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 **
Ohh, so you wanna know a little bit more about Nick Rytting, you say? Well, far be it for PX This, your expert in everything F&Bulous in New York City, to deny you by failing to satiate your intense curiosity. (You’re welcome!)
This is Nick Rytting, currently the General Manager of The Box and the former manager of longtime über-hotspot La Esquina.
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Nick is 20-something years old, with medium-to-dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He primarily plays for Team Rainbow, but has been known to date girls on occasion, when they helplessly succumb to his irresistibility by throwing themselves at him mercilessly. He was born in East Someplace, Utah but considers New York City his "other" home. He likes vegetables, good wine, designer clothes, kind "geniune" people, Mariah Carey, and references to his uncanny resemblance to Hunter Parrish. His dislikes include meat, possessiveness, insidiousness, the cost of airfare, and arriving at the party "on time."
In short, we absolutely adore Nick Rytting, and we’re sure you would too.
:)
This has been a PX This PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
* Black and White photo of Nick Rytting by Kristin Brown
abbe diaz’s NEW BLOG
OK, seriously?! We’re going to try this again, one last time.
According to some emails, mobile texts, and Facebook messages, it would appear that several regular PX This visitors completely missed the memo. So here’s the revised edition:
Until the release of PX Me (Summer 2011 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:
[Full details are located here.]
Thank you!
G’day Australia!
Currently, PX This is only available for purchase via Amazon, Amazon Kindle, and Amazon UK. Regrettably, PX This is still currently not available throughout other countries.
Therefore, in anticipation of Abbe Diaz’s upcoming appearance on Australia’s The Morning Show, we are happy to re-instate our original "limited time only" offer of PX This – The Revised Edition as a FREE (.pdf) e-book.
Please click here for FREE online reading and/or download. Unfortunately, the PDF will not allow for font, typeface, size, and/or format changes generally permissible on most e-reader devices. We apologize for the inconvenience, and offer the PDF version of PX This completely complimentary.
This is a LIMITED TIME OFFER. So get your FREE e-book of PX This – The Revised Edition NOW!
PX Me – The Sequel to PX This (How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous, and Married a Millionaire)
COMING SOON IN THE SUMMER OF 2011
Let’s try this again!
According to some emails, mobile texts, and Facebook messages, it would appear that several regular PX This visitors completely missed the memo. So here’s the revised edition:
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:
[Full details are located here.]
Thank you!
hey, did you happen to see The Daily News this morning?
awesome, isn’t it?
well, if you happened to see the thingie on Hamptons.com the other day too, i just wanted to point out that my full statement was actually:
"Oh geez, why does it always boil down to Gwyneth Paltrow? …I’m far more fascinated by the logistics and implications of a multi-billion dollar food-and-beverage-as-entertainment industry that literally hoodwinks and exploits its most devoted followers and passionate patrons, not to mention what it does to its dedicated laborers. Or maybe the burgeoning self-sufficient sustainability of creative careers, what with the proliferation of personal technology and the Internet and all. Or even just plain life as comedy in general. But with this pervasive victory of triviality over substance, every time people mention my name, it’s stupid Gwyneth Paltrow. Can we move on already? Oh, no? Okay, then. Yes it’s true. Gwyneth Paltrow is a total creepface."
ha ha ha ahahaa. i’m just sayin.
thank you, Daily News! yay me!
* * * * *
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:
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!
FREELANCE WRITER WANTED
I am searching for a freelance writer to help with some research for my upcoming second book, PX Me – The Sequel to PX This (How I Became a Published Author, Got "Micro-Famous," and Married a Millionaire).
And I gotta tell ya— it’s not exactly been the easiest feat.
I thought I finally found somebody; I’d been following this recent viral/internet-meme whatever story, maybe you’ve heard of it? The one about the Apple Pie Plagiarist (faaascinating). I’d stumbled upon this one writer/blogger, and I was so impressed with how diligently he covered multiple aspects of the account that I was practically elated when I discovered he’s a writer-for-hire as well.
(I mean, if it were me covering that story for example, I probably would have simply reported that alleged plagiarist woman in East Bumheck Wherever "is a total moron" and left it at that.)
In any case, it didn’t work out. And I have neither the time, energy, nor inclination to go through all this rigmarole again an indefinite number of times. So please, read the following e-mail exchange for a precise summary of my requirements.
If, unlike the aforementioned scribe, you do not maintain such puritanical standards as wanting to write only about "recent news," and/or you possess a tad more coherence, feel free to forward your pay requirements to me at: px.this@gmail.com
(Any proposals on how you think you might uniquely tackle this challenge are welcome as well.)
from: px this <px.this@gmail.com>
to: ed@edrants.com
date: Tue, Nov 9, 2010 at 12:58 PM
subject: Apple Pie Plagiarism and… hiring you for my wedding?
Just kidding about the wedding.
Hi Edward Champion,
To make a kinda interminable story long, I found you through the whole Apple Pie Plagiarist saga.
FASCINATING.
Okay yah, I’m being a wee bit sarcastic. Although I loved some of the comments your article elicited (as well as your article, obviously). It really rankled my nerves all right.
