“Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.” -Erich Fromm
So I am just finishing up this season’s final trip to Miami. Miami has been a sanctuary the last few months, allowing me to escape New York snowstorms, both real and imagined. I was in Miami to throw some events for WMC at the Mondrian Hotel and Opium Group’s newly re-launched Mokai. Mokai is designed by Marc Lehmkuhl, managed by Arris formerly of Phillipe, and gunning for the Miami hipsters similarly to Coco De Ville. I also visited with friends – some new, some old – stayed up way too late doing foolish things, and listened to some of the most talented DJs in the world. This year, I have heard more chatter than usual about Ultra Music Festival, WMC’s main event. Ultra is a two-day electronic version of Woodstock featuring performers such as David Guetta, Tiesto, Deadmau5, Passion Pit, Erick Morillo, Paul Oakenfold, and many more. I have been noticing a strong resurgence of mass interest in music festivals and think this trend is just beginning (almost like there is a new-style hippy movement developing around our youth culture’s values). For me, thousands of people rocking to Guetta on ecstasy sounds transplendent in theory, but not so much in practice. I will say that despite WMC’s tendency to bring out guidos and the woman that love them, there seemed to be many more New Yorkers present than in the past couple of years.
For many moons I have been saying how unusual it is that there is no New York version of Winter Music Conference. Our city has quite possibly the most recognized nightlife culture in the world and yet we have never organized an event to celebrate what we have accomplished. Right now I am issuing a challenge to the nightlife community to make this happen. Not a political event, but more an event to celebrate the many positive aspects of our business, drive visitation to our clubs, and provide another reason to party like it’s 2010. I am told that Ultra Music Festival is planning an event this summer in New York, but I have not gotten the details yet. Maybe this is more evidence of the nightlife renaissance, or maybe “I am the king of wishful thinking.”
When I return to New York it will be April 1st. In my mind, this is the true beginning of the party calendar year in Manhattan. First come the brunches, then later nights, less clothes, and eventually the onslaught of roof-decks marching us toward summer. Inevitably there will be the “it-song” that seems like it will never get old, the crazy nights that you hope will never end, the drunken afternoons drowned in Rose when you look up, wishing the sun won’t set. Spring has the ability to make all things seem new and possible. All the creativity, ideas, and scheming of the party g-ds during the winter months will be unleashed upon the public. Customers are thirsty to espouse the virtues of the ideas they love, but actually and factually, tell twice as many people about things they don’t like. Well, here are a couple of things I am excited for this coming spring, and a few things I am saying goodbye to… “When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad…”
Philly’s Exciting Things About Spring:
Kenmare: With all the right Fashion Week preview events, some neighborhood/SLA backlash, and an “official” opening last week; Kenmare has all the makings of a great New York drama. The new restaurant from Nur Khan (Rose Bar), Paul Sevigny (Beatrice Inn) and consulting chef Joey Campanaro (Little Owl) is sure to be the most interesting venue opening over the next couple of months. They are making a serious effort to establish this spot as more restaurant than lounge. How they do this will remain to be seen. I have the utmost faith in Nur’s abilities to do so, but stranger things have happened. The menu seems to be simple Mediterranean with some NYC/local “fun” items. Highlights include basil gnocchi, broccoli-beer soup, Halibut with chive mashed stroganoff, and the standard of the moment: a meatball slider. Sounds delicious, but you will probably have to give up your first born to try it. The real question, is the scene hot enough and the slider delicious enough, for a piece of your soul? I will give up a piece of mine and get back to you with the results.
Pulino's: Keith Mcnally’s new pizza joint. How does this man know the perfect location to open restaurants? Is it the location or him? He has defined bistro culture, expanding it into Italy, but with his own signature sensibility. It is this distinct signature on the New York hospitality and social landscape that will be his lasting legacy. Far after his time people will be talking about his restaurants and their impact. This time he takes us to the Bowery, and as usual serves three meals a day, but in a new twist brings in notable chef Nate Appleman to accompany him in the limelight. So far, the signature square-cut pies have been sampled by Martha Stewart, Charlie Rose, Calvin Trillin, Nora Ephron, Simon Hammerstein, Michael Symon, David Byrne, Courtney Love, Jude Law, Bill Murray, and many more. It seems the thing to try is the “Pizze + Uova.” I am told the Salsiccia consists of eggs, sausage, bacon, mozzarella, and white cheddar. The center of the Bowery/Nolita universe has shifted to Pulino’s. Damn this fucking guy is good.
