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?
This is cozy.
Please rate the Bar:
Any bartender that opens with, "Hey, I know you!" is OK by me. Way to make me feel special, memorable and appreciated— and I’m not even a celebrity. Yeah, if you’ve ever been a fixture at "EO" or "Macao," there are plenty of the familiar good ol’ boys here. Gotta say though— I’m getting a little tired of the played-out "boys’ club" look. Even Balthazar just put their first female behind the bar. It’s not the 1920’s anymore, guys; get over it already. Sometimes I like my cocktails handled by the warm, loving hands of the fairer sex.
Also, Odeon was 30 years ago, for chrissakes. We appreciate originality every once in a while, just so you know.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
The wine list is erudite but simple, straightforward, and reasonable. There’s a lot to like about this list, especially in its sagacious congruity with the space.
The cocktail list is— well, did I mention EO and Macao? Yeah, just like that. Pretty much what you’d expect.
Please rate the Dining Room:
Nice. Warm. Welcoming. Good use of the square footage. Well-controlled chaos.
Please rate the BOH:
An agreeable perspective on your typical "bistro" menu, but what— no onion soup? No burger? Just kidding.
Surprisingly well-executed. A few hiccups on the timing, but no biggie. The food really is a lot better than I’d expected.
How was the staff?
Did I mention EO and Macao? Yeah, just like that. Pretty much what you’d expect.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
Cured Meats (Prosciutto di parma, Sopressata, Lardo): OK, but the lardo didn’t come "melting on grilled bread" as suggested. So, why would anyone want to eat a small slab of lardo? Otherwise, perfectly fine.
Burrata "Special": Very good and fresh. Why am I so surprised the kitchen is so on-point here? What is it about this place?
Sauteed Mushrooms: Delicious. A great little salad. Who’s the chef again?
Escarole Caesar Salad: Even this is impressive. Is it me, or did someone with authority up in this organization suddenly decide food is important?
Linguini with Clam Sauce : Wow. Simple, but great. Old-world style great. Like, Umberto’s old-world style great. ♪ Memmmmorieeeeeees… ♪♪
Sirloin Steak: OK, that’s it, I’m sold. Oh wait, I’m in midtown? Fuck that. (Just kidding.)
What did you like?
Call me crazy, but the quality of the meal was an astonishing pleasure.
What did you dislike?
Well, there was this exchange between my friend and I earlier in the evening, "51st and what? Get the fuck outta here."
What was your last impression?
I’m impressed.
Would you come back?
"51st and what? Get the fuck outta here." Well, I’d probably have to be in the area already. Also, it’s crowded. Kind of a hassle. And like I said, I’m a little tired of the "boys’ club" look.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
Thanks, it was a pleasure.
Welcome to: Where I Spent My Day Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"
So, what do you do in the industry?
I’m an architect, but I worked in the F&B/Nightlife industries for about 8 years as both a waitress and a doorperson at several [very popular] places in NYC.
And you have how many days off a week, generally?
Right now, ostensibly, I have weekends off, but often I end up working one way or another either one or both of those days. When I worked in nightlife, usually I had 2 to 3 days off a week.
What did you do for breakfast yesterday?
I was up pretty early so I ordered room service and had coffee and pastries while I did some work on my laptop. My boyfriend ended up sleeping in ’til later in the morning, which turned out well, since I was able to get a lot more work done. When he finally got up, he said he wasn’t hungry, so we skipped breakfast and headed straight for the beach.
Lunch?
The Setai is very close to the W where we’re staying, so we decided to leave our things and walk over and have lunch at the pool bar there. It’s actually one of my favorite places on the beach; I think the food is great there. We had the caprese salad and the caesar salad, which were both very good, but the ceviche was the best dish of all. It was a twist on a classic ceviche, with sour mango and jicama— so fresh and delicious. I also had a lychee martini, because the Setai makes the best one I’ve ever had— it’s not too sweet, because they use fresh lychee instead of the canned syrupy stuff. I don’t normally go for sweet tropical drinks, but it’s Miami!
And afterward?
Went back to our beach chairs and stayed a few more hours just lounging around. We ordered a bottle of white wine and enjoyed the sun and ocean. What a gorgeous day it was.
Afterward we decided to go for a walk on the promenade, and since we ended up walking farther than we thought, I sent a message to a friend of mine from NYC that we happened to run into the day before at the W bar. I haven’t seen her in years, and she and her husband just happened to be in Miami the same weekend!
She answered my text message pretty quickly, so we decided to stroll over to the Mondrian where they were staying. I had planned at some point to go and see it anyway, so that worked out really well.
