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What's the Spring Drink for 2008? Courtesy of our favorite bartender, the sassy lady at the back bar at Freemans, comes the Bee's Kiss. Best described as a Tequila Gimlet with honey, the drink is sour, sweet, and packs that smooth punch that only a quality tequila cocktail can provide. Go ahead and order one (or two) - but beware, she will use your weaknesses against you - and you may wind up with a wimpy gin and tonic if you don't order with conviction. More...

As if her tasteful pics in New York Magazine weren't enough art to last you a lifetime, Lindsay Lohan and a building are inviting you to a fancy photography exhibit tonight. Oh our lord. Art and and an actress - who could pass that up? More...

Just because this person is an avid reader, we figure why the heck not. Promoter extraordinare Will Harrahan snagged Jaslene Gonzalez to host his birthday party at Cain. Go! Bring candles. Love him. Love yourself. Love DBTH. More...

Is Butter's Monday night reign about to end? Possibly, if the folks behind the industry event at Johnny Utah's have their way. A Little Birdy writes, "I wanted to let you know about this Monday party that I've been to for the past 2 weeks that everyone seems to be going to. It's an early party at Johnny Utah's from about i would say....10ish to 2ish?? I've left 1:30 both times when it was slowing down and headed to upstairs (which i saw most of the people from there at after)." Don't believe them? Luckily, they supplied a fancy video that shows the wild times. Fabolous. As an aside, our lovely cabbie also told us that Upstairs biggest night is Monday, after everyone leaves Butter. Could it also be filled with people from Johnny U's? Apparently. More...

Last night, Eater had the first details of BLVD being closed by the Department of Health. We received an email from the promoter that night giving details of what exactly went down. It's lengthy, but who are we to edit? According to the promoter of the event: To all that attended 2080s, or were planning on attending... I will begin this by apologizing for the inconvenience that occurred this past Friday night, February 29th. The turn of events left me feeling completely helpless and disappointed that so many were leaving let down. At 11:00pm as DJ Mel has just began his set, a member of BLVD's staff told him to reduce the volume as NYPD had entered the venue. At least 10 of them had shown up and at that point we had no clue why they were there. For the next hour or so, with the volume low, many guests had filled the club and were continuing to hangout, drink, and settle in. At this point, I still had no proper explanation at what was going on. Rumors ranged from Caberet licensing to NYPD's dislike for the club's management. Then at 12:20am, the BLVD's sound man announced that the club would be closing and the party would be ending, before it ever began. Mel never really played a record, Scene hadn't even put his records down, and Talib was still in a cab on the way over. By the time the club was shutdown, over 350 people had entered BLVD, and at no point was I told by club staff or NYPD that the party would be shut down. Everyone was under the impression that the cops were there for a routine check-up. I was told a number of times that they would be there for only 15 minutes, 5 minutes, not much longer, etc. And at this time, I'm still not 100% sure why the venue was shut down. All I know is that the sticker that you see above was on the club door as I left. I have yet to meet with club management but will do so this week. After that meeting, I will send out a conclusive message detailing the various issues. I will ensure you that those who of you who had RSVPed for the event, via email or Facebook, will receive free admission when we make up this event. I promise you that we will. I've already spoken to Talib Kweli, Mel and Scene, and all are looking forward to recreating this event. I'm sorry to those who have asked for refunds. We cannot give refunds because we have no proper way of accounting who paid what, who actually paid, and who actually attended; in addition to the fact that all artists still had to be paid. There is no way to express my grief at how incredible of an event last friday would've been under normal circumstances. Even the sleet, snow, and rain didn't keep people away! I will address the scenario regarding the "make-up" date as soon as all party and venue details are confirmed. Thank you for your understanding and support. We've worked over a month between promoters, friends, and family in the creation of 2080s. We will not let everyone's effort go to waste. For those of you who had made table reservations and purchased bottles, please contact BLVD to request a refund. Please pass this message on to everyone you know who attended 2080s this past Friday, February 29th at BLVD. With much appreciation, Kunal Merchant There you have it. Nice of them to offer refunds to everyone, and you can be sure we will have details of the next event. More...

Perhaps you have heard of Marquee, the greatest nightclub since Studio 54, but have never been able to penetrate past Manhattan's most experienced and talented doorman. Well tonight's a chance to change all of that. Sure, you will have to go at 7:00. And yes, you will have to watch and listen to Teyana Tailor's showcase debut. But whatever, you get to go to Marquee. In 30 years, no one will remember why you went - just that you will be able to truthfully say "I was there". More...

