Prime Upstages 1 Oak by Offering Lindsay Lohan $11KIn a ploy to ride the publicity coattails of 1 Oak, where Lindsay Lohan is said to have taken someone else’s fur coat, a rival club owner is offering to take LiLo on a $11,000 shopping spree.
Team From 1 Oak Makes China Club’s Roof the Height of LuxuryThe Vongerichten-fication of the China Club was a long time coming, and today Steve Lewis reveals that none other than the team behind 1 Oak will be behind the indoor-outdoor rooftop named Eden.
Dave Chappelle Tiffs With the Wife at Coffee Shop, ‘Entourage’-ers
This week’s juiciest bit of celeb-sighting gossip was, of course, the Post’s report that after a performer dumped a drink on Demi and Ashton, Box honcho Simon Hammerstein sent an e-mail to his partner and a GM saying, “I can’t stand those two” — apparently because they’re “so far up their own arses” and “don’t spend anything” — “and I applaud whoever spilt a drink on them.” We’re thinking Kid Rock got kinder treatment when he went to Southern Hospitality, or there would’ve been a Tommy Lee–style throwdown.
NewsFeed
1 Oak Open for New Year’s Eve, Femme Fatale Will Try Again Next YearA hearty congrats to 1 Oak on its New Year’s Eve invite — we’re not sure whether the two pistols are an homage to Guns N’ Roses or whether they’re to say that the bouncers will be packing à la Opus 22, but whatever. One boîte that won’t be open for New Year’s as hoped is Emma Cleary’s Femme Fatale. Cleary had her Christmas party at Jur et Nuit in midtown, so we’re thinking it’s going to be a while till champers flows again in the old Double Happiness space. Until then, we welcome the tourists and their outdated guidebooks.
Earlier: Femme Fatale Puts the Wrecking Ball to Double Happiness
Related: Happy New Year [Down by the Hipster]
Mediavore
Rachael Ray Continues Food Network Domination; New Year’s Day BrunchesWith Batali and Emeril out of her way, “homegrown star” Rachael Ray has just inked a two-year deal for a new prime-time series on the Food Network. [Eater]
It’s nothing he hasn’t said before, but the wordiness of some menus gets on the Bruni’s nerves. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
Forget turducken: British chef Phillip Corrick has created a monster that involves at least 48 birds of a dozen different species and feeds 125 people. [Daily Mail]
Openings
Spoiler Alert: We See the Writing on 1 Oak’s Wall
Score! We finally made it past 1 Oak’s egalitarian velvet ropes on Friday for 1 Model Management’s party. With owners Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano making the rounds amid pals like Eugene Remm of Tenjune, we couldn’t sneak any photos beyond the ones you see here of the wall of stacked golden letters and the bathroom’s golden basins and pistol art, so we’ll have to walk you through the space the old-fashioned way.
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1 Oak Open Till 4 A.M., But Not Till JanuaryDown by the Hipster suspects 1 Oak may be opening tonight. We’ve heard whispers of the same, but official word is that it now won’t be fully open to the public until the end of the private-party season. So, January. Last night, a note on the door said that a toy drive slated to be there had been moved to Home. But here’s the good news: A victory at last week’s decisive community-board meeting means 1 Oak can operate till 4 a.m. The NIMBY contingent was somewhat mollified when the CB said 1 Oak could not seek a cabaret license. In the meantime, if any lucky bastards are having their company party there, let us know how she looks!
Mediavore
Kate Moss Digs Le Royale; FreshDirect Fires 85 WorkersApparently the opening-night party at Le Royale was a success, drawing the likes of Kate Moss, who made out with the D.J.[Imbible/Citysearch]
Related: Le Royale Might Just Bring Nightlife Out of the Doldrums
Frank Bruni applauds restaurants seeking out new forms of hospitality, but is wary of the WiFi availability: “Will the glow of laptop screens and the percussion of typing become pervasive visual and aural backdrops for our meals?” [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
A former Scores cocktail waitress is suing the owners for being told to act more like a stripper. [NYP]
NewsFeed
1 Oak + 1 Model = 2 Much Fun!We’ve just gotten our hands on this invite from 1 Model Management for their holiday party at the one and only 1 Oak. Looks like the “restaurant/lounge,” as it’s billed on the invite, will indeed be up and running as soon as next Friday, despite all the storm and stress, and what better way for the beleaguered owners to celebrate than with models and bottles? Space is extremely limited, so Emilio Barletta, the guy who thinks he owns the place, probably won’t be getting in that night.
