The Atkin Report

May 30, 2007

MELROSE MADNESS
Diesel, at right, stakes out a prime corner next to Me&Ro and Mulberry on Melrose Place
in a brick building dating back to 1896
You will never, ever find a parking space on Melrose Place ever again. Or on any of the surrounding streets. The once sleepy yet elegant back street is jumping with the arrival of blue-chip fashion nameplates like Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Marc Jacobs and the just-opened Diesel. (And stay tuned, Frédéric Fekkai is moving in this summer.) The Italian import, known for its trendy jeans and fashion-forward clothing, is already attracting major foot traffic to check out its denim bar, boots, belts and other accessories. And speaking of traffic, there will be a jam tonight when the street is closed off for what promises to be a rockin’ opening party. After the hangover wears off, manager Daniel Beres will take good care of all your customer service needs.
Diesel, 8401 Melrose Place., 866.479-8355, www.diesel.com

NOW SMOLDERING: CHARCOAL AT THE ARCLIGHT
It’s always cool to see a film at the ArcLight, but the downside was a dearth of dining places aside from the lobby café, unless you count Jack in the Crack across Sunset, of course. Well, welcome to Charcoal, Adolfo Sauya and Michael Sutton’s first collaboration since the Lodge. (Next up for them: Goa.) Although the interior is somewhat reminiscent of a Houston’s, and all that cozy dark wood, stone and fireplaces are a good thing, the food is more in step with the cuisine at the Lodge—with an emphasis on mesquite-grilled steak, baby back ribs and seafood. A knowledgeable and very personable sommelier, Gaspar Arabian, is there to guide you with your wine choices. And although the kitchen stops serving at 11, the bar’s open until 2.
Charcoal, 6360 Sunset Blvd., 323.465-8500

CINEMA DU-LUXE
On the subject of great movie theatres, TAR (along with legions of Westsiders who don’t, can’t or won’t drive to Hollywood) cannot wait until the 12-screen Landmark Film Center opens this weekend at the Westside Pavilion. It’s already being called ArcLight West. With lounge-like seating, booze, a wall of popcorn (?), a few indie films thrown in with the inescapable summer blockbusters…Mark Cuban & Co. promise to way raise the bar on feature exhibition. Next, perhaps they’ll turn their attention to the very-badly-in-need-of-a-makeover NuWilshire.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUDDHA BAR
What do you do to celebrate your first year in business? If you’re Buddha Bar NYC owner Nina Zajic, you send out invites with fans, incense and cherry blossoms in wooden boxes to 250 of New York’s finest (names like Denise Rich, Kevin Spacey, Nile Rogers, Terry George, LA Reid and Ally Hilfiger) for an elaborate five-course meal followed by specialty cocktails created by TY KU’s (www.trytyku.com) world famous mixologists. Then, you cheer on bidding wars over high-profile live auction packages which benefited The Institute for Civic Leadership, like a vacation with Jordan’s royal family, a dinner date with NY Giants’ Michael Strayhan, Yankees’ Legends Owners box seats and sommelier’s wine tours of Sonoma, Napa Valley, St. Croix and Tuscany. While the winners pop more corks, you clear away the tables and open up for an afterparty, joining forces with David Bowie’s inaugural H&M High Line Festival-- with DJ Sam Popat and DJ Timka spinning beats into the wee hours--and cap it off with guests given custom CDs with soon-to-be released tracks. Oh, what a night.
Buddha Bar NYC, 25 Little West 12th Street, 212. 647-7314

THE SCENTS OF SUMMER
Suntan lotion and….Coney Island? That’s the latest terrain master parfumier Laurice Rahmé of Bond No. 9 is interpreting in fragrance, the 29th in her venerated line. Its vivid sea/sky blue bottle hits shelves on June 1, following the scented summertime path blazed by Fire Island and the Hamptons eau de parfum. She says Coney Island melds cool notes of margarita mix, hypnotically seductive chocolate and caramel and cedarwood. (3.4 oz., $180 at Bond No. 9 stores in the city and at Saks, Harvey Nichols and Harrods)
For a more traditional beachy vibe, spritz fellow Frenchwoman Laura Mercier’s Almond Coconut eau de toilette spray (1.7 oz, $50 at Neimans, Nordstrom, Sephora and Bloomingdales), a fragrance that captures the essence of almond, coconut milk, soft caramel and buttercream, sandalwood and musk—and sends you right to the water’s edge. If that’s not enough to make you roll out the beach towels, there’s also complementary fragranced Crème Body Wash, Honey Bath, Sugar Scrub and Soufflé Body Crème for an aromatic vacation.

SUMMER FUN IN A BOTTLE
Garden variety rum comes from Puerto Rico, but Oronoco hails from Brazil, the original birthplace of rum in the early 1600’s, before the Dutch took production to the Caribbean

Ready to rum-ble? Oronoco has come to our shores, from Brazil, in a handsome embossed leather-wrapped bottle. What’s that, you say? It’s a super-premium white rum made from fresh-cut Brazilian mountain sugar cane that offers light hints of vanilla on the nose, a crisp, clean taste and a smooth rounded finish. “Like coffee and wine grown on mountain slopes, we believe that mountain cane yields a complex and flavorful cane that is the secret to our taste profile,” says Oronoco’s master distiller Vicente Bastos Ribeiro. The cane is harvested by hand and crushed within hours of cutting. ($35 for 750 ml)

Here’s twist on the Mojito, the Carioca Gimlet,
from mixologist Fabio Costa Da Rocha of Bar D’Hotel, Rio de Janeiro:
Muddle two fresh cut lime wedges in a shaker. Add 1 1/2 ounces Oronoco rum, two ounces fresh squeezed lime juice, a splash of simple syrup and shake vigorously with ice. Strain contents into a Collins glass filled with ice and lime wedges. Top with equal splashes tonic and soda. Enjoy.

RIP OF THE MONTH
We just love paying $22 for a small bottle of mediocre cold sake at Katsuya, especially when it’s plunked down on the table, unopened, along with thimble-sized hot sake cups in which to enjoy it. Umm, not. Same bottle at Gelsons: $7.

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