In any case, I was wondering what you would charge to do some light investigative reporting for me (regarding a somewhat similar situation)? I am currently writing my second book, and intend to use whatever information is discovered therein. I imagine the work would entail, at the very least, a few inquisitive phone calls and/or perhaps e-mails. I would not require a lengthy, exhaustive, profound, and/or florid literary piece, but wholeheartedly welcome your opinions/commentary as well as the answers to my burrrning questions.
Please forgive me for not taking the time to summarize my situation for you personally, but I’m just… really really tired of summarizing my situation.
A general overview of my predicament is here –> http://www.pxthis.com/2010/06/greatest-hits-theforumpx-this-2/
Information about my book is here –> http://www.pxthis.com/thebook/
The answers I’d like for you to try and find are:
1) How did the article in question (see first hyperlink please. sorry!) make it into The New York Times
2) Why exactly did former Gawker managing editor (current The Awl managing editor) Choire Sicha behave in such a manner?
3) How would Gawker (currently) justify their overall treatment of me?
4) How did the article in question come to be included in The Kings of Non-Fiction?
5) Is Coco Henson Scales really as stupid as I think she is?
I’m pretty new at this [writer-hiring stuff], so please try and bear with my bluntness. I would be happy to answer any/all questions you have.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you irrespective of your decision.
Warm regards,
abbe diaz
http://pxthis.com
from: Edward Champion <ed@edrants.com>
to: px this <px.this@gmail.com>
date: Tue, Nov 9, 2010 at 1:26 PM
subject: Re: Apple Pie Plagiarism and…hiring you for my wedding?
Abbe:
Thanks for your email. I’ve taken a quick look at this, and I don’t really feel that there’s much here that would warrant an intensive investigation. For one thing, this concerns events that transpired six years ago. I am more interested in recent news. Second, Choire’s Gawker post (http://gawker.com/017472/hotspot-hostess-tells-all) does contain the following proviso: "Of course, we’re a little concerned that Coco is totally without Google results. That’s a little odd, right? Suggestive of a pseudonym?" The update is reported from "a fairly reliable source," but does not necessarily negate Choire’s skepticism. Third, there isn’t any apparent evidence to suggest that the article would be placed within the New York Times due to Frank Bruni’s influence. And the specious connection between some sleazy probing or confirmation into Choire’s private life and whether that would have any bearing on his unwillingness to offer another update (when he presents himself legitimately in the clear by offering the initial skepticism) rings more of sleazy tabloid journalism than anything hard and substantial.
In short, this isn’t my line. But I do wish you the best of luck in your pursuits.
All best,
Ed
from: px this <px.this@gmail.com>
to: Edward Champion <ed@edrants.com>
date: Tue, Nov 9, 2010 at 3:05 PM
subject: Re: Apple Pie Plagiarism and…hiring you for my wedding?
Thanks for your prompt response, Edward Champion.
However, I did just want to clarify (if by some chance you might reconsider):
1) Yes, these are events that transpired 6 years ago. However, a portion of my upcoming book is dedicated to the topics of how my diary became published and how I "Got Micro-Famous." So those events as they transpired are a necessary addition to that book.
2) Oh yes, I’m fully aware of Choire Sicha’s "proviso." I’m not questioning why he suggested/exalted the article. I’m questioning why he failed to publicly acknowledge in any way the existence of an entire book (released just weeks prior to that article) addressing the same topic as the story on his "required reading syllabus." Again, his answer is something that needs to be included in my (rather timely, if I dare say) dissertation about Publishing, Marketing, Advertising, and PR in general. (I would also require a definition of his terminology, "The People’s Hero.")
Included therein should also be Gawker’s justification of their refusal to update/retract an erroneous article they wrote about me, despite their hypothesis having been disproved by New York magazine.
(Similarly, I would like an official explanation of Gawker’s banning of my commenting privileges, despite it being contrary to their rules regarding any of their subjects.)
3) I was not asking for you to delve into Sicha’s private life. The information I seek is how, and under what circumstances, the semi-fictional article came to appear in The New York Times as a non-fictional essay and then included in The Kings of Non-Fiction. Period.
4) I would hardly have thought this required "intensive investigation." I sincerely thought it would require 2 or 3 phone calls (and/or e-mails) at best.
Frankly, I don’t see how my perfectly legitimate questions can be mistaken for "sleazy tabloid journalism."
Thank you,
-abbe diaz
p.s. I actually don’t really expect you to change your mind, so you needn’t respond if it doesn’t suit you. Thanks again.
** UPDATED **
I thought I finally found somebody… In any case, it didn’t work out. And I have neither the time, energy, nor inclination to go through all this rigmarole again an indefinite number of times. So please, read the following e-mail exchange for a precise summary of my requirements.
If, unlike the hereunder scribe, you do not possess a bizarrely fickle disposition as to accept an assignment only to be NEVER HEARD FROM AGAIN following the response to your simple inquiries, please feel free to forward your solicitation and/or examples of your work to me at: px.this@gmail.com
(Any proposals on how you think you might uniquely tackle this challenge are welcome as well.)
from: Harmon Leon
to: px.this@gmail.com
date: Friday, Nov 12, 2010 at 6:15 PM
subject: Freelance Writer Wanted (NYC)
I’ve written for Esquire, Salon, Wired, Maxim, Gawker, Details, National Geographic, and a host of other fine publications. You can read my columns on the Huffington Post, at the S.F. Chronicle, and on AOL’s Asylum.
