PX This.

Welcome to: Where I Spent My Day Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"

So, what do you do in the industry?
I’m a restaurateur/operator for several F&B enterprises in [downtown/midtown Manhattan] NYC.

And you have how many days off a week, generally?
I usually take a half day on Saturday, and on Sunday I try to limit work to about an hour or two.

What did you do for breakfast yesterday?
We had breakfast at Sunset Beach. We normally stay with friends whenever we visit the Hamptons (I sold my own house ages ago), but this time we decided to try something different. Even though the weather forecast wasn’t great, we figured we’d get out of the city anyway. I’d called Sunset Beach at the last minute, and (presumably due to the forecast) I had no trouble booking a room the night before.
Breakfast was good— nothing too fancy, but a nice eggs benedict with spicy hollandaise and a mushroom frittata with a side of apple-smoked sausage. The coffee could have been better, though. I have noticed this before— even awhile back when I used to stay at The Raleigh in Miami Beach, the coffee always sucked. Not an AB Hotels strong point, I guess.
But the service was good and friendly, especially for so early in the morning (by young NYers in the Hamptons).

Lunch?
Silver’s in Southampton. My Hamptons lunchtime staple. It’s hard to get there sometimes, because they close at 3:30PM, and obviously, if you’re on the beach, it isn’t easy to get there on time. If Garrett [Wellins] is around, he’s usually more accommodating to the regulars, and you can get a seat closer to 4PM. But if not, forget it; it seems the staff starts turning people away at 3:15.
Normally I go for either the lobster roll or the lobster salad, which are the best I’ve had anywhere, but this time I opted for the crabcake and was not disappointed— it was excellent. My wife had the burger, which is also one of their specialties (it’s the size of your head) and that was really delicious too. It’s not hard to imagine how Silver’s manages to stay in business working 3 hours a day 6 months out of the year. The quality of the food is truly superb.

And afterward?
Just walked around and did a little window shopping… and stopped in for a gelato cone from Sant Ambroeus.
Then back to Sunset Beach for a sunset drink. It really turned out great that the weather forecast was so bad, because it was unusually serene— normally it’s a madhouse. But the weather actually turned out okay; by 6PM the sun was peeking out and the temperature was perfect. We had a chance to chat with all our pals who are running the place this year; generally the staff is running around like chickens without heads it’s so busy. So it was really very nice lounging relaxedly with a nice bottle of rosé and a very good platter of crudité. I liked the olive tapenade so much, I’m stealing the idea for the crudité I serve in my own places. Between all the locations, we must have barrels of tapenade, but nobody ever thought to serve it with the crudité.

Dinner?
We hadn’t planned on leaving the island again, but then we got a call from friends who happened to be staying in Sag Harbor for the weekend. So we decided to meet them for dinner at B. Smith’s on the marina.
Ugh, it was horrible. The service was OK, but the food was awful. Since I’d missed my usual lunchtime lobster roll at Silver’s, that’s what I ordered, and my wife chose the "special" lobster salad. Plus we had Blue Point oysters to start.
Well, the oysters were pretty bad; they have a terrible shucker. He let all the natural juices drain out and there were shells shards everywhere. And the lobster was a joke. Overcooked, over-refrigerated, tough, and chewy like rubber— which for the Hamptons especially, is a real travesty; you’d think there’d be great fresh seafood everywhere. And don’t even get me started on the wine by the glass.
The waffle fries were good though.

And afterward?
Just back to the hotel, and by this time the bar seemed to really be pumping. Not nearly as packed as usual, but definitely pretty crowded. We were tired so we just went back to our room, which was essentially pretty nice. Simple and unadorned but clean and cozy and comfortable. The bathroom is small, but everything else is pretty good. And the balcony is spacious and pleasant.

How much did you blow today?
Including the room? Probably about a grand.

… Are you ready for the sunshiiine? Are you ready for the birds and beeees, the apple treeees, and a whooole lotta foolin’ around… - The Camp Northstar Kids Chorus

PX This presents: The Sunset Beach Diaries

• Day 1 – May 6, 2010: On my way to Shelter Island…

• Day 2 – May 7, 2010: Do you see my new view?!

10:00 AM meeting, then breakfast tasting at 4:30PM. Setting up Open Table system now— Yikes!

• Day 3 – May 8, 2010: 8:30AM! Ahh— I used to go to sleep at 6AM. What a change.

Duck Paté lesson at 10PM

• Day 4 – May 9, 2010: 9:30AM Brrr! So cold! Where’s my coat?!

