PX This.

Well, we hate to say we told you so…

Oh who we are kidding, we looove it. Told ya so. Told ya so! TOLD YA SO, MUTHERFUKKERS.

We know, we know, PX This is accurate in its predictions so often, it’s hard to keep track. So let’s re-cap shall we?

Sometime in early November, Marc Epstein, owner of Milk Street Cafe located at 40 Wall St in the Financial District, blamed the failure of his previously "booming" business on the protesters of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Unfortunately for Mr Epstein, he completely failed to take into account the sagacity and perspicacity of downtown New York City’s own Food & Beverage authority, PX This.

The ridiculousness, hyperbole, and bombast of the story that appeared in The New York Post (and subsequently other news outlets) was enough to raise the hairs on our neck, resulting in our rebuttal. Which (as our general modus operandi demonstrates) may have been enough to satiate our enthusiasm for avid bullshit unveiling— EXCEPT that some dumbass had the temerity to try and refute our confutation with, get this— idiocy and lies.
Wooo, child. If there’s one thing regular readers of PX This know by now, it’s: Homey don’t play that.

Therefore, please excuse or join us as you see fit, as we revel in our little jig of joy right now. Suck it, Milk Street Cafe.

Oh and P.S.
That "former occupier" that went "bankrupt in the middle of the night"? Well, it just so happens they’ve already been informed by a concerned "recruiter" that all worthy employees of Milk Street Cafe will be referred to them for employment.

Oh, the irony.

[P.P.S. Don't even get us started on the karmic implications of all that ill-gotten bright shiny equipment that was utilized during that woeful six months of operation, bitches.]

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 September the eatery likely "wouldn’t last past Christmas." At the time, the dispirited staffer had complained of disorganization and inefficiency, referring particularly to its persistent lack of a Catering Manager and Catering Chef despite the enterprise having commenced operations months earlier in June, which subsequently hobbled its ability to procure new accounts.

It’s also worth noting that a similar "booming" deli/catering business which thrived in the very same location as Milk Street Cafe, continued to operate a full seven years past the undeniably disastrous September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001— which, needless to say, annihilated far many more businesses in the area than Occupy Wall Street.

PX This would like to take the opportunity to express our empathy and sympathy for our fellow laborers and businesspeople whose endeavors are impeded by the audacious efforts of those who actively protest against the grave injustices of our government and the calamitous corruption of our financial systems in hope of recognition, acknowledgement, and change.

But to those who would seek to lay blame on others for their own irresponsibility or negligence, we (as always) declare:

NIZZLES, PLEASE.

"Milk" this.

** See our UPDATE on Milk Street Cafe **

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 1999), speculators have the restaurant’s impending denouement pegged anywhere from "by the end of this year" to "sometime next year." As long suspected, the air rights over Pastis have proven far too valuable to its owners to extend Pastis’s entitlement, which simply cannot fulfill the estimated cost of retaining its space at its current market value, even if offered the option.

This comes on the heels of the cognition that the latest of several nightlife impresarios to have been offered the Pravda space on Lafayette St, within the last year or so, has also declined.

• And speaking of the latest move in NYC’s fast-paced Tenancy Twirl, sagacious speculators have Andre Balazs waiting in the wings for his crack at the Tony Turf Two-Step. Although his turn still "may be about a couple years" away, insiders say there’s already "talk" of the prime basement level space in Balazs’s perennially posh Mercer Hotel (currently Mercer Kitchen) and are rubbing their hands in glee over the inevitable "infusion" of new blood a Balazs self-owned/operated venue could bring.
And let’s face it; given Balazs’s smashing success at self-sufficient F&B in The Standard New York (and the, ahem— lack of love lost, so to speak), in our percipient minds this prudent rumor practically confirms itself.

• Aaand speaking of the habitual Hotel Hippity Hop, this just in reminded us: Former General Manager Lana Trevisan is no longer at Hotel Americano. She’s at Gansevoort Park now. (You’re welcome, googlie gods.)

• Which! also reminds us: Former Executive Chef Jonnatan Leiva is no longer manning the kitchen at 10 Downing (which also not-so-recently lost three of its managing partners, duh). He’s up the street at John deLucie‘s The Lion now.

• And now that we have chef on the brain, yes it’s true what you’ve heard— Josh Eden‘s Shorty’s .32 is indeed closed for good, and not simply "for renovations" as you’d all hoped. After failing to secure the "roughly $186,000.00" in this troublesome economy that Eden had sought to "buy out" his decisive principal partners and make minor reparations, Eden then accepted one of several major offers for his tremendous talent.

