PX This.

• Thursday, July 29, 2010 6:00PM: Stellan Skarsgård standing outside the Ralph Lauren Rugby store on University Place conversing with friends.

• Sunday, July 25, 2010 4:30PM: Dave Chapelle walking alone (sporting a backpack) on Thompson St in Greenwich Village.

• Tuesday, July 6, 2010 8:30PM: Anderson Cooper dining with friend at Gusto Ristorante e Bar Americano in the West Villlage.

• Tuesday, July 20, 2010 7:30PM: Grace Coddington dining with friend at Sant Ambroeus in the West Village.

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

From the inbox: "Hey… planning an upcoming trip that includes two days in NYC. Don’t want to end up at the tourist spots, I wanna eat like a hip/savvy local! What do you suggest, please? Like, where would you go if you only had one day? And how hard is it to get reservations or get in? … You’re like the Adrian Moore of NYC, [where] I got some great tips on dining when I first moved to Paris… Thanks! – D.B.

So, what do you do in the industry?
it’s me, bitches! or rather — for our Parisian friends— c’est moi, salopes!

And you have how many days off a week, generally?
let’s say 2

What did would you do for breakfast yesterday?
i don’t generally do breakfast, but if i did (or if i were entertaining, e.g.), i’d likely go to SantAmbroeus in the west village. boom— it’s only breakfast and already you’re a “hip and savvy” local. try not to stare at liv-tyler.
breakfast is a bit more sedate than lunch or dinner, so just walk right on in.

Lunch?
if it’s a beautiful sunny day, BarPitti.
after 2pm is best, but do plan on the possibility of a short wait unless you arrive after 4pm. they don’t take reservations, and they don’t take credit cards either.

And afterward?
as you’re already in that vicinity, perhaps some shopping in SoHo or the WestVillage?
and since you’re on vacation, after that, you’ll of course need a nice apértif. personally, when in SoHo, i like LaEsquina or CafeSelect. if i’m in the WestVillage, it’s CentroVinoteca or GustoRistorante e BarAmericano.
either/all are nice and relaxing in the hours from 4pm to 7pm, no reservation/waiting required.

Dinner?
this is where it gets a little tricky. firstly, because you asked where i would go if i only had one night (or had guests from out of town), and secondly because the answer to the question "is it hard to get in?" would likely be a yes oui. but here goes anyway:

at the top of my list would be LaEsquina.
unfortunately, it can be difficult to get a reservation even for a local. a good alternative since you’re coming in the summertime is to sit outdoors, provided you don’t mind dining early (around 7pm). tables outside are first come first served, but do not offer the full cellar dining room menu. however, the "scene and/or people watching" (one of LaEsquina’s primary attractions) is stellar from this vantage point.

also at the top of the list is MinettaTavern, mostly because whenever friends of mine visit from across the country or overseas, dinner at MinettaTavern is usually a principal request. i believe reservations at this juncture are still a bit difficult, so a decent strategy is to dine at the bar. i normally suggest people go early (around 6pm), check with the maitre d’ for any cancellations or sudden availabilities, but be prepared to have full dinner at the bar if necessary. of course, late dinner (around 11pm) is always an option too, but it’s not the choice i would make.

[i wanted to re-iterate however, these are selections i would make under the provision of one night in NYC as a "hip/savvy local." if you're one of those die hard foodie types, send your hate mail elsewhere, i'm not even remotely interested. then go get yourself a Michelin guide or something.]

And afterward?
sigh. if i had to? the BoomBoom. but yes it’s true, you’re not getting in. but since you must go home and tell everyone you’ve been there— go early, in the hours from 4pm to 9pm.

please do not ask me where you can "go dancing" after 10pm without a hassle at the door, because any pragmatic suggestion i would make would only serve to publicly embarrass myself. [okay here's a tip: you can go absolutely anywhere else you please if you're willing to "buy a bottle" and/or bribe the doorperson.]

How much did would you [have to] blow today?
with the exception of "BoomBoom Room," none of my recommendations are exorbitantly expensive. but, since it’s vacation, and i assume you mean to have a nice time— i would approximate the total cost for a day out like this (for two people) at about $550.00

i hope you have a nice visit!