ABC Kitchen: Not since Mercer Kitchen in 1998 has Jean Georges really ventured back into what I believe is his most comfortable space. Maybe it is too pedestrian for him or maybe it’s not what a four-star chef “should do.” With that said, like Armani designing a casual t-shirt for American Apparel or the perfectly deconstructed suit, so exists ABC Kitchen. A great chef’s true colors come out when he doesn't overcomplicate his work, enjoys beautiful ingredients and makes them shine. At ABC Kitchen, a space previously owned by JV’s partner, Phil Suarez, I have seen beautiful, raw ingredients shine in a beautifully airy environment. The chef succeeds in deconstructing the vibe, décor, and food, without sacrificing quality. I enjoyed the shaved Fluke with blood orange, raw Maine sweet shrimp with horseradish, roast carrot and avocado salad, sautéed Arctic Char with a cauliflower Romanesco, and a side of baked endive with ham and gruyere. For dessert, we enjoyed the ice cream sundae with salted caramel peanut ice cream, but I definitely regret not trying the carrot cake with lemon buttercream. The food is sublime, the environment is relaxed, and the restaurant is “green” – ABC Kitchen is a blueprint for modern chef driven restaurants. Give us the food, décor, and the service, but keep the stuffy formal BS for graduations and anniversaries.
The Sandwich Revolution: All hail the recession gourmets. First it was burgers, then it was pizza, a quick stop over on Bahn Mi and Meatballs, and now we are full steam ahead into the sandwich revolution. Everyone loves a sandwich, the perfect combination of textures, sauces, hot/cold, delicious veggies, and moist meats. It is a simple pleasure that with good ingredients and miniscule effort, can become mind blowingly delicious. I always remember Cliff Huxtable aka Bill Cosby, slipping into the kitchen and making monstrous sandwiches behind Phylicia Rashad’s back. Anyway, it’s not 1985, and this ain’t Blimpie, Subway, or an old school Muffaletta. The most notable entries in the gourmet sandwich revolution include No.7 Sub Shop at the Ace Hotel, Tartinery (open-faced sandwiches) in Nolita, Salties in BK, Num Pang & Baoguette the reigning kings of Bahn Mi, and Henry Public. Even more serious restaurants are getting into the mix, like Momofuku with its mouthwatering BBQ rib and coleslaw on baguette. What is the likelihood that the New York Times starts reviewing sandwiches like it did pizza? You never know.
Return of the Roof Decks: Every landlord in Manhattan must have realized after 230 Fifth opened a few years ago, that they have roofs and they might as well make money off of them. Selling a roof deck in the summertime is like selling crack. People will do shameful things for a cocktail on a beautiful afternoon in the sun (think Chris Rock in New Jack City). “[sobbing] I tried to kick... but that shit just be callin' me man, it be callin' me, man... I just got to go to it!“ The returning players are Highbar, Hudson Terrace, The Empire Hotel, A60 at the Thompson Hotel, the Hudson Hotel’s SKY Terrace, Splash at the Gansevoort Hotel, the Bowery Hotel, and the Maritime. New kids on the block are Jeffrey Chodorow’s 20,000-square-foot Midtown Food Parc, Danny Meyer at the Gramercy Park Hotel, and the Mondrian Hotel in Nolita. There are so many that this probably merits its own article… coming soon.
Meatpacking Wars: Too many clubs, not enough spenders. 1Oak, SL, Avenue, Provocateur, Kiss & Fly, RDV, Tenjune, Marquee, Griffin. Twice as many clubs will be open once the roof-decks come online in the coming weeks and then there are brunches and the Hamptons to compete for the bottle buyers dolla dolla bills. There has been a two-year recession and pockets are light, the bodies will exist, but there will not be enough bottle-buyers to go around. Someone is going to get hurt, prerecession rents can’t be supported by two nights a week and bar sales alone. Like addiction it is a vicious cycle that will end with some high drama. Who will it be? When will they fall? Round and round we go, where it stops nobody knows.
