The concrete benefits of hangover cures, whether pharmaceutical or homeopathic, are scientifically disputed, although those clever French have une petite chose called “Security Feel Better,” made from the juice of artichokes, which breaks down alcohol six times faster than your body can. Americans, particularly those in the under 30 bracket, tend to use excessive drinking as an excuse for equally excessive consumption of fried carbohydrates and a mimosa or four, but we wondered if foreigners had come up with more original solutions.

Many nations use some version of our own fat/carbs combo, though some cut out the carb portion. Tibetans and Bhutanese drink gallons for yak butter tea (not for drinking-induced hangovers, but to combat the similar effects of high-altitude) -Dr. Atkins would be proud. Our personal favorite is probably the pickled sheep eyes, dreamed up, no doubt, by a vengeful Mongolian shepherd. We also love the German word for hangover: der Katzenjammer, which literally translated means “the wailing of cats.” More»

Last night, fashionistas from all over the city came to mingle around Serge Strosberg’s art which provided quite the sophisticated setting for their own personal choice art wear (their outfits of course!) While we saw the usual sartorial pieces of cocktail dresses, hats, and bow ties, it was this dapper little black vest from the Bear Stearn’s spring ‘08 line that was the true hit. We suggest snatching up these puppies now, as the designer has taken a permanent retirement. Their worth will be sure to only appreciate in value in the fiscal years to come.

UPDATE: What the fall of Bear Stearns means for clubland.

[KiptonART Hosts Serge Strosberg]
[What The Dismal Bonus Season On Wall Street Means For You]

There is an upside to having your event/party on a Thursday night. By that time, all of your guests will really be ready to let down their hair and party. The problem, however, with having your event on a Thursday night, is that, due to the favorability of this evening, you will be sure to have some competition from other similar hosts. My case in point: DanniJo Jewels. You remember these southern sisters and their delicious line of jewelry? We did too. Which is why we are bummed to hear we missed out on one of their trunk shows last night. Especially when we realized that their famous Tikon Olam/Grecian Goddess necklace (showcased in video above) would have been the perfect accessory for our outfit to APrivateClub.com’s private event at the Hotel Rivington.

[Dannijo Jewelry]

Note from Guest of a Guest: Please help welcome our fabulous new guest blogger SINGLE threat. “Who is the bigger threat and whose team are you on?” We hope to be seeing more of SINGLE threat around these parts in the future….

I got the party hook-up for my Thursday night plans around 3pm on Thursday via my new best friend, Facebook. I don’t need to make plans in advance anymore or even get invited places, thanks to the Events application on Facebook. I can just see where everyone is going (because Facebook tells me “9 of your friends are going here”) and before I have a chance to wonder why no one told me, I can just “add to my events” (aka invite myself) to show up too. Tonight it seems the decidedly uptown crowd was heading downtown to check out Serge Strosberg’s artworks “Strosberg, Paris – New York”, and with a click of a button I was going too.

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[Serge Strosberg with Oper8tor]

Photos from this event (By Andrew Harris)

As spring continues to settle in, our itinerary at GofG gets that’s much more eclectic; last night’s private reception of Serge Strosberg’s paintings “Paris-New York” hosted by KiptonArt and Culture + Travel Magazine at the URI Gallery in SOHO was a shining example. Strosberg, 41, a Belgium born, Parisian trained artist who recently moved to center of the known world, AKA New York City displayed his work spanning from his times in places from Paris to Southern Florida to New York with the bulk of the show being comprised of Strosberg’s most recent Series called “Sins of Paris”.

The pieces in “Sin of Paris” illustrate a young fashion victim, and Parisian Actress amid contemporary adaptations of the 7 deadly sins, ya know the good ones, pride, greed, slothfulness and the like. The work, with it’s mannerist leaning and painterly touches seemed to explore not only contemporary culture’s new translations of old sins, but the artist’s fascination with human form and his interaction with his models and muses. We were able to pull the award-winning artist aside (see photo above) during the night to ask him about his work and how he was doing with the pressure of an Art event in SOHO.

