If you want to hear me reading the below review, click here. If not, read on, my friend – no offense taken:
Upon entering the east village restaurant, The Smith, I feel as though I am transported to the Lower East Side to one of my standard spots, Schiller’s, with that faux French Bistro feel, complete with Subway tiles and black and white portraits. However, being surrounded by NYU coeds quickly reminds me that I am indeed at The Smith on 3rd and 11th afterall…it also reminds me that I miss doing keg stands at fraternity parties. Anyway…I wait for my friend at the bar where I order a glass of the house red zinfandel (Clockspring ‘04, Amador County, $9). Note: This has become a common practice for me. If a bar offers a red zinfandel – I order it. Although the wine is decent, I realize I ordered prematurely, once I glance over the titillating cocktail menu. How does one not order a “cocktail” when there are actually 3 different categories paying homage to “cocktails” on the menu – “Muddlers”, “Fancy Cocktails,” and “Long Pours.” I immediately order a “Cucumber Loco” (silver tequila / cointreau / cucumber / lime/ pinch of sea salt, $10) and ask for extra salt, as I believe I may have been a latina deer (aka una cierva) in a former life, due to my love for over-salted margaritas. The drink is heavenly as expected, and I continue to order too many of them (too many is subjective) for the remainder of the meal.
My friend and I start with the “Mac + Cheese” ($10) Note: This has also become a common practice for me. If a bar offers mac and cheese – I order it. The mac and cheese was predictably comforting and was perfectly crusted on top. We follow up with a his and hers roasted chicken salad (arugula / apples / walnuts / brie / grilled onions, $17.) I leave off the latter, as I’m going out after. The salad was overdressed if you’re on a diet, but I am unfamiliar with that term, so I found it delicious. Note: Anything with brie is delicious by default. We shared an order of the fries ($5) which were well-done and crispy, and I was very pleasantly surprised they were as good as they were. I am a recovering fry snob.
We punctuated our meal with a traditional sundae (warm chocolate brownie / vanilla icecream / gratuitous whipped cream, $5.) I push the whipped cream aside and devour the harmonious brownie/icecream combo. It is your standard satisfying assembly-line dessert that you’d expect to get at a TGIF or Outback Steakhouse, and then I recall that the space was previously occupied by a Pizzeria Uno. Ah, the spirit of the chain-restaurant resides with us. Regardless, the dessert is delectable, and I regretfully eat each bite, as I realize it is bringing me to the bottom of the bowl.
Overall, my experience at The Smith was delightful. If you’re looking for a good go-to spot for “fancy cocktails,” dependable delicacies, attentive service, and patrons potentially donning letters from the Greek alphabet, then The Smith has YOUR name written (preferably from the English alphabet) all over it.
INSIDE SCOOP:
-Sunday Nights: Get a burger and beer for $14
-Make sure your friends aren’t meeting you at Smith’s, a different restaurant on McDougal
-Also on the menu that sounds order-worthy: pumpkin salad with blue cheese, cranberries ($10)
THE SMITH
55 3rd Ave (bet 10th & 11th St.) 212/420.9800
Sun-Mon, 10am-midnight; Tue-Thu, 10am-1am; Fri-Sat, 10am-2am
www.thesmithnyc.com
The Smith
Check out the interview with Metal Couture designer, Alison Roberto, on Playboy.com. Thanks for the love in the interview (last paragraph,) my fellow Al(l)ison!
On the Metal Couture Microphone
It isn’t often that I get out of the office, where I oversee Playboy’s cartoons, and in front of the camera, but that’s exactly what I did (evidenced in the photo above) after I interviewed New York City designer Alison Roberto about her new rock and metal inspired clothing line Metal Couture.
Alison works in the music industry designing graphics for projects ranging from large-scale award shows to CD covers and websites, so her aesthetic for blending art, fashion and music comes quite naturally. Alison told me about her edgy new clothing line as well as the surprising pastime of Tommy Lee and why the skull is such a popular symbol in fashion:
PLAYBOY: What’s it like working with high-profile musicians?
