AM Lifestyle

How many times can Marquee close in one month and not stay shut?  According to DBTH, Marquee was shut last night, with one bouncer outside telling people to go to Guest House.  We think it’s time for Marquee employees to look for new jobs and Steve Lewis to start redesigning the place.

Tomorrow evening from 7 p.m. - 1 a.m., French Tuesdays is taking over the best venues on 27th St. You can find them French Tuesday crew @ Marquee, Pink Elephant, and Cain. All events by FT provide great networking possibilities for successful business people who enjoy partying with an internationally elite crowd. If you are a member of French Tuesdays, or have a way in tomorrow night, you should go.

On our first trip to OuCh (Outer Chelsea aka Club Row) in over 2 months we realized the police are NOT playing around - there are more cops than ever on 27th and 28th St. We literally saw 4 police wagons on 27th St. (2 on 10th Avenue and 2 on 11th Avenue), a police officer INSIDE the box @ Marquee near Wass (Marquee;s doorman), another officer inside the ropes @ Guest House, among other officers on the street. One underage guy who we saw get denied @ Home last night was immediately asked by two officers who saw him get denied for his ID; needless to say, he was written up and we almost thought he was going to be arrested on the scene. Besides Mansion (and Pink Elephant if you’re into that Euro scene), we think the whole area should close and start again fresh. Perhaps the government should give out liquor licenses more easily in better areas of Manhattan so club-goers wouldn’t have to flock to ex-factories all lined up on one block to party. The nightclub industry rakes in millions of dollars a year in taxes for the government, yet the NYPD seems so eager to shut down clubs every weekend, but more specifically early on in the weekend so the club has to remained closed for the entire weekend until they can appear in court on the following Monday. The closings are meant to hurt owners, but wind up hurting all the employees who lose the nights pay and tips. Anyway, we don’t want to drag on too long, but if you want to know more about this subject or anything related to nightlife, you all should read nightlife impresario Steve Lewis‘ blog.

Lucky Strike, an upscale bowling alley will be coming to the Upper East Side. When and where? We have no idea…but they are hiring an event sales manager. Lucky Strike is big in L.A. (you might remember the guys from Entourage went there for Vince’s movie premiere…Drama took the juice-bag girl with him) and is finally making its way to us. There is even a dress code that is enforced to bowl…pretentious bowling, huh?…We’re all for it!!

Update #1: Take a look at the comments page for this post for more on Lucky Strike, including location and opening info!!

This is kind of sad, but we can see this happening in Manhattan sometime soon…just read Firefighters Turned Away From Exclusive Nightclub Blaze

The old Dirty Disco space (next to The Plumm…back when The Plumm had a decent crowd) is re-opening as The Country Club of New York next Wednesday, the 23rd. There is going to be a stage for performances and a huge list of Bellini’s. If we’re out next Wednesday, we’ll sure be around for the opening to do a follow up with a brief review of our thoughts.

We all know The Dark Knight will take top honors this weekend, but if you’re not going to see Heath’s final performance or you want to see another movie, you might want to go watch “The Doorman,” an art house flick directed by Wayne Price. A film-crew follows doorman, Trevor W.’s interesting jet-set lifestyle and mid-way through production, Trevor suddenly loses his job. To bring some truth to the roles, The Doorman has a true New York nightlife cast including: Amy Sacco (owner of Bungalow 8 and The Box) and Fabrizio Brienza. City Cinema’s on 12th St. and 2nd Ave has the premiere, click here for showtimes and here for the trailer.

What night is complete without eating after you finish partying? With most deli’s generating considerable revenue from 2-5 A.M., it is no wonder why almost every deli near any club, bar or lounge is open around the clock; however, not all deli’s are created the same. With only a select few deli’s actually serving good/edible food, we recommend you eat at other spots late at night…here’s a list of our favorite late night destinations.

Krunch - located on 2nd Ave btwn 51st and 52nd - this modern pizzeria makes some of the best slices you can eat at any time of the day (but of course everything tastes better at night). Get the Buffalo Chicken Slice ($4) - it’s thin, and topped with spicy buffalo chicken, Gorgonzola and celery. On Friday and Saturday Krunch is open til 4 A.M.

Empire Diner - located at 10th Avenue and 22nd St. has been a staple in Chelsea for decades and has some great food. The chunky guacamole ($7) is our favorite and comes with tortillas to dip. The Empire Diner has outdoor seating, perfect for the warmer temperatures of the summer. Eat there anytime…it’s open 24/7

53rd & 6th - If this address doesn’t sound familiar to you…it’s okay…you must be a foreigner (at least to great food) - the corner of 53rd St. and 6th Avenue is home to the best Halal cart in all of Manhattan. Get the Chicken & Rice or Combo platter ($6) and make sure to put on some white sauce. Make no mistake, this is the only “street meat” we’ll eat.  They are open til 4 or 5 A.M. most nights of the week.  Oh, and be prepared to wait anywhere from 5-30 minutes on line with other hungry club-goers.

Cafeteria - located on 7th Avenue at 17th St. with bottle service available and rules posted outside like: no hats or loud/tacky jewelry, this is not your average diner. Open 24/7, Cafeteria has the best macaroni & cheese, ever..but make sure you order the it w. smoked gouda and bacon ($10). Ask to be seated downstairs and look out for any celebs (and other good looking people) who always seem to flock to this place for late night eats.

And if you insist on eating something from a deli, do yourself a favor and go to Gourmet Deli on 23rd St. between 7th and 8th Ave. Surprisingly inexpensive for wraps (that come over a bed of mixed greens for $5), this deli has always had fresh food when we’ve ordered.

If we missed your favorite place to eat late at night, leave us a comment with the name and location.

Le Souk has been open for quite some time now - but they appear to be losing their battle with the SLA (Scumbag Liquor Authority) to renew their liquor license.  We heard of Le Souk’s troubles a few months ago.  What once was a great Monday industry party might be coming to an end - tonight might be their last Monday party.  Their official last night will be Thursday, May 22nd…it just so happens our friend, DJ Vlad is spinning that night, so if you’re out on Thursday and want to hear him spin, he’s on from 10-12.  If not, you can catch us @ Retreat Thursday.

Le Souk has been open for quite some time now - but they appear to be losing their battle with the SLA (Scumbag Liquor Authority) to renew their liquor license.  We heard of Le Souk’s troubles a few months ago.  What once was a great Monday industry party might be coming to an end - tonight might be their last Monday party.  Their official last night will be Thursday, May 22nd…it just so happens our friend, DJ Vlad is spinning that night, so if you’re out on Thursday and want to hear him spin, he’s on from 10-12.  If not, you can catch us @ Retreat Thursday.