OK OK, this one goes out to the sudden massive influx of Scandinavians around here! We know what you’re looking for.
Coming soon: Euro Gap the Movie
Go, Heikki Sorsa! We love you!
:)
See also (earlier):
• SPOTTED: Heikki Sorsa and Paris Hilton…
• Homegirl Meets Coolest Dude Ever
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?
Vast improvement over Ono, that’s for sure.
Please rate the Bar:
Spacious, warm, inviting (except for the bar stools, which look like they’re made strictly for tiny Japanese asses). And a flatscreen, no less.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
Great sake and beer list; good price points, too. The wine list is a little pedestrian (typically hotel-esque) but not terribly, especially for a Japanese restaurant. The cocktails list looks somewhat nauseating, but that’s probably only because I don’t generally go for syrupy sweet drinks. Again, for a Japanese joint, though— fine.
Please rate the Dining Room:
Cute, comfortable. Maybe a little "corporate" (the faux-candle "chandeliers" are a laugh riot) but nice enough. Again, sure beats Ono (which always made you feel like, "Oh no. I am not going there").
Please rate the BOH:
A little gimmicky. But that’s probably just the "corporate" coming out again. Overall, I’d say: OK.
How was the staff?
The bartenders were great— enthusiastic, amiable, conscientious and considerate. I would go so far as to say they "made" the entire experience. Granted, I opted for a bottle of sake, so I can’t judge their mixology skills, but in terms of service: an A. The host at the desk gets a C- or maybe a D; he couldn’t even be bothered to get out of his chair. Later, a maitre d’/manager type arrived, and he had it a little bit better together. He greeted us and asked if all was well, and he recognized immediately upon his arrival what needed to be done to make the ambience better.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Shisito peppers (bar menu) : Disappointing. Mainly because they’re flame-grilled (?) and not sauteed. The charred bits aren’t that appealing, and the flavor and presentation suffers for it. That’s what I mean by "gimmicky." Does everything on the menu get either flame-grilled or deep-fried? Is that their "thing" around here? Kind of silly if you ask me.
Deep-fried bok choy (bar menu): Odd. Doesn’t quite live up to the bartender’s eager sales pitch, but then again, I’m not quite sure what I was expecting. Tastes like dried seaweed. But blander.
Mushroom tempura (bar menu) : Not bad. Like all tempura, though— eat it as fast as possible.
Chicken wings (bar menu): Pretty good. Satisfactory.
What did you like?
The bartenders’ demeanors.
What did you dislike?
To a shisito pepper lover like me, theirs was something of a travesty.
What was your last impression?
Would I come to try a full dinner? Probably not.
Would you come back?
For a drink and light nibble, sure. Good location.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thank you and good night.
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?
how adorable is this street?
Please rate the Bar:
nice! upscale and elegant but cozy and inviting. love the "hidden gem" vibe and ambience. beautiful, really.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
very extensive and eclectic, a real aficionados’ domicile. the wine list leans heavily toward the more reputable labels, though— lacks adventure and imagination and consequently, the averaged price point is skewed toward the higher end. overall, impressive. oh but, does anybody ever really order the 2oz "tasting" size? that’s so 1980’s.
Please rate the Dining Room:
n/a. but there’s a fair amount of "communal" table seating, particularly given the spare square footage.
Please rate the BOH:
better than i expected— pretty creative, even. a definite step above most bar/lounge fare.
How was the staff?
friendly and considerate, yet polished and professional. quite accommodating, refreshingly comfortable, and confident.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
"the egg" : great presentation, completely unexpected. $4/egg seems highly priced on the menu, but when it arrives, you "get it." in a more pretentious/pompous place, this would probably be a $6 or $8 egg.
knishes with smoked salmon, creme fraiche, and caviar : not bad. the knish is maybe a weeee doughy, but points on style and flair. i don’t know why i’m so into cute little bite-sized food these days.
veal meatblalls : okay. pretty generous portion. a little on the bland side, though. the sauce seems fine (but could use more punch) so i guess it’s the balls themselves. seasoning would help. plus, are they nuked? why are they so hot on the inside? that’s slightly disappointing.
mozarella and basil panini : good. love the bread. and the sprouts are a nice touch. tasty. and again, i dunno— somehow i could really get into everybody pre-cutting my food all up for me like i’m a toddler.
lobster stuffed mushrooms : points on ambition and beauty, but negative points on substance and personality. maybe a littlle too ambitious. but A for effort!
What did you like?
the crowd and ambience. this area is so much cuter than i ever imagined. i love it. there are no foodies, poseurs, or hipsters here! just well-dressed well-groomed peoples with jobs and nice apartments. and bankers are supposed to be like the dregs of humanity now, no? why is it so pleasant to be around them? maybe these are just low-level clock punching bankers.
What did you dislike?
that it’s so far from where i live. oh but i guess if it were closer, the foodies, poseurs, and hipsters would totally ruin it.
What was your last impression?
could i live down here, i wonder… ?
Would you come back?
if i moved down here, definitely.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
thank you, it was lovely.