A concerned reader just wrote in to point out where we were remiss.
“…Love your site… but you forgot one picture from the Standard staff Xmas party… lol…”

You’re absolutely right, dear reader! Thank you! Who says the holidays are over? They’re over when we say they’re over. The gifts just keep on coming…

:)

***Earlier: “Celebrate the holidays… with the staff of The Standard Hotel”

All your favorite NYC denizens, captured drunk on video— and slurring their words and everything! What more could you possibly ask for? Now it really feels like Christmas!

:)

See also: “SPOTTED: Indochine’s 25th Anniversary”

• Tuesday, December 8, 2009. 8:30PM – Matt Dillon, Andre Balazs, Ric Pipino, Justo Artigas, Mark Baker, Cat Wei, Nur Khan, Roy Liebenthal, Ronnie Madra, Natalie Kates, Sasha Muniak, Nick Rytting, and (of course) Sante D’Orazio at the opening night party for the Barely Private exhibit at Milk Studios.

Start packing your bags now. Two must-visit destinations are about to get hotter (and not just due to global warming).

Your beloved chain of snazzy flophouses, by your favorite cute diminutive hotelier, is expanding to include locations in both London and Costa Rica. Plus, you can probably expect to see some familiar faces to welcome you with open arms when the awesome formidable projects are finally (eons from now) consummated.
Ha ha, "consummated." The Standard Hotel. See what we did there?

Don’t forget to breathe in the meantime.

This just in from a tipster: Civetta has abruptly laid off most of its staff and is closing for one month to make way for a new concept that will tentatively be manned "…by Nur Khan and Paul Sevigny." The termination comes as quite a surprise to the majority of those involved, as Civetta was just building its mostly-word-of-mouth reputation as a "pretty darned good restaurant."

Apparently, an unnamed very deep-pocketed "investor" with "ties to several projects in downtown" Manhattan, including possible "involvements" with such high-profile operators as "Andre Balazs and Serge Becker," is the primary impetus behind Civetta’s sudden shift in momentum.
Civetta will close its doors next week on December 1st.

Gee, and we hadn’t even had the chance to try it yet.
Oh well, maybe next concept.

**See our UPDATE for more information on Khan, Sevigny and Civetta.**

• Friday, November 20, 2009. 9:30PM – Stephen Gan, Glenn O’brien, Andre Balazs, Jacqueline Schnabel, Ann Dexter-Jones, Geoffrey Zakarian, Jason Pomeranc, Kenny Kenny, Ronnie Madra, Richard Johnson & Sessa Von Richtofen, Anna Sui, Willem Dafoe, Lauren Ezersky, Lyor Cohen, Tory Burch, Carmen d’Alessio, Merv Matheson, Marc Bagutta, Sean MacPherson, John MacDonald, George Wayne, Steven Greenberg, Sasha Muniak, Liev Schreiber & Naomi Watts, Kamil Parchomienko, Heikki Sorsa, and (of course) Nadine Johnson, Jean-Marc Houmard, Huy Chi Le, Jorg Rae, and Susan Wanzer at the Indochine 25th Anniversary Party.

• Friday, November 20, 2009. 11:50PM – Michael Bay, Caroline Murphy, Liev Schreiber, Thom Filicia, Greg Callejo, Heikki Sorsa, Sasha Muniak, and Kevin King at The BoomBoom/BonBon at the Standard Hotel.

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… !

The “Boom Boom” [ the early hours ]

What was your first impression?
wow did i just waltz right into an andre-balazs hotspot without having to submit my credentials (see: MercerLobby, subMercer, SunsetBeach, Chateau/BarMarmont, theRaleighPool, TheBoomBoom[late night], MK)? huh. that’s weird, i almost feel a little displaced or something. where am i?

Please rate the Bar:
love it. what more can i say. it’s got it alllll goin on, and my bartender this evening (aaron, was it?) is a total sweetie pie.

Please rate the drinks/ cocktails/ wine:
oh crap. okay i messed up, this is my 5th or 6th visit here already, and i’ve never once looked at the wine list. the liquor list is extensive, worldly, and impressive, and the cocktails are expertly prepared (albeit a tad slow at times). it’s expensive, but that’s okay (see: below).

Please rate the Dining Room:
with views like this, who cares? oh okay, obviously, it’s designed more for drinking/lounging than dining, but there isn’t a single "bad table" in the whole place. and the room itself is spectacular of course. but i fear those pompous contrived uniforms on all those beautiful ladies are going to get tired/dated reeeeeal quick. this is downtown, it aint times square, bitches— i’d get rid of those awful things if you ask me.

Please rate the BOH:
uhhh… well
personally i think the menu is PERFECT. if it was INTENTIONALLY created to spare theBoomBoom from the most irritating people in new york, it’s GENIUS. pedestrian enough to keep away the foodies/foodists, expensive enough to thwart the trite but opinionated bloggers, and intimidating enough to hinder the hipsters— it’s GOLDEN.
i have finally found the perfect place for me. i have come HOME.

