PX This.

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.

• 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.

If you’re as fabulous as you think you are, then this little cutie pie needs no introduction.

Her father, however, may need a baseball bat in just a few more years.

:)

***Featuring Belinda Becker and Willow Becker – with special thanks to LaRon Batchelor for shustir.com

Just released in theatres – March 5, 2010. Yay!

Watch Brooklyn’s Finest, starring Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes and of course, NYC nightlife superstar, Wass Stevens. Check out the official trailer (see if you can spot the temporarily revamped LaEsquina!)

* See also (earlier): " DON CHEADLE and WESLEY SNIPES… at LaEsquina"

Welcome to: Where I Spent My Day Off —by a NYC Restaurant "Insider"

So, what do you do in the industry?
I’m a Service Coordinator and Floor Manager for a [highly publicized] 150+ seater in TriBeCa.

And you have how many days off a week, generally?
Two.

What did you do for breakfast yesterday?
Had an english muffin (with butter) and coffee at home while watching the morning news.

Lunch?
Met a couple of friends at Ippudo on 4th Ave. They’re big fans of the ramen, and I think one friend even knows one of the cooks there. It’s usually packed (or rather, the wait is long) for dinner, so lunch is a better bet if you can make it there early enough. I used to be a fan myself, until a girl I was dating a while back had an allergic reaction which she attributed to MSG. I was surprised that a ramen house as well-known as Ippudo would still be using outdated and controversial ingredients like MSG, so when I got home I googled "Ippudo MSG." Even though I didn’t actually get a definitive answer, there were enough reports online of people with similar doubts and experiences to make me somewhat of a believer. I haven’t eaten at Ippudo since, and I try to warn my friends of the possibility of MSG in the food. Some friends care — others don’t.
Obviously, these particular friends still love it, but I stuck with two pork buns, piquillo peppers and a small bottle of sake. I hope the pork buns don’t have any MSG, but if it weren’t for my friends insisting on lunching there, I wouldn’t have gone back even for those.

And afterward?
Walked around Union Square with my friends, then went home to clean my apartment and catch up on the laundry.

Dinner?
Met another friend at Ed’s Lobster Bar in SoHo. She was craving a lobster roll, and Mary’s Fish Camp is too much of hassle (long wait) most nights. I also won’t go to Pearl’s because the staff has such an attitude problem there. Ed’s isn’t much better, but the irony is that at Ed’s the staff is nice, but the owners are real dicks. Usually whenever I see Ed or that other big guy through the window, I keep walking. But this time my friend was starving so I gave in.
I always try to get a seat at the counter as far away from Ed as possible. Sometimes he mans the front oyster/raw bar, and other times he darts in and out of the kitchen in the back. Unfortunately, this time there were only seats toward the front, and we had no choice but to plop ourselves smack in front of his surly mug.

The funny thing is I was bracing myself for a mediocre to downright awful experience, but I think Ed heard us talking and realized we were from the industry. He was unusually attentive, and no exaggeration, the lobster rolls arrived more overstuffed and perfectly prepared than I have ever seen before (more often than not, it’s a crap shoot). The fries were also perfect (ditto on the crap shoot) and even the little ramekin of pickles was practically overflowing. We also shared a Caesar salad to start, and even that was fresher and better prepared than it’s ever been. It ended up being the best meal I’ve ever had there.

And afterward?
Popped into Cafe Select to see if another friend of mine was working, but she wasn’t, so we dropped into La Esquina instead. Had two rounds of margaritas, which was one more than I wanted, but I know the girl that was bartending, so she refilled the glasses when we weren’t looking. We spotted Mischa Barton walking by, but I think I heard she’s there all the time. Also ran into a couple of other people we know.

How much did you blow today?
I treated my friend to dinner at Ed’s so all in all, about $190, including tip (which I gave the bartender at La Esquina a little extra for the sneak round). My friend paid for the first round of drinks at La Esquina. No cab fare all day which is one of the main reasons I mostly only go to places I can walk to (I hate the subway).

• Tuesday, October 20, 10:00PM – Brian Grazer having his "first visit" and "lov[ing] it" to The Room Formerly Known as Boom Boom, sitting at the bar with two friends (/business associates?) in a dark gray business suit with no necktie. Moved to a quieter banquette table (with a view) as the bar area quickly filled up.

• Tuesday, October 20, 9:00PM – Harvey Keitel dining at Abe & Arthur’s with a woman at a corner table on the main level. Wearing a dark suit and lightly tinted eyewear with heavy black frames.

• Friday, October 16, 9:30PM – Salman Rushdie at Indochine, having drinks in the lounge with four women, and later adjoining to the dining room for dinner at a circular banquette. He sat firmly planted directly in the center of the ladies (and attention) both times.