• Finally, as for the you-know-who and the you-know-what due in you-know-when: come on now, peoples. What are we, his mother?
That is all. And we really really mean it; THAT IS ALL. What the hells do you want, a pool or something? christ.

Hope you’re happy now, sheesh. [Thanks, we missed you too.]

* * * * *

Have you heard?
Until the release of PX Me (Spring 2012), this website will henceforth be updated only intermittently (approximately once or twice a week).
Abbe Diaz’s new (daily) blog is now at: abbediaz.com

PX Me. (How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous, and Married a Millionaire)

When Abbe Diaz published her journal, PX This – Diary of the "Maître d’ to the Stars" [née Diary of the Potted Plant] in 2004, she’d had no idea what she was in for. Sure, she expected the process would be difficult and she might never work in the fine dining restaurant industry ever again, but she never imagined the truth could be so controversial— in a book that’s essentially about HAVING DINNER.

Despite PX This being lauded by most of her colleagues (and some of the most illustrious names in the business) as "the bible of the [NYC] industry," Diaz soon learned the politics of Food and/or "Culture" Media & PR is a game that’s dirtier than last night’s dishes. Finding herself under unjustified fire from various vastly popular and influential periodicals, news blogs, food press, online foodie communities, and other professional and aspiring writers, Diaz (a textbook Scorpio/Monkey) quickly realized [again] there were two things in her life she would never be willing to do: 1) Take unmerited bullshit, and 2) Kiss spiteful pretentious ass.

As you can probably imagine, that went over reeeally well. Mistruths, mudslinging, manipulation, misappropriation, corruption, censorship, and the tarnishing of her character— as well as the livelihoods of her friends and loved ones— are just some of the things she subsequently endured.

This is that story.

"This writing stuff is HARD." – Salman Rushdie (to friends on Facebook®)

"If you think the writing is hard, wait ’til you try the selling part. Oh, wait…" – Abbe Diaz (in response to friend, Salman Rushdie, on Facebook®)

PX Me – The Sequel to PX This
(How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous,
and Married a Millionaire)
- COMING SOON IN THE SPRING OF 2012 -

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Abbe Diaz is a freelance commercial-artist, designer/dressmaker, and restaurant consultant. She has worked in the restaurant/bar industry for nearly 25 years, with numerous stints throughout the New York dining/party scene that include: Limelight, Palladium, Tunnel, Club USA, Coffee Shop, Spy, Cafe Tabac, The Strand (Miami Beach), Mercer Kitchen, Ilo, Lotus, and Theo. She served as the opening maître d’ for The Park, Smith, and 66.

She is proud to have had the opportunity to work under such nightlife arbiters as: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Brian McNally, Jonathan Morr, Peter Gatien, Eric Goode, and Sean Macpherson.
Diaz gained a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers College, Rutgers University – New Brunswick. She was further educated as a non-matriculate Design student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, in NYC, where she currently resides.

• “The New York service industry’s Norma Rae, Abbe Diaz… the Service Industry’s Nikke Finke…” – BlackBook

• “…pure unbridled crazy batshitness…” – gawker.com

For more information about PX This – Diary of the "Maître d’ to the Stars" visit http://pxthis.com/thebook

* * * * *

Have you heard?
Until the release of PX Me – The Sequel to PX This (Spring 2012), this website will henceforth be updated only intermittently (approximately once or twice a week).
Abbe Diaz’s new (daily) blog is now at: abbediaz.com

Following relatively recent news of shakeups at The Box, EMM, and Bagatelle, PX This has learned that Managing Director Ian Nicholson is the latest executive to decamp The Standard Hotel here in NYC. Following the earlier but unrelated departure of F&B Director of Operations Lana Trevisan (currently GM of soon-to-open Hotel Americano), Nicholson resigned from Hotels AB to forge a partnership deal with hotelier Alan Faena, most notably of Philippe Starck designed Faena Hotel+Universe in Buenos Aires.

Prospective projects of Faena and Nicholson include the somewhat beleaguered Cipriani Ocean Resort & Club location at 3201 Collins Ave in Miami Beach, as well as a future NYC site, currently still in its early stages of development. They are backed by Russian-American billionaire, Len Blavatnik who also, mere weeks ago, purchased Warner Music Group for a reported $3.3 billion.

