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 ***

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! ]