The Devil Eats Jerk Pork. NOT.
The latest captivating chatter in and amongst the industry has Anna Wintour rumored to have already slapped Serge Becker’s latest not-yet-open downtown "café" with a preliminary smackdown. As you may recall, one of Becker’s other establishments, La Esquina, was recently unjustly obstructed from doing business for three days, and some speculation seems to place an irate neighbor at the core of that unwarranted temporary shutdown. Unfortunately for said neighbor, La Esquina was quickly found to be "in compliance with New York City building codes," and the Department of Buildings is said to have "scrambled" to rescind their erroneous judgement after an attorney and judges from as far away as Washington DC were consulted (presumably to help expedite the matter faster and more efficiently than New York’s frustratingly backlogged bureaucracy) on the arguably distorted assessment of celebrity-haven La Esquina’s "imminent… peril… to life."
Well!
Here we go again? The recent salacious out-and-about tittle-tattle has Anna Wintour allegedly warning Serge Becker to refrain from throwing "parties" at his new currently-under-construction exotic eatery, located (perilously?) close to Ms. Wintour’s abode.
LOL! Silly Anna. Every night’s… ♪♪ a holiday at Huuurleeey’s! ♪♪ [Quick: name that movie.]
In any case, Serge Becker & Co. might best hope a set of new $10,000.00 soundproof windows can propitiate Ms. Wintour. But frankly, we can’t help but suggest they get down on their knees and pray she doesn’t decide to implement a strategy that could conceivably be classified a "C*ntyNasty," whereby she would perhaps exert her powerful influence to contribute to the restaurant’s undoing, only to open her very own ‘hotspot’ hash house located conveniently close to her residence.
Does Anna Wintour have 311 on speed dial? Would downtown NYC be better served by a more subdued bistro, with a menu based entirely on supermodel-satiating lettuce leaves and water, than a "café" offering up callaloo and whatnot? Stay tuned!
Ahh, so starts the wintour of our discontent…
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For more details on Graydon Carter and the strategic implementation of “the C*ntyNasty” read PX This – The Revised Edition and PX This Too, The Sequel to PX This (Coming Soon in the Autumn of 2010)
** See our latest UPDATE on Serge Becker’s newest enterprise **
• Monday, May 24, 2010 10:30PM – Kim Catrall, John Corbett, Padma Lakshmi, Michelle Trachtenberg, Gabourey Sidibe, Narciso Rodriguez, Evan Handler, Mario Cantone, Syam, and Nick Rytting at the Sex and the City 2 Premiere Party at Lincoln Center.
• Thursday, May 20, 2010 9:30 PM – Alex Rodriguez and Cameron Diaz being accosted by fans at La Esquina.
• Sunday, May 23, 2010 5:30PM – Jimmy Fallon strolling down Great Jones near Lafayette St.
• Friday, May 14, 2010 7:30 PM [UPDATED--- My bad?- Ed.] – Fierce Michelle Yeoh Look-Alike in the audience at the performance of O by Cirque du Soleil at theBelaggio hotel, Las Vegas.
… Are you ready for the sunshiiine? Are you ready for the birds and beeees, the apple treeees, and a whooole lotta foolin’ around… - The Camp Northstar Kids Chorus
PX This presents: The Sunset Beach Diaries
• Day 1 – May 6, 2010: On my way to Shelter Island…
• Day 2 – May 7, 2010: Do you see my new view?!
10:00 AM meeting, then breakfast tasting at 4:30PM. Setting up Open Table system now— Yikes!
• Day 3 – May 8, 2010: 8:30AM! Ahh— I used to go to sleep at 6AM. What a change.
Duck Paté lesson at 10PM
• Day 4 – May 9, 2010: 9:30AM Brrr! So cold! Where’s my coat?!
• Tuesday, May 4, 2010 4:30PM – Julian Schnabel, in sarong skirt and sandals, having late lunch at Mekong.
• Thursday, May 6, 2010 4:30PM – Ron Burkle with Danny "A" Abeckaser, having late lunch at Bar Pitti.
• Friday, April 30, 2010 9:30PM – NBC Extra’s A.J. Calloway arguing his way into La Esquina.
• Wednesday, May 5, 2010 6:30PM – F&B superstar prodigal son, Pietro Pagano, having early dinner at Da Silvano.
Rumors swirling within the industry have Chef Akthar Nawab slated to take over the kitchen at a very popular downtown Mexican eatery. Which begs the question, "what about Zengo?" True, Zengo’s early populace reviews on the internet and word-of-mouth have been mixed at best, but even the most insightful, jaded veterans of the industry are raising their eyebrows over a move that practically takes transience to a whole new level. And let’s never mind the head scratching over why this particular downtown "classic" Mexican eatery (which remains one of the hottest spots in town despite its persistent lack of a boldface-worthy chef) would court a media darling like Nawab in the first place. Some insiders speculate its plans to expand by opening its first offshoot in Miami (ambitiously but tentatively scheduled for the next Art Basel) may have something to do with its new foodieblog-gratifying outlook, but others insist Nawab’s superficial popularity has little or nothing to do with this latest (alleged) development, noting, "he’s just a downtown dude… ya know… with friends in the restaurant." And still others feel fit to surmise the Miami location’s impending opening is still very much on precarious footing anyway, as potential investors continue to engage in the ol’ Subsidizers’ Shuffle.
[But, on a semi-related note: this famous Mexican restaurant is said to be aggressively advancing on its goal to establish a new Jamaican counterpart.]
Whatever? We’re just sayin’.
