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Speaking of Halloween, a Little Birdy writes "The Garden of ONO closes forever on halloween this year. It then getshit with a wreckingball and turned into a new nightclub (name pending)". We checked in with an inside Birdy who is rumored to be involved and responded "when there are details to speak of, I promise I will tell you. But asof yet there are none. I promise. People are talking and they haveZero clue of the real Truth." It will be interesting to see what is in store for this prime space in what we can call Meatpacking 3.0. There are a few of the old nightlife establishments hanging on, and we aren't sure if a repurposed nightclub will really fly. Is the City really interested in another 1OAK, or is the space best used as a four star restaurant that attracts tourists early and wanna-be scenesters late? We will know soon. As to the Halloween party, well, if it really is the last night, it seems like a costume affair is heck of way to wrap thing's up. More...

It's the beginning of October, but a reader already wants to make plans for the end of the month, asking: Could you recommend any good parties for Halloween? It will be tough to top last year's blowout at the Bowery Hotel (who's organizers are still looking for a venue), and we have heard about some big things happening out of town. Is it too early to make plans, or do you already have something in mind? Let's hear about it. More...

They were two interesting reports from the past few days covering Dubai, the glittering jewel of the Middle East. The NY Times reasons "Some of Dubai’s more extravagant building projects — the ever-bigger malls, islands and indoor ski slopes — are likely to be dropped if they do not already have financing lined up, bankers say. The credit crisis could also reduce demand from buyers, who will have a harder time getting mortgages." But then low and behold, the very next day Dubai based companies announced plans to build a new city and the Nakheel Tower, which will be the world's tallest building. Do these plans reinforce the notion that Dubai is recession proof? Or will the credit crisis crush the Emirate's dream of a creating a lasting center of finance and luxury in the Gulf? More...

John "JE" Engelbert has released an avalanche of ridiculous press releases recently, covering everything from Belmar to Bottle Service. Other than mastering the art of the email blast, JE also has himself a nifty website, which comes stacked with a list of services that JE can provide. Since we are planning a small dinner event, we have retained JE to oversee Culinary Selection, Decor and Themes, Meet and Greet our guests and to Bring the "Right Crowd". We just know that it's going to be the greatest dinner event ever. More...

Where to eat during the depression recession [GS] Dominatrices band together to whip the NYPD into shape [Gothamist] Atlantis an epic fail [HC] Birch the new Pabst? [Eater] More...

Just a few weeks after closing down the pop-collared crowd's beloved Bellas, the Martignetti brothers held a private party last night to preview the Majestic Southside, their redesigned lounge next to their eponymous restaurant. From what we hear, the Boston boys are hoping that the new name and redesign will attract a new, less preppy type of clientele. But with the ever-growing economic crisis, it seems purdent to take every dollar you can get, no matter who it's coming from. More...

The knowledgeable but loud-talking Gary Vaynerchuck checks in with a time saving tip when opening wine. Instead of peeling off the foil wrap at the top of bottle, you can just pull off the entire thing at once! Genius! He must have had a team of scientists working on that. We hear that Gary is working on his next piece, explaining that by pouring wine into glasses instead of drinking straight from the bottle, you can prevent cooties. [via Lifehacker] More...

This weekend is the 34th annual Atlantic Antic festival in Brooklyn, and the borough's own Sixpoint Ale's has let us know that they are bringing back the Atlantic Antic Amber just for the occassion. How thoughtful. Besides having their own booth at the festie, the Pointers are sponsoring a neighborhood pub crawl for the event. Each of the six stops (get it?) will feature Sixpoint brews. Huzzah! More...

Why are we doing a second dose of Flyer Follies? Well, the name of this new party is High Society Thursdays. Nothing says High Society like a topless girl with suction cups on her nipples. Nothing. More...

The economy is in shambles. Pink Elephant is wrapped up in a some sort of bankruptcy proceeding. Cain is closed for a month. DBTH was offline for a day. Basically, shit in NYC is falling apart. Our solution? Get your ass to Paris and throw down with Pink Elephant, Bijoux and Mr. West during Paris Fashion week.In case you need directions to the 8th, just remember, it's Off Off Bowery. Don't forget your beret. More...

We aren't one to gossip, so the news of a friend's new relationship made us happy. Then a Little Birdy pointed out something cheeky about the picture, saying "isn't he standing in Bamn?" It sure looks like that to us. Either that is one hell of a Photoshop job, or he decided to take a press photo in the place you are least likely to find him. Either way, we wish him nothing but the best, and give him some quarters so he can feed his automat habit. We told you we were feeling feisty. More...