Chateau Clinet 1994, Pomerol, France
Cost: $40/bottle (purchased in 1998)
Dark ruby red, medium-bodied, and with an open nose of black cassis, black cherry, licorice, and a touch of prunes. There is also a haunting nose of cedar wood and something that reminds me of black shoe polish. In the mouth, smooth with a somewhat lean texture but yet holding plenty of those mature cassis and black cherry flavors that unfold nicely through mid and back palate. This wine is predominantly merlot from the right bank of Bordeaux, and it strikes me how amazingly graceful it has evolved, a true testament to the age-worthiness of the Bordeaux region.
Rating: 90
Lately, it has come to our attention that the link to the original “Good Night, Mr. Lewis” story on Abbe Diaz is permanently defunct, possibly due to Steve Lewis’s defection last year from Joonbug to BlackBook magazine. Due to popular demand, we hereby re-create the entire article but, for the sake of clarity, verity and comprehension, have taken the liberty of editing those portions in which the original was remiss (a copy of the article in its original un-edited state is currently hosted here).
Abbe Diaz: Talk Loudly And Carry A Big Stick…Too (Part Three)
Over the past two days I’ve spoken with Abbe Diaz (see part one and part two). Continue after the jump for the third and final part of my conversation with Abbe.
Steve Lewis: Did you miss me?
Abbe Diaz: Of course, I miss you everyday. Well not anymore, cuz now I can read all about you. That Down by the Hipster thing was so funny.
SL: Did you see what I wrote.
AD: I did.
SL: No, you didn’t, you saw what he made me write. I’m a mellow guy now. Josh was right, I took the high road. It did make me laugh. My girl teased me about it.
AD: Oh, you have it light. If you had any clue what people say about me, to me, at me.
SL: So you were talking about what people say about you. Tell me why anybody would attack you?
AD: Good fucking question.
OK, honestly I know the answer; it’s just a snowball thing.
SL: You attacked the powers that be. If you attack someone in his castle he will throw stones down upon you forever.
AD: Maybe.
SL: OK, you tell me, why? Why are you being attacked?
AD: I sort of narrowed it down to episodes here and there. They do snowball. It’s very small communities, these writer— blogger— shitheads.
JoonBug: People like Gawker and Eater.
AD: What happens is one of them says something bullshittish and I’m supposed to be like "Whatever." But, I’m not— I’m like, "Fuck you."
SL: Eater is this big website; Ben Leventhal is the guy’s name.
AD: Giant Ass. Apparently from what I gather there are a couple of partners. One guy is cool, he’s totally cool, but the other one, what is his problem?
SL: Good Cop, Bad Cop?
AD: No, he’s just an ass.
SL: What I meant was sometimes in business one guy’s really nice and one guy’s a real asshole, and the good guy can always say, "Hey, I’d love to do it, but my partner won’t." That’s good cop, bad cop. Maybe Ben is the bad cop in their relationship.
AD: Mmm… you know it’s kind of a misunderstanding, but not really a misunderstanding. I launched the forum on like March 14th, and the following day there was some stuff about some restaurant. It just so happened that that chef of that restaurant wants to come to the industry forum— and that’s what it’s there for— and vent, you know, about some shit. So that’s fine, vent— but it just so happened that she was venting about the man I’m dating. Check that shit out, isn’t that crazy? That’s like cosmic freakiness. So she goes and she spouts blah blah blah. Now just picture it, someone comes on your blog to your little comment section and says nasty things about your girlfriend. Wouldn’t you be upset?
SL: Not me, ‘cause I know my girl. She’s 5’11” and she will knock the motherfucker out.
AD: But he won’t knock someone out, that’s the problem, he’s a lover not a fighter… Then of course this whole thing gets blown up all out of proportion and it gets found out that that chef is friends with Ben Leventhal…
…What he does [with Eater] now, I don’t agree with… what we do is different, I don’t have ads on my site, I’m not a business, I am a "blog" in the purest sense. I don’t make any money on it, so if I use my blog as my voice then hey, that’s what it’s there for. But, he uses this supposedly objective website for his own personal agenda, and to me there’s just something not quite right about that. Or if you are going to do that at least have the balls to put it right out there and sign your name to it.
SL: I’m going to disagree with you. I say a blog is your personal agenda.
AD: OK, some. In yours, in mine.
SL: I’m saying, just because they’re making money at it doesn’t mean that they can’t have a personal agenda too.
AD: OK, that’s fine. Then be honest about it. Say, look, this is my problem, I don’t like you cuz such and such said this about so and so, and that person’s my friend.
SL: But, that’s your job, because you’re the one who exposes these things. Down By The Hipster, they’re the ones who are exposing these things. Guys like me, I don’t really expose too much, I try not to gossip. You can do it, you can bang back at him. Why don’t you bang back at him?
AD: Oh, I do. But that’s what so annoying— cuz it’s like he doesn’t just attack me, he attacks the people and the places and the events around me, which is not right. You don’t go and fuck with innocent people’s shit just because you have a fucking problem… Watch, I’m going to take so much shit for this. I know it.
SL: Well do you want us to print this or not?