Nicholson has served as The Standard’s Managing Director since May 2007 and as Vice President – Hotel Operations of Andre Balazs Properties since January 2010. Prior, he maintained the General Manager position at The SoHo Grand, Tribeca Grand, and The Hudson Hotel.

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 appropriated from Steve Hanson‘s BR Guest, having once overseen BR Guests’s very first foray in nightlife, Level V, formerly housed in the basement space under (defunct) Meatpacking District restaurant Vento (currently Dos Caminos), located mere blocks from EMM properties, SL and Tenjune.

Apparently, the rigid Non-Compete includes provisos on non-employment with rival entities for designated extended periods, and allegedly bars impresarios from further related employment in NYC at any time. Obviously, this proves problematic for Julien, who once openly admitted to surveying "other projects," at least one of which was situated in "the Meatpacking."

Julien has worked with EMM for several years, manning the entrance to Tenjune since its inception in September of 2006.

photo: Melissa Hom for Grubstreet, New York Magazine

* * * * *

Have you heard?
Until the release of PX Me (Summer 2011), this website will henceforth be updated only intermittently (approximately once or twice a week).
Abbe Diaz’s new (daily) blog is now at: abbediaz.com

This just in: Nightlife impresario and Calvin Klein play pal, Nick Rytting, has decamped from The Box, where until last week he retained the title of General Manager. He currently joins co-owners and (longtime F&Bulous operatives) Larry Poston and Johnny Swet at Hotel Griffou.

The move is a logical one for Rytting, some of whose friends and followers within the industry raised eyebrows and expressed skepticism when Rytting departed F&B for Nightlife’s notoriously tumultuous Team Hammerstein, following his years-long stint at La Esquina.

Hotel Griffou, which recently replaced original beleaguered chef Jason Giordano with Bouley and Per Se alum David Santos, now seems perfectly poised to reclaim its initial über-hot status, as Poston (formerly of The Waverly Inn and Pastis), Swet (formerly of Freemans and The Park), and Rytting must surely constitute downtown’s F&B Power-Pulchritudinous A-Gay trifecta.
Stay tuned.

This has been a PX This PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

See also (earlier): On Nick Rytting

photo by Kristin Brown

* * * * *

Have you heard?
Until the release of PX Me (Summer 2011), this website will henceforth be updated only intermittently (approximately once or twice a week).
Abbe Diaz’s new (daily) blog is now at: abbediaz.com

Hey, remember a few weeks ago when we referred to Armin Amiri‘s new enterprise but didn’t want to give away all the details because we were trying to be respectful, and then Eater graciously picked up our tidbit and then the very next day The New York Post shadily ran with the story without crediting us, as usual, because they’re lame shystery fuckers, and then supposedly Amy Sacco got pretty upset and then maybe may or may not have thrown a wee bit of a tantrum that Amiri is riding her coat tails straight over her head now that he’s getting all these big new deals in New York (hey New York Post, did you happen to hear about the other project Amiri’s been fervently eyeing for months now?) and she’s not?

Yeah well, that place is called Mr H, and it soft-opened to "friends and family" as a complimentary "preview" last week on Friday night for "only thirty invited guests," in a practice run before the Prabal Gurung and Derek Lam parties over the weekend. We have a few photos even though technically we weren’t allowed to take pictures, so we’ll show you some because clearly there’s no point in trying to be respectful. However, we will endeavor to remain somewhat courteous and just give you a sneak peek, because apparently Mr H is currently in the unfortunate position of having to honor Fashion Week bookings made months in advance despite being behind development schedule and "not fully prepared." Evidently, its current state is "temporary"; Mr H will re-close after Fashion Week to undergo further renovations.

That is all for now. Try checking The Post tomorrow— maybe they’ll make some calls today in an attempt to score some kind of awesome indignant quote from Amy Sacco or something.

* * * * *

Have you heard?
Until the release of PX Me (Summer 2011), this website will henceforth be updated only intermittently (approximately once or twice a week).
Abbe Diaz’s new (daily) blog is now at: abbediaz.com

Ladies and Gentlemen, May We Have Your Attention

Christian Alexander‘s gatherings may have been heating up The Mulberry Project for the past couple weeks or so, but things are about to get even hotter. And we maybe don’t exactly mean that in a good way.

Now that its opening has been officially announced, chances are likely the diminutive venue will now be in far greater demand. This has the neighbors worried. According to sources who live nearby, the former establishment located within the space "practically closed itself," when persistent complaints from the area’s residents, about the noise emanating from the rear garden, had the city’s building departments incessantly breathing down its neck.

