the cocktails. The wine list has some nice choices. Reasonably priced. N/A on the stemware, too (sigh) except if you purchase a bottle. But even that stemware is crap, anyway. Oh well— just roll with it. If that garbage is good enough for Cipriani and Keith McNally, then in a place like this, it feels like Riedel.
Please rate the Dining Room:
N/A. There are a few tables and a nice quiet room in the back. It’s the "dining" they’re short on.
Please rate the BOH:
No BOH; there’s barely even an FOH. The bartender does a great job with what little food they have, though.
How was the staff?
She was fantastic. Welcoming, amiable, sweet, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, conscientious, diligent— absolutely perfect; she didn’t miss a beat. A place like this really needs a person like that to make it work well; they’re pretty lucky to have her.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Landjäger : Delicious. Good bar food. Nice presentation with the mustard and horseradish.
Pickled Vegetables : I’m a sucker for pickled okra anywhere. I’m sold. The string beans, cucumber and red peppers were good, too.
Apple Strudel :Mit schlag! Ohh boy. Mmmmit schlaaag…
What did you like?
All of it.
What did you dislike?
Uggh— fine, I can live with the glassware.
What was your last impression?
What a great little jewel…
Would you come back?
Absolutely.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thank you, it was a pleasure.
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?
Whoa, it’s kind of bright in here. Oh, but— these other rooms are cute.
Please rate the Bar:
Not bad. Kind of glaring at first, but the bartender was very amenable to turning the lights down as per my request (and she was amiable to boot). The bar looks pretty worn-in for a place that’s only a few months old, though. But it has its charm.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Quite a vast cocktail list; I could see how this place could be quite popular in the summertime in this area. The wine list is decent, with some reasonably priced selections. Beer… even a little sake… yeah, they got you covered.
Please rate the Dining Room:
Uh, N/A? There’s not so much a dining room here— more like two separate loungey rooms plus a bar room (food "served everywhere"). Interesting set-up. Imaginative use of a rather awkward space.
Please rate the BOH:
Surprisingly good, especially for a place that looks more like a bar/lounge than a restaurant. Simple, straightforward, no frills. Just some nice quality food.
How was the staff?
LOL. The hostess/bartender/waitress was a real peach. Warm, welcoming, enthusiastic and diligent. And the runner/busperson was good too.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
1 doz (mixed) East Coast oysters : Great. Very fresh and delicious. And at the "happy hour" half-off price, a real bargain all right.
Lobster roll : Very good. Nicely done— of the ‘not so much mayo’ variety. Slightly smaller chunks than its (slightly higher-priced) contemporaries (Mary’s, Ed’s, e.g.) but still a good serving and very flavorful. Good work with the spices. Satisfying.
Crab Cake Sandwich : Good. Somewhat trite in its execution (except for the avocado slices), but flavorful. Really not bad at all.
Homemade Cole Slaw : Very nice. Hearty. Love the red cabbage…
Corn salsa : Very refrigerator-cold, but tasty. Better than you’d expect from something called "corn salsa."
What did you like?
The oysters were great.
What did you dislike?
It’s a bit of a haul in the wintertime— but in the summer…!
What was your last impression?
I’m glad I tried it.
Would you come back?
Yes, definitely. See you in the spring!
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
If you could change the weather, I’d be all for it.
• Rumor has it David Bouley has "let go" of corporate chef Shea Gallante. This report has not been confirmed, however, as further inquiries have merely resulted in eye rolls and knowing smirks. Besides, it’s not really our job nor inclination here at PX This to sweat and/or verify these things (we’re not a fucking foodie blog, dammit!) but, you can feel free to bear in mind that since its 2004 inception, PX This has never been wrong.
It’s much more fun to sit back and watch others do the work, anyway. Imagining the PR people and whanot suddenly scrambling to send appeasing press releases to Florence Fabricant is always good for chuckle.
• John deLucie responds via SMS to the persistent e-mails PX This has received that he was "fired" and not simply "on leave" from The Waverly Inn. He writes, "I’m a partner. How can I be fired?"
Mmmkay? Got that? We hope you’re satisfied now. Just sayin’.
• John McDonald replies to an inquiry about the renovation of Chinatown Brasserie: "Eh, we haven’t even started yet… you know how it is."
• Lastly, our two nightlife impresarios on the subject of their latest venture: "The Russian is out… but we got this other guy from Belarus…"
Just in case you were wondering.
Fashion Week is Over? Oh yeah, that’s right, I slept right through it. Darn.
Well… huh… but it’s my turn to blog today. Now what am I gonna do? ‘Cause… I had this great… ahem… Fashion video I wanted to share. Y’know… in honor of… ahem… Fashion Week! ‘Cause…uh… right now it’s Fashion Week in… uh… Italy! Yeah! So there! I mean, sure, technically it’s a 2009… ahem… Fashion video, but… uh… there’s nothing wrong with honoring the uh… Classics! Yeah, that’s it!
No? Well… did I mention it’s my turn to blog today? That means I got the keys, and I’m driving on this autostrada. So sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. I’ll even… uh… take the… uh… "top" off for you… ahem…
Underground parties land cool new Nolita club Kenmare in hot water [the Daily News]
"New A-list hot spot Kenmare wound up in hot water after State Liquor Authority officials read about underground parties there in the gossip pages, the Daily News has learned… But that’s not how the owners of Kenmare portrayed the spot to the State Liquor Authority when it was granted a liquor license in early February… ‘We are paying close attention to them,’ said SLA Deputy Chief Executive Officer Michael Jones. ‘They are supposed to be operating as a restaurant.’ …Kenmare could face penalties as severe as losing its liquor license."
Huh. Is that right?
Well, hmm— what was that you said again, Gawker? Something about our original breaking coverage on the transformation of the former Civetta being "not true," right after you misquoted us and incorrectly paraphrased our bulletin?
Oh but wait, we do admit perhaps we were somewhat remiss when we later mused, "…what does ‘the new Beatrice’ even mean?" and subsequently suggested you were "narrow-minded, short-sighted… ignorant" and "asinine" for creating such a nonsensical description of Kenmare née Civetta in the first place.
I guess we should apologize. We kinda totally ‘get it’ now.
Gee, it looks like Kenmare may very well be "the new Beatrice" after all.
**See also (earlier):
• Civetta Closing – "New Concept" to Come
• Tuesday, February 9, 2010. 8:00PM – Nelly, chillin’ (and coddling babies) at the crowning of Miss AppleBottoms 2010 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.*
• Tuesday, February 23, 2010. 11:30PM – Rosario Dawson chatting with Kenny Kenny at the Tuesday night weekly Bon Bon party (hosted by Kenny Kenny and Susanne Bartsch) at Juliet Supper Club.
• Saturday, February 20, 2010. 4:30PM – Russell Brand and Katy Perry strolling down West Houston near Greene St. in SoHo.
*With special thanks to Jenise Uehara
= "personne extraordinaire"