When we got to the Mondrian, they were sitting by the pool in a cabana, so we just joined them for a drink. It turns out there’s a great view of the sunset from the bay side of Miami Beach, so it was beautiful to hang out there.
When I’d been booking our hotel for this visit, I actually couldn’t decide between the Mondrian and W, but because my boyfriend likes the beach, I chose the W. Well, evidently, Mondrian guests have access to the Delano beach, which I didn’t realize. If I had known that, I probably would have booked us at the Mondrian instead. It’s a very cute hotel, and even though I think the W is also very nice, somehow the crowd at the Mondrian seems cooler and more urbane to me. I think next time I’ll very likely try staying at the Mondrian.
Dinner?
We left our friends so that they could get showered and ready for dinner and took a walk back down the promenade toward the beach. I guess we were getting tired, because the walk seemed longer, and my boyfriend started feeling hungry. It was still early though (about 6:30PM) so we decided to just pop into Nobu for a light nibble, because he loves it. We weren’t dressed, so we just sat at the bar, which worked out fine, because apparently the dining room doesn’t open until 7PM anyway.
We ordered a medium-sized bottle of sake and had the shishito peppers, the rock shrimp and the yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño. I felt like we didn’t order that much at all, but that still ended up being $144 (including auto-gratuity).
And afterward?
Went back to the hotel to shower. It just so happens our friends that were staying at the Mondrian had reservations at Mr. Chow, so we planned to meet them there later. We weren’t hungry anymore after our meal at Nobu, so we just decided to sit by the pool and have another drink.
We stopped into Mr. Chow to see our friends, and even though we had only planned to join them for drinks and not dinner, it turned out they had two extra seats at their table anyway, so we sat down with them. Since we weren’t that hungry, we just had the chicken satay, the quail lettuce wraps and the shrimp spring rolls (which, obviously, are Mr. Chow classics). There seemed to be a lot of familiar faces there that night, and Michael Chow even stopped by the table to say hello.
Then after dinner, we all decided to check out Wall. Seeing the doorman initially was a turnoff, but he ended up being very nice. Inside was very dark (despite the neon laser light show patterns) and loud, so we ended up just taking a quick look around and leaving, because none of us were feeling into that kind of scene. So we just went to the main lobby bar instead, which was a lot more comfortable and easy-going.
How much did you blow today?
Oh god, I don’t even know. But I guess if I had to estimate? For everything all day? Maybe about $425? (Our friends got the check at Mr. Chow, and my boyfriend paid the tab at the W lobby bar).
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 Read more »
Mr.Chow vs Philippe (Miami Beach)
By now, you’ve probably heard a whole lot of hullabaloo about the never-ending epic battle between restaurant empires Mr. Chow and Philippe. And, if you’re an avid foodie web surfer, you may even have heard a lot of gripes about "mediocre food" and/or "hype" and/or "aggrandizement" etc., etc., etc.
Well, here at PX This we don’t speak of such things when it comes to enterprises such as Mr. Chow or Philippe, because — well, herein, amongst your extremely insightful and sagacious peers, that kind of talk would simply be trite and platitudinous. Come on, let’s get real— we all know The Rules about dining at Mr. Chow and/or Philippe, don’t we? And what happens, Johnny, if we don’t know The Rules? Plainly and simply: you don’t get to play and enjoy the game. Or, in other words: if you don’t "get" these restaurants, do yourself a favor, and JUST DON’T GO THERE.
That being said, why don’t we oh so percipiently, as is our wont here at PX This, elaborate on those "rules" for some of the kids trying to play along at home, shall we?
1- If you don’t realize that you have to pay for that champagne being so graciously offered to you upon your arrival, you’re a dumbass.
2- If you think that a glass of either a Dom Perignon, Krug, or Vueve Cliquot is priced less than $25 at a place like Mr. Chow or Philippe, you’re a pedestrian dumbass.
3- If you don’t believe the essential quality of the ingredients both Mr. Chow and Philiipe utilize consistently in their cuisine are actually quite top-notch, you’re an ignorant, pedestrian dumbass.
4- If you are at all concerned about the total pricetag for your meal, these establishments are not for you. Yes, there’s cheaper food in Chinatown. We know. Save the time and energy you’d normally spend whining on Yelp about the impending charge on your green American Express card, and just haul your ass to one of those places instead, why don’t you?
5- Mr. Chow is "cooler" than Philippe, but Philippe undoubtedly trumps Mr. Chow in the take-out department— Philippe Chow Express is an astute and exemplary endeavor.