Related: 1 Oak Embargo Is Lifted, Golden Restroom Faucets Are Promised
NewsFeed
SLA Tells PM to Take the Month OffDown by the Hipster brings news that the State Liquor Authority will suspend PM’s liquor license for 30 days in January owing to a history of underage drinking, disorderly conduct, physical altercations, and yadda yadda. We’re not sure how this will affect Kyky and Unik’s plan to do something in the Sascha space (assuming they still have a claim on it), but it should make them even more eager to get their hands on 1 OAK (assuming they are indeed partnering with Emilio Barletta, the restaurateur who is suing for the space). We just called Kyky, and he says he knows nothing about the ruling, despite the documentation on DBTH — a shout-out to that site for being ahead of the curve?
Related: Breaking News: PM Lounge Shut Down [Down by the Hipster]
Earlier: PM Owners to Open Harlem Restaurant, Bistro-Bakery-Club in Sascha Space
Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano War With “Jealous Competitors” Kyky and Unik of PM
NewsFeed
Le Royale Might Just Bring Nightlife Out of the DoldrumsThe Times was extremely dour about the state of NYC nightlife in Sunday’s profile of 1 OAK, but there’s hope after all! David Baxley, the owner of fondly remembered house-music club CentroFly is teaming up with Brit D.J.-producer Terrey Casey to open Le Royale this Friday in what used to be Luke & Leroy. That space, we’ll remind you, is equipped with a precious cabaret license, and who better to put it to use than music directors GBH, the team that brings top-tier rock and electronic talents — like their current resident D.J., Moby — to Hiro’s weekly Cheeky Bastard party. Alejandro Torio of GBH says that in addition to live music acts five nights a week, the weekly Robot Rock party (previous at nearby, now-defunct Movida) will be revived on Thursdays. So what will the door policy be? “If you like rock or electronic music,” Torio tells us, “you’re welcome to come in. It’s not about how much money you have in your pocket.” Now that sounds egalitarian!
Earlier: RIP Luke & Leroy, Birthplace of MisShapes
NewsFeed
Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano War With ‘Jealous Competitors’ KykyLast week the Daily News brought word that Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano are being sued for $120 million by developer Emilio Barletta, who claims he’s the rightful lease holder of the space that houses the Butter boys’ club 1 OAK. What the News doesn’t mention, but our inside sources do, is that Barletta, owner of Zanzibar, was planning to partner in the space with PM owners Kyky and Unik, last seen plotting a now-abandoned Italian bistro in the Sascha space.
NewsFeed
1OAK and Touch Delayed, Clubland Remains Dormant
Community Board 4’s licensing committee met last night to again consider the curious case of the Butter boys’ new project 1OAK. The nitty-gritty on this one: The club’s space is licensed by the SLA to hold a piano bar (probably the plans of a previous tenant); Sartiano and Akiva have now submitted an alteration request reflecting their new plan for a restaurant. The request was met with a 4-4 deadlock that will be mulled over by full community board on December 5 — meaning the club won’t be opening quite as soon as we had hoped.
Mediavore
Goldfarb Will Make Your Saturday; 1OAK Might Open SomedaySome desserts you’ll be able to try when Will Goldfarb starts serving at the new Dessert Studio at Michel Cluizel this Saturday include “white chocolate gelato drizzled with olive oil; Indonesian vanilla ice cream with American caviar; and chocolate-hazelnut cake with apricots and brown sugar ice.” Okay, we need to take a cold shower. [NYT]
Related: Cluizel, Goldfarb to Join Forces in Dessert Pact
1OAK really is close to opening, maybe two or three weeks according to one random construction worker — or is that four to six weeks? [Imbible/Citysearch]
Related: Until 1OAK Opens, Look for Richie Akiva at Scores
New French wine bar Solex is shaping up to be in competition with Momofuku 2.0 for late-night chef hangout. [Mouthing Off/Food&Wine]
Openings
Things Looking A-OK for 1OAK; May Open This WeekRichie Akiva and Scott Sartiano aren’t commenting (they’re probably a little wiped from celebrating Butter’s fifth anniversary last night), but we’re hearing from a source close to 10AK that the secretive club Akiva asserts will “change the face of nightlife in New York” passed its building inspection yesterday and could be four or five days away from opening. We can only assume a fair share of Scores girls were invited to the opening, but the real question is this: Will Butter regular and Sartiano ex Ashley Olsen make an appearance with Lance Armstrong?