Nolita & Bowery Nightlife: Not since the days of Serafina Wednesdays, Pangaea, and REHAB has this area seen this type of nightlife renaissance. Bowery Hotel, Southside, Goldbar, Crosby Hotel, the coming Mondrian Hotel, Mike’s apartment, Kenmare, Pulinos, Madam Geneva, La Esquina, Café Select, the dreaded eyesore of the Cooper Square Hotel and so much more. This is the Ying to the Meatpacking’s Yang: real New York versus the one read about in US Weekly. In a cultural backlash, people want comfort and simplicity… and this is it. Lady Nightlife is blind and she must keep us balanced, establishing hotspots without fear or favor, regardless of identity, money, power, or weakness. Welcome back East Side, we have missed you. Your point of view is unique, and perfectly suited for this moment.
Party Brunches Part 2: Last year the nightlife world was taken by storm, as day parties and brunches unleashed themselves on New York like a party plague. Though the winter was tough, the brunches continued to grow through the avid promotion of Day & Night’s Derek and Daniel Koch and European alcoholics. Day & Night went to the Hamptons last summer and Miami during the season at Vita, competing with hotels and beach clubs like La Piaggia. Now the New York season is upon us and it is time to rock ‘n roll. The Meatpacking District and SoHo were flooded with revelers for Daniel & David’s birthday celebration on the first warm day of the year and it won’t stop. My only question is when does everyone take a break from partying? Like Studio 54, we have to pay for the sins of our youth sometime? And how do sixty year old men keep showing up to these things, alive? The whole thing is just perplexing, like watching the most incredible car crash of all time while sipping on Dom P and eating Prosciutto.
A Couple of Other Things: Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, Lost Series Finale, How to Make it in America Season Finale, Girls in dresses, rooftop BBQs, drinks in the sun, the Yankees, Cruisin, afternoon’s shopping, Union Square, morning coffee, brunch at Da Silvano, Tribeca Film Festival, Central Park, knowing that the summer is so close you can taste it.
Goodbye:
Recession: I am an entrepreneur; I am on the front lines of this battle. Big picture things may be changing and I hope the ship is slowly turning in the direction of growth, but I am seeing many people in the worst situations they have ever been in. Many businesses are downsizing, staying in business to support the principals and break even, but not turning a profit. When you get into the nuts and bolts, staying in business is easy, but being profitable is not. I sincerely hope that this spring brings a loosening of consumer spending. No one is asking for boom times, but support small businesses as they are the ones who will fuel our rebound and you the customers are the ones with the power. Either way, there is a saying in nightlife, “when the economy is bad people drink. When it’s worse, they drink more.” Lets hope they drink more, cause I can’t.
Miami 2010: Oh sweet darling, you have been very good to me. You have taken me in, a wounded soul, and nursed me back to good health. You have provided inspiration for future successes, invaluable memories, and incredible new friendships and opportunity. I apologize for some of my karaoke renditions and being the selfish one in the relationship, but I promise to pay you back tenfold next season. Take care of the kiddies while I am gone Snoop.
My Twenties: What a decade. I have said it before and I will say it again: if you told me I would be where I am today 10 years ago, five years ago, or two years ago, I would have told you that you were out of your mind in so many ways. With that said the clichés live on, I wouldn’t trade a minute of it, and the journey has been incredible, as I am sure it is for all of you. Don’t regret a minute of the successes and the struggles, and take care of those you love. Hopefully if you are lucky, they will take care of you too.
New York in spring is the land of opportunity. What happens during this season will greatly affect the rest of your year. The most important thing is to make sure you keep your sack light, don’t let your life get weighed down by things out of your control. The world is evolving and getting smaller with every moment. Just make sure you have some cash in your pocket, beautiful people to share the journey with, and an open mind. If you can do that, anything can happen, and it will.
“You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.”
Happy Holidays to all my readers and friends. See you next time at Cocktail Hour, where more often than not one drink turns into ten and no one knows where and when the night will end.
-AP