ALISON: Working in the music industry really is a lot of fun and I get to spend extended periods of time with the gods of the metal world. I’ve had Spinal Tap moments with Testament, shared veggie tacos with Lamb of God, been treated to beers by Zakk Wylde and hung out in a boxing ring with Phil Anselmo.
Recently I saw
Anne Lindfjeld (pictured at right), the gorgeous host of Headbangers Ball Denmark, who was in New York doing an interview with tattoo artist Paul Booth. She wore one of our shirts during the interview, which blended nicely with the macabre surroundings of Paul’s midtown studio. (Ed. note: You can see more of Anne on the Grapevine pages in our
November 2008issue).
PLAYBOY: A few of your designs depict golf imagery. What’s the connection with rock n’ roll and golf?
ALISON: Hell if I know! The only thing that I like about golf is driving the little cart around. My fiancé, Mike, is really the one who inspired the brand. He’s the voice of Headbangers Ball and the lead singer of
The Burn & Cry, and he absolutely loves golf. After he played a round with
Chuck Billy, the singer of Testament, I realized how many rockers are into golf: Tommy Lee, Alice Cooper, Vinnie Paul and Aaron Lewis of Staind, just to name a few. Alice has said that golf saved his life. It helped him stop drinking and gave him a new focus. After being dragged through countless golf outlets I found the true offender not to be the sport itself, but the fashion sense. I thought with this new audience of younger people and rockers that the sport is attracting, they really need a clothing line all their own.
PLAYBOY: What does the skull symbolize to you and why do you think the image has become so closely associated with rock n’ roll?
ALISON: The skull is a global icon for rebellion. It’s seems only natural for rock n’ roll to embody such a powerful symbol. Historically the skull has been associated with everything from secret societies and toxic substances to black-flagged pirate ships. In some cultures skulls were used in various ceremonies and mythical rituals in order to commune with the dead. It’s been thought to represent wisdom and guidance and also as a symbol for death. Skulls have often been used as ornaments or weapons to terrorize enemies. But the skull has definitely grown beyond its ancient significance and rock n’ roll has helped turn it into a fashion icon. Covered in jewels, silhouetted in leather, cast in metal, silkscreened on clothes or embroidered on a diaper bag, it’s this union of opposites that allows Metal Couture to straddle the line between sophistication and debauchery.
PLAYBOY: The color palette of your line is refreshingly light. Are you trying to encourage rockers to put away their dark clothing?
ALISON: No, not at all. I still rock all black on most days myself! I just think there’s a new breed of fashionably conscious metalheads out there who are entirely underserved. Over ten years ago when girlie tees were hard to come by, we had to buy men’s band tees and custom cut them to fit our bodies. It forced me to be creative while remaining sexy! My mission became finding and creating the best fashion forward materials and graphics without ditching our classic rock & metal staple icons. I think we should have choices that not only have amazing graphics, patterns & bodies, but colors as well. Not everything has to be dark & heavy all of the time. My hope with this line is to be able to mix it in with your regular everyday wardrobe. Guys can rock an acid washed tee underneath a blazer for work, and girls can compliment our poofy sleeved “skulls n’ razor blades” top with a high-waisted skirt.
PLAYBOY: Who are/were some of the best-dressed musicians?
ALISON: Rock has had a few dark periods–the 80’s pop metal era was not a shining moment for fashion–but I think we’ve managed to scrape out a few decent dressers; Keith Richards, David Bowie, Queen, Gwen Stefani, Debbie Harry, Marilyn Manson, Jim Morrison….and let’s not forget, Elvis. I love style that defies expectations.
PLAYBOY: What’s the strangest custom order you’ve ever done for someone?
ALISON: We haven’t had too many strange requests, but we certainly welcome them. Making custom golf polos for Chuck Billy was probably the coolest. We’ll be adding accessories in the spring. We get so many requests for the black tutu skirt and bracelets pictured on our models, so we’ve decided to expand into accessories as well as apparel.
I’m also happy to announce that on March 5th, 2009 Metal Couture will have its first runway show and launch party at Fontana’s in New York City. We’ll have models from Suicide Girls and Playboy and there may even be a few metal celebrity appearances (wink, wink). The event will be co-hosted by José Mangin (pictured at left), host of Sirius Satellite Radio’s
Liquid Metal, and
Allison Hagendorf, host of Playboy’s
Rock the Rabbit and
Miss Playboy Mobile. Limited tickets will be made available to the public, so keep checking our
website for details!
