PX This.

  The latest blabber within the industry has insiders recalling that a former employee who worked at Milk Street Cafe (the deli and catering shop who claimed their "booming" business was devastated by Occupy Wall St) since its inception, and who left prior to the protesters setting up camp, had noted upon resignation back in

  The Blabber in the Trenches   • The latest riveting rumors swirling within the industry have restaurateur Keith McNally "livid" over the news that the lease on Meatpacking District mainstay, Pastis, will not be renewed. Although there’s some disagreement as to the exact date of the lease expiration (Pastis opened in the Fall of […]

  • Which former "celebrity" chef is (quite apparently) really desperate to find a job? Anybody hiring? Call us— we’ll… uh… gladly make the introduction, take a standard headhunter’s commission, pat you on the back and wish you good luck (chances are you’re gonna need it).   • Which popular impresario’s shotgun wedding has insightful […]

  • This just in: The awesome team behind Miss Lily’s has beaten Subway® Sandwiches to the punch, and have taken over the corner storefront next door. The commodious adjacent space will house an extension of Miss Lily’s fresh juice bar, a record store, and Miss Lily’s To-Go. It is expected to be in operation […]

  Hey, did you hear about Mark Birnbaum getting sued for sexual harrassament? [No? Oh, you must live in a fucking cave.] Discuss.   Cuz you knooow you want to. COMMENTS ARE OPEN.               How’s this, I’ll start— maybe I’ll just fill in some of the ones I’ve heard […]

  The Blabber in the Trenches A Sommelier, a GM, a Restaurateur, and a Blogger walk into a bar… order some drinks, get a little tipsy, and— what else? — start gossiping like a bunch of sewing bee bitches. It went down a little something like this:   Blogger: … because I had lunch with […]

  MORE on Nightlife   Following yesterday’s news of a shakeup at The Box, we hear nightlife fixture Aalex Julien has left EMM Group’s Simyone Lounge (aka SL). In a somewhat ironic twist, partners Mark Birnbaum and Eugene Remm have evidently required all operatives to sign a Non-Compete Agreement— a move Remm might possibly have […]

  The Blabber in the Trenches   • Longtime operators Aymeric Clemente and Remi Laba have been ousted from Bagatelle, Kiss & Fly, and RDV. Apparently ejected on the night before Christmas, the duo, despite their partnership agreement and impressive track record (earnings at Bagatelle are estimated in the $8M per year range), have been […]

  The Blabber in the Trenches If the recent flurry of new restaurant openings (at a dizzying pace of approximately a half-dozen per week) hasn’t satiated your dining-out ennui yet— rest assured, there are a lot mooore coming. Longtime operatives from all over the industry continue to vie for spaces, investors, and the all-important SLA […]

The Devil Eats Jerk Pork. NOT. The latest captivating chatter in and amongst the industry has Anna Wintour rumored to have already slapped Serge Becker‘s latest not-yet-open downtown "café" with a preliminary smackdown. As you may recall, one of Becker’s other establishments, La Esquina, was recently unjustly obstructed from doing business for three days, and […]