AD: Oh I don’t know. On the one hand I don’t care, on the other hand, I’m so tired of this nonsense.
SL: Let me tell you something about you. I think you’re hot, I think you’re a beautiful girl. But, the hottest thing about Abbe Diaz is she’s got balls and she’s got brains and she’s never going to take shit.
AD: Who would? If somebody gets all in your shit, who’s gonna be like, "Eh."
SL: Most of the world, Abbe. Most of the world takes shit from other people. You get out there and write a book, that’s why you’re controversial because you don’t take shit. The rest of the world takes shit. I don’t take shit too much, well much more than I used to…
AD: I don’t think people take shit, I just think that they’re not up front about not taking their shit. What’s it called? Passive aggressive.
SL: But you get in people’s faces.
AD: You know— look, if someone attacks you, you’re going to slap them back, right across the face. That’s the part that I don’t understand— cuz, like— me, I slap back and they go, "Oh my god, we totally started it, but can you believe she slapped us back?! She’s awful, what a bitch crazy nut job."
SL: Abbe, you are a fighter, and that’s why you’re relevant and that’s why I’m interviewing you today.
AD: But you watch, mark my words. You’ve been doing so well and who’s this kid, the one on Gawker that likes you so much, Hamilton Nolan.
SL: I don’t know.
AD: He’s fucking in love with you. And then I’ve seen you on Grub Street, Josh Ozersky, whatever, I guess he kinda likes you too. Guaranteed, mark my words, this interview will never hit either one of those blogs. This interview, no fucking way.
SL: Because they don’t like you so therefore you’re irrelevant, is that what you’re saying? Look, if you said something Ghandi-esque, or incredibly beautiful, earth shattering, you don’t think it would appear anywhere?
AD: Are you joking? Totally… Josh Stein, that jerk face, do you know who that is?
JoonBug: No.
AD: He used to write for Gawker, and now he does cameos covering that Top Chef thing. He said the most awful thing about me with a full on post with my picture and everything, and all of it was untrue. So, I turn around and I’m like you mother fucker, none of that is true. Even New York magazine’s Grub Street proved him wrong.
SL: So you got your point across using your blog and your side was told.
AD: Basically, I guess. But then, essentially as an answer to what he said, I pulled out this beautiful Gabriel Garcia Marquez quote— do you ever think it saw the light of day? They should have retracted or updated or something.
SL: Now what did you do?
AD: They accused me of being another anonymous blogger… It turns out we’re friendly now, because it was just such a hilarious thing. So they accused me of being her, and it was flat out proven that that blogger was not me. In fact, her story is ten times more interesting than mine, she’s like the "three million dollar bartender" from Boston, you know.
SL: What is a three million dollar bartender?
AD: She got a three million dollar tip to go open her own place.
SL: She must have made a great drink.
AD: Ha haa, I ain’t going there… She’s a friend of mine, sorry… So they accused me of being that blogger, because she was blogging some hilarious things about some people. So they were like, "there goes bashit crazy Abbe Diaz again…" But then when it comes out in the open that it’s not me, you think they would be like, "My bad, it wasn’t Abbe Diaz after all," wouldn’t you?
SL: It’s not like the papers, which is a slower medium, this blog stuff moves fast.
AD: All they would have to do, like they do with so many other stories, is update. An "update" is a very standard thing for bloggers to do.
SL: Well let’s update it right now. Oh, I guess we did we just did.
AD: Do you really think this is going to be on Gawker tomorrow? No way! This is my point, my simple point. Your question, "What if I were to say something beautiful?" — Well, this is a prime example, I did say something beautiful— I was using somebody else’s words, but I was so proud of myself on that rebuttal, I was patting myself on the back. Did anyone ever see it? On my blog, sure.
SL: Let me say something. Abbe you’re an incredible person. I sweat you. I think you’re the coolest. You are beautiful, dynamic, unbelievable, and I’m really glad my readers will get to know you.
AD: Thank you Steve Lewis. But, it’s all for naught. You’ll see.
…
I am a neophyte in this world of blogs. I did get my dander up a few times when something said about me seemed unfair. Maybe I haven’t gotten big enough here to be attacked as Abbe seems to be attacked. The blogosphere fascinates me. I come from a different place. You booked an act or party, you printed an invite, and you had all these kids standing on corners near clubs handing them out, and then that night you opened the doors, the people come, you had a party, and at the end of the night you counted the money. Rinse and repeat. There was a physical connect with the consumer through that flyer and there was time to think, as events were promoted at least a week in advance. Pauses could be taken for breaths, reflections, or even diversions. It’s so fast now. I write this, press the send button, and in an hour you read it. Text messaging redirects consumers from one club to another in the middle of the party. Cell phone calls and emails reach countless masses instantly. I get fifty invites a day to parties happening tonight, tomorrow or sometimes in an hour.
Silicon and plastic have created a distance between the club operator and the consumer. Even if you wanted to punch someone in the nose it would just be an image on MySpace or Facebook and the impact and satisfaction just wouldn’t be the same.
Good Night,
Mr. Lewis
Interview conducted and written by Steve Lewis.
Interview has been edited and condensed.
