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.
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.
NewsFeed
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!
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’
NewsFeed
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?
Restroom Report
Better Bathrooms: Bette or Butter?Consonant rhyme isn’t the only thing Bette and Butter have in common: They’re both owned by impresarios known to cater to the Olsen twins (Amy Sacco and Richie Akiva, respectively); they both have organic, clubby interiors with big murals; and let’s face it, they’re both frequented by the sort of night creatures who know the value of a nice, private bathroom. So just how are those powder rooms?
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]
Neighborhood Watch
Mysterious Note Leads to a Revelation in Brooklyn HeightsAstoria: Netteria Internet café, just opened, already slashing prices. [Joey in Astoria]
Brooklyn Heights: Mysterious notes in the window of the former Aficionada space lead to the revelation, after a cursory Web search, that the owners of Corner on Cranberry will open Busy Chef bakery there in April. [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
Clinton Hill: The old bodega spot on Waverly and Green may become a “place for nice dinners,” judging by the fact that someone has put in an application for a liquor license. And yes, we do believe that those are allowed near schools. [Clinton Hill Blog]
East Village: Butter boys Scott Sartiano and Richie Akiva will fill the club space on Fourth Avenue and 14th Street. [Down by the Hipster]
Harlem: The BBC has come all the way to Sylvia’s for “World Have Your Say,” a radio chat show happening at 1 p.m. tomorrow. [Uptown Flavor]
Lower East Side: Freemans now serves lunch. [Eater] Introducing the Bowery Whole Foods floor plan. [Curbed]
Midwood: The dirty, dirty truth behind DiFara’s closing exposed. [Gawker]
Soho: The coffee shop conspicuously called Local will open Friday on Sullivan and Houston. [A Test of Will]
