Hey - it's July 4th weekend! Hoooooray! If you are lacking plans and love burgers, why not head over to the Estate, where EuEu, MBirn and the ENTIRE EMM family (that means everyone!) will be debuting the Abe & Arthur Burger this weekend. Delicious and patriotic, how can you beat that combo? Bring your own napkins.
Although not yet open to the public, a Little Birdy has somehow managed to make it into two separate friends and family nights at Brooklyn Bowl, the highly anticipated bowling alley/restaurant/concert venue that is bound to open someday soon in Williamsburg. Our LB's first trip to BB featured delicious food, including the pizzas we heard about a few months ago, and after last night's event, our LB gushed "the brooklyn bowl is far the coolest venue i have seen in nyc...place is off the charts". Not bad for a place that isn't even open yet.
Oh Frankie, we know you merrily moving on from your onerous gig as chief restaurant critic, but this is no time to get all lazy on your legions of readers. It seems that Mr. Upper West Side has been thinking a lot about the Lower East Side (Hell Square to you and us), and decided to spend some time down there before his food carriage turns into a pumpkin. His first stop was Peasant's subterranean wine bar, saying "I love it here. There are better Italian wine lists in the city, certainly, but Peasant gives a good pour for the price, and the wine bar has some casual nibbles in addition to the menu from the restaurant upstairs." Only problem? Peasant is on Elizabeth Street, meaning it isn't in the Lower East Side! Everyone knows that once you cross the Bowery heading west, you are clearly in Nolita. So while we love having El Frank come downtown, we do hope he has a bit more respect for geographical boundaries. [Diner's Journal]
We skipped the opening of DJ AM's new club Dusk at Ceasers in Atlantic City this weekend because, well, we just didn't want to go. Fear not, however, because none other than Arthur Kade holds down the fort in his first installment as DBTH Special Correspondant:
"When we got to the entrance of the club, I was introduced to the GM, Kevin, who couldn't have been nicer and more professional, and we were escorted in as a group. I shook his hand, and he was super cool, and told me "Anything you need, you let me know", and then gave me his card, and I appreciated this treatment because people understand that I have become one of the most powerful opinions in nightlife and trends in the country, and people like him make the experience of being a rising celebrity more fun, and he also checked on our group several times during the night. Most clubs come and go, but good management makes them roll, and I am happy that he went out of his way to treat me and my group like VIP's.
Dusk is an ultra unique, hot-ass concept, by DJ AM, that was so cool looking, and comfortable that I thought it was super far ahead of other clubs around. It has a stadium, round feel, with stripper poles, an awesome VIP get-away downstairs, and an awesome bar set up, and I actually told one of my friends, "This place is designed perfectly, easy access to everything, plenty of bar room, tons of room for bottle service for VIP's like us, and a great dance floor". We were treated like royalty all night, and I had fans and admirers approaching me the whole night, and telling me how much they loved me, and followed "The Journey" including the lead celebrity writer for the Philadelphia Daily News, Dan Gross ( I thought he was going to go nuts when meeting me, he was so excited), who actually brought his wife over and asked me to take a picture with her because she was a fan. I talked to mostly 9's and up the whole night, and the crowd that they brought was "A List" with more power, looks, and money than you can imagine, it actually felt like NYC, so I felt at home. The music was amazing, and they actually had Good Charlotte give a live performance for us before they closed (I love that group, they rocked the house), although I should have probably had them introduce us.
Overall, I would say it is one of the nicest, hottest, looking clubs I have seen outside of Vegas, and the treatment was an A+ by the management and staff. I think they should be every proud of what they built, and I can't wait to dominate there for a while. We finished the night by closing The Chelsea, where I was stationed at a table with all the girls I brought over, and the whole crowd moved there, and we killed it as only we can."
And there you have it. Kade out.