• Thursday, October 15, 11:00PM – Mischa Barton in for her "usual" visit to La Esquina. It’s possible she "has a little crush on a bartender" there?

• Jay Z, Rihanna, and entourage at La Esquina. Jay Z maybe wasn’t entirely pleased with his table. Rihanna wore her jacket and sunglasses all through dinner. At one point, the bodyguard attempted to restrict access to the "mosaic room" and turned away proprietor Serge Becker. LOL. Fun times.

• Mischa Barton with two girlfriends strolling into La Esquina at 1AM. They had a quick drink and bounced.

• Michelle Wiliams walking alone on Spring Street in SoHo. All bundled up and hooded against the sudden drop in temperature in an olive military-style fatigue jacket. What amazing skin she has; it practically glows.

• Tony Shafrazi dining with a male friend at Lure.

• Jonathan Morr wandering aimlessly down Greenwich Avenue in the West Village with friend/business associate Ray Pirkle. Looking for real estate?

• Anne Burrell at the bar at Peasant. She ordered some convoluted complicated multi-ingredient cocktail but when informed, "Sorry, we don’t have the liquor to make that drink," she promptly responded, "That’s okay, I’ll have a vodka and soda."

• Emil Varda lunching outdoors with Abbe Diaz at Gusto Ristorante e Bar Americano. Look out, world…?

• Adrien Brody lunching at La Esquina (with a male hipster friend)— looking pale, scrawny, and headshaved enough to possibly be filming The Pianist II. Rode off into the sunset (down Lafayette St.) on his bicycle afterward.

• Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds dining at Mr. Chow Tribeca with his son, wearing an olive military-style fatigue jacket, matching cap and dark sunglasses. Ate pretty quickly and left. Little Babyface Jr fist bumped Michael "Mr" Chow on the way out. Mr Chow tried to make it fancy and fly, but little homeslice wasn’t havin’ it – he likes it plain and classic.

• Real Housewives’ Kelly Killoren Bensimmon chatting with a shorter woman outside Cafe Select in the mid-afternoon. Wearing sparkly black leggings, and a short, black, suede fringed jacket and ballet flats. Supposedly "filming" for an upcoming episode.

• Über-photographer Sante D’Orazio lunching at Bar Pitti with an übertall, leggy, beautiful model-type. What else is new.

yah so. everybody’s been buzzing bout theBoomBoom! and evidently, pxthis was no exception (it also seems we were the ones who got the information correctly the quickest, but hey what else is new).

then apparently yesterday, our ole buddy steve-lewis (and then grubstreet) broke the news "Kamil Parchomienko will handle the room…" !!

wow! and yay!

those of us who know and love and/or remember former original subMercer GM/Maitre d’ kamil-parchomienko (also of MercerKitchen, SunsetBeach, StandardMiami, and StandardLA) are of course totally delighted that kamil, the prodigal son, has returned to NYC after a loooong time away. hooray!
oh but i kinda feel a little bad for him though, cuz i don’t know whether or not kamil will appreciate his name being alls out there right before he is about to open the hottest spot in town. i mean like for example,
we alls know the WaverlyInn’s emil-varda has a fake name (and business cards). i also know two of my pals who run LaEsquina refrain as best they can from giving out their names too. and for sure, back in the day, i rarely ever gave peoples my real name either.
not that "the press" ever gave a shit who the GM or Maiterdees were before, so that’s a new one, but whatever.
but i digress.

anyhoo. steve-lewis goes on to describe "They want to do two seatings, 4–9 for small plates and 10–2/3 for late night. Super high-end Rainbow Room/Rose Bar/Windows on the World style $18–25 drinks and DP by the glass…"

wow again! and uhhh… kinda… THANK GAWD (?!)
i don’t know about you, but i’m a little sick of places that only cater to young unkempt insomniac kids whose trust funds haven’t quite kicked in yet. not that i ever went to any of those places (mostly cuz ha ahaa i couldn’t get in), but i just think it’s really really great somebody is finally thinking of us "olds" (ya know— the ones with TASTE) and giving us a place we can go and have fun before one o’clock in the fucking morning.

oh! yah— and since you were wondering
the answer is YES! that’s the kamil you’re thinking of. of course it is! who else would it be.
he’s also one half the character "michael" in the series (the other half is current BlueHill@StoneBarns GM, philippe-gouze) and if all goes well, he’ll be played by actor (and former clubUSA bartender) darren-kendrick.

hmmm how many is that now? ha ha ha ahaa haaah i’ll give a crisp new benjamin to the first person who can correctly identify every person in the book who now works at theStandard.

