February 2011
I had started my New Year's with new friends and new adventures. My Magazine Social Life had a huge party at some industrial loft on West 22nd street and 11th Avenue, right across the street from the coolest restaurant I had been to in a long time, B.E.S. Our party was full of young, pretty things in seven-inch hills and three good looking guys. The rest of the male population seemed to be of the cute-short-guy variety. I then went to Nouriel Roubini's new loft, where there was no lack of Asian girls, but definitely a lack of household help needed to clean up the mess. After losing half of my group, I wound up at Roseland for a set by Victor Calderone. Of course, it all ended around 7:30 am when I decided that if I did not go home I would start napping on a sofa somewhere. I am skipping on the drugs and debauchery part of the evening, since we all know a night like that had to include both.
Fast forward to Russian New Year which always falls on the 13th of January, and I and my new circle of peeps went everywhere including Upstairs at Cipriani and the Russian Vodka Room which was filled with strange looking women wearing strange looking furs (that obviously came from a trunk of a car of some enterprising Russian). My friend, Danielle who is a wild and crazy Australian girl made sure to keep the evening lively. (And that's the understatement of the century). The city has been fairly dead due to a winter that could put a Canadian to shame. Of course folks with money have been sitting in their Florida homes, while the rest of us deal with the worst winter on record.
Many of my friends in the restaurant business have made the leap to become owners. Al from Nello's has an adorable place on 78th and 3rd called Carpe Diem--great food and great atmosphere. My friend, Bruno who managed Baraonda for many years has also opened up on the Upper East Side with a romantic trattoria called Luna Rossa. It's a tiny place on East 85th Street and 1st Avenue. His chef came from Bella Blu and the food is amazing. Unfortunately, the bad weather is not helping this new neighborhood joint.
So, the big question as to what's happening with the state of nightlife? Well one or two places are doing well and everyone else is just getting by. Lavo on East 58th Street in the old Au Bar space is kicking ass and taking no prisoners. Run by Jayma Cardozo, its the place where older guys go to meet loose women with a hankering for that new Balenciaga bag. Now the owners are Mark Packard, Noah Tappenberg and Jason Stauss, the trio that owns Marquee, Avenue and Lavo Vegas. They are the sharpest operators around with an incredible success rate. Rocco Ancarolla can also be found at Lavo hosting several nights a week. His venture Rabbit in the Moon is now taken over by his partners. I am sure that Rocco will land on his feet, he is one of the best hosts in NYC.
As for everyone else? Some places like SL are doing OK, but no one in the meatpacking district is doing great, outside of Top of the Standard and perhaps on some nights 1 OAK. Owners of clubs always exaggerate their profits and success, but the guys who spend money are Wall Street guys, and although this was a record year for bonuses, the players would prefer to go crazy out of town, in Miami or Vegas, where no one cares and no one tells their bosses. Big ticket restaurants are taking a blood bath this winter as well, although Restaurant Week actually did drive traffic to a lot of these places.
The coolest bar right now in my opinion is Jimmy's at the James Hotel followed by Employees Only (still hot after all these years). As for the "hip restaurants, Kenmare has an ugly decor and so-so people and considering that the owners are supposed to be so damn cool, I dont get it. Downtown Cipriani is still packed but seems to have lost their jet setters. Nello's still gets a great lunch crowd. And Via Dei Mille has a fun brunch. As for Bagatelle, what genius in that partnership decided to open two more places at the same time, including one two blocks away from the original location? If I did not know better, I would say someone was laundering money, lots of money.
We are all praying for the winter to be over so we can complain about the heat in the summer. As we all know New York City finds a way to kick your ass every which way it can. It's not enough that we are living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, now we have winters like Moscow and summers like the Midwest. The worst of both worlds. Nice.