How was the staff?
i love the staff. it’s everybody i’ve met and/or worked with over my entire 20+ year career, and i adore them all. their collective résumés span centuries of service in the most renowned establishments in the very best cities all over this country.
they’re perfectly nice to me. i can’t speak for you.

What did you eat?/ How was the food?
at this point, over several visits, i’ve had pretty much everything on the "preview" supper menu except maybe the caviar sandwich. so far, my favorites are the burger, the croque monsieur, the english tea sandwiches, and the french fries (which, by the way, are $10. ha ha ahaa i LOVE it).
but frankly, who gives a shit. let’s be honest already— you’re not here for the food. and if you’re here just because you could finally get in, and all you want to do afterward is tell everybody how "overrated" or "not any big deal" it is, stay home or go someplace else. feel free to experience it from the comfort of your living room sofa when it inevitably shows up in an episode of Entourage or Gossip Girl or Sex and the City The Movie2 or whatever.

What did you like?
everything. everybody.

What did you dislike?
that it was so damned easy to get in here.
that one girl with the unwashed hair in the too-tight jeans and the too-tight/too-short teeshirt with the cheap shoes and the ugly handbag completely ruining the aesthetics for a moment when she lamentably crossed my line of vision.
and what the fuck is with the baby strollers all of a sudden?

What was your last impression?
as soon as i can charm a WiFi password out of somebody with some juice (and i will) i’m moving in here.

Would you come back?
i’m on my way over…

Thank you, and hope to see you soon!
sure, you say that now. wait til you’re sick of seeing my face.

• Friday, October 23, 8:57PM – "@ Blue Ribbon Sushi right now Chelsea Clinton sitting next table over!"

• Saturday, October 24, 10:00PM – Eric Goode and Emil Varda at The Bon Bon (née The Boom Boom) "just checking out the digs" and saying hello to Andre Balazs. When asked to confirm Artan Gjoni’s (earlier) assertion that Juliet Supper Club is housed "in the former Area" space, Eric Goode replied, "What? Where? Twenty first street? No way."

• Monday, October 19, 2:30PM – Sante D’Orazio lunching outdoors at Bar Pitti. Also, Merv Matheson (not together).

• Tuesday, October 20, 2:00PM – Mark Baker and Artan Gjoni lunching outdoors at Gusto Ristorante e Bar Americano.

yesterday i got another one of those e-mails where peoples ask me random things like i actually know what the hells i’m talking about. (it’s really flattering!) so i decided every now and again i should answer a question out loud so i don’t have to answer it repeatedly, thereby admitting my ineptitude merely once instead of multiple times. yay!

Q: "what’s the deal with the hamptons? …is it really all that or is it all hype?"

A: i have no idea.

oh okay, some if it is “all that” and some of it is “hype.” there are nice houses in the hamptons so if you get to stay in one of those, the hamptons are pretty awesome. and the beaches are good. and it’s relaxing to get away sometimes— you have to jump in the ocean to get rid of evil spirits, you know. plus there’s an andre-balazs hotel there and who doesn’t love those?

the rest is eh. all the restaurants are kinda overpriced (i don’t know about the stores cuz i’ve never shopped there and i don’t also don’t know anything about the clubs— get serious). and there are only a few good ones at that. i think i have maybe been to about a dozen or so restaurants in the hamptons in my lifetime and there are only two i like: SantAmbroeus and Silver’s.

obviously you already know alls about SantAmbroeus. it’s pretty much the same at the beach, but the one at the beach has a gelato/dessert stand too. and everybody gets all dolled up after their day on the beach to go there. it’s expensive— more expensive than the one here in the city. and it’s pretty much the same type of crowd as you would expect (they even have some of the very same staff). i saw barbara-walters there once.

Silver’s is this great bistro type joint that serves delicious lobster rolls, and the bestest crab cake i have ever tasted in my life. they also have these monster sized burgers and BLTs and whatnot, but i’ve never tried any of those cuz i always order the same things (that other stuff looks good though). they have a good decently priced rosé by the bottle from provence too.
the only annoying thing about Silver’s is they stop seating at 3:30pm and they’re not open for dinner at all! what the hells.
the owner/chef is a really nice guy named gavin-ellins (?) oh geez i forget now i’ll have to ask again next time i’m there. his son works as a waiter in the dining room and he’s sweet too. sometimes the staff gets a little abrupt around closing time, but overall i think Silver’s is really great.
i guess they must do just fine only opening like three hours a day so good for them. but it is kind of a bummer.

that’s pretty much all i know about the hamptons.

[ from now ons, you can ask any questions you like in the brand new "just ask. just tell." section of The Forum @ PX This. membership/registration is not required for this section, so hopefully somebody out there will be able to answer your question better than i. hooray! ]