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[Image via NY Mag]

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Because it’s in Alphabet City, right near Tompkins Square. Because the upstairs is all rustic Italian trattoria, with exposed beams and brick ovens, while the downstairs is a halloween-themed lounge. Because the brick ovens are taken advantage of (try the Bianca pizza with spinach, or the conch crostini). Because the sangria, both red and white, is chock full of fruit, and stored in huge glass jars so the flavors can meld. Because the playlist is heavy on high-quality indie (Spoon, The Shins), and hipster party (Marc Ronson, Cat Power). Because the service is gracious, if less than efficient. Because it’s cheap, but doesn’t look it. More»

[Photo via Joonbug]
I have a secret, and I might as well share. First of all, anyone that knows me, knows of my obsession for all thing club kids…though most of them have no idea where this came from, me being basically the opposite of what you would conjure up in your head upon thinking of those crazy kooky bastards that roamed the city’s nights before Guiliani, before 9-11, before Wholefoods. They were simply crazy, and crazily simple in that regard. But this is not a post about the club kids, who are still around in various forms of Kenny Kenny, Richie Rich, Motherfucker, Heatherette, and young hipsters. This is about a man. A man that depending on the time, and the writer, could be called an award winning club designer, club kid wrangler, doorman, fashion designer (back in the 80s), and night life king…and now, we can add blogger to the list. Yet Steve doesn’t fit any of these…at least for me.

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Marc Jacobs became notoriously fermented as the “never on time” guy, hearing numerous complaints after starting last fall’s fashion show hours behind schedule. This Friday, the guy actually TRIED to start on time to rectify the situation, and was also given shit. Apparently a certain famous stylist (Rachel Zoe) was “soooo upset” that she missed the show which started promptly at 7:20 after Marc himself went onstage to tell people to take their seats because he was ready to start.

Victoria Beckham, Selma Blair, Anna Wintour, Gretchen Mol, Ellen Pompeo, Molly Sims, Richie Rich, and, my favorite K-Fed (um?) all made it on time to see the show, the rest were S.O.L. I actually feel a little bit sorry for Marc. Being a notorious late comer myself, I know how it feels to actually WANT to be on time and not get taken seriously. Just goes to show you, whether your late, early, or right on time, there’s always going to be someone bitching at you.

[Photo from NY Mag]

[Marc Jacobs The Bad-Ass]

…um tell us something we DIDN’T know! haha

Its always such a pleasure to find others out there who share our bizarre fascination/obsession/love of all things relating to Club Kids (a la Kenny Kenny, Richie Rich, James St. James). So when we saw NYMag’s Video Look Book of Theresa Dapra, spotted in Soho recently, we had to share.  Theresa is a young girl whose dress was inspired by Party Monster (The cult film that chronicles Club Kids).

We should point out though that our obsession doesn’t cover the likes of Michael Alig.  Although he was the ringleader and patron, the circumstances of his downfall leaves too much of a macabre taste in our mouths. He just wasn’t as fabulous as some of his followers.  This girl made our day.

[photo from NY Mag]

…So claims Richie Akiva, owner of Butter with partner Scott Sartiano, to NY Mag.  1OAK is set to open on October 19th at 453 West 17th street and Richie isn’t talking…at least about the new club which he “really wants to be a surprise”.  One thing he is talking about is his diet, though even that comes off sounding too cool for us.  Here are some of our takes from the interview:

-Richie starves himself for the Jewish holidays, and has since he was a baby.  This includes not even allowing himself water or a face wash for 24 hours.

-His favorite cereals are Apple Jacks and Frosted Mini Wheats.

-He eats at either Butter, Bar Pitti, Da Silvano, or Cipriani for lunch everyday.

-Sundays are his “wifey days”…“Sunday I don’t do anything except hang out with my girlfriend at the time, whoever that may be. I call that day ‘wifey day.’” Um…cute?

-Number of times he “name dropped” during his interview about his “DIET”=

1.) Wednesday, September 19th: “I didn’t eat dinner. I had a big party for Puffy’s fragrance launch at a townhouse — basically a mansion — on 67th Street and Madison.” (One)

2.) Tuesday, September 18th: “I had dinner at the Waverly Inn with my partner Scott Sartiano…. I’m always with interesting people. The other day I was with Scott and his girlfriend, Jamie Lynn-Sigler. Then I was with Puff one night at dinner at the Gramercy.” (Two, Three, Four-for mentioning the Wavery Inn and the Gramercy in the same day)

3.) Monday, September 17th: “I had dinner at Butter with Diana Ross’s son Evan Ross, and a bunch of my friends and a couple of big model girls…Monday nights are rocking stronger than ever. We had Terrence Howard, Kimora Lee, Russell Simmons, and a whole bunch of race-car drivers like Jeff Gordon and Edie Irvine and Jimmy Johnson. Cuba Gooding Jr. was there. They come up to my table and say hi.” (8 count them, 8 name drops, plus one for the models, brings total to 13).

4.) Saturday, September 15: “…then I went to Nobu…That’s like a family place for me.  One of my best friends is Robert De Niro’s son, so I’ve been going there since the day it opened. They take care of me very well there.

Total Name Drops: 14 (This has to be a record for “The New York Diet” piece the magazine runs).

For the full interview on Richie’s hip eating habits go here.

We’re pretty sure it’s going to take a lot more than one new club opening to “change new york’s nightlife”, but we are hoping that Richie surprises us all and proves our doubts wrong.

Though we have reported on our nights at The Box before, our accounts are likely a bit off,  given the hypnotic trances we often find ourselves under after each visit.  That is precisely why, a report from an insider there is exactly what you need to get a better idea of just what goes on, although it is all ”mysterious, very mysterious.”  NY Mag first reported on the box back in February, but it’s the report from Michael Harr today that we really enjoyed:

Here’s some excerpts:

What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen onstage?
I’m not at liberty to go into details of what the show contains. The show changes every night. It’s like opening a birthday present.

How does the average Joe reserve a table there? How selective is the process?
What they would normally do is go through the Website, e-mail one of the managers or even the owner, and tell them how big their party is. The Box would tell them the price depending on where they are [tables cost between $600 and $2,000]. They’d have a table reservation for after midnight or at midnight.

Can someone get in just because they’re dressed well and in keeping with the spirit of the place — say in a tuxedo and top hat?
No. We still have to know them.

What’s the vibe like after the show is over?
When the curtains are drawn, it doesn’t mean that the carnival has ended. We keep people entertained while the stage show isn’t running.

How so?
That I can’t say. It’s mysterious, very mysterious.

We agree on the mysteriousness.  For us it’s trying to figure out the next day just what happened the night before and whether we were in an amazing out-of-this-world type fantasy, or a bizarre nightmare.

www.theboxnyc.com