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Last night was the CONVERSE 1HUND(RED) Conversations party put on by RADAR entertainment with Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth and Simian Mobile Disco DJ. GofG was there, along with several socials. The party was at 201 Mulberry St (between Kenmare and Spring).  Converse is bringing artists together from around the world to help fight AIDS in Africa. They are also bringing us some of the finest high tops and mac and cheese around. As one party goer, Doug so graciously demonstrated:

Check out the GALLERY for the rest of the photos from the event….

Some women habitually lose their keys while others have trouble keeping track of their nocturnal companions.  Vive la difference!  For the latter portion of the population, science has come to your rescue in the form of the first ever at-home paternity test complete with a watercolor rendition of child-rearing and a restraining order form for when he finds out he’s not the father.  The company’s Stepford-ish slogan, “Peace of Mind Through DNA Testing” is a little too reminiscent of the 1950’s “Better Living Through Science” mind-meld, but hey, at least know you’ll know which guy you can saddle with the title “baby daddy” for the next 18 years.

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Caviar and pearls and diamonds … oh, my!  The only thing we were missing was GOLD.  Lucky for us, the Charleston Place spa in South Carolina offers a 24-carat facial, ie. 80 minutes worth of gilded relaxation.  Check out their site for specifics, but from what I can gather, they have lots of different skincare technologies at their disposal, which enable the gold ions to penetrate the “skin barrier” in a way that Cleopatra could only have dreamed of … presumably.  Anyway, $350 buys you all that plus a gold-saturated mug for up to 28 days after treatment.  Not to mention, Charleston is kind of great, despite its conservative streak.  Take a long weekend and get a gold facial.  I mean, what else would you do with that $1000 …?

We have a confession to make: we actually like Starbucks. Not, apart from their Americanos, due to their coffee, but due to the fact that the employees are always nice and the music, despite what the NYT may say, is generally good and occasionally unexpected. Today the one on Astor Place was playing this incredible jazz version of The Nutcracker, and yesterday we heard Modest Mouse’s Paper Thin Walls in the one on 16th and 3rd. Inspired by two stellar choices in a row, we decided to create our own coffee house playlist. Who would feature on yours?

• Andrew Bird - Measuring Cups. Makes us wish we’d stuck with the violin, sort of. The lyrics are pretty striking too, if you’re in a distractable mood

• Elliott Smith - Waltz No. 2. Simple, melancholic chords and hard-hitting imagery.

• Sun Kil Moon - The Ocean Breathes Salty. Modest Mouse’s yowling done gone soft and gravely.

• Feist - Past in Present. Normally we’re not a fan of “la, la, la” or female singers, but we love the way this tune swoops and soars beneath artful fuzz.

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If the Mexican joint on your block knows your phone number by heart and the potential names for your first born child by now, consider retiring the tacos for a night. Instead, check out the Chinatown Garbage Tour. It’s sure to curb your appetite and may even save you from buying meals for a solid 2 days. Free of charge, the interactive tour starts on the corner of Canal and Lafayette beginning at 9 tonight. Nate Hill, a street “artist” and “rogue taxidermist,” digs through dumpsters and creates sculptures out of, well, caracasses. Be warned, Hill describes the event as a chance to partake in “appetizers and haphazard display of how to put animals together in the ground.” Bring the Pepto.

Confused???? Wanna know the answer to this little riddle?

Where is:

* A Mac n’ Cheese a Marquee?
* A Cheeseburger a 1OAK?
* Disco Fries a Studio 54?
* A Bagel and Lox a Mark Baker?
* A Veggie Pizza a Wass?
* A Jumbo Juice an Alon Jibli?
* A Chamomile Tea a Good Night Mr. Lewis?
* Onion Rings a Palladium?
* A Caesar Salad a Limelight?

Go HERE for the answer to this puzzling riddle.