Lately, it has come to our attention that the link to the original “Good Night, Mr. Lewis” story on Abbe Diaz is permanently defunct, possibly due to Steve Lewis’s defection last year from Joonbug to BlackBook magazine. Due to popular demand, we hereby re-create the entire article but, for the sake of clarity, verity and comprehension, have taken the liberty of editing those portions in which the original was remiss (a copy of Part 2 of the article in its original un-edited state is currently hosted here).
Abbe Diaz: Talk Loudly And Carry A Big Stick…Too (Part Two)
Yesterday I posted the first part of my three day conversation with Abbe Diaz. If you missed it, click here to read it. Otherwise, continue after the jump for part two. I talk to Abbe about her art, her website pxthis.com, and much more. And don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the third and final part of my conversation with Abbe.
Steve Lewis: We’re going to talk about a couple things that you raised. Number one, your writing style. It has been pointed out to me that you get criticized sometimes for your writing, or the way you post on your blog.
Abbe Diaz: I take a lot of shit.
SL: And you don’t care, do you?
AD: In a way I care, of course. Cuz who the hell wants to be poked at when you’re minding your own damned business? And I mean literally— minding OUR business. … It’s not meant for everyone to appreciate. If it were for everyone to appreciate, well, that would make it— mediocre. Right?
SL: I think I just write the way that I am talking. I stutter a little bit in my blog.
AD: I started to notice that kind of style is kinda popping out a bit here and there. People are kinda playing with their syntax a little more, lately. It’s not so rigid.
SL: Whose rules are they? They’re not our rules…
So you wrote a book, and you’re writing another book. And we’ll get to that. I know you as a fashion designer. Did you design this, what you’re wearing?
AD: My dress, yes.
SL: I really like it. I always liked your work. And I know you as an artist, a fine artist.
AD: Yes, you do.
SL: Can we say that? As part of my routine when I walk my dogs, we stop by and say hi to Abbe on the warm days. She’s only out [selling her art] when it’s above 80 degrees. She’s up by the Apple store, or she used to be.
AD: You brought me gifts once, you brought me a thermos, you brought me those little ice cube gizmos filled with water and you freeze them and then they never melt in your drink…
SL: That’s right.
AD: …so then I could be out there with my thermos and my ice cubes. Isn’t that sweet?
SL: You’re out there in the street and we visit you, and I figure you’re gonna put up with me ‘cause you can’t go anywhere. I have to at least pay you for putting up with me.
AD: No, it’s fun.
SL: She’s on the street and many people, and I’m looking at a painting of Rothko on the wall here in the office and a Matisse, but the art that we grew up with in clubs was street art. If you say the phrase "street artist" and you think of it in negative terms, that doesn’t really relate to us in the club world. We remember, well some of us remember, watching Keith Haring paint on the subways, and he did my bathroom stalls at The World. He took drink tickets as payment at the Mudd Club. Kenny Scharff did stuff. But, everybody was doing street stuff. Futura 2000 and all those graffiti artists.
AD: Basquiat. A friend of mine has a painting he traded for a suit in a store.
SL: It’s funny when I go to museums and there’s a Basquiat exhibit. There are thousands of fabulous people and they’re looking at Basquiat paintings and I remember him on the streets selling that stuff for thirty bucks. I remember being outside a club once and he couldn’t get in, ‘cause he looked a mess and I said to the door man, "Trust me, that one’s OK." Street art is the art that we recognized growing up in the clubs.
AD: I don’t see it as derogatory.
SL: Certainly not.
AD: It’s fun. Granted, if I had to do it in the dead of winter or else I’d starve to death, it might not be so much fun. But, it’s summer and it’s nice out— I like to be outside.
SL: What’s the temperature that you come out?
AD: I’ll do seventy-two and up.
SL: I went to look for her one time and she’s not at her spot and I call her and I was like "Abbe, where are you?" And she goes, "Oh no, it’s only seventy-two degrees."
AD: The problem is when the sun goes down, it drops to sixty-five.
SL: Are you still doing fashion?
AD: I am. But, now all my clients are unemployed apparently.
SL: There’s a lot of that going around. You’re still doing your art, still sketching. And sometimes your art and fashion becomes the same thing. You’re writing, you’re doing the blog, you are doing a million things that are creative to survive. You stand on corners and do it. Art is what you’re about, but you’ll bartend, you’ll maitre’d.
AD: That’s the best thing about the industry: if you really had to, you can jump right back into it and leave that night with two or three hundred bucks in your pocket. No interview, no nothing barely…
SL: … so the blog, I went on the blog, I joined [the forum] under a phony name so you couldn’t find me.
AD: You did?
SL: You sent me back, or your automated server sent me back confirming that I’m a member.
AD: That’s actually automatic, but what I do is I go through it and I do look at all the names. There are actually two grades of membership, some people get the whole bit, and then some people have to go to an intermediate step first…
SL: When you go home tonight try to figure out who I am. But, it was really nice to be confirmed by you…
Now the blog, the blog is a very interesting thing. It’s very different than mine because it’s far more interactive. We get a lot of comments. Unfortunately they don’t all get posted, but I do want to change that. But, you’re all about talking to people.
