Dear Rose Bar

To: Rose Bar; Syndicate PR
From: DBTH
Subject: Congratulations!

Dear Rose Bar,

We at Down By The Hipster would like to congratulate you on winning our first ever DBTH poll. With 52 votes cast out of a total of 195 , our readers have voted Rose Bar as having the most attractive female clientèle in New York City! YAY! It's not a majority, but it's not too shabby either. Obviously, your strategy is working, and we encourage you all to keep doing what you're doing.

Humbly,

DBTH

PS: Please share this with Sir Ian. Thanks!

Drama At the Accompanied Literary Society

Ever wonder what happens at a gala for the Accompanied Literary Society at a private townhouse in Gramercy Park? Apparently, people collapse and get taken out on a stretcher in front of Harvey Weinstein and Graydon Carter! Thanks to the beauty of BlackBerry messenger, DBTH gets a scoopy scoop.

Oh we oh my! That is so not good. This both makes and debunks the argument that these private clubs and societies should be courting younger members. Because what happens at the Accompanied Literary Society should stay at the Accompanied Literary Society.

DBag Thursday: Part 1

Hey everyone! Today is D Bag Thursday, a very special feature brought to you in at least two parts? Why today? Why not. Part 1.

It's Wednesday night. You (or DBTH) is at the oh so swanky Rose Bar enjoying an $18 cocktail or two, and a group is seating at one of the side tables. And in this group, you notice many of the gentleman wearing the same hats. That's when you realize it's Scott Sartiano and his Butter posse, all wearing Butter hats. To the layman, it may seem they really just love butter. But we know it to be some kind of D baggy gorilla marketing campaign or whatever. And if you are going to wear a hat with the name of your restaurant and lounge on it, wouldn't it be 1OAK, your new space that's poised to open tonight? Those hats probably never made it back from the glitter factory so they went with the standby.

In anther twist, we travel in the way back machine to the last time 1OAK was set to open. Well, they had to cancel their events and put the hype machine on hold for a bit. Our Little Birdy said at the time, "saw Richie Akiva at Rose Bar last night. . . Anyway, I was expecting Richie to be doing something else when his new club is supposedly opening tomorrow night. I'm putting my money on December... if they're lucky." Ditto LB. Ditto.

Photo from NY Times

Richie Akiva: Not Sweating the Small Stuff

Just because his much publicized and over-hyped new club 1OAK is not going to open on time, again, doesn't mean Richie Akiva is having a bad time. Not in the least. A Little Birdy dropped a note, saying "saw Richie Akiva at Rose Bar last night. Amazing scene, the place was jam packed with models (the 6' tall, blond kind). You know if was fertile hunting grounds because Cuba Gooding Jr., was there. Anyway, I was expecting Richie to be doing something else when his new club is supposedly opening tomorrow night. I'm putting my money on December... if they're lucky." Don't knock Cuba like that. He is on his way back.

Reduxe: Mondrian Hotel

We recently revealed MHG's plan to open the Mondrian at 150 Lafayette, which is Chinatown's answer to the Bowery Hotel Row. But why now? And why the Mondrian? And why there? When in doubt, turn to your hotel guru to drop some wisdom. We did, and HG says:

Morgans wouldn't exist if it weren't for Ian Schrager's vision and creativity. But he got bought out and Morgans was taken public. Since then, they have announced grand plans for expansion, including franchising some of their brands- unthinkable under Schrager. The Mondrian Scottsdale was the first to open. I was there on opening weekend in January and was disappointed with the quality of the renovation of the Old James hotel. The next Mondrian to open will be in SoBe, followed by the NYC property, then Vegas (which Shrager is obligated to be a part of). No doubt Morgans will be bringing in the big guns for the NYC. The competition is stiff and they want their old leader to be slain by his own child.

Well, it's more bastard child. Or step. No matter, the battle lines have been drawn, with Morgans ready throw down against the Gramercy Hotel with its premiere brand. If hipsters had money to gamble, we'd be taking Shrager all the way. You know why?

Because Ian Shrager is an original, just like us.

Preparing the Gramercy Roof Bar

A few restaurant setbacks has not knocked the Gramercy Park Hotel totally off course. With spring finally arriving, preparations are underway for the mandatory hotel roof bar. A little birdy let us know, "I was just at Gramercy Park Hotel for a meeting. There were all these people unloading large quantities of flowering trees and shrubbery into the service elevator. They said it is for the roof-top bar which should be opening soon." We're giddy with excitement, especially since the ground floor Rose Bar staff go so out of their way to make you feel welcomed. Maybe they will give you a little shove off the roof for poor tipping.