We got a number of flyers late yesterday in the inbox advertising MIchael Jackson tribute parties at various clubs. Grub Street has a nice opinion piece on the issue this morning. A musical tribute at a club like 1Oak doesn't seem to be any different from a normal night and people are going to go there anyway. Hell, most nights at 1Oak and clubs of the sort are unadvertised MJ tributes, but we draw the line at the City Winery promo. A Michael Jackson Tribute Wine Pairing? From Grub Street:
"And City Winery honcho Michael Dorf was torn: “Is it wrong to create a memorial to MJ with wine and charge $? People want to hear his music and be together. I am not giving it away for 0.” Well, the Dorfman figured it out, because according to an e-flyer we just received, tonight there will indeed be a Michael Jackson Tribute Pairing that may or may not feature Jesus juice."
The answer is yes. It is wrong. And lame. Unless the same crowd that shows up for the Sunday Klezmer Brunches shows up. Then it could get interesting.
DBTH ventured deep into the heart of Greenpoint the other night for the North Brooklyn Public Art Coalition launch of the The India Street Mural Project with a fundraiser event at Gallery 1889 sponsored by Hornitos. The Coalition is a new initiative working with local artists, community members, arts organizations and businesses to increase the presence of public art in North Brooklyn. The India Street Mural Project celebrates Brooklyn art by including a series of murals, painted by local artists Ali Ashcman, Eve Biddle, Joshua Frankel, Joshua Abram Howard, Robert Seng, Skewville and Chris Soria.
There were bites by Chef Michael Sullivan of Anella in Greenpoint, live found object portraits by artist, Zito, live screenprinting by the Brooklyn Printmaking Collective, and artistic haircuts (read: mullets and tellums) by designer/inventor/sculptor Dan Harper.
When this week's Flyer Follies candidate dropped into our inbox today, we had a total 2005 flashback. Flashback led to shock; shock led to confusion. Nicky Hilton is still alive? She still gets paid to do club appearances?
In these heady times, we often have to remember the simple things in life that bring us pleasure and make us happy. This week TONY's Public Eye finds Eldridge Doorman Extraordinaire Naeem Delbridge on the street returning from the gym. So hung over from 'work' that he was 'shaking', Naeem goes on to explain that he doesn't judge people at the door at the Eldridge... but he judges them. Or, whatever. We learn about doorman reciprocity and that if Naeem does go out anywhere other than the closet-sized Eldridge he goes to 1Oak, and explains that he is 'normal' because he goes vintage t-shirt shopping at Star Struck in the West Village (they pull shirts for him!).
However the money quote comes at the end when Naeem reflects on the 'simple things' that make him happy:
“I’m not going to change the world. Simple things make me happy: clothes, money and having great friends.”
That's it... clothes and money. Oh, and friends. How prescient!
We know the 'Amy Sacco Is Over' story has been done to death. Hell, we practically perfected it over the last few years, but Gawker takes a fresh crack at it today, noting that many employees (salaried and otherwise) haven't been paid in quite some time, with noted Superstar Celebrity DJ Rafael having quit recently. So let's see:
-Nobody is getting paid at Bungalow in NYC
-Nobody knows or cares that there is even a Bungalow in London
-Her 'lifestyle consulting' ay District is... umm...
-Her 'lifestyle consulting' at Hard Rock in Vegas is... umm...
So yeah. There you have it.
It's time for Quick Hits. All NY Times. All Dining & Style. All the time. Boom.
1. Pete Wells offers up a summer drinks piece, alphabetically organized for maximum Junuary refreshment. I is for Ice. Ice is refreshing. Thanks for the heads up, Pete.
2. Bruni one-stars Spice Market. It's about fucking time. The only restaurant in town with a doorman that manages to fuck up reservations to the extent that you can't get in if you have a reservation that was put under someone else's name, but manages to let MPD skanks into the bar ahead of you while you wait outside. Well... we're still bitter about when that happened to us a few years back, but take that, Spice Market. Revenge is a dish best served by Bruni.
We jest; not the East Coast equivalent of the AVN Awards, but the Indy Spirits Expo. A showcase of independant and craft distillers from around the world which is happening tomorrow at Touch. You can bet your bottom dollar every faux speakeasy scenester and mixologist will be trawling for the next it boutique brand to add to their seasonal fruit bramble or infused gin fizz. Get your tickets here.
DBTH