OK, so, having pontificated on all this, let’s ask a knowledgeable recent visitor to Miami Beach who enthusiastically tried both Mr. Chow and Philippe, a mere one evening apart:
"Hello, luv! So… who’s the Winner on this beachfront bad boy?"
"Without hesitation, on every facet, Mr. Chow undeniably wins hands down."
Well, there you have it. (Hmm. Coincidence… or Karma? You decide.)
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… !
Asia de Cuba / The Pool Bar @ The Mondrian (Miami Beach)
What was your first impression?
it’s 24 degrees in new york— this looks pretty damned fine to me.
Please rate the Bar:
there are two bars inside the Mondrian Hotel. the larger one is nicer and far more comfortable.
there’s another bar poolside, and that one isn’t quite so nice. the stools are very uncomfortable (plus, 82 degrees or no 82 degrees, i will never ever ever learn to appreciate drinking from plastic "glass" ware).
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
all the bartenders seem sweet enough, but clearly appropriate wine service isn’t in their repertoire. thank goodness the californian pinot noir is decent, or he would have just completely wasted the entire drink (i would have had no qualms reminding him i DID say, "i’d like to taste" it first).
the mixed cocktail list tries a little harder, but if this is fresh lime juice in the margarita, well then i’ll be damned.
Please rate the Dining Room:
it’s very umm… white. and very loud in the evenings. which only makes me doubly glad i chose brunch instead of dinner.
Please rate the BOH:
evidently dinner is served "family style," and i didn’t bring my family with me— so again brunch and lunch prove to be better options for me. overall, i had four breakfasts and one lunch, and i’d say the BOH is somewhere between fair to good.
How was the staff?
informal and relaxed (this is miami beach after all) but very amiable and responsive. ultimately, probably better than i had expected.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
eggs benedict: pretty good. the hollandaise is slightly spicy. essentially my favorite dish of them all.
"custom" tomato, onion, and cheddar cheese omelette: eh. perhaps a bit too much cheese and not enough tomato. also, personally, it makes me a little nutso when i see people cook red onions.
bowl of fresh berries: i was a little taken aback by the $10 pricetag at first, but now that i see the size of the bowl, okay. the minced fresh mint strewn over the top is a nice inventive touch, but i’m not entirely sure i actually like it very much.
smoked salmon and bagel "new yorker": it would be so much better if the salmon were sliced thinner. otherwise, it’s fine.
jerk chicken sauce wings (thePoolBar): not bad. slightly overcooked, but i suppose over is better than under. the sauce seems more sweet than spicy to me.
caesar salad with grilled shrimp on flatbread (thePoolBar): the flatbread is so ridiculously pointless, but it could have been better (and less pointless) if it were flatter and crisper. the shrimp were okay, but i can’t quite discern the justification for— what was it?— a $15 some odd upcharge? but whatever.
kobe sliders with "mojito fries" (thePoolBar): ordered medium-rare but they arrived raw in the middle. returned them, and of course they came back medium and dry.
the mojito fries look like they could have been great conceptually, but why are they so soggy? and is that green stuff supposed to be mint? because it tastes more like lime and oregano.
What did you like?
the weather.
What did you dislike?
one day, the hotel tested the fire alarm for over two hours and that really really irritated the ever living shit out of me.
What was your last impression?
it’s very cute and nice and all, but i would think twice about returning (i would not have visited the restaurant so often had i not been a guest in the hotel).
Would you come back?
i haven’t quite decided yet. i’ll likely try a different hotel on my next visit, but if it isn’t satisfactory, i might return here.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
thank you, i had a wonderful time.
Remember Bad Influence?
No?!
Well, do you remember the ostentation and decadence of the 90’s? Do you remember when nightclubs used to be cool? Do you remember when parties were glamorous and fun? Do you remember how you once had a huge crush on Rob Lowe? Do you remember James Spader?
Watch Bad Influence again to reminisce about all those things. (Oh yeah, and the story is pretty enthralling, too, remember?)
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?
yah this is very "miami" all right.
Please rate the Bar:
a little flashy for my tastes, personally, but whatever. it’s spacious and remarkably comfortable, considering its sleekness and obduracy.
the bartender strikes me as somebody who’s probably dealt with more than his fair share of "amateur diner" tourists, but he warms up as soon as he realizes you speak "[his] language" just fine— and by "[his] language" i mean Industry, not American.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
oh shit did i even look at the wine list? no, i guess i didn’t (hey it was my third stop of the day, and i’m a half dozen drinks in already. i’m on vacation dammit). the cocktail list is good— fancy, creative, fresh exotic ingredients and recipes blah blah etc.
oh no wait come to think of it, i had a glass of rosé. from provence. it was quite nice, actually. and reasonably priced ($12?) if i remember correctly.