Here’s a valuable word of advice: If it’s very late at night (or rather, early in the morning) and you don’t see the doorman poised at the basement entrance of 149 Mulberry St, do the place a favor and just keep walking. Do not harass the neighbors, do not disturb the local shops/shopkeepers, and certainly do not go around ringing random buzzers or screaming into the void.

You’re not getting in. Let it go— that is, if you want the joint to survive long enough for you to try another day. Frustrated homebodies say they "don’t want to be enemies," but are losing patience quickly. Please consider this "fair warning."

This has been a PX This PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

* * * * *

Have you heard?
Until the release of PX Me (Summer 2011), this website will henceforth be updated only intermittently (approximately once or twice a week).
Abbe Diaz’s new (daily) blog is now at:

abbediaz.com

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 summarily dismissed without warning or justification. The two are expected to pursue legal recourse.
Bagatelle, Kiss & Fly, and RDV are not affiliated with their other undertakings, Villa Pacri and La Petite Maison.

• Legendary F&B Superstar Artan Gjoni‘s new venture is in soft-open mode. Albert Hall Tavern is located at 508 9th Ave between 38th and 39th Streets. Tell ‘im we sent you. Ha ha haa, no actually—- don’t.

• Chronic cool dude and nightlife impresario Armin Amiri is slated to open his new enterprise someplace "in Chinatown." We’d tell you where, but then we’d have to kill you. (Stay tuned.)

• Which newest enterprise is the top contender for the industry’s famous and sagacious Dead In Eight [months] award? News is already trickling in from "Friends & Family," and the forecast isn’t pretty. (Don’t quit your day job.) Place your bets!

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 OP license. With impressive pedigrees from such popular venues as: The Box, Rose Bar, La Esquina, Balthazar, Mercer Kitchen, and 66, these seasoned veterans of the F&B industry are sure to keep you wooing reservationists (or mooing in "cattle-calls") through 2011 at the very minimum.

We’d love to give you all the details, but as usual, we promised to keep it "off the record."

Oh but wait! Here’s one bible we didn’t swear on:

Unconfirmed reports have surfaced that historically perilous chef Jody Williams is on track to open another venue on her old stomping grounds, this time at the diminutive former Pink Tea Cup space at 42 Grove St, possibly partnered with rumored companion Rita Sodi (of neighboring West Village eatery, I Sodi).

That is all.

The Curious Case of Gwendolyn Butler

OK, I don’t actually know if Boston’s notorious "$3M Bartender" Gwen Butler was really christened Gwendolyn at some point in her life, but I just thought it sounded better in the title.

Anyhoo! PX This hereby presents the following NEWSFLASH: Gwen Butler’s recent appointment as General Manager of La Esquina has been terminated. We repeat: GWEN BUTLER HAS LEFT THE BUILDING.

Fascinating, isn’t it?

No? Why should you actually care, you ask? Who gives a goddamn, you inquire?

Well, New York magazine’s Grubstreet cares! So nyeah. And frankly, we here at PX This care too. And YOU— curious, sagacious, cognizant, voracious, zealous associate of the NYC Food & Beverage industry— maybe you should care too. Think of it as an compelling case study!

You may recall Boston’s scandalous "$3M Bartender"/"Full Comp"-blogger first made her big splash in NYC as anonymous-writer/Keith-McNally-pillorer "Sympathy for the Restaurant Industry."
She trundled through various undertakings, searing her mountainous brand upon the backsides of venues across the great island of Manhattan— Bubby’s, Daydream, Thunder Jacksons, etc— all culminating in an unprecedented and uproarious smackdown with Wonder Douche dumb chef, Ryan Skeen.*
Still, she managed to emerge triumphant, landing her "dream job" as GM of longtime über-hotspot, La Esquina.

Unfortunately, despite her entrusted duty-bound title, it wasn’t long at all before Butler was up to her old shenanigans, unable to resist the siren call of glorious foodie-blog superstardom. It seems that under Butler’s deft Deep-Throat email-wielding hands, La Esquina soon came under befuddled stupefied scrutiny, and avid supporters of "co-owner" Serge Becker were suddenly left scratching their heads wondering if they should take their patronage elsewhere.

Apparently, this didn’t bode well for La Esquina’s bottom line; "an insider" from the restaurant approximates it may even have possibly diminished the nightly cover estimate by as much as "30 percent," as the cool crowd moved their party up the street, to fellow chronic cool-dude Nur Khan‘s Kenmare.

