• Urban Daddy does all you losers a favor by letting you know how you can finally get into theJane. Then the comments section of Down by the Hipster reminds you all again why it is exactly you are such a fucking bunch of losers. -Vanilla Ice
• Speaking of reminders, Joshua David Stein grabs another opportunity to exhibit how he is such a knowledgable and insidery genius, and that Abbe Diaz is just a "batshit crazy, angry, petty" person— by graciously informing you pretty much the exact same shit Abbe Diaz already told you. -Vanilla Ice
• Jennifer Aniston reports on Conan O’Brien that she wants to possibly maybe open a Mexican restaurant— because "usually a great night is had in a Mexican restaurant, no?" And also: "New York City needs a great [Mexican restaurant]."
OH SNAP! Ya hear that, La Esquina? All that hospitality you’ve been showing Jennifer (we’ve spotted her there with our very own eyes on two separate occasions, both times with John Mayer. And we hear she’s "there all the time") is only going to end up with her biting yer stilo and stealing your patrons, à la Graydon Carter and Ron Perelman.
So much for gratitude! -Vanilla Ice
• SPOTTED: Last week at BarPitti, all dining on the same evening— Tony Shafrazi (business), Carmen Kass (pleasure), and Mena Suvari (business/pleasure ?). Look out for the paparazzi pics of Mena Suvari somewhere (she was properly attired and bespackled for them) since the photogs were plentiful and relentless. (Carmen Kass they completely missed, however.)
• SPOTTED: Nightlife impresario Richie Akiva celebrating his birthday over Saturday (September 19th) brunch at Cercle Rouge— with three super-tall babes and one beefy bruiser in tow. And his little dog too.
Nobody sang for him (aww, booo!). And kudos to him for being the only at the table not too hungover and/or stoned to have to hide behind big bugeyed beblackened spectacles.
As they were departing after their meal, one model reprimanded Richie Akiva like his mom, "The waiter just said ‘Happy Birthday’ to you!" And Akiva retorted, "I said, ‘thank you’!"
Yes, he certainly did, and quite sweetly, too. So there.
yah so
last night was this awesome private dinner at LaEsquina thrown by JoseCuervo to celebrate Mexican Independence Day and to help promote their Platino and Extra Añejo Riserva de la Familia tequilas to… ummm… "influentials" (? that would be ME. yay!)
it was really great and delicious (there’s new stuff on the LaEsquina menu! did you even realize?) and believe it or not, even though i consumed about a half dozen JoseCuervo tequila drinks in various incarnations, i still managed to learn quite a lot about tequila.
wouldn’t you like to learn some too? sure you would. okay here goes. did you know:
- that tequila is like "champagne" or like "bourbon" in that in order for it to be called "tequila" it MUST be made in the region of tequila,mexico (which is comprised of five regions within itself). any similar liquor produced outside this region must be denominated otherwise— like "mezcal" or some such, etc.
- tequila is also like wine, in that it has an "NOM" classification (Nominacion Original sumpn sump? or sumpn? whatever) very much like the french AOC and the italian DOC.
- that any tequila which is 100% agave (like Jose Cuervo’s Riservas) is completely free of sugar and therefore "will not cause headaches or hangovers…"
(it’s also only 60 calories an ounce and contains no carbs!)
- somewhat by virtue of this, Jose Cuervo is also currently awaiting FDA approval to label their Riserva tequilas "organic."
- that Patron is owned by paul-mitchell (the hair products dude)… thereby making Patron something akin to the Absolut of tequilas, if you hear what i’m sayin (big vodka fanatic here).
- that the former JoseCuervo "1800" is no longer a part of JoseCuervo? it "separated itself from the company," and although 1800 is still made in Cuervo distilleries, it no longer bears the name "Jose Cuervo."
- that all Riserva de la Familia bottles are still hand filled, labeled, and numbered— because JoseCuervo remains a 10th generation family-run business that fully espouses the tradition of sustaining the employment of local mexican laborers and artisans…
- … in fact, the Extra Añejo bottles come packaged in a special wooden box, re-designed annually by local artists, some of the sales proceeds of which are then donated to help fund a local university for the arts.
- that the Platino is best served "chilled and/or in cocktails" but the Extra Añejo should be "room temperature, in a snifter."
- that to recognize any "very good tequila," you should notice "spiciness in the mouth and taste buds only" with "a warmth in the throat and downward"— but NEVER a spiciness in the throat and downward.
- that by nosing the Extra Añejo in the glass, you will recognize the different notes by nosing "the front" (the pepperiness), "the center" (the "honey" and agave), and "the back" (the oak and wood notes).
also— keep your mouth slightly open to help dispel the "alcohol" fragrance.
isn’t that fascinating ?
in short:
that shit is GOOD.
yay José!
= "personne extraordinaire"