• Tuesday, October 20, 10:00PM – Brian Grazer having his "first visit" and "lov[ing] it" to The Room Formerly Known as Boom Boom, sitting at the bar with two friends (/business associates?) in a dark gray business suit with no necktie. Moved to a quieter banquette table (with a view) as the bar area quickly filled up.
• Tuesday, October 20, 9:00PM – Harvey Keitel dining at Abe & Arthur’s with a woman at a corner table on the main level. Wearing a dark suit and lightly tinted eyewear with heavy black frames.
• Friday, October 16, 9:30PM – Salman Rushdie at Indochine, having drinks in the lounge with four women, and later adjoining to the dining room for dinner at a circular banquette. He sat firmly planted directly in the center of the ladies (and attention) both times.
• Thursday, October 15, 11:00PM – Mischa Barton in for her "usual" visit to La Esquina. It’s possible she "has a little crush on a bartender" there?
Old Rowley – The Islander Estate Vineyard – Non Vintage
Cost: $20/Bottle
This is an old vines Grenache wine, which reveals complex aromas that sing Dr. Pepper and Cherry Cola like scents. In the mouth, it is light and with tight acids that overwhelm the fruit. A bit abrasive on the palate and mouth puckering finish. Too bad, I enjoyed the nose, but the lack of flavor — or shall I say understated, inconsistent flavor — did not appeal to me. Did I catch this wine on an off day? Maybe… but for now, not showing too well.
Rating: 77
Rivers Marie – Occidental Ridge Vineyard – Pinot Noir 2006 – Sonoma, California
Cost: $65/Bottle
Dark garnet red, moderately full bodied, richly textured with an exotic aroma of cherry and strawberry fruit intermixed with cloves, iris flowers, herbal tea, and sandalwood. A sexy nose reminding me of ripe juicy Burgundian style aromatics but with the new world freshness of fruit and ripeness. In the mouth, the midpalate and back palate is impressive with red ripe fruit balanced by fair glycerine levels, unnoticeable alcohol, and a grippy feel from the acidity and tannins. This is outstanding pinot, a perfect match with some nice gamey dishes.
Rating: 91
according to management, CasaLever is "still working out some kinks." it’s only their second week open so i guess that’s understandable enough. i think it’ll be quite fascinating to see however, exactly HOW they’re going to work out those kinks, cuz from where i was sitting, they have a whole lot to contend with.
i mean don’t get me wrong, you know i loves me some SantAmbroeus, but CasaLever isn’t quite the same (nor is it trying to be?).
anyways. sure i could go on and on and list each problematic issue one by one, but i won’t, cuz that kind of stuffs likely falls under "consultation" and ha ha ahaa believe it or not, it’s just not my job to tell you how to do yours.
but
seriously though, from one professional to another (yah, YOU– that’s reading this right now): it’s totally worth a trip for you to visit CasaLever as soon as possible— to see and experience all the things you probably shouldn’t do. and then perhaps visit again in a few months or so, simply as a great case study in how accurate is your erudite assessment, and how adept/astute your competition is.
luckily (?) there are a few really great staffers there at CasaLever. i hesitantly say "luckily" however, cuz—
sigh
really. really really truly. at this point, i am totally sick and disgusted to death by the pervasive phenomenon in this industry of underlings being more knowledgeable/proficient than their fucking authority figures. do some of you managers out there need to train UNDER your hostesses/waiters/runners/bussers? YES I THINK MAYBE YOU DO you stupid moronic cocksucking mutherfukkers. yes i get it, you’re super awesome at licking your boss’s anus or your daddy bought you your job or you flaunted your superfluous wharton degree in some dipshit headhunter’s face or whatever
but take your smug self-important uppity ass someplace else and get the fuck out of THIS industry for fuck’s sake already. yah i know, it’s not brain surgery and there are precious few jobs left where you can make enough money to actually reside in manhattan doing the work a trained chimp can feasibly execute, but please. you’re making the rest of us trained chimps look bad. even in your treasured custom tailored savile row suit. in short:
YOUR BLATANT INEPTITUDE IS PISSIN ME OFF.
oh whoops did i say all that out loud?
i meant to say: the misticanza salad with the poached egg and bacon "crisp prosciutto" was decent, as was the king-crab/sea-urchin crudo. the veal scallopine was eh and the "manila clams" pasta vongole was uhhh
different (especially since i’m pretty sure those clams were more like littleneck than manila).
enjoy!
yah so
afterward was a quick pop into MonkeyBar. it worked out great cuz after all the terrible things i’ve been hearing about MonkeyBar’s food, i so was not about to take an expedition to midtown to try and experience it for myself. but i love to see places with my own two eyes just so i can say i’ve been there, so it’s awesome that MonkeyBar is pretty much right around the corner butted up against CasaLever’s ass.