AD: Yeah… it’s not the original way it was done. It’s more like a forum now, which is good. It does its own thing so I don’t have to. It’s much harder to sit and write something everyday.
SL: Tell me about it.
AD: It’s much easier to answer somebody’s question.
SL: Is that Richard Johnson, RICHARD JOHNSON?
AD: That’s somebody just playing around, thank god. He’s not using it to be obnoxious. I mean, I have people who sign up as that person and then talk as though they are trying to be that person, and obviously say silly things. I think that’s just for fun, though.
SL: Where is the blog? It’s PX….
AD: pxthis.com, which is the name of the book. And then once you get to the website, it’s separated into three parts, the book part first, the middle part is "the sequel" and that essentially directs your eye downward [to the blog], and then the third section is the forum. So you see book, blog, forum. All you need to do is click them or scroll.
JoonBug: Let’s explain the forum to someone who has no clue what goes on in there. There are two levels of membership, there’s an open public forum and then, a closed door forum.
AD: Correct.
JoonBug: So what’s the difference between what’s going on in those places?
AD: Basically all I wanted to do was essentially moderate the traffic. I didn’t want it to be like other blogs… God bless them they do their thing and I do my thing, but why do what everyone else is doing? … Shameless Restaurants they have their thing going, for example. You read everyone’s complaints, and that is so not what I want. Basically I wanted to create this thing where I stipulate that in order to become a member where you could really discuss anything— because I really would like for people to discuss anything— you should feel comfortable knowing that you’re around your peers. So part of the forum is password protected, and once you are made a "full member" you are essentially given a "key" and you can join that section of the forum— which doesn’t actually move as speedily as the open part of the forum. I don’t know if that’s because people are shy or whatever… but to me that’s fine.
Then there’s the "open" part where anybody can read and write, but of course you have to register. None of this anonymous guest stuff— I mean everyone is anonymous, but it requires something of a commitment. Registering and putting in your e-mail address will hopefully hamper you from being mean just for the sake of being mean. Which people do— they’re awful.
People are so nasty. People are like "fuck Abbe Diaz" all day long.
SL: You’ve got a thick skin. We’ve been through wars!
AD: Not that thick. Let me see that person on the street, I’ll punch that mutherfukker in the face.
SL: You can’t punch anybody anymore.
AD: I know.
SL: We’re not allowed. We’re older and wiser supposedly.
AD: Whatever. I’ll punch somebody if it gets me in "Page Six." I’m kidding.
SL: … I want to discuss your art style. Tell me about it. When you’re painting or drawing, where is it coming from? It’s a very strange art, it’s beautiful, but there’s a certain, I don’t want to say Gothic, but there is certainly sexuality to it. It seems almost sad or angry.
AD: That’s pretty perceptive of you, Mr. Lewis.
SL: Unlike you, I can’t get by on my good looks.
AD: Most people would just be all "Oooh naked women. Boobies!"
SL: That’s the medium, that’s what you’re doing. But, that’s what I read— anger or loneliness. They are always in a position as if something had just happened and they’re pondering it, or they’re thinking about something that may have been. Thinking about something that is not quite there, it’s out of reach.
AD: Oh, that’s very nice, Mister Art History professor. Wow, go me.
SL: Am I really off base?
AD: No, you’re not at all off base. Besides the fact that I think nudes are fun and they’re kind of cool and I like them— they’re particularly beautiful, there’s not much more in the world that’s more beautiful. But, obviously the medium with the newspaper and the shopping bag— there’s a little message in there.
SL: Tell me.
AD: There’s a little bit of a commentary on the commercialism of art, and vice versa. And mainly that’s it. If there’s a sadness there then that’s maybe subconscious, but that’s cool, I like that.
SL: You spend a lot of time alone. I’ve seen you with friends, but I’ve seen you on street corners. Bartending is a lonely job.
AD: Maybe, yeah, I guess. The hours are not that fun and you don’t get to spend that much time talking to people. But am I lonely…?
SL: I didn’t say you were lonely, I said you spend time alone.
AD: Yeah, I guess I am more of a loner.
SL: I personally identify with Clint Eastwood.
AD: No, get out…
SL: The cowboy, the guy who stands alone against all odds, that’s my romantic image of myself, and I think you are similar to me in that respect…
Tell me about clubs, you worked in clubs, do people hire you now as a maitre’d knowing that you outed or wrote a fictional novel that was interpreted as outing a major operator.
AD: I haven’t had an offer as a maitre’d yet, but I did have a couple offers for a managing partnership where I would also play maitre’d— but with a lot more responsibility.
SL: Do you want that?
AD: It depends, on the person, on the project. What, when, and where.
SL: Let’s say there’s a clear path. I’m putting my hand on the table, and my hand is you right now, the palm, and I have five fingers. Am I going in five directions with Abbe Diaz, or is there one finger that you would rather go down? Would you rather be a blogger? A writer? A fashion designer? Work in the restaurant industry? Or is it necessary to pick?