*** See our latest UPDATE on La Esquina ***

• Thursday, November 19, 2009. 6:30PM – Lucy Liu and Bryant Gumbel at the 25th UNICEF Anniversary Lighting of the Fifth Ave Snowflake at the Louis Vuitton flagship boutique.

• Sunday, November 15, 2009. 4:00PM – Natalia Vodianova, alone, wearing a short black coat and black stockings, leaving The Bowery Hotel and jumping into a big, dark SUV.

• Wednesday, November 18, 2009. 8:30PM – Heikki Sorsa (with snowboard posse) dining at Gusto Ristorante e Bar Americano.

• Thursday, November 19, 2009. 8:00PM – Heikki Sorsa (with snowboard posse) dining at La Esquina.

• Tuesday, November 17, 2009. 8:00PM – Former Top Chef contestants Leah Cohen and Hosea Rosenberg dining with friends at Lure Sushi and chatting with Chef Josh Capon.

• Saturday, November 14, 2009. 3:00PM – Armin Amiri having brunch with a friend at Gusto Ristorante e Bar Americano.

• 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.

HEY I DID TRY TO POST THIS RESPONSE AS A COMMENT DIRECTLY AT EATER BUT THEY HAVE A "CHARACTER CUTOFF" AND AFTER TYPING ALL THIS GODDAMNED RIGMAROLE I DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE TO GO BACK AND SHAVE OFF 403 OF MY CHARACTERS. AND I HATE SENDING E-MAILS CUZ I CAN’T STAND BEING PARAPHRASED.
SIGH.

Aww, I’m flattered, thank you. Technically however, I am not the official spokesperson for Centro Vinoteca, nor am I directly employed within the company. But, as I do consult for them on occasion, I guess I’ll just go ahead and explain as best I can, with the stipulation that none of it is to be construed as an official statement by the company.

1) As for Leah Cohen quitting, this was actually not considered a "problem" as much as a consequence of doing business. People leave. It happens. A chef leaving a restaurant is as much a "problem" as paying the rent and the electric bill.

2) I did tell Centro’s “PR person” she could address Gusto’s "on the market" speculation “off the record only” with Eater, because it was not deemed an important enough issue to warrant the possibility of attracting more attention to the stupid matter. In the exact words told to me, "Who cares? Nobody gives a shit anyway."
Well. As best I know, neither 60 nor 62 Greenwich Ave is "on the market" for sale. I must admit the explanation of the "mortgage holder’s risk assessment to gauge interest, value, and anticipated turnover time" sounds kinda weird to me, but maybe only cuz I never heard of it before.
Alls I can think is: If you REALLY think those buildings are for sale, then go ahead and make an offer and see what happens. Who knows? If you can come up with a really impressive non-refundable deposit fast enough, maybe you CAN buy those buildings after all!

3) As for the "shuttering" of Centro Vinoteca: Well, we did address this ridiculousness once before, with Gusto Ristorante. Here at —> http://pxthis.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=501
If you recall, Gusto was shut down by the DCA (for three days) for putting smoking tables out IN DECEMBER while the sidewalk permit was technically still in the PROCESS of being renewed, because apparently merely setting out TWO tables with TWO chairs (IN DECEMBER) constitutes "an intent to serve."
The DCA instructed Gusto it was NOT ALLOWED to post signage of any kind in explanation to the patrons.
BRILLIANT "punishment," no? No monetary fine imposed, just a slap on the wrist and a timeout to go sit in the corner wearing a dunce cap. Three days of lost sales tax income to the state of NY (not to mention lost income/income-taxes for the staff) and then some (seeing as patrons were not entitled to know when the restaurant would re-open). It’s PURE GENIUS I tell you.

As far as I PERSONALLY can surmise, Centro will re-open tomorrow.

4) As for an "experienced operator" (with no partners or other such investors) having such “problems”: yes, it does indeed get to be a handful for one person running multiple locations at such high volume. Which is why one might need to hire— say, an "expeditor" for example, to handle such bureaucratic tasks like permit renewals and whatnot.

Too bad sometimes some employees such as "expeditors" are fucking dumbasses. Yah, even when they’re paid, believe it or not.

Hope that’s some decent "intel" for you?

Thanks again!
:)

Oh P.S. — That’s actually pxthis.com rather than abbe-diaz.com, but whatever. Thanks anyway.