However, another "La Esquina insider" tells us that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of Butler’s "wackadoo" tenure. As early as July 30, 2010 (mere weeks into Butler’s regime) the staff had already organized a mass email campaign to owner Derek Sanders, imploring the ejection of the newly-instated Butler.
Truth be told, we here at PX This have been fielding the plenitudinous grumblings ever since.

That surprises you, doesn’t it? I mean, after all, the whooole "blogger world" (whoever the hell that’s supposed to be) considers us to be "the La Esquina shit-talkers" (whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean)—
don’t they, dear?
[Please, by all means, hit that "La Esquina" tag-link, and just revel in all the "shit" we've been talking. While you're at it, try the "Gwen Butler" tag-link too, and then maybe you can figure out what we've ever done to have Ms Butler trying to unofficially "blacklist" us from La Esquina for weeks now. According to a "La Esquina insider" (or two, or four, or more) that is.]

Oh waaait, never mind, I got it. It’s this comment here by our chieftain, isn’t it?

Well— you certainly can’t say she never told you so.

*Yeh, don’t think we didn’t catch that snide ignorant little dig on your Twitter page before you deleted it, Ryan Skeen.

Viva La Esquina!

***********************************************

For more on this story, read PX Me – The Sequel to PX This Coming in the Spring of 2011

Nuela may have waited two months for its official kinda wishy-washy New York Times review, but evidently that was enough time for Chef Adam Schop to greatly impress discerning patrons and astute investors (you know, the ones who aren’t afraid of the big bad scary pictures).

The owners of Nuela have already signed on the dotted line and slowly begun work on their next project. Located at the former Ottimo space just east up 24th Street from Nuela (and next door to Eataly), this latest undertaking endeavors to bring Schop’s creative and scrumptious West Coast Chopperesque touch to Argentinean steak.
Mmmm… beeeeef…

Not so fast there, Meateater. The anticipated date of launch is a "good year or so away… like, laaater." (Place your bets now on which color of the rainbow gets top billing. Kidding!)

We’re just sayin’.

GREATEST HITS: PX This [The Blahg]

Hi! Thank you for your "search"!
This website is currently undergoing changes as it continually progresses, so the entry for which you are seeking has likely been archived within "The Greatest Hits – PX This [The Blahg]". It was removed from its original location in preparation for the upcoming release of PX This Too (The Sequel to PX This). If you would like more information and/or further clarification on this particular narrative, please read PX This – The Revised Edition and/or PX This Too (coming soon).

And so without further ado— by popular (search engine) demand, we proudly present THE GREATEST HITS of PX This [The Blahg]

[*** warning: Eats, Shoots and Ladders Leaves freaks, please CLICK HERE* and HERE before reading any further. then take that favorite book of yours and stick it up your ass. thank you! ***]

"What’s the deal with New York Magazine / GrubStreet’s "Two for Eight"? Is it all just bullshit or what?"

TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2009. 11:18AM

okay so
this is the THIRD time i’ve caught a discrepancy in their uhhh "reporting."

as you may or may not recall, i previously posted about the other two times in the [private, password-protected, soon-to-be-defunct] "members’ only forum"–

specifically, i said this:

May 29, 2009, 11:18 AM

… last night was dinner at CentroVinoteca. and the place was slammed.

and that made me think "huh." cuz the day before, i had called the restaurant to try and make a reservation for friends of mine (who had tried themselves, but couldn’t get a table). and even though the hostess was very sweet saying they could accommodate me, i could tell it was going to be a bit of a nightmare for them so i told them never mind. and then i made arrangements with my friend to dine together with them another time instead, and so that made everybody happy and satisfied.

lo and behold i look yesterday morning and i see on grubstreet: "Tables Available at Centro Vinoteca" for two at 8pm.

and i was all: — but then i brushed it off thinking i guess it’s possssible (?) they had a cancellation? but didn’t call me? hmm. okay.

and so last night i mentioned this to one of the managers in charge of the reservationists. and he personally told me: "it’s IMPOSSIBLE. there was no way grubstreet was offered an 8pm table at 4pm. WE WERE BOOKED."

i also happpen to know there was also another time grubstreet had the same "Centro… Tables Available…" title but when you clicked on the link, it stated there was in fact "no" table available.
but when i pointed the discrepancy out in the comments section, they merely crossed out their previous entry and changed it to suit their title.

now

yesterday i happen to look and AGAIN i see: "Tables Available at Centro Vinoteca and Trestle on Tenth; Allen & Delancey Mostly Booked"

and i think to myself: "really? REALLY?! if Allen&Delancey is AGAIN ‘mostly booked’ with a ‘nearest availability at 6:45pm’ on a MONDAY night with RAIN in the forecast, then that is pretty incredible. as a matter of fact, it’s so incredible, i would like to see this for myself. obviously they are doing something right, and perhaps i should go and see it with my own eyes and then i can LEARN something about what they are doing so right."

mmhmp. yah– oh i learned something all right.

