Club owner and incorrigible attention addict JE Englebert is back with another shameless publicity stunt. He says he's auctioning off an outfit that Tiger Woods Mistress No. 1 Rachel Uchitel wore when she worked as a VIP hostess at TAO in Las Vegas. But he's giving the proceeds to a charity that fights domestic abuse, so it's all cool. Or not. Englebert's latest typo-ridden press release is below.
If the piece in last Sunday's New York Times about the state of NYC nightlife didn't convince you that times are tough for club owners, look no further than this press release from JE Englebert, the publicity-obsessed owner of Suzy Wong, and Noel Ashman, the man who ran the Plumm until it went down in flames a couple of months ago. The duo say they plan to work the door at "a competitor's club" this coming weekend. But at least they're preparing for the future, right? The press release is below.
Publicity-seeking club owner—and self-described "New York nightlife king"—JE Englebert would like everyone to know he's standing up for Perez Hilton in the wake of his little will.i.am altercation the other evening. So he's organizing a "rally" to convey his concern for the First Amendment and Hilton's right to be a total jackass. Just what this rally entails isn't described in the press release (below), but he is inviting Hilton to Suzie Wong for a "VIP party" at which he plans to serve "pea soup." So that's nice. We really shouldn't be indulging Englebert, of course. But we'll take the bait and you can have a look at Englebert's typo-riddled press release for yourself after the jump.
♦ Convivio earned a three-star review in the Times today; chef Michael White, says Frank Bruni, "can do it all." [NYT]
♦ Armin Amiri's plans for Cafe Socialista? He says he's turning it into an "exclusive" 24-hour diner. [NYO]
♦ Jean-Georges Vongerichten's next project is a restaurant in the Mark Hotel. [Page 6]
♦ Amy Sacco just renovated Bungalow 8, but whether that's enough to bring back her A-list clientele is still up for debate. [NYO, GofaG]
♦ Chef Paul Liebrandt chats about his new restaurant, Corton, which he's opening with Drew Nieporent. [Metromix]
♦ Le Parker Meridian is opening a new bar called Knave. [NYT]
♦ JE Englebert, the publicity-seeking owner Prime and Suzie Wong, says he's starting a group called New Yorkers Against Bottle Service. [GS]
♦ Nightlife impresario Noah Tepperberg (left) says bottle sales at Marquee have slipped 10 percent this quarter. [GS]
♦ Jean-Georges Vongerichten is paying $1.75 million to settle a lawsuit brought by waiters over skimmed tips at his restaurants. [Reuters]
♦ Todd English's Libertine opened inside Jason Pomeranc's Gild Hall hotel last night. [NYO]
♦ The city's best restaurants are in Hell's Kitchen; the best bars are in the East Village. At least that's what Time Out says. [TONY]
♦ Now that Dessert Studio has closed, Will Goldfarb is planning a move to Bali. [NRN via GS]
♦ Armed robbers are targeting Starbucks locations. [NY1 via Eater]
♦ JE Englebert, the owner of Suzie Wong and Prime, may sue the developers of the Gramercy Starck building on East 23rd Street because he doesn't like the small emanating from the McDonald's on the ground floor. [NYP]