I’m also the author of 6 books.
My video/TV producing credits includes Current TV, Strike TV, Fox Family Channel, National Lampoon, FX, and VH1.
I also works with Lotus PR covering the North American/European Poker Tours and promoting PokerStars.com. My specialty is writing/web producing. Your job position sounds great. When can I start?
Best,
Harmon Leon
BLOGS: Huffington Post – huffingtonpost.com/harmon-leon ; AOL Asylum – asylum.com/bloggers/harmon-leon/ ; SF Chronicle – sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/hleon/index ; AOL Real Estate – rentedspaces.com/bloggers/harmon-leon
from: px this px.this@gmail.com
to: Harmon Leon
date: Saturday, Nov 13, 2010 at 3:41 PM
subject: Re: Freelance Writer Wanted (NYC)
Monday?
Nice work, Harmon Leon.
PEA SOUP. I have no words…
But, before you start Monday, you might want to consider these things first:
– I’m offering 10 cents per word, 2000 words maximum. Bonus up to DOUBLE for any particularly substantial and/or additional pertinent information discovered.
– How do you think you might handle your inquiries to Gawker? Seeing as I pretty much expect them to: a) hang up on you if you phone, b) refuse to answer your e-mails, c) lie, and deny knowing/remembering anything about me.
– Do you actually think you can elicit information form The New York Times? It’s a serious question. I’ve never tried calling a big scary important newspaper before, do they take inquiries from random strangers off the street?
– How do you think you might handle your inquiries to The Awl managing editor Choire Sicha? Seeing as I pretty much expect him to: a) hang up on you if you phone, b) refuse to answer your e-mails, c) lie, and deny knowing/remembering anything about me.
– How difficult do you think it will be to find/contact Coco Henson Scales? And if you somehow manage that, how do you expect to determine if she is indeed as stupid as I think she is? Give her a Mensa test? Hand her a bag of M&M’s and tell her to pick out the W’s?
I knooow, it’s a lot to consider. By my calculations, an article consisting of: "They said, ‘No Comment.’" is only going to earn you about 40 cents.
I really really truly welcome any/all brilliantly bright ideas you can muster.
Crossing my fingers you got some and we can work together,
-abbe
p.s. Why do all blogger journo-media whatever dudes sign off all their correspondence with "Best,"? By my personal experience, it’s such a crock of shit.
p.p.s. I have been telling people for decades not to buy into that sunscreen SPF garbage. Those bastards.
from: Harmon Leon harmonleonsf@gmail.com
to: px this <px.this@gmail.com>
date: Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 11:21 AM
subject: Re: Freelance Writer Wanted (NYC)
Hi Abbe-
Good to hear from you. I’m sure all of the below could be managed. What exactly are you looking
for in terms of content?
Harmon
from: px this px.this@gmail.com
to: Harmon Leon <harmonleonsf@gmail.com>
date: Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 2:41 PM
subject: Re: Freelance Writer Wanted (NYC)
Do your best to answer my questions, but be yourself. I welcome your opinions and commentary.
What I’d like to see is you describing the process by which you attempt to garner this information, what you’re thinking while you delve into whatever background you decide you need to digest in order to tackle this stuff, your personal account while it’s all happening, and of course, the answers to all my questions as best as you can determine.
If, at any time, you pick up on anything shady [ahahahahaa *snort* ahem sorry, reflex reaction] I want to hear allll about it.
You can definitely feel free to bring the funny. But, seeing as you would be credited in the final novel, try not to be funnier than me.
Just kidding. (Since I’m just going to edit/steal anything anything of yours that’s funnier than mine anyway. Kidding again.)
I sorta anticipate that when you contact Gawker, they will blame everything that occurred on the people directly responsible, namely–
- former managing editor, Choire Sicha (currently with The Awl)
- (next) former managing editor, Gabriel Snyder (currently with Newsweek online?)
- former full-time blogger, Joshua David Stein (freelancer?)
– none of whom are currently employed by Gawker any longer. In which case, I would still like some kind of explanation as to why they think everything transpired in the way it did, as "officially" as they can muster, or whatever their justification is…
but I would also like you try and contact those three people directly.
It’s too bad you’re on the wrong coast. I would have liked to see you try to conduct the inquiries in person, at Gawker HQ, dressed in drag.
There are other things I expect they may all use as excuses for their behavior. They will be lying. So you would need to briefed on all that first, unless you have some kind of insatiable voracity for this subject— in which case, you can feel free to go wading through pages and pages and more pages of my book (I could send you a full PDF), website, and discussion board "forum," to arm yourself against their glaringly unscrupulous bullshit.
Does all this with an early February 2011 deadline sound doable?
Thank you,
-abbe
Yeah, this is the point where I never heard from him again.
And please, don’t even get me started on the third writer I tried to hire, which was a long and arduous teeth-pulling nine-week process of payment negotiations and waiting while he dealt with family issues until I finally just gave up. DON’T DO THAT.
Compensation: $1000.00
All research inquiries during the execution of this job MUST BE VIDEOTAPED.
(Webcam and/or low-def OK; you MAY crop out your head/face if desired.)