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Salman Rushdie hearts PX This – The Revised Edition by abbe diaz
Former “Maitre d’ to the Stars” to Release Second Book
Here’s a "blind item" for you:
Which restaurateurs are none too pleased with the impending release of PX This Too – The Sequel to PX This? Worse yet, the timely upcoming launch of PX This – The Revised Edition just happens to coincide with the recent openings of two high-profile Manhattan restaurants. Anonymous e-mails sent to this website seem to indicate some ‘characters’ are indeed up to their old shenanigans. Some things never change!
But some things do change! For the better, even. Like for example: PX This – The Revised Edition! Now with enhanced content, photos, and a preview excerpt from PX This Too!
And to celebrate the forthcoming launch of PX This Too [The Sequel to PX This]— coming in the Summer of 2010, the e-book version of PX This – The Revised Edition is FREE! [Print version coming soon!]
This is a limited time offer— so get your FREE e-version of PX This – The Revised Edition for your iPad / Kindle2+ / netbook etc NOW! Hooray!
:)
"i can’t believe that bitch gets more press than i, by maybe-being-me" —abbe diaz, 8/24/07
Well! Hey, Abbe— you wish, Miss Thing! Looks like Ms. Butler has some lessons for you in the art of Media Hype & Hoopla Hustling.
"…the notorious Gwen Butler, after an incident that occurred after service Wednesday night. ‘She assaulted me,’ Skeen tells us. We’ve heard the chef was punched in the face…"
Wow! That’s hott. No wait— that’s better than hott. Hell, that’s gansta.
Anywho, just wanted to say, "Hi, Snax!" Lookin’ good, mami. Mrreeoowwr!
Thanks for making the food blogs fun again! We haven’t read anything this LOL inducing since… well… this.
Luv ya!
Your adoring fans at PX This.
**See also (earlier):
• SYMPATHY 4 THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY
• Chef Roman à Clef: "I’m not Abbe"
• Is our mystery roman à clef writer Boston’s $2.45 Million Dollar Bartender?
• "I’ll punch somebody if it gets me in Page Six. Just kidding…"
• "Think of it – you would be so badass…"
** For more on this story, read PX This, Too – Coming in the Summer of 2010 **
Everyone’s number one favorite Waverly Inn / Bowery Hotel superstar, Ivo Juhani, is… well… a Superstar! Get it, girl.
I SMELL BOOK DEAL.
:)
Love ya,
Your adoring fans at PX This.
Kenny Kenny regrets to inform you that Juliet Supper Club has forsaken Tuesday night BonBon, co-hosted by Susanne Bartsch (and once by Tinsley Mortimer), for "the bottle-service crowd." He states, "Uck. See you at Vandam Sundays at Greenhouse!"
For shame, Juliet! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon/ Who is already sick and pale with grief… Oh forget it, never mind.
:(
Aaaand, that’s the state of nightlife…
** See also (earlier):
• "SPOTTED: Rosario Dawson at BonBonTuesdays"
• "VANDAM Fashion Week -by Kenny Kenny"
Underground parties land cool new Nolita club Kenmare in hot water [the Daily News]
"New A-list hot spot Kenmare wound up in hot water after State Liquor Authority officials read about underground parties there in the gossip pages, the Daily News has learned… But that’s not how the owners of Kenmare portrayed the spot to the State Liquor Authority when it was granted a liquor license in early February… ‘We are paying close attention to them,’ said SLA Deputy Chief Executive Officer Michael Jones. ‘They are supposed to be operating as a restaurant.’ …Kenmare could face penalties as severe as losing its liquor license."
Huh. Is that right?
Well, hmm— what was that you said again, Gawker? Something about our original breaking coverage on the transformation of the former Civetta being "not true," right after you misquoted us and incorrectly paraphrased our bulletin?
Oh but wait, we do admit perhaps we were somewhat remiss when we later mused, "…what does ‘the new Beatrice’ even mean?" and subsequently suggested you were "narrow-minded, short-sighted… ignorant" and "asinine" for creating such a nonsensical description of Kenmare née Civetta in the first place.
I guess we should apologize. We kinda totally ‘get it’ now.
Gee, it looks like Kenmare may very well be "the new Beatrice" after all.
**See also (earlier):
• Civetta Closing – "New Concept" to Come
• Saturday, February 20, 2010. 2:30PM – James Gandolfini walking along the beach path near The Setai hotel in Miami Beach.
• Thursday, February 18, 2010. 7:00PM – Jackie Mason (and wife?) strolling in for dinner at Pasha’s on Lincoln Rd in Miami Beach.
• Saturday, February 20, 2010. 9:30PM – Bill Cobbs standing by the front door of The W hotel in Miami Beach, discussing with the bellhop his "plans for the evening." You can recognize that voice a mile away.
• Friday, February 19, 2010 8:30PM – Mark Margolis talking on his mobile phone in the lobby of The Shore Club and then later, walking into Nobu for dinner.
• Monday, February 1, 2010. 9:30PM – Uma Thurman, Nicole Kidman, and Domenico Dolce dining (separately) at Hotel Griffou.
• Tuesday, February 2, 2010. 8:57PM – "Right now, Mike D hangin’ with the big boys at The Ace Hotel lobby bar."
• Sunday, January 31, 2010. 3:30PM – Taye Diggs, with wife, pushing baby stroller down Broadway near 22nd St.
• Friday, January 29, 2010, 8:00PM – Mick Jagger, Bono, Takashi Murakami, James Franco, Peter Brant and (of course) Damien Hirst, Larry Gagosian, and Shala Monroque at the opening of the "End of an Era" exhibit by Damient Hirst at the Gagosian Gallery on Madison Ave.
*Courtesy of former F&B industry superstar Shala Monroque [shala.thepop.com]
= "personne extraordinaire"