La Esquina Making Its Miami Move

Another tidbit of information that bubbled to the surface during the Cordell Lochin legal tizzy was Serge Becker had plans to open a second La Esquina in Miami. So exciting. Well, DBTH has learned a bit more intel on the project, and it's shaping up to be a doozy. The word from South Beach is that Becker and his posse have signed a deal to open La Esquina in the soon to open Mondrian South Beach Hotel and Residences, and that Becker will operate not only a La Esquina lobby restaurant but also a roof top bar. Good deal for Becker, but will taking a restaurant that is known more for its basement than its food to the land of Latin cuisine be a success? Will it diminish the strong La Esquina brand here in New York City? Only time will tell, but as one wise operator told us, "your brand is your brand it's best not to fuck with it." Indeed.

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Fans of the Box Fight Back

So what happens when your favorite night spot gets slammed with a bit of negative press? Take the offensive. Ray LeMoine decries Joshua David Stein's article from Page Six Mag, calling it a sham from the very start. LeMoine begins by saying, "I don’t know if they have fact checkers at the NY Post’s Page Six Mag, but yesterday a story ran about The Box where the first sentence was a lie." As for the belief that the club may be slipping, LeMoine is adamant that the opposite is true, stating"

In truth, The Box is actually better now than a year ago. The owners have put together a more fluid show, one without boring filler acts. And the crowd is more downtown than a year ago. After Box-owner Cordell Lochin was locked up for drug trafficking, Serge Becker, another owner, hired Christian Alexander. Christian lives in the LES and is tied to downtown’s art, music, fashion, and media circles more than anyone who’s ever worked at the Box save Hammerstein. Lochin was known for his celeb-ties, whereas Christian is the guy celebs come to for a unique egalitarin NYC vibe. Now on any given night you’ll see a Supreme-type with a bartender from a local spot hanging with Ally Hilfiger and Robin Thicke.

That's hot. That's so so hot and cool. But is it true? Our experts say possibly not, with a Little Birdy saying that while some musicians are still showing up to get on stage, the overall celeb buzz has dried up drastically. This debate is far from over, but maybe that is true for The Box too.

Signing the Box

Poor The Box. Simon Hammerstein and Serge Becker's theater du nightclub really specializes in getting poor press. After Joshua David Stein's page turning expose in this past Sunday's Page Six the Magazine revealed the seedier side of the club, may had us wondering what else could possibly happen?

According to a report on Animal New York, "Now someone is going around and warning the public about the club's bouncer Gans, claiming he's an alleged "DRUG PEDDLER" and that he "RAPED TWO WOMEN." Well, that certainly is no good.

See what happens when you try to be different? We have always supported the Box for at least trying something in the staid atmosphere. But really, it seems to be just a matter of time before the other shoe drops.

Eric Goode Grabbing Magic Castle

Let's fly out to the Left Coast to discuss a juicy rumor from our friends at HotelChatter. It seems that New York hotelier Eric Goode has his eyes on the mysterious Magic Castle in the heart of Hollywood, and Sean MacPherson may not be part of it. So who is the replacement? According to HC, it may be New York City's own Serge Becker. What a tag team!

So what do we think? From our own experience, the Magic Castle is a one of a kind property, a proper magician's club with an established hotel already operating next to it, plus a sushi restaurant boasting one of a kind views across the Los Angeles sky. However, it has been rather down and out over the past decade. This project reeks of Goode/Macpherson; rehabbing an existing property and making it a destination, and the castle architecture could make it the next Chateau Marmont. Uh, maybe not that far. We are just surprised to see Becker possibly replacing MacPherson on this one. Hope everything is ok with the dynamic duo.