AD: In one way it is five different directions, but in the same way it’s one direction, because it’s all creative and it’s all glamorous, and it’s all beautiful, so it’s one direction really. If you ask me, "Do you want to open a CVS or a McDonalds tomorrow?" No, because that’s totally different.
SL: You have at least five ways to express yourself. I started writing this blog because hey, I used to write a little bit, I used to write for the Voice, and for a while I enjoyed it. So, a few months ago I thought, I should do that again.
AD: Do you remember I ran into you in the street like two years ago and we were chit-chatting? I think that’s when I told you I wrote a book. And you were all like, "OK that’s nice, what time is it?" I’m teasing, but I said then "you’ve probably got a book or two in you Steve Lewis." And you responded, "Yeah, but I’d get shot."
SL: If I didn’t talk then— about certain things— that could have saved me a lot of grief and money, and now I’m going to write a book… it doesn’t make any sense. A blog is a way to express what I want to express and if people do ask about things about my past then I will answer as best I can. I can’t write a book.
AD: It’s a shame.
Good Night,
Mr. Lewis
Interview conducted and written by Steve Lewis.
Interview has been edited and condensed.
Check back tomorrow for the third and final part of my conversation with Abbe Diaz.
See Part 3 of Steve Lewis’s interview with Abbe Diaz…
Talk Loudly and Carry a Big Stick
Lately, it has come to our attention that the link to the original “Good Night, Mr. Lewis” story on Abbe Diaz is permanently defunct, possibly due to Steve Lewis’s defection last year from Joonbug to BlackBook magazine. Due to popular demand, we hereby re-create the entire article but, for the sake of clarity, verity and comprehension, have taken the liberty of editing those portions in which the original was remiss (a copy of the article in its original un-edited state is currently hosted here).
Abbe Diaz: Talk Loudly And Carry A Big Stick…Too (Part One)
I’ve known Abbe Diaz forever. She used to bartend at a couple of clubs where I used to be a big wig. Most employees of clubs that are run well are hired because they are either great to look at or are blessed with an undeniable charisma. Some of them actually have skills relevant to the jobs for which they are hired.
In the present hiring climate most owners demand lots of experience as the stakes are higher and the need for service with a million dollar smile (and often a $20,000 boob job) is more important than how cool you are. Today it is far more common to have a professional bartender or waiter serving up the Goose. Most of these ‘servers’ call themselves actors or models or artists and some of them actually are, and many spend a lot of time convincing themselves that they will be all that they can be. A nearness to massive amounts of booze provides much comfort when their dreams seem so far away.
The clubs, bars, restaurants, and hotels often referred to as the hospitality or service industry have always provided income to future celebrities in many artistic fields. Whether that fame lasts fifteen minutes or a lifetime, the biz helps pay the rent as they study, go on castings, and network. Some even leave, have a career, and return in some form or another. Many invest and are the ‘owners’ of places that remind them of less complicated days. A look at the club Plumm’s cast of celebrity owners ensures a Page Six mention at least twice a month. I can’t ever remember hiring a professional server. With me it was always the starving actress, model, artist, or writer, and it often bothered me when one of them was still working for me years later, long past the time when they answered that very New York question "So what do you do?" with "Actor." They had become bartenders or managers or such, and it was kind of sad. For every Debbie Harry, Bruce Willis, Keith Haring, or Dustin Hoffman who has climbed out of the biz to stardom there are thousands of lesser successes.
The multi-talented Abbe Diaz has worn many hats in the service industry and she still wears them once in a while, when her art doesn’t feed her. When we worked together it was only a hey or a nod. Years later we connected as friends. She left a comment on one of my earliest posts and my editor Josh, who I assume toils away here on his way to the New York Times Best Seller List or something like that, ran up on me with a "Abbe Diaz commented!" He was all excited and I couldn’t imagine why. It seems my old employee/new friend is a bit of a controversial figure and I, embarrassingly, was unaware of her work. I guess I had spent so many years superficially nodding hellos that when I became friends with her I didn’t pay enough attention to the substance…in my girlfriend’s words, I was listening with my mouth again. I let Josh sit in on my interview with Abbe, and he even wore a clean shirt.
Steve Lewis: What’s funny about this, of all the people I’ve interviewed, I know you probably as well, or even better then all of them, but I don’t know anything about the stuff that we are talking about. Josh called me up once, ‘cause you must have made some sort of comment on one of my posts, and said, ‘Steve, Abbe Diaz said something about what you wrote!’ And I went, ‘Abbe Diaz, I know Abbe Diaz,’ and I found out at that moment that you had a blog.
Abbe Diaz: Even though I told him like three years ago.
SL: I didn’t listen to a word you said; I just checked you out and said, ‘Wow, she’s hot.’ And then of course I read on some other website, it might have even been your site, there was something about me, and you said, oh Steve Lewis sweats me, which is absolutely true for the record… Abbe worked with me a long time ago, you were a bartender at Limelight was it? Palladium?
AD: Yeah Limelight, and the Palladium. I moved over with Rickey.
SL: Rickey Mercado was the manager.
AD: Then I left for a little while and went to Miami for like four months, and then came back.