(and after CasaLever, i totally needed a drink anyhow.)
well. alls i can say is: fucking hell what a mess.
and i mean literally a mess my gawd CLEAN THAT SHIT UP can you? it doesn’t take much— just wipe the puddles and slop off the bar every once in awhile, throw away and replace the chewed up bevnaps, wipe down the bottles and face all the labels outward, get all that cluttery crap shit away from the goddamned terminal, and for heaven’s sake get rid of (or hide) those big ole ugly assed plastic waste bins.
geezus
oh FUCK did i just give away free "consultation" ??! gagh.
by the way— i didn’t spot no goddamned PXes, so what the hells is the point of even being here?!
i’m just sayin.
later, since we decided to stroll for a bit and look at the pretty buildings, we found ourselves in front of LeColonial.
awww remember LeColonial? how super duper hott it was, way back in the day? we couldn’t resist our nostalgia so we went in for another round.
and it still looks great.
it actually made me reconsider this thought that had popped into my brain in the midst of dinner at CasaLever ("ugh christ i would never ever ever open a restaurant in fucking midtown"). the fact that LeColonial has somehow maintained its warmth and charm after all these years was such an inspiration!
and the peoples on staff were very sweet, especially the bartender. i even managed to eat a whole plate of spring rolls even though i had absolutely no idea i was still hungry.
so hooray for LeColonial.
Who Killed…Capitalism… [with] No End in Sight?
Face it: even if you despise Michael Moore because you think he is a big fat hypocrite for capitalizing on his documentary about the hypocrisy of capitalism (or whatever it is you think or claim to think because you’re really a closet Republican or a wealthy CEO or a Hater who simply hates anyone who makes more money than you or whatever), you are still going to watch this film. Because obviously nothing pleases you more than to stand around and pontificate with all those insipid mental midgets (at that stupid cocktail party you never wanted to attend anyway) who are so retarded as to fall for stupid big fat Michael Moore’s capitalizing on their angst and emotions with his schmaltzy hypocritical movie about the hypocrisy of capitalism. And you don’t want to come off as a dumb mental midget in the midst of all your brilliant pontificating just because you never actually saw the movie, right?
And yeah yeh, I get it. You’re not going to pay $15 per ticket to see it in some crappy outdated obsolete theater when you already pay out the nose for a monthly subscription fee to both Cable Television and Netflix, because after all— why should Michael Moore get to capitalize any more than he already does by making this hypocritical film about the hypocrisy of capitalism?!
O.K.
Whatever! In the meantime, while you are waiting for Capitalism: A Love Story to be released on DVD so you can "netflix it" or for it to appear on one of the "pay channels" you already pay for, why don’t you netflix Who Killed the Electric Car? and No End In Sight and watch them first.
Why?
Why, because when you finally see Capitalism… (in the comfort of your own home on your own terms with your own popcorn and your own nachos and your own beer that ha! — you can’t even get at the stupid overpriced outdated theater) after you’ve already seen "Who Killed…" and "No End…" — by the time you get to the middle of Capitalism, you will want to gouge out your own eyeballs and stick your fists into your own sockets and violently claw at your own brain.
And what’s more fun than that?
Buck up, Buttercup! It’s all good.
(Don’t make me have to MMS this to you every day until it drives you completely out of your fucking mind, ’cause I will. Just try me, bitch.)
:)
*thanks to Charlie Walk
We’d like to take a moment to give it up to "O-Cast," simply because we’re very impressed (we can’t seem to get our shit together for anything). Best of luck Break a leg, guys!
O-Cast © is a mockumentary-style web series created by the 12 Olympian gods of Greek mythology to broadcast their new lives as 20-something New Yorkers living in one apartment. Comedy ensues as they combine forces to convince the mortals of their modern relevance in order to save themselves from extinction.
Shot in high-definition and broadcast in short episodes online, O-Cast © merges ancient legend with the power of viral video. Created and produced by New York University graduates of the YouTube generation, this intelligent, quick paced, and colorful comedy is right up the alley of classical mythology enthusiasts and fans of improvised humor.
Join the Olympians, the O-Cast and O-Crew for the premiere of the upcoming web series!
