Adam Platt has come out with his annual guide of the best places to eat in New York. Platt issues a word of warning if you are anti "twee downtown dessert bars": Maybe he knows that we're already obsessed over the new Momofuku?
Even though photos of this week's New York magazine buried in the snowstorm are already full circle on Internet (thanks to those featured on the cover issue) we are taking special notice of our live-by guide this week. Yeah, yeah, because we're in it. Try, if you can, to move on to the other topics in the magazine though. We know we're awesome, but so are Jenna Jameson's new line of hooker wear, Susanne Bartsch, and the self-proclaimed circus freak in the Look Book.
From Valentine's day suggestions and blogging to bloody vampire movies and gay bars in Jackson Heights, New York magazine keeps you up to date on everything. Except for that Julliard show that ended February 3rd.
• As though we could tire of Bonnie Fuller! A bit of gossip on the gossip queen herself has Fuller pushing herself into the Columbia J-school speech. Obviously Amanda Millner-Fairbanks didn’t read the book … it sounds like Bonnie might hire the NYU kids instead. [Bonnie Talks!, Sara Cardace]
• The blogalore round-up includes us and 50 of our friends. And you thought we were just doing these NY Mag round-ups for fun? We have to buy our way into the public eye somehow. [Blogs to Riches, Clive Thompson]
• Jenna Jameson will be designing clothes for the inner Fake Paris Hilton in everyone. [How to Design Clothes like a Porn Star, Jada Yuan]
• The true definition of New York City? Gay boys, straight boys, closeted boys, reptilian model girls who’ve stripped down to tissue-thin panties … ambiguously gendered Asian hotties in hot pants, three less-than-sober gossip columnists, and David Amsden reporting from a party where girls are taking their clothes. [Happy Days, David Amsden]
• Adam Platt contradicts the hipness of blogging and Happy Valley by featuring uber stuffy Madison Avenue eatery Gilt. [Gilty Pleasure, Adam Platt]
• Sometimes we get so caught up in the Columbia/NYU bubble that we forget all about Juliard. We do, however, wish had known about this particular event before it was over. [ Not Bad for 100, Peter G. Davis]
Table of Contents [New York]
The annual Spring Fashion issue of New York magazine has arrived, in honor of our city's fabulous fashion week. While we always feel like we're missing out on some kind of media gossip or teen sex romp with fashion or food focused NY issues, we like to think of this week as a seven day stretch where everyone in the media just ignores themselves for a hot minute.
In this week's New York the fashion is not limited to fashion week. We have Versace, Karl Lagerfeld (who we think was the topic of last year's spring fashion issue, too), Julianne Moore, and the auctioning of a vintage couture closet. Plus, more James Frey/JT Leroy analysis. There is a bit of news, and some restaurant reviews, but who can think about eating or thinking when there is Tom Ford to be worn?
• Summing up Versace in two words has never been easier than "Happy Hooker." [Ask a Shop Clerk, Denise Penny]
• He's fake, his sister's fake, even JT Leroy's dad is fake. Too bad only one of them is somewhat talented. [JT LeRoy’s Fake Dad Shops Tell-All, Geoffrey Gray]
• Everyone loves Karl Lagerfeld; but how ever does this magazine manage to get so many Amy Sacco quotes in its pages? Well, at least they threw a Lindsay Lohan "I want to have everything," quote in there. [Karl Lagerfeld, Boy Prince of Fashion, Vanessa Grigoriadis]
• Damn, our mom passed down a few Tahari sweaters and Gucci purses but silk Pucci handbags from the sixties? We are begging Sandra Hamburg not to sell! [Closet Analysis, Rebecca Cascade]
• And, in case you still want to eat after that anorexia inducing fashion spread, Adam Platt brings us a decadent review of Mario Batali’s new eatery, Del Posto. [Vegas on the Hudson, Adam Platt]
• Hearst mogul Kathy Black will be honored by the MPA for her lifetime achievement in magazine publishing. We honestly can't imagine a world without Cosmopolitan and Oprah. [Media Week]
• New York magazine proves that New York restaurant critics are equivalent to high school quarterbacks. Oh, Adam Platt, (sigh) you're just so super popular. [Fishbowl NY]
• And in other lifetime achievement news, congrats to Queerty, which was nominated for best queer blog on the block. Yeah, we weren't nominated in any category (thanks a lot guys) so we have to live vicariously through them — boost our mood above the 600 mg Xanax level, and vote for our boys. [The Web Log Awards]
• Boys acting out in school and Star pulling a Photoshop stunt? Un freakin' believable. [NYP]
• Usually we ignore the NYT blog coverage, but we make exceptions for David Carr. He totally gets us. [NYT]
Even though Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't confident enough to drown her first child at birth, she's ready to do it with her second kid. Ok, by drown, we mean give birth underwater, but you know.
Apple was forced to come into the world breathing air, but now Gwynnie has completed the necesssary spiritual journey required for popping one out into a whirlpool tub.
We've devised an Adam Platt style rating system for Gwyn's particular brand of crazy:
Having babies = normal
Naming your baby after fruit = strange
Having your baby underwater = not too, too weird.
Naming your son after a notorious mafia king = kinda f'd up.
Gwyneth Paltrow's Underwater Birth [Female First]
Is Gwyneth Paltrow Clinically Insane? [Egotastic]
Back in full force for 2006, this week's New York magazine focuses its first issue of the year on more of the restaurants you can't get into. And keeping up with the "lists" theme, Adam Platt publishes his 101 favorite restaurants in the city. They even decided to shake things up a bit with a super-exciting new restaurant rating system.
And in making sure we all keep up on the sex lives of teens, David Amsden takes yet another look at youth culture, chicken parties and all. As far as the Look Book goes, we've been anticipating the day when the section would only feature ex-models. The best part of this week's issue, though, must be Em & Lo's discovery that New Yorkers aren't really planning on reaching their New Year's resolutions of getting laid more in 2006.
• The Intelligencer reveals PETA's insanity, along with their own observation of the Olsen Twins as fashion icons. [No Mock Croc for Lady Liberty]
• Adam Platt's is prepared to piss off some chefs with his new "star" rating system. Five Stars=
Ethereal; almost perfect. One Star=Good. And when the best restaurant in New York is announced, your excitement level will hit almost. [The Platt 101]
• The Best Bets of the week include the ugliest rug we've ever seen, and some strange pea-shaped purse toy for kids. Again, simply thrilling. [Best Bets]
• Eliza Dushku confesses to being forced by her studio to do a sleazy interview for Maxim, but Boris Kachka leaves out the part where she was forced to do an interview with him. [Cartoon Figure: Eliza Dushku]
• David Amsden lives up to the contributing portion of his editor title this week, by (once again) looking into the troubled lives of adolescents. We think it's really great that Amsden finally found someone who is making more money off of teen angst than he is. [Bad Kids Inc.]
• We knew those New York kids were insightful, but this is truly mind blowing: the secret to having more good sex is to have less bad sex. [Bedroom Resolutions]
So, let's review. This week we learned that restaurants can either be fantabulous, good, or non-existant; teenage girls should stop having sex, the Statue of Liberty will not be wearing couture, and post-holiday shopping means picking through crap nobody else wanted.
Through it all, though, New York is still our guide to live by — they may be the only ones who care about sex and Per Se even more than we do.
New York Magazine
Earlier: Last week's New York for New Yorkers