Breaking news across the birdy wire. New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is accused of Tonic East, Murray Hill's brightest, baddest and most roof decky sports bar pub club, of racial discrimination! Our Little Birdy passed along a high level summary of the charges: People of the State of New York; Andrew Cuomo v. 411 Rest. Corp. dba Tonic East 3/3/2008 CV-2088 Racial discrimination arising from defendant instituting a dress code excluding "Hip-hop" clothing or "Urban Wear" as part of a pattern or practice of denying African-Americans from admittance into its club TONIC EAST. We couldn't find any written dress code on the club's website, but in their photos, we were able to find one African American (sans Hip-hop clothing or Urban Wear). Call us crazy, but the picture reeks of photoshop. Anyway, we doubt that the "but look at our Tonic Crowd photos, there is one African American up there" defense is going to get them off the hook. Developing. More...

In case hearing Ian Schrager was poetic on his latest project, Edition Hotels, wasn't satisfying enough, today we bring you some hot, nasty video action straight from last month's launch party. Caviar, champagne and rich people. Awww yeah. More...

There are thousands of cabs in Manhattan, but last night we stepped into the best. After giving our driver our cross streets, not only did he speak New York English, but also knew what was at that address. Our cabbie then began to regale us with stories about New York City nightlife, both past and present, and by the end we wanted to hire him to join this here site. One of the most interesting tales we heard involved Socialista, Armin's snazzy little Cuban joint in the far West Village. According to our cabbie, even before the Hep A incident, Socialista was having trouble drawing the nightlife elite. It wasn't because of the location, the tight door, or the prices (although they probably all contribute), but because Armin ran such a clean joint. He has actively kept any known drug dealers out of the club, which means that his customers who dabble in that thing either choose not to come, or have to leave when the booze starts to make them sleepy. The club was in trouble before that, and this Hep A scare will either be the nail in the coffin or a real wake up call for him to change his ways. Now, this was just the story that our cabbie told us. But the guy knew his stuff. A lot of stuff. And from our experiences at Socialista, the place is definitely on the level. But we will let you our readers make up your own mind. And don't feel too bad for Armin, Harvey W. and Cirpriani - we know a few hotel guys that would probably be happy to take that lease off their hands. And when we asked the cabbie for his card, he politely told us "no", saying "you either already have it or you get lucky enough to get in my cab. I don't give my number to no one." And that's that. More...

At Toloache, chef Julian Medina distinguishes his margaritas by having bartenders not only squeeze limes fresh but muddle exotic ingredients. More...

Here are some ideal places for meeting up with all kinds of perfect strangers. More...

It’s hard for a bar to have everything, but some neighborhood spots have that one special perk that makes you return again and again. More...

Every Sunday, Eugene Mirman and Michael Showalter draw a standing-room-only crowd to host their favorite stand-up performers. More...

This neighborhood spot is modest Middle America meets cool Brooklyn Heights. More...

Our anonymous friends at Guest of a Guest love Guitar Hero. How do we know? Well, they always write about it and have told us to our faces. Isn't that ironic - New York's two most mysterious and popular websites are friends? Wrap your head around it. Anyway, to celebrate their love of a video game and also prove how popular they are, GoaG is throwing a little shin dig tonight. You may or may not be invited. We hope they have Smoke of the Water. More...

Maybe only fascinating to us, but Hotels Magazine has a nice little podcast interview with Sir Ian Schrager, who openly discusses his Edition Hotels partnership with Marriott. Some of the major highlights: · There are currently 9 hotels under development now, with 30 expected to be in the planning phase by the end of 2008. · Marriott's goal is to get at least 100 Edition hotels within 5 years, but Schrager would love to get at least 300 or 400. As many as possible. · Each hotel will be extremely unique, with a different design company being responsible for a different Edition. · For the first time Schrager's company may choose to operate the restaurant spaces within the properties, rather than outsource them as he has previously done. Ian says he has a ton of different concepts they could roll out. · Each Edition will be as green as possibleThis really is a fascinating idea that will either prove to be extremely successful or a tremendous bust. At no other time has a single entity sought to create a line of hotels that are all completely different. We wonder how one relatively small firm such as Schrager's, despite the power of Marriott behind it, can really expect to source, develop and market 100+ properties around the globe. But we certainly wouldn't want to bet against this guy. [Photo Credit] More...

