W Hotel Stands for Wine (and Wooziness) This Saturday
NNormally, we couldn’t be roused from our Saturday torpor to attend a wine event like the one being held on the 1st at the W Hotel. But this one, with the participation of Alto sommelier Eric Zillier, has a lot going for it. There’s a chance to sample wines that would usually be beyond our grasp: 1989 Château Montrose, 1996 Château Léoville-Poyferré, and 2004 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine de Marcoux. (A far cry from our usual Richard’s Wild Irish Rose, enjoyed sitting on the floor of the Port Authority.) Other highfalutin features include a caviar station from Petrossian (paired with 1990 Dom), Todd English tidbits, and hand-rolled cigars. There’s also a well-lubricated wine trivia game hosted by wine guru Grae Verlin. The prize: You get to be drunk and prove that you know a lot about wine. Is it worth leaving the house on a Saturday? And the $150 price tag? It depends on how committed you are to spending your weekend inside a bottle. Call Marc Smoler at 312-482-9766 to reserve your berth.
Openings
Webster Hall’s New Project Will Include Over-the-Top Vodka BarDaily Intel has the scoop on Hudson Terrace, the nightclub and catering hall Webster Hall’s owner Sean McGarr is opening on 46th Street in November. His partner in the $3 million venture, Michael Sinensky, tells us that in March he’ll bring a Russian vodka and caviar lounge (with a separate entrance and operating hours) to its basement. Sinensky, inspired in part by his Russian wife and in part by Red Square in Atlantic City, says customers will be able to select from over 100 vodkas stored in a transparent walk-in fridge — including, he hopes, a Russian one exclusively distilled for the lounge. The interior will be what he describes as “real over-the-top, like communist Russia back in the day. Lots of gold and arches. We’re planning on putting old Russian uniforms around the place.” Pravda, you’re on red alert.
Related: Webster Hall Owner Spending $3 Million to Open a Nice, Quiet Place
NewsFeed
Caviar: Fashion Week’s Latest Hideous AccessoryIt’s been a while since we pandered to an overpriced food item–cum–publicity gimmick — the $1 million ice cream cone wasn’t actually edible — but since it’s Fashion Week, why not revel in the ostentatiousness that is the $25 “Lady of the Evening.” Granted, $25 wouldn’t be that much to pay for an actual “lady of the evening,” but this particular one is merely an Imperia vodka martini. It’s available at the Bryant Park Hotel’s Cellar Bar, so we’re assuming that by now more than a few models have downed the cucumber and caviar float and called it “dinner.” Which, when you think about it, makes the price tag not so outlandish.