ANY SUBMISSIONS ON SPEC ARE AT YOUR OWN RISK. However, I must admit that receiving a complete, exhaustive-yet-concise, well-written, humorous, qualifying essay while still in the midst of poring through an extensive list of potential candidates— wouldn’t be such a bad thing and pretty darned expedient. [i.e., If I like it, I'll pay.]
More information at: pxthis.com
There are three things we NEVER discuss at restaurants (or bars, or dinner/cocktail parties, or anyplace on the internets— ever): Religion, Abortion, and Politics.
And sorry, but we’re not about to start now.
That being said, don’t you have someplace (either than here) to be today?
Yeah, that’s what we thought.
:)
Oh OK, we have one more thing to say:
Yay, USA! 
GREATEST HITS: theForum@px.this
PX This hereby presents The Forum’s Greatest Hits, a thread-by-thread archive of the most fascinating discussions from "theForum@px.this" — our online F&B oriented community IP.Board (founded in 2007) made virtually obsolete by the re-launch of theBlahg, pxthis.com, on August 31, 2009.
[theForum@px.this will be fully and permanently dismantled upon the definitive completion of its archive.]
GAWKER.COM (Addressing its Deep-Seated, Misguided, Sad, Twisted Jellussy)
Started: March 29, 2007. 5:33 PM by *Bartender* • Closed: October 27, 2010 4:37PM • Archived at 21,018 Views
PRIMARY SUBJECT : gawker.com
ADJUNCT SUBJECTS : Former Managing Editor Gabriel Snyder, Former Gawker blogger Joshua David Stein, Former Gawker blogger Emily Gould, Gawker blogger Hamilton Nolan, Former Gawker blogger Sheila McClear, Top Chef contestant Leah Cohen
GIST OF TOPIC : How most of the former Gawker bloggers (as well as its former Managing Editor) were sooo intimidated by Abbe Diaz, they disparaged her, engaged in blatant breaches of journalistic integrity, and then effectively censored her by banning her from commenting (twice!) without just cause or provocation, in a manner completely contradictory to the rules they themselves set forth for all "future" commentators.
(Not to mention their prior treatment of her under the previous Managing Editor, Choire Sicha— wherein it basically looks like they tried to misappropriate the subject matter in Diaz’s book, PX This, for their own glorification and/or personal gain.)
Yeah! We got some reeeal winners here.
SIGNIFICANCE: Oh, where do we even begin? Seriously, it’s a lot to absorb. So much so as a matter of fact, that Diaz’s second book, PX Me – The Sequel to PX This, is comprised largely of Diaz’s delineation of Gawker’s mind-boggling sordidness.
This long and fascinating discussion, as it unfolded, is (to some extent) its "real-time" counterpart.
Its overall sentiment can perhaps be best summarized thusly, in a comment made on Gawker’s website by PX This contributing-writer/editor *VanillaIce* aka *TrollaiLlama* aka *clue4sale* right before his (and Diaz’s) commenting privileges at Gawker were revoked :
"I suppose this is the part where we’re supposed to smile, and pat you on the head and say, ‘Good little troll. Now, be on your way.’
Was there some part of ‘I’m tired of seeing her being called crazy’ that you didn’t understand?
From what I can tell, Abbe has never directly addressed you (or any other troll here) at all, except to respond to one of your unfoundedly rude, obnoxious comments toward her. And yet you continue to follow her around, in some kind of desperate attempt to gain whatever attention you feel you’re lacking.
You call her batshit, you’ve called her a drunk, you’ve implied she’s of the mental state to commit sucide, you’ve accused her of wanting to ‘fellate’ a man she’s never met, without a single fact to back up your disgusting libelous statements.
Your half-hearted backpedaling doesn’t impress me. It’s as pathetic as Josh Stein’s cowardice, a so-called journalist who persistently wrote pejorative things about Abbe, but interestingly, has never had the balls to face her as she taunts him comment after comment. In contrast, Abbe lives, works and socializes in NY, amongst the veritable titans of their field that she has boldly exposed as the conniving, thieving, manipulative, backstabbing, spoiled cretins they are.
I dare you to back up your claims about Abbe’s craziness. I dare you and Josh Stein both.
I double dog dare you."
To this day, neither Gawker nor Joshua David Stein have ever retracted/updated their erroneous assertions. Former Managing Editor Choire Sicha has failed to explain his iniquitous actions. Former Managing Editor Gabriel Snyder has never justified his injudicious behavior in censoring Abbe Diaz.
RATING: ★★★★★
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: Ratings range from zero to five stars and reflect the discussion’s entertainment value, from amusing to hilarious, with edification taken into consideration. Hyperlinks contained within are subject to change.
The archives of theForum@px.this have been edited for the sake of clarity, brevity, and squeakiness. [If you require an original unedited copy of the discussion, please e-mail px.this@gmail.com]
***********************************************
**pictured: Official Gawker Mascot, Julia Allison – gawker.com
** See also:
• The Hostess Diaries Conspiracy
For more on this subject, read PX Me – The Sequel to PX This – Coming Soon in the Spring of 2012
• Which vainglorious, injudicious, maladroit colleague has already been replaced but just doesn’t know it yet?
Sigh.
Lie down with dogs…
• Which restaurateur is in a quandary over a popular "concept" that was recently sold to somebody else? Damn those pesky majority shareholders, always getting in the way of personal profit.