- firstly i phoned Allen&Delancey myself at 6pm. and SOMEHOW i managed to score a reservation for two at a time much MUCH closer to an 8PM time slot than the reported "earliest availability" at "6:45." i was even told "it would be a pleasure" to accommodate me (twice even). and in case you were wondering whether it was my totally awesome PXness that got me the table— no. sorry. i booked it under a pseudonym.

- i (and my guest) then arrived at Allen&Delancey a tad early– at 7pm.
there was ONE couple at the bar and two deuces in the dining room.

- i promptly phoned CentroVinoteca and inquired "heyyyy… just curious… how many people are at your bar right now (at 7PM)…?"
i was told: "18 people at the bar. and 4 deuces in the dining room."

- so then i asked: "and are you booked at 8pm by any chance?"
the answer: why yes! they are! (imagine that!) but they have an availability later in the evening if i’d like, but sorrrrry– not quite at 8pm.

hmm. really. well that’s interesting.

by the time 8:05pm rolled around, Allen&Delancey had seated one 8-top, and two more deuces. plus one other couple at the bar (totaling 6 covers in the front bar area, and 16 in the dining room).
does that sound like "mostly booked" to you?
(by the way– A&D, much like Centro, has approximately 12 seats at the bar and about 70 seats in the dining room.)

ya know
it’s no secret i have disagreed with Eater many times in the past. but AT LEAST their resy-whateverthefuck thing they run (which grubstreet, arguably, did bite off Eater) has the number of ring-a-dings, and the exact response given, and sometimes even the name of the person who answered the phone and whatnot.
i must admit– it DOES add a bit of plausibility (not to mention entertainment value) to the whole sordid exercise.

which brings me to my point:

- what IS the point, do you think, of this whole "two for eight" bit, hmm?

i mean– OSTENSIBLY, they are trying to do the restaurants and patrons some kind of favor or something, yes?

but, having inquired over and over again– it seems there is, in fact, no value in this for the restaurant OR patrons, as CentroVinoteca (for example– look ! "all grub street posts tagged ‘Centro Vinoteca + two for eight’ **– all 50 times — a good 2 to 3 times MORE than any other restaurant on that list!) has confirmed that NEVER since its inception has ANY customer EVER expressed their last-minute reservation and/or arrival was due to the awesome efficiency and convenience of grubstreet’s "Two for Eight."
[in contrast however, "Top Chef" is invoked innumerable times, as are leah-cohen's recent appearances on the cover of the NY Times City section and CBS's weekend Morning Show.]

yah so— incidentally, my dining companion while all this was happening last night, just happens to be a restaurateur.

his take on the matter (?):

"i don’t get it. what’s the point of this? it doesn’t make me happy to hear other restaurants aren’t doing so well."

mmhmmm. well

maybe it doesn’t make HIM happy

but i guess it makes SOMEONE happy.

doesn’t it?

at the very least, as an avid and devoted reader (and fan!) of grubstreet, i would kinda looove to hear them explain what’s going on here.

but hey, maybe that’s just me.

** UPDATE: Well, lookee here— the hyperlink provided no longer allows viewers to see how many times a particular restaurant has been featured in Gribstreet’s "Two for Eight." Imagine that! Good thing we’ve got a screen capture!

Click to enlarge —>

*********************************************************

pxthis.com archives

This is an abbreviated version of Abbe Diaz’s diary/blog entry on June 9, 2009, for archival purposes only. A far more detailed, thorough, and incisive account is to be included in Diaz’s upcoming second book, PX This Too (The Sequel to PX This) – Coming in the Autumn of 2010

* "…The intellectual community, as usual, showed itself to be timid and divided, and even the most unexpected graphologists engaged in controversies regarding their inconsistent analyses of my handwriting. It was they who divided opinions, overheated the polemic, and made nostalgia popular…. Make no mistake: peaceful madmen are ahead of the future." – Gabriel García Márquez

NOTE: Unless otherwise dated, the comments listed below reflect the discussion that occurred in the Forum @ PX This subsequently, at the time of the original entry. They have been re-created here. If you require an un-edited copy of the original discussion, please e-mail px.this@gmail.com

GREATEST HITS: PX This [The Blahg]

Hi! Thank you for your "search"!
This website is currently undergoing changes as it continually progresses, so the entry for which you are seeking has likely been archived within "The Greatest Hits – PX This [The Blahg]". It was removed from its original location in preparation for the upcoming release of PX This Too (The Sequel to PX This). If you would like more information and/or further clarification on this particular narrative, please read PX This – The Revised Edition and/or PX This Too (coming soon).

