Breaking: Avalon Closed ‘For Renovations,’ Other Clubs Bite the
When we walked by Avalon on Saturday night, we saw this “important notice” (important to fans of pecsibitionism, anyway) that Hunk-O-Mania is no longer in the house. A call to Hunk-O-Mania reveals that the former Limelight is “closed for renovations,” possibly for a couple of months. The State Liquor Authority’s Website indicates the club’s liquor license expired on January 1 (although it is apparently free to sell booze under a SAPA letter while the authority considers a renewal), but we’ve been told that the closure might have more to do with a possible change in ownership. The club’s financial woes and its landlord’s desire to turn it into a retail space (perhaps with a restaurant) were well documented in a Villager article about a year ago, so this doesn’t come as a huge shock. In fact, if indeed it does get a new owner capable of restoring it to its Limelight-era glory (hey, a clubber can dream), it could be welcome news.
Mediavore
Zagat Empire for Sale; New Low-Cal Girl Scout CookiesThe Zagat family has put their empire of burgundy books on the market, with Goldman Sachs handling the search for a buyer who will have to drop at least $200 million for the acquisition. [NYT]
Stereo, the club outside which a patron was shot last week, closed after a weekend police raid. [NYDN]
Howie Mandel’s mention of the Waverly Inn on Live With Regis & Kelly made Graydon Carter’s restaurant a highly searched Google item. [Gawker]
Ask a Waiter
Lifestylist Michael Lerner Will Help You With That Parisian Wedding Proposal
We normally reserve our Ask a Waiter column for, well, waiters (and bartenders, maître d’s, sommeliers, and the like), but if you’ve got $7,500 a year to blow on a service like Four Hundred — started in March by Tony Abrams along with Eugene Remm and Mark Birnbaum of Tenjune— you can also call upon still another industry professional: the lifestylist. Assuming you have his unlisted office number, you can contact Michael Lerner and ask him to make your every wish and whim come true, whether it be scoring you a table at Per Se or flying Kobe beef to your derby party in Kentucky. We asked Lerner how he works his magic.