• Urban Daddy does all you losers a favor by letting you know how you can finally get into theJane. Then the comments section of Down by the Hipster reminds you all again why it is exactly you are such a fucking bunch of losers. -Vanilla Ice

• Speaking of reminders, Joshua David Stein grabs another opportunity to exhibit how he is such a knowledgable and insidery genius, and that Abbe Diaz is just a "batshit crazy, angry, petty" person— by graciously informing you pretty much the exact same shit Abbe Diaz already told you. -Vanilla Ice

• Jennifer Aniston reports on Conan O’Brien that she wants to possibly maybe open a Mexican restaurant— because "usually a great night is had in a Mexican restaurant, no?" And also: "New York City needs a great [Mexican restaurant]."
OH SNAP! Ya hear that, La Esquina? All that hospitality you’ve been showing Jennifer (we’ve spotted her there with our very own eyes on two separate occasions, both times with John Mayer. And we hear she’s "there all the time") is only going to end up with her biting yer stilo and stealing your patrons, à la Graydon Carter and Ron Perelman.
So much for gratitude! -Vanilla Ice

• SPOTTED: Last week at BarPitti, all dining on the same evening— Tony Shafrazi (business), Carmen Kass (pleasure), and Mena Suvari (business/pleasure ?). Look out for the paparazzi pics of Mena Suvari somewhere (she was properly attired and bespackled for them) since the photogs were plentiful and relentless. (Carmen Kass they completely missed, however.)

• SPOTTED: Nightlife impresario Richie Akiva celebrating his birthday over Saturday (September 19th) brunch at Cercle Rouge— with three super-tall babes and one beefy bruiser in tow. And his little dog too.
Nobody sang for him (aww, booo!). And kudos to him for being the only at the table not too hungover and/or stoned to have to hide behind big bugeyed beblackened spectacles.
As they were departing after their meal, one model reprimanded Richie Akiva like his mom, "The waiter just said ‘Happy Birthday’ to you!" And Akiva retorted, "I said, ‘thank you’!"
Yes, he certainly did, and quite sweetly, too. So there.

yah so
last night was this awesome private dinner at LaEsquina thrown by JoseCuervo to celebrate Mexican Independence Day and to help promote their Platino and Extra Añejo Riserva de la Familia tequilas to… ummm… "influentials" (? that would be ME. yay!)

it was really great and delicious (there’s new stuff on the LaEsquina menu! did you even realize?) and believe it or not, even though i consumed about a half dozen JoseCuervo tequila drinks in various incarnations, i still managed to learn quite a lot about tequila.
wouldn’t you like to learn some too? sure you would. okay here goes. did you know:

- that tequila is like "champagne" or like "bourbon" in that in order for it to be called "tequila" it MUST be made in the region of tequila,mexico (which is comprised of five regions within itself). any similar liquor produced outside this region must be denominated otherwise— like "mezcal" or some such, etc.

- tequila is also like wine, in that it has an "NOM" classification (Nominacion Original sumpn sump? or sumpn? whatever) very much like the french AOC and the italian DOC.

- that any tequila which is 100% agave (like Jose Cuervo’s Riservas) is completely free of sugar and therefore "will not cause headaches or hangovers…"
(it’s also only 60 calories an ounce and contains no carbs!)

- somewhat by virtue of this, Jose Cuervo is also currently awaiting FDA approval to label their Riserva tequilas "organic."

- that Patron is owned by paul-mitchell (the hair products dude)… thereby making Patron something akin to the Absolut of tequilas, if you hear what i’m sayin (big vodka fanatic here).

- that the former JoseCuervo "1800" is no longer a part of JoseCuervo? it "separated itself from the company," and although 1800 is still made in Cuervo distilleries, it no longer bears the name "Jose Cuervo."

- that all Riserva de la Familia bottles are still hand filled, labeled, and numbered— because JoseCuervo remains a 10th generation family-run business that fully espouses the tradition of sustaining the employment of local mexican laborers and artisans…

- … in fact, the Extra Añejo bottles come packaged in a special wooden box, re-designed annually by local artists, some of the sales proceeds of which are then donated to help fund a local university for the arts.

- that the Platino is best served "chilled and/or in cocktails" but the Extra Añejo should be "room temperature, in a snifter."

- that to recognize any "very good tequila," you should notice "spiciness in the mouth and taste buds only" with "a warmth in the throat and downward"— but NEVER a spiciness in the throat and downward.

- that by nosing the Extra Añejo in the glass, you will recognize the different notes by nosing "the front" (the pepperiness), "the center" (the "honey" and agave), and "the back" (the oak and wood notes).
also— keep your mouth slightly open to help dispel the "alcohol" fragrance.

isn’t that fascinating ?

in short:

that shit is GOOD.

yay José!