My co-host Jose Mangin
Metal Couture photo shoot at Duff
I’m now the spokesmodel for the new rock-inspired clothing line, METAL COUTURE. Below is a message from the line’s creator and designer, Alison Roberto.
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METAL COUTURE North Bergen, NJ |
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Metal / Rock / Hard Rock
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Hey!
Just wanted to share this with everyone.
Metal Couture is my new metal inspired clothing line and we were just interviewed by Playboy.
Now I can finally tell my mom her daughter made it into Playboy. She’ll be so proud!
METAL COUTURE • PLAYBOY ARTICLE
We’re having a huge Runway Show / Launch Party in NYC, complete with Suicide Girls, Playboy Bunnies, and maybe even a few metal celebrity guest appearances (wink, wink)
Keep checking our site for details.
ROCKMETALCOUTURE
Metal Couture would like to take a moment to raise their horns high for our new spokesmodels Jose Mangin, host of Sirius XM’s “Liquid Metal” (formerly Hard Attack), host of nationally syndicated TV show LatiNation and recently the host of MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball 20th Anniversary, and Allison Hagendorf, A&R executive of Grammy-nominated Lamb of God’s “Sacrament” album for Epic Records, and host of Playboy Rock the Rabbit, Playboy Mobile, and Steve Madden Music. They will appear in promotional photo shoots for the new clothing line and will also co-host our upcoming Runway Show.
I’m also very happy to announce Metal Couture’s brand spankin’ new Director of Marketing, Dave Hnatiuk. He rocks.
You can contact him with any media questions here : dave@rockmetalcouture.com
peace, love, designer shoes, tattoos & heavy fucking metal
ali
rock metal couture
| UPCOMING SHOWS FOR METAL COUTURE |
| 03/05/2009 10:00 PM |
New York, NY |
Fontana’s |
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| PRESS RELEASES FOR METAL COUTURE |
| “I’m also happy to announce that on March 5th, 2009 Metal Couture will have its first runway show in New York City. We’ll have models from Suicide Girls and Playboy and there may even be a few metal celebrity appearances (wink, wink).” - Jennifer Thiele ,PLAYBOY (Dec 03, 2008) |
| “Alison works in the music industry designing graphics for projects ranging from large-scale award shows to CD covers and websites, so her aesthetic for blending art, fashion and music comes quite naturally.” - Jennifer Thiele , PLAYBOY (Dec 03, 2008) |
| “The skull on a onesie trend has been around for a while, but when it’s done this well it’s clear that Metal Couture isn’t just trying to be rocker cool. They are rocker cool.” -elizabeth leach, Babble.com (Nov 26, 2008) |
Physical inquires can be sent to: 501 Washington St. Suite J, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
December 2nd, 2008 |
VOICE
For fans of The Real World (and Jerry Springer) tune in to the premiere of the new season of Bad Girls Club which premieres tonight on Oxygen. I’ve been fortunate enough to be chosen to do the voice for all the promos aka unleashing MY inner bad girl. After seeing the promos for all the upcoming episodes, I’ve decided that my greatest nightmare would revolve around being present at the open casting call for this show. There could be a reality show based on casting for this reality show. Terrifying.
Season Three of Bad Girls Club Premieres Tonight on Oxygen
Tuesday, December 2 10PM-11PM ET/PT
Bad Girls Club Season Three Premiere
“Breaking and Entering”In the return of Oxygen’s hit reality series the “Bad Girls Club” drama follows seven unapologetic and outrageous women as they come together to live in a Los Angeles mansion. Living in Hollywood with a houseful of girls results in some explosive moments and chaotic confrontations.
In the first episode, the seven new bad girls break into their new home and waste no time ganging up on their least favorite roommate. The first night out proves to be a disaster when the girls get kicked out of three clubs in a row, for fighting. While their brazen behavior is endlessly entertaining, they all claim they want to change.
Source: Oxygen Press Release
Bad Girls Club Premiere Promo