Earlier: Until 1OAK Opens, Look for Richie Akiva at Scores
Related: Butter’s Richie Akiva Dines With Puffy, Cooks for the ‘Wifey’
NewsFeed
Until 1OAK Opens, Look for Richie Akiva at Scores
1OAK is a little behind schedule, but that isn’t stopping its investors from throwing a Halloween bash — at Scores?!? A friend of Grub received this e-mail (sent “by Jeffrey Jah, Lyman Carter, Richie Akiva, Scott Sartiano, & Ronnie Madra / 1OAK, 453 West 17th Street”) inviting him to throw down with strippers. Hey, Scores is a classy enough substitution for the venue that will “change the face of nightlife in New York,” but why didn’t the boys just have their party at the 10AK construction site? Now that would’ve been spooky.
Related: Richie Akiva’s and Scott Sartiano’s 1OAK Will Not Open Friday
N.Y. Diet: Butter’s Richie Akiva Dines With Puffy, Cooks for the ‘Wifey’
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Richie Akiva’s and Scott Sartiano’s 1OAK Will Not Open FridayA while back Richie Akiva told us his new spot 1OAK was poised to “change the face of nightlife in New York.” That remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: It won’t be opening this Friday as originally planned. At a meeting last night, Akiva’s partner, Scott Sartiano, and their lawyer, Rob Bookman, said the club was not ready to open, according to a community-board source. Akiva plans to apply for a construction-alteration application in November, partly in hopes that a reduced capacity will make it easier for him to score the cabaret license he’s going after. (According to our source, Sartiano and Bookman said the establishment wouldn’t be a dance club — they just want a means of defense against the dance police). Asked about a new opening date, a spokesman for 1OAK said simply, “We are working with local community leaders to develop 1OAK according to the laws and regulations mandated by the city of New York.” For those of you who want to get your dance on ASAP, take heart — Marquee’s liquor license was recommended for renewal.
Earlier: CB to Richie Akiva’s New Club: Not So Fast!
Related: Butter’s Richie Akiva Dines with Puffy, Cooks for the ‘Wifey’
NewsFeed
CB to Richie Akiva’s New Club: Not So Fast!
Community Board 4 was surprised to hear Richie Akiva tell us that he and partner Scott Sartiano are planning to open their new spot 1OAK (remember? The one that will “change the face of nightlife”?) on October 19. According to a board member, the Butter boys don’t exactly have their papers in order, since they applied for a cabaret license without going through the CB as required. They’ve now agreed to withdraw the application until the CB votes in early November.
The New York Diet
Butter’s Richie Akiva Dines With Puffy, Cooks for the ‘Wifey’
Richie Akiva, owner of celebrity favorite Butter, tells us that he and his partner Scott Sartiano’s next project 1OAK is set to open at 453 West 17th Street on October 19. He won’t tell us much more: “I really want it to be a surprise. It’s going to change the face of nightlife in New York.” He’s also working on opening clubs in Los Angeles and Miami (the latter, we can report, will be an outpost of Butter). So when he’s not starving himself for the Jewish holidays or enjoying “wifey day” with his current girlfriend (past lucky ladies: Mary-Kate, Lindsay, Carmen Kass, etc.), where does he butter his bread?
Neighborhood Watch
Shopsin’s Arrives At Last in Its New Lower East Side BerthChelsea: Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano will not utilize the old Plaid space for their next club; 1OAK (One of a Kind) is now set for 17th between Ninth and Tenth. [Down by the Hipster] Klee Brasserie will give out its new peach sangria for free this Sunday to mark Gay Pride Day. [NYS]
Lower East Side: Shopsin’s finally open in the Essex Street Market. [Eater]
Midwood: DiFara open tomorrow? No, but “maybe Friday.” [Lost City]
Upper East Side: Owners of recently departed Jovia will give the townhouse space a more casual feel with a name and menu reminiscent of the owners’ Soho restaurant, Zoë. [NYT]
West Village: Jefferson Market has the single-origin-chocolate ice creams from Choctál newly imported from California. [NYT]