Please rate the Dining Room:
very dark. very Hakkasan. but smaller than i would have imagined. unless i missed a section of the restaurant? it’s rather like a maze in here…
Please rate the BOH:
very good, as expected. quite an extensive and almost daunting menu. the timing is right on point. nice presentation.
How was the staff?
good. adept. professional. no complaints.
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
duck spring roll: good. the "oyster" dipping sauce is cleaner and not as cloyingly sweet as most other places.
mushroom lettuce wraps: delicious. mushrooms aren’t my thing generally, but i’m really beginning to gain an appreciation for them.
jasmine tea-smoke ribs : very good. very tender. rich and hearty, but again, not cloying or overbearing. pretty perfect.
fried softshell crabs: very nice. also pretty perfect.
crispy szechuan shredded ribeye: sigh. ditto.
sauteed gai-lan in ginger sauce: fine, but the only dish i could say i’ve had better elsewhere.
What did you like?
the food was exceptional.
What did you dislike?
the ambience is just a wee "vegas" for me.
What was your last impression?
i’m so glad i got to try it.
Would you come back?
probably, except it’s a bit of a haul from the area of miami beach i usually prefer.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
thank you, it was lovely.
• Tuesday, December 8, 2009. 3:30PM – Kanye West lingering outside a dark SUV parked in front of a luxury residential building on West Houston St, with two bodyguard types, a driver, and a very talented young man— who was serenading him acapella right there on the sidewalk. No joke.
• Monday, December 14, 2009. 8:00PM – Sean Paul, with friend, using an Apple MacBook Pro in the American Airlines Admirals’ Club at Miami International airport.
• Sunday, December 13, 2009. 9:30PM – Steve Stoute (with entourage) having dinner and chatting with Michael Chow at Mr.Chow in Miami Beach.
• Wednesday, December 10, 2009. 6:00PM – John Utendahl and Merv Matheson having a drink (and chatting with Sasha Muniak) at the Standard Grill— because "the boom boom" was booked/closed for a private corporate holiday event.
Chef John deLucie of the famous Waverly Inn cooked papardelle with roasted butternut squash and mushrooms at Bloomingdales on Lexington Ave, and you totally missed it. Doesn’t he look cute?
By the way, have you read The Hunger yet? What are you waiting 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?
oh no, this style of restaurant is generally not the type i like at all.
Please rate the Bar:
one can’t help but notice immediately there are some pretty basic structural problems, but whatever.
the bartender is very sweet, but why is she so disoriented? i asked her a question about the menu: "what’s straciatella?" and ha ahaa her response was [directed at my guest]: "well, YOU’RE french [he isn’t], you should know what it is…" i am not even kidding. thankfully, she made up for it with her overall enthusiastic demeanor.
Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
i tried some cocktail (the recipe of which the bartender said she "brought with her") made with st.germain vodka, elderflower, and something pink— and it was pretty good. i completely forgot to even look at the the wine list, but maybe that’s because this type of restaurant with this sort of ambience usually doesn’t give me much confidence (or interest) in the quality of the list.
Please rate the Dining Room:
it’s smaller than it looks from the outside. and personally i think it looks (and sounds) more like a bar/club "lounge" than a dining room.
Please rate the BOH:
slow on the timing and the runner seems harried. but the food was actually much better than i expected.
How was the staff?
well i already described the bartender and runner. plus there was something odd about the waiter, because i watched the bartender direct him toward us twice (over a span of about 15 minutes) to "answer any questions" we have about the menu, and he never bothered. so finally i pulled over this guy (in a tuxedo) and asked him "what’s straciatella?" and he was very responsive, amiable, and knowledgeable.
so overall, i guess a C+ ?
What did you eat?/ How was the food?
straciatella: very good. worth the wait for the explanation. creative and inventive.
calamari all plancha: also very nice. perfectly grilled and fresh.
marinated spanish mackerel: good. "sashimi" style. light and clean but still flavorful.
pici with sweet italian sausage: interesting. delicious. very impressive.
roasted mushrooms: wow, very good— and i’m not even particularly fond of mushrooms.
What did you like?
how i was quite pleasantly surprised by the food.
What did you dislike?
the room.
What was your last impression?
i wonder how much it cost to laser cut the name of the restaurant on the marble facade of the building.
Would you come back?
probably not. but i would recommend others at least try it, particularly if they’re into that kind of dining. like— some of my european friends might enjoy it, for example.
Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
thanks, and all the best…
= "personne extraordinaire"