• Which ostensible windfall is already causing more trouble than it’s (literally) worth? Tsk, tsk— mo’ money, mo’ problems. (Or, unfortunately in this case— no money, bigger problems.)
GREATEST HITS: PX This [The Blahg / The Forum]
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 / The Forum]
SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2007. 12:40PM
Presenting: THE GRASSHOPPER CHRONICLES (Did Chef Jody Williams try to undermine her former boss by planting a grasshopper in a sandwich wrap?) by *Dick Johnson* – Archived at 59,823 Views
- March 20, 2007 : The saga begins here; Abbe Diaz (author, blogger, Forum launcher, "former maitre d’ to the stars" and girlfriend of Gusto Ristorante/ Centro Vinoteca /Mangia owner Sasha Muniak) comments about her dining experience at the newly opened Morandi. She writes:
"…i’ve pretty much refrained from commenting about Morandi, mostly because maybe it’s like too personal or some shit, but i must say that place works my every last nerve.
the thing i find utterly retarded is
clearly they have opted to keep some of the same things that still currently appear on the Gusto menu. okay fine all well and good. except
if you happen to comment on it (like to the bartender for example) they get all irritated and indignant like it’s APPALLING you would even mention it. i mean for fuck’s sake, if that’s the decision you make, i think you’d better get a fucking sense of humor about it…."
The entire comment remains here. (It’s definitely worth a read!)
- App. 5 hours later, a new Forum registrar logged-in as "Brook" responds, "I worked for hair plug muniak and it is going to be a pleasure to see him fail. Proper question on Gusto is why didn’t the new chef change the menu? Obviously Williams will cook what she learned in the 6 years she spent in Italy (only self taught female Italian chef in America) and just like Giorione and Il Buco, Gusto will not be about the food for long."
- Abbe immediately answers "Brook":
oh YEAAAH that’s what i’m talkin bout. i’m like a proud bricklayer right now– this place was built to keep it "real"
YOUR PUBLICIST CANNOT HELP YOU HERE MISS THING
a: name calling, "Brook" ?? yah that’s mature
b: and thanks for making my point. my point WAS:
who gives a shit what Williams cooks where. but WHY get all pissy if the patrons bring it up ?? did you REALLY think NOBODY was going to comment on the fact the menu is similar. get serious
c: AS IF Morandi is about the FOOD. aha ha ha hahah haaa that’s a good one.
d: sorry but Gusto was never about the fucking FOOD either. at least not to me, it wasn’t. and there was a time i was there at least once or twice a week.
i went first for the location. THEN the bar (it’s actually quite nice). THEN i kept going back so often because of artan.
e: yeah i bet you’d love to "see him fail." it’s called ENVY.
why don’t you do us all a favor and try holding your breath.
(**note: Abbe later clarifies, under this very same topic "…need i remind you this entire ‘drama’ was precipitated by a ‘validating member’ named ‘Brook.’ i will not tell you HOW i come to have very strong personal opinions on this matter, but perhaps it would behoove you to inquire, from someone with some technological experience, just how these interweb website forum thingies work exactly," essentially implying she has some behind-the-scenes knowledge regarding the true identity of "Brook.")
- The following day, March 21, 2007 – (the first of several unfavorable Morandi reviews) Steve Cuozzo of The NY Post declares Morandi a dud.
- The very next day, March 22, 2007 – A "dubious" photograph of a grasshopper in a sandwich wrap at Sasha Muniak’s Mangia (on 57th St) appears anonymously in the inbox of eater.com
- The Morandi topic in this Forum progresses, as several commenters begin to imply the grasshopper incident is not a coincidence, having come so closely on the heels of Brook’s pejorative comment.
[**Worth noting: It was eater.com that first "broke the story" of chef Jody Williams leaving Gusto for Morandi establishing at least one prior correspondence between them.]
- Gawker.com "picks up" the item, stressing the similarity in menus between Gusto and Morandi.
- Almost immediately, eater.com attacks Abbe Diaz
The Eater "item" contains several falsehoods and inaccuracies (which are then brilliantly addressed and refuted by a PX This Forum Administrator/"Publicist.")
- The next day, eater.com concedes its misrepresentation–> http://ny.eater.com/archives/2007/03/who_is_abbe_dia.php
- Within the subsequent forum discussions, industry rumors surrounding Morandi, Keith McNally, Jody Williams (and Williams’ apparent friendship with eater.com’s Ben Leventhal) and her former boss, Sasha Muniak, begin to emerge.
It culminates with a Page Six parody, "JUST ASKING….
What tantrum throwing, egomaniacal hotspot chef is so psycho, it’s possible she tried to derail her former boss by resorting to sabotage? One day after the anonymous comment, "…it is going to be a pleasure to see him fail" appeared on an online restaurant industry insider forum, a mysterious, questionable, dubious photograph of an insect in a particular food item sold by said former boss (and current competitor), suddenly showed up at eater.com. What are the odds?"
