Sunday, September 24, 2006

CHINESE JAPANESE RESTAURANTS

I drove back home with moms from the Bay and we decided to have dinner at Masumi Sushi. The sushi wasn't bad, but I have an obvious prejudice against Japanese restaurants owned by Koreans. I don't know exactly why I'm so against it, but maybe it has something to do with authenticity.

I mean, let's take the Asian out of all of this and consider a similar example. Let's say you wanted to eat Indian food and you saw Filipinos cooking it. Sure, lots of fancy American restaurants are essentially run by Mexicans in the back room, but these restaurants are owned by Americans. Maybe they aren't cooking the food, but they definitely have a say as to the ingredients, what the dish looks like and other things like this.

However, Koreans who run Japanese restaurants run them like they think Japanese restaurants are supposed to be. I question whether the sushi chef ever studied under a Japanese master chef or even know any secret recipes. Additionally, sushi restaurants have always meant (at least to me) some kind of distinction since it's not a restaurant that really has any kind of special recipes. To me, sushi restaurants should have the tradition that they deserve - namely, that a master has taught his student and the student has decided to venture forth.

Furthermore, what bugs me the most may not even be the Koreans who are running the restaurant, but the ignorant Americans who think they're actually eating in a Japanese restaurant just because the Koreans don't have an American accent. This disturbs me because the poor Japanese have no control over what the Koreans may do to their national dishes. Who knows what the Koreans maybe doing to change the ancient practices that have been carried down?

Yeah, I know the argument is a little weak, but I'm not in graduate school yet and I'm tired from all the driving. That's enough of an excuse for me.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

ANNIE HALL

Released in 1977, Woody Allen's Annie Hall won the Oscar for Best Picture that year. Interestingly, Diane Keaton (who plays Allen's love interest in the film), went by the name of Diane Hall prior to all of this. Among her friends, she was known as Annie, or Annie Hall. Coincidence? No, I think Fate.

Here's a quote from the movie.
Alvy: That's essentially how I feel about life. Full of loneliness and misery and suffering and unhappiness. And it's all over much too quickly.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

OGILVY III

How to Build Great Campaigns

  1. What you say is more important than how you say it.
  2. Unless your campaign is built around a great idea, it will flop.
  3. Give the facts.
  4. You cannot bore people into buying.
  5. Be well-mannered, but don't clown.
  6. Make your advertising contemporary.
  7. Committees can criticize advertisements, bu tthey cannot write them.
  8. If you are lucky enough to write a good advertisement, repeat it until it stops pulling.
  9. Never write an advertisement which you wouldn't want your own family to read.
  10. The image and the brand.
  11. Don't be a copy-cat.
OGILVY II

How to Be a Good Client

  1. Emancipate your agency from fear.
  2. Select the right agency in the first place.
  3. Brief your agency very thoroughly indeed.
  4. Do not compete with your agency in the creative area.
  5. Coddle the goose who lays your golden eggs.
  6. Don't strain your advertising through too many levels.
  7. Make sure that your agency makes a profit.
  8. Don't haggle with your agency.
  9. Be candid, and encourage candor.
  10. Set high standards.
  11. Test everything.
  12. Hurry.
  13. Don't waste time on problem babies.
  14. Tolerate genius.
  15. Don't underspend.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

20 HIPPEST HOTSPOTS

I caught this E! program about twenty minutes in, so I didn't get a chance to see #20-#16. Oh well, here's the list starting from #14 including my own promoters list just so you can throw some names out there when you party.

#15 The Raleigh, Miami, FL
#14 Cain, New York, NY
#13 Body English, Las Vegas, NV
#12 NA, New York, NY - Closed!
#11 Spider Club, Los Angeles, CA
#10 Hiro, New York, NY
#9 Prey, Los Angeles, CA
#8 Mansion, Miami, FL
#7 Light, Las Vegas, NV
#6 Marquee, New York, NY
#5 Sky Bar (at Shore Club), Miami, FL
#4 Mood, Los Angeles, CA
#3 Rain, Las Vegas, NV
#2 Bungalow 8, New York, NY
#1 Pure, Las Vegas, NV

Special Mentions
Shadow Bar, Las Vegas, NV
Geisha House, Los Angeles, CA
Employee's Only, New York, NY

Promoters/Owners
Ingrid Casares
Saady, Light
Robert Frey, Pure Management
Brent Bolthouse
Noel Ashman, NA
Steve Adelman, Spider Club
Nur Khan, Hiro
Sam Nazarian, Prey
Dave Grutman, Mansion
Marklen Kennedy, Light
Jason Kosmos, Employee's Only
Ben Pundole, Sky Bar
Hartwell, Josh Richman, Mood
George Maloof, Palms
Joe Nicely, Rain
Amy Sacco, Bungalow 8

Great chronology of Vegas club scene from Las Vegas Magazine:

1829 Spaniards discover area's artesian wells; promptly rope off wells and start charging cover.

1930 Pair O' Dice, Vegas' first nightclub, opens. And is immediately shut down by the vice squad.

1931 Gambling legalized. Pair O' Dice gives vice squad the finger.

1946 Flamingo Hotel opens. "Clubbing" has different meaning than today.

1947-1994 The Dark Ages, a time of misery and woe.

1995 Free-standing clubs Drink and eat Too and The Beach open. Locals now have two Strip-adjacent clubs from which to sneer at tourists. Club Rio opens. Tourists sneer back.

1996 Club Utopia opens. Locals now have a place to drop ecstasy and wave glo-sticks.

1997 Drai's, Studio 54 and Ra open. First customer barred from nightclub for wearing shorts and flip-flops.

2000 Danielle Heird ODs on ecstasy at C2K. Nothing funny about that, kids.

2001 Seven, Whiskey, Light, Rain and Ghostbar open. Oh my!

2003 Ice opens where Drink used to stand. What? No implosion? OPM opens with performance by Lou Rawls. Tabú introduces "ultralounge" into Vegas vernacular.

2004 Ed Williams is fired on camera as Ice's manager in TV's The Club and vows to return with Sith apprentice. Body English replaces Baby's; Hard Rock's ink goes from red to black. Krave, the first gay-friendly on-Strip club, opens—Frank Marino's happy squeal is heard throughout the city. Pure Management Group opens Tangerine and Pure.

2005 Jet opens. Empire Ballroom opens on Utopia's grave. Tao opens with one question: How'd they get the Buddha in there? La Bête opens at Wynn. La Bête closes at Wynn. Tryst opens at Wynn.

2006 Ra closes. Cherry opens. The beat goes on.

More Las Vegas club info from Las Vegas Magazine's Martin Stein and Xania Woodman:

There are plenty of sources of information about Vegas' clubs. This very publication runs a weekly nightlife section in which we list the main clubs, the acts performing and Xania's Hot Spots, highlighting the more exciting offerings each week. Hot Spots is even available online at www.lasvegasweekly.com and more of Xania's club news can be found at www.thecircuitlv.com. You can read reviews and descriptions of clubs, and find out their hours, music, dress codes and cover charges at www.vegas.com. Other websites include www.clubplanet.com and www.spyonvegas.com.

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