THURSDAY OCTOBER 22ND
at KATRA LOUNGE (www.katranyc.com)
217 Bowery, NY, NY 10002
DOORS @ 8:30PM,
SCREENING @ 10:30PM
2 for 1 Drinks from 9:30PM to 10:30PM and
2 for 1 Drinks from Midnight to 1:00AM
Dancing all night with DJ Ani Quinn!
Admission to the event is *FREE*
• Admit it, you couldn’t have cared less about Juliet, the new Todd English helmed restaurant/lounge reportedly opening someplace in Chelsea.
Well, it turns out your hosts are Mark Baker and Artan Gjoni. All of a sudden you care just a little bit now, don’t you?
• Speaking of Todd English— for fuck’s sake, enough already. But, since the inbox here at PX This clearly won’t get a reprieve until it’s addressed, we’ll go ahead and finally fucking address it—
Dear Todd,
Personally, we think you come off as a bit of a tool. Quite frankly, we are so utterly discerning, insightful and knowledgeable, that your culinary antics (and/or entire career) usually fall way below our reproachful radar. Thus, the entirety of our commentary can best summarily be expressed in the sagacious words of our founder (coincidentally, a striking Asian woman, in case you didn’t know):
"I bet that cures him of his Yellow Fever Malaria HA HA HA AHAH HAHAHAHAHAAA."
Best,
Pee Ex This Dot Com
• Yoo hoo, Foster Kamer! We "MENSA[sic] -level Vikings" are still waiting for you to come and show us how intellectually deficient we are. We’re quivering in our boots! Please, oh mighty blogger cum twice-fired reservationist cum semi-employed "journalist"— impart upon us all the wisdom your vast experience of a couple years of professional blogging and briefly working as a telephone answerer for Keith McNally has bestowed upon you. We await your brilliance and enlightenment with heaving bosom and bated breath!
• Uh oh. Are the producers of "The Real Houswives of New York" just a bunch of big backdoor bigots? Hmmm maybe?
OK, fine, this one is probably a “set-up” professionally produced with the full intention of going viral. Get over it!
We nabbed it at 259,866 views— you saw it here FIRST!!!1!!1!! bitches.
• Jay Z, Rihanna, and entourage at La Esquina. Jay Z maybe wasn’t entirely pleased with his table. Rihanna wore her jacket and sunglasses all through dinner. At one point, the bodyguard attempted to restrict access to the "mosaic room" and turned away proprietor Serge Becker. LOL. Fun times.
• Mischa Barton with two girlfriends strolling into La Esquina at 1AM. They had a quick drink and bounced.
• Michelle Wiliams walking alone on Spring Street in SoHo. All bundled up and hooded against the sudden drop in temperature in an olive military-style fatigue jacket. What amazing skin she has; it practically glows.
• Tony Shafrazi dining with a male friend at Lure.
• Jonathan Morr wandering aimlessly down Greenwich Avenue in the West Village with friend/business associate Ray Pirkle. Looking for real estate?
• Anne Burrell at the bar at Peasant. She ordered some convoluted complicated multi-ingredient cocktail but when informed, "Sorry, we don’t have the liquor to make that drink," she promptly responded, "That’s okay, I’ll have a vodka and soda."
• Emil Varda lunching outdoors with Abbe Diaz at Gusto Ristorante e Bar Americano. Look out, world…?
hey remember when i said everybody is travelling this month? well in honor of peoples gallivanting alls over the globe when they should really probably be back home honoring all their responsibilites and whatnot, PX This is proud to bring you the fourth installation of our ongoing TRAVEL SERIES…
… wherein some of the coolest and most important peoples in NYC’s F&B/Nightlife world share a bit of their glorious travel experiences with YOU. yay!
and when i say "coolest" and "most important," i’m not kidding. ha aha ahaa for serious now, if you don’t recognize some of the upcoming names of the contributors to the Travel Series— ummmm… well… you might kinda have to finally face the reality that you are decidedly NOT a PX in this town, mutherfukker.
[oh okay— there’s a possibility you totally are PX, but you just don’t recognize the NAMES, cuz you’re either too busy being self-absorbed, or your gracious hosts have just been too modest (and/or scared of you) to introduce themselves (and/or give you their real names). fair enough.]
so. without further ado, a treat for your eyeballs instead of your other senses (for a change) from the people who really truly make F&B/Nightlife/Hospitality the experience you so immensely enjoy.
Virgin Gorda — by Coleman Feltes
Rio de Janeiro — by Coleman Feltes
Fasano Restaurant&Lounge, Punta del Este — by Pablo De Ritis
Party in Punta de Este — by Pablo De Ritis
Melbourne — by Pichet Ong
Pinel Island — by Cedric Tovar
= "personne extraordinaire"