And so without further ado— by popular (search engine) demand, we proudly present THE GREATEST HITS of PX This [The Blahg]

[*** warning: Eats, Shoots and Ladders Leaves freaks, please CLICK HERE* and HERE before reading any further. then take that favorite book of yours and stick it up your ass. thank you! ***]

"Beyonce @ Cipriani 55 Wall"

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2005. 11:18AM:

… so last night was the official finale for this season’s Wall Street Concert Series at Cipriani55Wall featuring beyoncé! holy cow she’s gorgeous. i got to sneak in earlier and watch her rehearse and everything, she was all dressed down like she just rolled out of bed, and still she was so beautiful. actually i think she looked better without all the pancake and glitter and whatnot. don’t get me wrong, she was stunning during the concert, but just in her jeans without any makeup— no joke, she looked ten years younger.

anyways, it was a great extravaganza, beyoncé really put on quite the show. she sang and danced and changed her outfit so many times.
eheee at one point she handed her microphone down to alex-rodriguez standing in the audience so he could sing-along, and omygoodness. that poor boy couldn’t carry a tune if it was shaped like a baseball bat.

and the performance in the audience was almost better than the show onstage. all the big ballers (shot-callers and brawlers) were in da house, everybody was glossin and flossin, on and on’in, till six in the mawnin. or something like that.
i saw damon-dash & piddy-diddy & harvey-weinstein & vivi-nevo & flavio-briatore & of course giuseppe-cipriani. i think jay-z arrived late, i didn’t spot him at all until almost the very end of the concert, he was backstage watching from the sidelines and it seemed even beyoncé was surprised to see him there, she looked over when the jumbotron abruptly caught him lurking in the wings and she suddenly beamed and blushed like lovestruck teenager. aww.
oh and harvey-weinstein was totally sweating my dress. i’m just sayin.

… yah so aside from that
last monday (october 31) was a… halloween dinner at Matsuri
… and it was lots of fun everybody was all dressed up in funny costumes. eric-goode was a boyscout. sean-macpherson was a totally convincing jesus-christ. sante-d’orazio was an archbishop. rachel-williams was ummm heidi? saint-paulie girl? something like that. and fisher-stevens was himself.
oh and valentino-garavani & his homeboy giancarlo-giametti were themselves too. do they have halloweenie in italy? i guess not.

… afterward was another party at Crobar…
mark-baker was a pirate. and the lovely vicky-andren was a stepford wife. oliver-stone was some kind of military soldier or veteran or something, i think.
and then later i heard was heidi-klum & seal & usher but i didn’t see any of them because we left by midnight.

finally was a stop at LaEsquina… serge-becker was dressed as a gimp which was totally the best costume all night.

pxthis.com archives

This is an abbreviated version of Abbe Diaz’s diary/blog entry on February 22, 2005, for archival purposes only. A far more detailed, thorough, and incisive account is to be included in Diaz’s upcoming second book, PX This Too (The Sequel to PX This) – Coming in the Autumn of 2010

* "…The intellectual community, as usual, showed itself to be timid and divided, and even the most unexpected graphologists engaged in controversies regarding their inconsistent analyses of my handwriting. It was they who divided opinions, overheated the polemic, and made nostalgia popular…. Make no mistake: peaceful madmen are ahead of the future." – Gabriel García Márquez

Greatest Hits: PX This [The Blahg]

Hi! Thank you for your "search"!
This website is currently undergoing changes as it continually progresses, so the entry for which you are seeking has likely been archived within "The Greatest Hits – PX This [The Blahg]". It was removed from its original location in preparation for the upcoming release of PX This Too (The Sequel to PX This). If you would like more information and/or further clarification on this particular narrative, please read PX This – The Revised Edition and/or PX This Too (coming soon).