We may have been down, but certainly not out. It pained us to be away on such a special day, when are friends at GoaG somehow got their hands on some kind of online crayon operation and scribbled all over this craptastic image of Bungalow 8. Seriously, one of them is pointing to a planter. Right before taking a dig at our technical problems, our Midwestern word wizard waxed poetic about the return of Dungalow, saying "I am bummed I missed out on the celebration, that I was told was “verymuch like the old Bungalow 8.†I imagine Bungalow was just as thrilledto have her walls filled with socials". Longfellow it ain't. Anywhoo, We are back and feeling feisty, and that stuff is as lame as ever. But we already knew that. More...

We are experiencing some technical difficulties, hence the reduced postings this week. We believe a Little Birdy has flown directly into the wires, and have sent over a crack team of union labor to fix the problem. Full posting to resume shortly. In the meantime, read our old posts. DBTH More...

Like peas in a....you know [HC] We'll have the beer [GoaG] Ivy League girls are easy [IvyGate] Wait for the movie [NYM] More...

A Little Birdy wound up unexpectedly at the Eldridge last week and was wowed by it's lameness. It's not the first time we have heard that, but then again, many midwesterners are reported to love it. What was so surprising is the second part of our LB's report, as they say "I had to meet a friend at the Eldridge last week. The place was completely empty, except for their mascots Scott and Naeem, 2 girls, and a trumpet player that was blowing along to the DJ. It was terrible". That's quite a Fashion Week drop off, NYSE style. But we think we have diagnosed the problem, and the solution is very easy. Skip the trumpet player and head over on Thursday when the flutist is in the house. Steelo! More...

Welcome to Part IV of our interview with Taavo Somer and Ken Friedman. In this final installment, Ken and Taavo discuss some of the backlash against the Rusty Knot, why it's not really a nautical theme dive bar, and why anyone really cares what it is. Enjoy! DBTH: What do you make of this debate around "is this a dive bar"? Taavo Somer: Yeah. There has been a lot made of the fact whether we are a dive bar or not. The reality is I was influenced by and grew up going to dive bars. Did no means did we ever think this would be a true dive bar. But if you look at how dive bars are usually organized, there’s some limited seating, there’s a good size bar and there is usually a pool table. And it has multiple areas with different functions. That was the extent of the influence of dive bars. And it probably will be 10 or 20 years from now. Ken Friedman: It will be a real dive bar. The problem is that in some interview, I referred to the Rusty Knot as a nautical themed dive bar. The backlash began that moment. People began saying “it’s not a real dive bar!†T: Real dive bars are like this! Well it’s like but when that dive bar opened up, the owners of Blue and Gold weren’t like let’s open the shittiest bar in the East Village. K: A filthy yucky dive bar. T: There were aiming high. Lets get alpine painting and there are some nice details in there. There are some nice details in there. Over the years it starts to take on its own character. I find it funny the immediacy of things. If you are designing something, a restaurant or architecture. I am thinking of it long term, 25 years and 50 years. I am not thinking it’s got to be an authentic dive bar on day 1. More...

NYC's golden oldies [GS] We'll be playing our violin [Eater] ...same as it ever was [Gawker] Mama Blooms is feeling overprotective [Radar] More...

Welcome to Part IV of our interview with Taavo Somer and Ken Friedman. In this final installment, Ken and Taavo discuss some of the backlash against the Rusty Knot, why it's not really a nautical theme dive bar, and why anyone really cares what it is. Enjoy! DBTH: What do you think of this debate of “is this a diver bar†Taavo Somer: Yeah. There has been a lot made of the fact whether we are a dive bar or not. The reality is I was influenced by and grew up going to dive bars. Did no means did we ever think this would be a true dive bar. But if you look at how dive bars are usually organized, there’s some limited seating, there’s a good size bar and there is usually a pool table. And it has multiple areas with different functions. That was the extent of the influence of dive bars. And it probably will be 10 or 20 years from now. Ken Friedman: It will be a real dive bar. The problem is that in some interview, I referred to the Rusty Knot as a nautical themed dive bar. The backlash began that moment. People began saying “it’s not a real dive bar!†T: Real dive bars are like this! Well it’s like but when that dive bar opened up, the owners of Blue and Gold weren’t like let’s open the shittiest bar in the East Village. K: A filthy yucky dive bar. More...