- The next day, Jody Williams’ live-in girlfriend, Diana, registers for the PX This Forum and replies:
"I can say with 100% certainty that Jody has never been associated with any posting to this site. When Jody was asked by one of her cooks did you put a grasshopper in a Mangia wrap?’ she giggled and asked him what he was talking about. When she decided to leave Gusto, she telephoned Amanda Freitag and asked her if she wanted her job because she respected her as a chef and was friendly with her. In addition, opposed to much of the chatter on this site, she enjoyed working for Sasha Muniak saying on many occasions to me that he was one of the best bosses she ever had (I too like his gentle soul and really had a strong bond with his son Alexei). It appears that a lot of the posts written on this site are from the front of the house staff at Gusto who may have had run-ins with her. Its sad because I know when push comes down to shove she really did like everyone and enjoyed the two years that she spent there. She has been working extremely long hours without a day off in months getting her kitchen up to her standards. I also know that going from a restaurant that does 200 covers a night to close to 400 covers there is a lot of stress in sending out food that meets her standard. Does she yell? What chef doesn’t. Sorry I’m ranting on about this but it really is upsetting to see someone you love and respect be put over the ringer."
- Diaz responds:
hi Diana,
we’ve never met but i have heard of you through our mutual acquaintances, i’ve been told you are kind and sweet and very nice. i understand very much how upsetting it is to see "someone you love and respect" being spoken of in this manner. perhaps maybe now you understand my gut response to the commenter signed in as "Brook." i fully appreciate what you are saying, and am very grateful you took the time, energy, and effort to come here and address this issue.
i hope you appreciate my stance as well, i believe everyone is entitled to their say. i do not know whether this news will be unsettling to you or not, but i can assure you the majority of the commenters in this thread are NOT Gusto FOH staff, as i do happen to know several of the "members" personally, either having met in person, or through extensive correspondence over the last several months (i can’t speak for them ALL, as there are certainly members here whose identities i do not know). you may find this hard to believe, but it’s my experience that it is actually the Gusto staff who is most reluctant to discuss these matters, either here or in person. as i have mentioned, even i no longer dine at Gusto, as i have had personal problems of my own with the FOH staff.
you claim to know with "100% certainty" that chef-williams has no association with any posting here. i respect your conviction, but ask that you extend me the same courtesy when i reply to the contrary– i’m sorry, but it is my belief you are wrong.
as for chef-williams, she is now in the (unfortunate?) situation of being a "celebrity," and i do mean that in the strictest definition of the word. by virtue of her self-imposed foray into the limelight, she is now subject to scrutiny and all the consequences that go along with it. i think everyone that has commented here has been quite fair (unlike eater.com’s initial response), particularly in specifying their opinions are purely speculation and hearsay, and encouraging readers to form their own conclusions. i am VERY PROUD of those who have chosen to comment here, as it is my (vast) personal experience the internet CAN be a daunting and malicious place, often inspiring people to vociferate their worst, secure in their anonymity.
thank you again, and all the best to you and ms. williams.
- Fast forward several months, to a new Forum discussion of the impending opening of Sasha Muniak’s Centro Vinoteca with chef Anne Burrell (located mere blocks from McNally/Williams’ Morandi)
- Again, industry rumors emerge, this time involving Muniak’s offspring, who are, in short, said to be rambunctious, "arrogant", "unappreciative" and far too garrulous, to be good for Centro’s "image" amongst those who are, shall we say, esoterically informed.
- Eater.com jumps all over it, declaring, "Right Under Diaz’s Nose, the Worm Turns on Muniak." (June 28, 2007)
- (Forum Orator Extraordinaire) *Dick Johnson* observes, "LOL. When it comes to us, I think Eater (read: Ben Leventhal) would put a ‘negative spin’ on it, if we all got together and cured cancer."
- July 10, 2007- Eater.com "unveils" Centro Vinoteca
Within the comments section, a reader posts a disdainful remark about Muniak’s family, and signs it "Dick Johnson." A second commenter responds by attacking the PX This Forum, claiming "hating" and "drama" are "predictable" here.
- Immediately, the real *Dick Johnson* of PX This emphatically denies posting that comment. He writes:
"OK, I’m pissed.
I did not write that comment, and I think whoever did, is a ball-less cocksucker.
First of all, I have never hated on Centro or Gusto- I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for Abbe’s boyfriend (whatever his name is).
And if I had to guess, I would say a certain jealous, shit-eating chef, had everything to do with signing my "name" to that comment. Why don’t you go feed your fucking pet grasshoppers, you bitch."
- Abbe Diaz forwards that denial to eater.com, but is then accused of being an Abbe Diaz imposter.
- After a slight tumultuous anti-Centro wave descends on the PX This Forum, the rally behind Muniak begins to re-shape after a (cute and happy) member named *Ferret-n-Chicken!* reminds and suggests, "just think about how everybody says Sasha is a really nice guy, and also I know I’m definitely curious to see what that Iron chef chick can do!!!"
- Less than 2 hours later, William’s girlfriend reappears and comments,
"You guys are really a bunch of assholes. I said it before and I’ll say it again, Jody doesn’t read reviews, go on blogs etc. I don’t know why I care but I do. People tell me consider the source with this site but I don’t listen to them. Jody quit Gusto and gave unlimited notice. Jody replaced herself in the kitchen. It took three people to replace her…the chef at gusto, sarah at Mangia and Anne at Centro. (thanks to Mark Latner because he wasn’t interested so he referred Sasha to her). Sorry guys but Morandi is not a failure, Jody could cook when Sasha asked her to stay and she can cook now. Morandi’s front of the house is run better than any establishment that Jody has worked in NYC. And for the last time, Jody is way too busy at Morandi to go online with some bullshit fake name and verbally abuse Gusto/Mangia/Centro. Perhaps Craig was right when he said that the only way that Abbe Diaz can get attention on this blog is to stir up fake controversy. Every f’n subject seems to mention Jody. Seriously, are you insane?