And so without further ado— by popular (search engine) demand, we proudly present THE GREATEST HITS of PX This [The Blahg]

[*** warning: Eats, Shoots and Ladders Leaves freaks, please CLICK HERE* and HERE before reading any further. then take that favorite book of yours and stick it up your ass. thank you! ***]

"PX This Mercer Lobby Screaming"

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005. 11:38AM

omygawd i got thrown out of theMercerHotel yesterday!
aha hah hahaa aah

oh okay that’s not ENTIRELY true. actually i left quietly of my own accord— because i am more than sufficiently aware lois-freedman (director of operations for jean-georges restaurants) doesn’t even HAVE the fucking authority to kick me out of theMercerHotel.

yah so anyways it was a real scene oh you should have been there— the best part was when lois-freedman started screaming at marc-bagutta at the top of her lungs "GET YOUR GIRLFRIEND OOOUT OF HEEERE! I’LL CALL THE COPPPS! IF JEAN-GEORGES WAS HERE, HE WOULD THROW HER OUTTT PERSSSONALLY!" i swear i thought her head was going to start spinning all around like that demonically possessed chick in that spooky exorcist movie.
and there were lots of other peoples (like dean-winters for example) sitting in the hotel lobby too trying to quietly enjoy their wine and tea and whatnot so they got some free entertainment. oh! i am sooo BUMMED i didn’t have any pxthis business cards on me to pass around like "thank yooou, we’ll be here all week."

by the way if you’re wondering why in the world lois-freedman would suddenly just bust out with her bestest impersonation of large-marge the lady truckdriver in Peewee Herman’s Big Adventure— alls i can say is: hmm. beats me!

so then anyways today we called ABhotels corporate office trying to understand why we are supposedly "NOT WELCOME EVVVERRR!"
they were very surprised to hear the news and so sweet saying this is not the case at all since we are such good and frequent patrons of theRaleigh in miami (and plus cuz we’re so faboolous) we are welcome "ANYTIME… ANYWHERE…" they even offered to send me a written apology.
yay!
[they also said something along the lines of "lois who..?" but oh never mind.]

anyhoo. oh yah so that same day after we’d left MercerHotel my pal "bunny"kim (who also used to work for jean-georges) and i went over to CiprianiDowntown to have some bellinis, because the poor thing needed a drink since she was so suddenly and unexpectedly subjected to lois-freedman’s freaky ballistic apeshit episode—
and hee eheee it was great, when we recounted to everybody what just occurred in theMercerHotel lobby, they were so amused and felt so sorry for us they comped our drinks and sent an entire meal from the kitchen too.

then afterward since we were in the area, we decided to pop into Kittichai around the corner.
and it was great, it just so happens dwayne-collins who also used to work with us for jean-georges is now the general manager of Kittichai. so when we recounted to everybody what just occurred in theMercerHotel lobby, they were so amused and felt so sorry for us they comped our drinks and sent an entire meal from the kitchen too.

and right then chef cedric-tovar happened to walk in, and it was great, when we recounted to him what just occurred in theMercerHotel lobby, he was so amused and felt so sorry for us he invited us over to Django (so he could comp our drinks and send an entire meal from the kitchen too).
geezus if we had kept going, we probably could have eaten for free all week long all over downtown NYC! ha ahaah

… but we were totally stuffed and couldn’t handle any more food so instead we decided to head over to Butter to check out the new monday night party thingie by richie-akiva & scott-sartiano & ronnie-madra.
it was really bunny-kim who wanted to go, so i was kinda totally prepared to despise every last minute of the experience. but actually, it wasn’t bad!
and i saw liev-schreiber & drea-dematteo & andre-harrell & sean-lennon & vincent-gallo & (of course) the olsen-twins. and that was just in the mere 40 minutes we stayed, a whole mess of other faboolous peoples were pouring in just as we were trying to get the fuck out. maybe i’m just too old fer that shit…

pxthis.com archives

This is an abbreviated version of Abbe Diaz’s diary/blog entry on February 22, 2005, for archival purposes only. A far more detailed, thorough, and incisive account is to be included in Diaz’s upcoming second book, PX This Too (The Sequel to PX This) – Coming in the Autumn of 2010

* "…The intellectual community, as usual, showed itself to be timid and divided, and even the most unexpected graphologists engaged in controversies regarding their inconsistent analyses of my handwriting. It was they who divided opinions, overheated the polemic, and made nostalgia popular…. Make no mistake: peaceful madmen are ahead of the future." – Gabriel García Márquez