In a stunning move, the owners of the soon to open Chelsea Hotel in Atlantic City have tapped Paul Sevigny and Matt Abramcyk of the Beatrice Inn to oversee the nightlife operations at what they have dubbed "The Fifth Floor". If the parties can come to terms, the downtown duo will be "booking D.J.s, making a menu of specialty cocktails and bringing 'a vibe'," [EN: Heh], while also being asked to bring some of their celebrity friends. The Chelsea is certainly reaching for the gold ring, but will bringing the operators from the downtown club bring hipster success to AC? Opinions vary, from "of course" (Chelsea Hotel Owners), "Maybe but it's not really hip because they are duplicating their flagship" (AC Expert) to "It will be successful, but only on the weekends" (Hotel Expert). So what do we think? Well, when Allen asked us to comment, we responded that while Atlantic City is certainly headed in the right direction, there is just too much competition to bring it to the pinnacle of the hipster mountain. Even more important, if the Chelsea ever wants to see a return on their investment, their plans better be more developed than getting hipsters to come and drink. These guys need a dynamite hotel product, excellent service, and a way to get bodies into the beach town's only new hotel that lacks gaming all 12 months of the year. Unfortunately, our quotes weren't used. Too bad for us. But maybe we could've helped get the reporter past the Beatrice's bouncers. · Soho Meets HoJo in Atlantic City [NY Times] More...

Tired of indiscriminate boozing and tepid corned beef on St. Patrick's Day? Fight back with our picks for raucous Celtic bands, a 30-bar drink-athon, Gaelic steak and Irish pubs where you'll meet an actual Emerald Isler. More...

Here's the most blatant example of why hipsters may not be so bad. Captain Nick Denton has the scoop on a super catty cat fight from the Beatrice Inn, featuring Hud Morgan of Men's Vogue and Spencer Morgan of the Observer. According to Nickita, the argument went like this: Spencer: "Dude, why didn't you respond to my email?" (He had apologized for the insult to Hud's teen girlfriend.) Hud: "Do you want me to drop you?" Spencer: "Yeah, sure. That's a good idea." Hud walks down the stairs. Spencer follows, slaps him, later telling friends: "He needed a dose of reality." Hud: "He punched me!" Bouncers escort Spencer to the side room to the right of the entrance, with the couches. Close scene.How utterly lame! So when you see a group of tight pants'd, blow dried, parakeet toting hipsters drinking a West 12th and dancing to Hall and Oates, remember, anything's better than uppity journalists. [Photo Credit] More...

On the wrapping of the soon to be Pinkberry on St. Marks poses the ultimate question. Indeed. More...

Underage kids are suffering these days. The Belgium Room on St Marks has been closed for 15 days after being caught letting in minors. This is their second such violation in the last 3 months, and comes with a hefty fine. That's no good. The temporary closing is scheduled to end sometime next week, at which time the party shall resume. More...

With it's lease expiring in 2009, it's liquor license set to expire in October, and it's building for sale, the Knitting Factory is in need of a new home. Brooklyn Vegan is reporting that the folks behind the "Knitting Factory have applied for a liquor license at 504-508 E 14th St." PaperMag got in touch with Gene from TKF, who says “it’s one of the many places we’re looking at.†Considering that CB 3 hates to give out liquor licenses to just about everyone, and that they will be hosting live music 7 nights a week, we can't forsee them getting approved for this space. We hold out hopes that they do though. DBTH prayers are with you. [Photo Credit] More...

Hold the phones! Has everything we've heard so far about Mansion been wrong? Can it possibly be the "force capable of leading clubdom to a new era." A Little Birdy reports: I went on Saturday night, in short it was not as horrible as I might have otherwise thought. Due to the sheer size of the space to fill it up they cannot be particularly discerning with who they let in so it ended up being a mix of a reasonably good crowd combined with a lot of bridge and tunnel. Seemed like two worlds clashing, but everyone was in good spirits and the somewhat silly decor was easy to overlook. The venue did eventually get packed circa 1 - 2 AM. I think the place will do well enough, (it's an upgrade from the sad state Crobar was in anyhow) if only as a fall-back for people who cannot get into the smaller venues on club row. Well, that's the best independent review we've seen so far, and it still doesn't come across as the Per Se of nightclubs. Maybe given some time, this puppy has a chance at success. More...

GML sits down with Noah Tepperberg (Strategic Group, Marquee) for another magical interview. What did we find most interesting? Noah and Jason's ability to horizontally integrate clients into their properties across the country, saying Every client counts. To build a business that will sustain itself over a few years you have to have a loyal customer base that will come every week or every month or every six months and support your venue. If our customers are loyal and good, we make it a point to cater to them and bring them into this Marquee, Tao, Strategic, Dune, network. They have access to the network and can use it when they need to entertain clients or to travel. It’s a very key part to why our business works. 12 months a year in every large US city, Noah and Jason are able to plug you in to a Strategic related property. This in turn gives them longevity. This is why you see a place like Marquee remain open and going strong this far into it's lifetime. More...

Grand Street is definitely getting glassed. Brack Capital has thrown up the first rendering of its Grand Street Hotel and we are happy to share it with you. The project will bring an additional 114 rooms to the neighborhoods, complete with restaurant, bar and space space. If you would please direct your attention to the roof, you can clearly see a space designed for the rooftop pool. All righty then. Bonus Tip: Brack has recently signed a deal to do a second downtown hotel project. More details to follow. More...