Good thing that Giorgio didn’t get one of his lackies to attack Jody when Sasha lured her away from him.
Simply Unbelievable.
- Diaz responds:
sigh
hi diana
nice to see you again
and again, i will say as well, i welcome your input as i do all others.
i appreciate your anger, as i’m sure i would react strongly (in probably a similar manner), given the circumstances.
but
everyone here is entitled to their opinion too. and if you’ll notice (as i did) not one person has used jody’s name in this thread. i believe that is an act of sincere consideration that proceeded completely unprompted, even by me.
as for my alleged attempts to "get attention" by stirring up "fake controversy"
well. need i remind you this entire "drama" was precipitated by a "validating member" named "Brook." i will not tell you HOW i come to have very strong personal opinions on this matter, but perhaps it would behoove you to inquire, from someone with some technological experience, just how these interweb website forum thingies work exactly.
i am going to leave it at that, because BELIEVE IT OR NOT, this particular subject is starting to become rather tiresome to me as well.
all the best to you and ms.williams
if you have any further questions and/or comments, i am happy to accommodate them.
all i ask is you please refrain as best you can from calling my members "assholes." although i’m sure their skins are rather thick and can withstand whatever animosity you can muster.
oh and by the way
personally, as a rather knowledgeable and vastly experienced former member of the F&B industry, i would have to say i think most of your above assertations are a bunch of bullshit.
but whatever
OH
one other last thing
you can tell craig i said: "wait til i see that mutherfukker"
cuz he wrote me an e-mail recently telling me he sweats me. seriously
so if he is going around talking hypocritical shit about me behind my back
i will totally punch him in the fucking shoulder. HARD.
CAN SOMEBODY PASS THE FUCKING POPCORN OVER HERE NOW geezus christ
- Within minutes, eater.com declares Abbe Diaz is having a "meltdown."
- Fast forward several months to December, 2007. Sasha Muniak receives an e-mail from Jody Williams insisting he "rein in" his girlfriend or suffer the consequences.
- Abbe Diaz is livid. However, she concedes:
… i admit i am making an assumption. is there a possibility that comment COULD have been posted by someone else? of course. there’s always a possibility.
so here is my suggestion, and maybe this will appease everybody involved:
- SOMEONE posted that comment. all the speculations raised by the members here regarding that comment are primarily based on the IP address. well, if i was accused of posting a comment i did not write (that was supossedly written by one of my FANS), i can tell you i would be hell-bent on finding the person who is ruining my reputation by writing that awful snide comment.
- i would take the IP address. i would call the company to which the address is registered. if i happened to discover LO AND BEHOLD that IP address happens to come from the VERY SAME COMPANY in which i work (or used to work maybe? whatever) — ??
- i would find my "colleague," make him/her reveal his/her identity (or i would do it myself) and then i’d probably shake the shit out of that "fan" of mine. then i’d make that colleague publicly apologize to all involved for creating such a goddamned ruckus. i’d probably even call my good pals over at Eater and ask them to help spread the word farther and wider: "I AM INNOCENT."
(hells, i would even bet all the members here would apologize for all their speculations, if proven wrong. quite frankly, i would MAKE THEM APOLOGIZE.)
that’s what i would do.
i got the IP address if anybody wants it. just ask for it.
- To this day, neither Jody Williams nor Diana nor eater.com has made any attempt to acquire the aforementioned IP address, belonging to "Brook." Isn’t that funny?
We still have it, if anybody wants it. Feel free to e-mail us — or wait until the release of PX Me – The Sequel to PX This if you just wanna read about it — coming in the Spring of 2012!
- As predicted by the members of PX This months prior, in August of 2007, Jody Williams signs on as chef/partner of Gottino, (located within the several blocks between Gusto and Morandi).
- As predicted by the members of PX This months prior, in May of 2008, Chef Jody William is unceremoniously dismissed from Morandi.
- The LATEST: As "scooped" by PX This, in September of 2009, Jody Williams is sued by Gottino partner Michael Bull and is subsequently ousted from Gottino in May of 2010.
Grasshopper murder suspect "Brook" remains at large…
**See also (earlier): "[ Jody Willams ] @ Morandi"
*********************************************************************
pxthis.com archives
This is an abbreviated version of the PX This blog entry on July 14, 2007, for archival purposes only. A far more detailed, thorough, and incisive account is to be included in Diaz’s upcoming second book, PX Me – The Sequel to PX This) – Coming Soon in the Spring of 2012
"…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
First of all, thank you so much for your encouraging inquiries and continuing support.
Secondly— okay so, here’s the deal. The Amazon Kindle version of PX This – The Revised Edition is FINALLY available. Yes, it took forever, it’s true. You’re dying to know why, aren’t you?
