Cool Claw Luke's

Finally tried the lobster roll at Luke's in the East Village. Quite tasty, although it was considerably different from what I'm accustomed to. Wasn't really lobster salad -- the stuff with celery and mayo -- but more like huge pieces of lobster with butter and lemon on it. I'm from the Midwest, so maybe not up on these things -- perhaps it's like a Manhattan vs. New England clam chowder kind of deal?

Friday Ad Watch

A Love Letter to Florent, the Diner and the Man

Michael and I were invited by the organizers of the NYC Food Film Festival to attend the premiere of "Florent: Queen of the Meat Market" last night at the Altman Building in Chelsea, and truthfully I can't remember having such a great time at one of these events. The VIP reception began downstairs with wine and cocktails -- plus some familiar faces, including the hilarious Tim Murphy, whose interview with the men aboard the French naval ship Le Jeanne d'Arc still still makes me laugh just thinking about it. Later I had a quick chat with the great Jonathan Adler -- who was boasting about his purebred status (or was it inbred?) and Simon Doonan, whom I told about a cousin of his in San Francisco that I'm online friendly with. Simon informed me that he only has two cousins and that they're both in England -- although he says he's rather flattered that someone would even pretend to be related to him ("I wish I could have a stalker," Jonathan offered).

David Sigal's film was delightful, shot in the months leading up to the restaurant's closing (the owner wanted to jack up the rent now that the area is so trendy, which is most ironic given that Florent Morellet is the principal reason for the Meatpacking District's rise). Old footage and photographs are cleverly edited between various luminaries' remembrances of the famed diner -- including Julianne Moore, Robin Byrd, Michael Musto, Christo, Isaac Mizrahi, Spencer Tunick and Diane von Furstenberg -- which served as a hub for the various LGBT outcasts and the people who loved them since the day it opened back in 1985. Morellet is an endearing character, and his passion for activism and equality is felt throughout, including his decision not to hide his HIV-positive status, which he learned about while the restaurant was new and red hot.



Can't recommend the film enough. The next stop for "Florent: Queen of the Meat Market" is in Los Angeles at Outfest, in July. Photo highlights follow:

Behind every great blogger ...
With Tim Murphy
With Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan
With Tim and some of his friend (hi, Dennis!)
Murray Hill hosted the evening
The man of the hour gives thanks to his director, and two of the guys from the NYC Food Festival

Florent cracks Robin up
With Florent and two of his pals from the film
The after-party featured lots of booze, lots of Florent food, and lots of entertainment

Music Box: The Go-Betweens

Unbeknownst to them, the Go-Betweens spent the bulk of the '80s battling it out with Divinyls and INXS for the "best Aussie band" space in my heart (sorry, Hoodoo Gurus). A winner was never declared -- the first Divinyls album and the song "Don't Change" by INXS make it impossible to decide -- but an equally strong case could surely be made for the Brisbane New Wavers' "Streets of Your Town" and the album on which it appears, "16 Lovers Lane," which was nothing short of a masterpiece (is it any wonder they called it quits the following year -- how do you top that?).

 

Morning Wood

Butt Seriously

Yikes! Have you seen the new Butt magazine beach towels they're selling at American Apparel? The funky clothing manufacturer has always pushed boundaries, but I'm not so sure we really want our nieces and nephews -- and our own children -- growing up in a world that celebrates people who do not conform to Hollywood's ideal of beauty. If we do, what will become of the multibillion-dollar health and beauty business?