SL: I was still at Tunnel at that point. The funny thing about it is I never had bartenders working for us, in our organization, unless they were super hot. We thought the girls had to be hot, it was one of those things. But, I never looked at them twice. Then one day I was going to Brooklyn, at that time I must have been going to Peter Luger, because I don’t really go to Brooklyn for any other reason and I still don’t. Anyway, so I’m on my way to Luger’s, I’m stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and you went by on a motorcycle.
AD: That’s how I got hired, you know…
SL: How?
AD: Someone sent me over to Palladium, I was advised to talk to the people at Palladium if I wanted to work for Peter Gatien, so that’s where I went. You remember Damir? Anyway Damir is at the front, and he sends me to the office. So, I give them my résumé… no call of course, so I come back like a week later. I see Damir again, and I say something like "just give me the deal, what’s the best time to meet the guy who can hire me." Where, who, what, when…?
Then— I mean of course I’m smart enough to come while they’re still setting up for the evening, not smack in the middle of service— they were literally just setting up the horses and ropes up front. And so I ask— ya know— what’s the proper protocol? And he replies, "You know what you should do, you should go over to the Limelight, that’s where they all are." So OK, I decide I’m going to go to the Limelight. I ride my bike over, pull up right in front. And Mark Murray was at the door with a bunch of other ‘doorperson’ type people.
SL: And Tom.
AD: No, not Tom— but I knew Tom from before though, as a patron…
So anyway— Mark Murray. So I ask, "Hi, are you hiring?" And he asks, "For what position?" So I say, "Bartender." And he looks at me and tells me to give him a minute and goes inside. Then he comes back and tells me, "Why don’t you park that thing across the street and come on in." So I did, and I guess it was a big scene… they were all standing around gaping, and of course later I realize Mark Murray has a thing for motorcycles. Anyway, I walked in and I met Rickey right on the spot— nice guy— and we sat down and talked. A few minutes later I had the job.
SL: Did you work that night?
AD: No, I worked the next night. And apparently Tom Buckley remembered me from when I used to come into Limelight.
SL: Well you’re an unforgettable, striking girl. So you starting working there and little did you know what you were getting into.
AD: That was a crew, huh?
SL: It was. I was saying though, I never really looked at the staff, ‘cause it was always in my mindset that you never ever hit on the staff, it’s like a golden rule. And there I was in a cab going to Peter Luger and you pulled up next to me on your bike. You just paused right next to my cab and I looked out the window and my jaw dropped. I was like— man, is she hot. ‘Cause on that motorcycle Abbe, you are one of the hottest girls around. And you look amazing today, and I’ve known you for a long time…
So, we know each other back from Limelight days. You were always on the periphery, being that you were in a different position than I was. I was basically management there, running a joint that was really notorious. I would say it was one on the most fun places that ever was.
AD: Definitely, no doubt about it.
SL: Tunnel was good and then there were the others…
AD: … they opened for the "runoff," like when you open a restaurant across the street from your own restaurant.
SL: It was way before bottle service. People were mixing: gays, straights, everybody was mixing, Uptown, Downtown, it was a mad house. I say it was the time that the inmates ran the asylum. I used that the other day, because I think it’s true. It just happened it was an organic thing.
AD: I think that’s true. I don’t know why.
SL: I mean the fact now that you can’t even smoke in a nightclub, the vibe isn’t really right. I talked about that in a story we did the other day. The atmosphere has changed. We are a society that does not embrace change. We are a society that represents homogeneity. Is that right, homogeneous? We have an editor here with us. So, Josh, after he told me, "Abbe Diaz posted a comment on the blog," he explained to me you’re actually a person of respect.
AD: I am?!
SL: Josh is a fan. He was happy that you came in. He actually prepared questions for me because there are things that I don’t know about you. I kind of knew that you wrote a book, but I didn’t know that the book was so ‘out there.’ It’s ‘out there’ in a sense that you went above the powers that be, and told the truth— or a number of truths— that really went against the mainstream. You outed this huge organization, Jean Georges.
AD: A place, not necessarily Jean Georges. Jean Georges-esqe.
SL: Everyone knows it’s Jean Georges, isn’t that true? Abbe, for the record, is not admitting that it’s Jean Georges. She was talking about a fictional character, what was the name of your character?
AD: johnny-g.
SL: Johnny-G. That’s clever.
AD: Well, you know what it is— while I was writing it was a diary, it was my diary. I mean that’s what I do when I think of people, I give them nicknames. Like superhero nicknames.
SL: What’s my nickname?
AD: You’re Mister Fabulous (laughter)…
… so say you’re writing in your diary and you hate your boss so you don’t want to type your boss’s name and see it all the time in front of your face every day. Like that. So instead I used a nickname and that’s what it was…
SL: So how does it leap from being the most personal thing someone has, a diary, to being a book, exposing yourself?
AD: What happened was I was at a dinner with a bunch of people, a lot of mutual friends… and they happened to be talking about The Devil Wears Prada— oh isn’t that interesting or whatever. Then the conversation turned to restaurants, who owns what, who works where, and then to like Jean-Georges and other big restaurateurs etc etc, and I was like, "Oh, I worked for him… oh, I worked for him too… oh yeah, I also worked for him…"
SL: To my readers…She’s waving her hand like the most fabulous drag queen in the world.