Well, did you know that, still, as of today, the Amazon Kindle e-reader device does not support sans-serif fonts of any kind? You may not think of this as any big deal, but believe it or not, it almost drove me completely out of my mind. As you’re probably aware, PX This was written in a certain style (reminiscent of, oh— e.e.cummings, let’s say) that relied tremendously on the specific aesthetic of a sans-serif font. I’m aware it’s difficult for some of you prosaic, narrow-minded, tunnel-vision jerkoffs to fathom, but it was all a conscious creative decision intended to convey a certain disposition in my narrative.
Well, I felt sooo strongly about this sans-serif font, I scoured the internet for a solution and searched high and low for a CSS/HTML programmer who could solve the dilemma of converting PX This to the Kindle .mobi format while still maintaining the sans-serif font, all to no avail. I even sent irate messages to Amazon Kindle on Facebook®, I am not even kidding. In the end, I had no choice but to revise PX This – The Revised Edition (AGAIN) specifically for Kindle’s sans-serif-font-hating interface.
Perhaps you’ve noticed the last few weeks, I have adopted the standard usage of the "shift" key on my keyboard for most of my recent blahg posts. Yup, I’ve given in to The Man (as stupid as he is); no more lowercase-loving for me.
[ It's probably all for the best anyways, it's all over the interwebs, everybody is doing it now, it's gotten hackneyed and banal and totally played out--- you'll recall PX This was originally written in the years 2000-2004 when blogs/comments didn't even exist yet.]
This will essentially afford me the luxury of writing the sequel to PX This one time and ONE TIME only. Hallelujah.
Which, lastly, brings me to my next announcement:
The release of the sequel to PX This (formerly tentatively titled PX This Too) has been DELAYED. Sorry, re-writing PX This for the third time took up all the energy allotted to this project for the last several months.
My second book, PX Me – The Sequel to PX This (How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous, and Married a Millionaire) will be released in the SPRING of 2011.
Thank you so much again.
xoxo,
abbe
"… Overwhelmingly, e-books and e-readers have emphasized— and maybe over-emphasized— easy reading of prose fiction. All of the rhetoric is about the pure transparency of the reading act… Well, with some kinds of reading, we don’t always want the device to disappear. Sometimes we need to use texts to do tough intellectual work. And when we do this, we usually have to stop and think about their materiality…
We need displays that can preserve the careful spatial layouts of a modernist poet, rather than smashing it all together as indistinguishable, left-justified text. We need to recognize that using language as a graphic art requires more than a choice of three fonts in a half-dozen sizes. Some text is interchangable, but some of it is through-designed. And for good reason.
This is where we’ve been let down by our reading machines— in the representation of language…
Writers wanted to find a way to borrow the visual vitality of what was thought of as ephemeral writing and put it in the service of the conceptual richness and range of subject matter… That’s where we get literary and artistic modernism— not only Joyce, but Mallarmé, Stein, Apollinaire, Picasso, Duchamp, Dada, Futurism— the whole thing. New lines for a new mind, and new eyes with which to see them.
- "E-Books Are Still Waiting for Their Avant-Garde" | September 9, 2010 | Gadget Lab | Wired.com, by Tim Carmody
The industry of Fashion, as you might presume, is plagued by pretty much the same kind of politics, opportunism, machinations, and bullshit as just about every other high-stakes form of capitalism in the world (including F&B, natch). So, far be it for us to advocate Anna Wintour‘s upcoming big annual whoopdedoo, Fashion’s Night Out. (Please, don’t even get us started…)
We would, however, like to strongly encourage you to do whatever the hells you please. Blind ignorance and stoic incomprehension is what fuels the economy after all! (♪♪ Got to have a J.O.B. if you wanna roll with me… ♪♪)
To that end, we bring news of a nice fusion (fooshion) between food and fashion (get it?) event for this momentous evening— namely:
The BondSt – Fashion Night Out Black Carnival
BEWITCHING HOUR BEGINS ON BOND STREET!
BONDST restaurant joins designers and friends including ROGAN, OAK, The Smile, Archetype Showroom & Hester Street Fair to be a part of the first annual Black Carnival, an outrageous neighborhood celebration sponsored by 42Below vodka in support of Fashion’s Night Out, on Friday, September 10, 2010. Between 6PM‐11PM, when all of New York’s most stylish denizens roam the city in search of fashion, fun and retail therapy, Bond Street between Bowery & Lafayette will be transformed into a celebration of the dark (& humorous) side of fashion – a carnival of black tents with games, music, cocktails and revelry. Noho friends and neighbors will all be present, providing unique experiences to be discovered up and down the street and throughout the dark bazaar. BONDST will set up in a tent in the carnival to sell Spicy Crispy Shrimp and Sushi Hand Rolls. The new Japanese restaurant will also stage a ring toss game with sake bottles. The prize for getting a ring on is a free drink in the BONDST lounge. 3 rings for $1 – come join us!
"A celebration of the dark (& humorous) side of fashion," ha ahaa. Awesome! How can you resist?!
************************************
For a factual, in-depth, and uniquely insightful peek into the world of high-fashion, read PX This – The Revised Edition featuring true-story encounters with such luminaries as Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Azzedine Alaïa, Mohamed al-Fayed, Graziano de Boni, Ann Demeulmeester, Marc Bagutta, and so much more…
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
= "personne extraordinaire"