After weeks of being pummeled online by former employees and its many detractors and having the Community Board rail against their application for a liquor license renewal, owner Simon Hammerstein decided it was time to fight back. His weapon is a sit down with superstar Styles columnist Allen Salkin to say that these accusations are totally false, explaining “We don’t have a prostitution ring here.†That's good to know. Hammerstein and his partners have a 25 year lease for the Box, but the odds of them making it through at this rate are slim to none. Even though the show is always evolving, the club is not. New Yorkers are no longer showing the same interest in the venue, and we predict another year or two at most before the curtains close one last time. It's not that anyone is against the concept of a club with live performances, it's that customers don't really like the Box. There is a difference. [NY Times] More...

Four decades of parties with Andy, Bianca, Nan, Mariah, Sly, Liza, Brooke, Marc, Cher, and company. More...

Nothing says Friday afternoon like an edition of Dear DBTH, where we pose our readers questions to our readers. May the circle be unbroken, by and by lord, by and by. Today's reader asks: I was wondering if you knew any bars that were showing the presidential debate tonight.Hmmm, we don't know any off hand, but with all of the flat screens, at least one has to be showing the debate. What say you readers? More...

In Part III of our exclusive conversation with Taavo Somer and Ken Friedman, the owners of the Rusty Knot discuss the original name for the bar, the hype surrounding the opening, their patrons, and becoming a west side destination. Click here for previous installments. DBTH: You've been open for six months. What is the biggest surprise so far? Taavo Somer: Biggest surprise is Sunset. The original name was the Sunset Lounge because Ken loved it for the sunsets. I always imagined that we would be busy from 9, 10 o’clock until closing. When we opened, we got busy at 4:00, and 8:00 was the busiest time. We actually got a sunset crowd. Ken Friedman: People do want to do what I want to do, which is watch the sunset while getting a buzz on. More...

In Part I of our exclusive interview with Taavo Somer and Ken Friedman, the Rusty Knot owners discussed their new menu, changing their hours of operation, and why they deep sixed the chicken liver and bacon sandwich. In Part II, Taavo and Ken discuss their new drink menu, why Ken is no good at tasting events, their own economic stimulus plan, and why mixing Red Bull and wine is a winning combination. DBTH: So you have a brand new drink menu. Was it always the plan to change with the seasons? Ken Friedman: It’s seasonal Taavo Somer: We switched on Monday, the 22nd What about the old drinks? T: We will see what we will do for the spring, if we get new drinks, but we will probably bring those back for the summer. K: Toby and Jason came up with the menu. We do these tastings but I get so drunk that I forget. Taavo remembers. More...

Yesterday, DBTH sat down with Taavo Somer and Ken Friedman for their first ever joint interview to discuss their bar, The Rusty Knot. The dream team looked back on the first six months, talk about the new food menu, new fall cocktail list, hours, discuss the public reaction and look ahead to the next 50 years of drinking along the West Side Highway. DBTH will bring this exclusive interview to you in several installments. In part I, we cover the kitchen and changes to the menu. Onward. DBTH: So we can see from looking at the menu that it is about 50% new. Taavo: Some things are going to go away as it gets colder. Shrimp cocktail is going to go, Pulled pork is going to go. Chicken liver is going to go. Iceberg wedge is going to go and the oyster may go. Ken: Pretzel dogs will never go. More...

View Larger Map Yesterday, our friends at Eater got word that Sasha Petraske's cocktail empire was crumbling underneath the weight of mounting losses caused by the Mercury Dime. According to Petraske, things are so bad at his 5th Street coffee house that it " is practically bankrupting his other operations." We feel for Sasha, and truly hope that his wonderful other locations are not damaged, we couldn't help but notice how this tale is a microcosm of the current US economy. You see, Petraske was trolling along just find, earning a successful living with East Side Company, Milk and Honey and Little Branch. But then came this opportunity that he couldn't pass up, taking over the 5th Street carriage house and turning it into a Belgian beer and wine bar. His other risks had paid off, why not this one? So he does the deal, knowing full well that he would still need to deal with the dreaded Community Board. That obviously hasn't gone so well, and now the place is hemorrhaging money and dragging down the rest of his empire. Sound familiar? But unlike the large financial institutions, the federal government isn't going to come in and take this toxic deal off his books. At some point, Sasha will have to shut it down and the space will sit vacant until the CB is willing to grant anyone a liquor license. There do not appear to be any viable development scenarios for the space. We would think they would like an experienced operator, but what do we know? Until then, all we can do is watch and see if the tides turn. More...