AD: So basically someone was like you should write a book blah blah blah. That’s how it started. And I was thinking hmm ya know maybe I could bust something out— cuz I had just written a screenplay for Project Greenlight in like three weeks— so I figured I could bust out a book in five maybe. Then I realized it’s ridiculous… I was going through my diaries and I realized it’s all there, why change it? So then a friend with a friend in a publishing house… she and her friend looked at it, but they decided there were some things that just weren’t commercial enough. Like, I mean— they wanted me to bold the names— you know, like in Page Six. Then they didn’t like my writing style, with the lower case letters for example… and I did try to change it. I tried to make it grammatically correct and change it, but it had no flow and it was no fun. It came off pompous and pretentious.
SL: So I’m sitting here with Josh, and Josh is my editor I guess. He really lets me flow, he’s a good editor. If it weren’t for him, I’d be making a million mistakes…
Yesterday, somebody said something about me, and if I were the old Steve Lewis, what I would do when someone said something about me, I’d punch him in the nose. You’re laughing, but I was a maniac.
AD: I hear you.
SL: But, we took the higher road and it was absolutely the right decision. But, the old Steve Lewis and the old Abbe… but you’re still that way, aren’t you?
AD: I am, but I have to be. I got one fan over here, but oh my lord, everyone else? They are so fucking mean to me, geezus christ.
SL: Let’s get the record straight— what martial arts are you trained in? The Filipino one?
AD: Jeet Kun Do, the Bruce Lee one.
SL: One summer night I was at La Esquina and you explained to me, emphatically, how you could absolutely kick my ass.
AD: I’m kind of a little out of training.
SL: But you could still kick my ass.
AD: Maybe— I’m thinking I could.
SL: ‘Cause I do sweat Abbe, just for the record. I have visions of the Williamsburg Bridge and this Filipina on a motorcycle.
AD: Whatever, I’ve seen your girl, give me a break, she’s so cute.
SL: Thank you very much, she is cute.
AD: My friend is a manager at La Esquina and we were sitting at dinner, sorry I digress, and for some reason you just popped into my head, and I swear to you like ten seconds later my friend said, "Steve Lewis was in the other night." So I was all, "what made you say that?" She answered, "I don’t know. Because he came in the other night?" and I was like, "Oh my god, he just popped into my head." And then she said, "He was with his girlfriend, some beautiful blonde girl…"
SL: Can you believe I’m dating a blonde?
AD: No, I can’t.
SL: It’s so ridiculous. Abbe knows that I was known, well in one club I operated, I only hired Asian women. And I didn’t do it on purpose, the interviews came in, and it just worked out that way.
AD: It’s cuz we’re the best.
SL: So this is the first white women I’ve dated in almost 30 years. It’s pretty shocking to people who’ve known me a long time.
AD: She’s very cute.
SL: She’s a very cute girl.
AD: Kind of quiet.
SL: I told him (Josh) that you were quiet, by the way.
AD: I am quiet.
Good Night,
Mr. Lewis
Interview conducted and written by Steve Lewis.
Interview has been edited and condensed.
Check back on Wednesday and Thursday for the rest of my conversation with Abbe Diaz. We talk about her art, PX This, the local blogosphere, and much more.
See Part 2 and Part 3 of Steve Lewis’s interview with Abbe Diaz…
I know, you’re bored, right? Me too.
Here, play with this:
Fuggedabboudit, that’s what we’re here for.
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?
It’s very dark. But elegant!
Please rate the Bar:
Smaller than I imagined, for some reason. But comfortable; beautiful chairs. The bartender’s a nice enough chap, pretty much what you’d expect. Oh, but they’re out of olives— and for any bar, much less a bar of this caliber, that’s surprising and disappointing.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
The wine by the glass list is brief but eclectic, although I think they could have done better. The cocktails list is for true aficionados; impressive… but a good martini is out the window? Hmm.
Please rate the Dining Room:
N/A. There’s a rather spacious lounge with tables in the back, though. Cozy, pretty.
Please rate the BOH:
Bar Pleiades only offers a limited snacks menu; canapés, charcuterie, cheese. A few more selections could really enhance its appeal.
How was the staff?
Adept, professional, friendly.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Canapé selection for 2 (risotto croquette with truffle, goat chees and beet salad on baby endive, hamachi "roll") : Not bad, and not badly priced ($16). It’s better than nothing, I suppose.
What did you like?
The furniture. The bathroom.
What did you dislike?
All the wasted potential?
What was your last impression?
I wish there were a few more places built like this downtown.
Would you come back?
If I were in the area and had a special meeting or something, then yes.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thank you and all the best…
• Saturday, January 23, 2010. 4:00PM – "Coolest dude ever" Heikki Sorsa for Oakley™ giving Paris Hilton a snowboard lesson in Park City, Utah.
See also (earlier): Homegirl Meets Coolest Dude Ever
= "personne extraordinaire"