AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Unik ernest12/27/2023 Either way, Gin Lane is remaining optimistic - last night a sign outside the bar said “Welcome to Gin Lane. We wonder if this might pique the interest of Kyky and Unik, the boys behind PM and the upcoming Merkato 55, who, according to our source, were at one point interested in acquiring the space. A person involved in the restaurant’s operations says it’s getting a new chef (yet to be determined) and that the place isn’t for sale, but an industry source has heard rumors that the venue is hurting to such a degree that liquor suppliers who would normally give them a credit are delivering bottles COD. Fair enough - and now we’ve discovered the silence is because the kitchen closed three weeks ago and the dining room isn’t being used. “I give all that I have to everything and everyone.Is Gin Lane on Death’s Doorstep, or Will It Soon Be Reborn? Eater recently “deathwatched” Gin Lane on the basis that the place wasn’t picking up its phone and its OpenTable page was offline. “Life is simple, but sometimes we make it too difficult,” says Unik. “Last night, 90 percent of the girls on a scale from one to 10 were a 20,” Vicari boasts.Īfter Show, Unik heads off to embark on another adventure – at his own nightclub. Unik also hosts regular Friday nights at Show – to owner Joe Vicari’s obvious pleasure. “I know I’m not cool enough to get invited to one of your opening nights, but when you feel like opening your red ropes for a regular guy like me, please give me a call,” says Barish on his message. The last is from Chris Barish, owner of rival nightspot Light. The other is from party promoter Noah Tepperberg. One call is from Ivana Trump’s assistant, wanting to make sure she won’t be at the same event as Donald. Later on, his phone doesn’t stop ringing in the limo on the way to Show nightclub, wherehe’s throwing the after-party for Fusha, a line created by Wyclef Jean’s wife. On his way out of the Bryant Park tents on Saturday afternoon, Unik stops to talk to Tyson Beckford and Cris Judd. He pauses and then says, “But it’s an honor.” We wish there could be some kind of law, or patent.” “Everyone wants to take credit for somebody else’s work. “I’d like anyone to sit in front of me and tell me that they started it ,” says Unik. Since then, every promoter from A to Z has taken credit for it. He suggested one night they hire men to play Conga drums. When Unik came to New York in 1994, he worked behind-the-scenes at places like Night Café and Chaos. “Next thing you know two people, five people, 10 people come, and I would have a band.” “I used to go to the river after doing errands, and I would find dirty buckets and pans, get two sticks and play the drums on them,” he says. That’s the way it is with my place.”įor PM, he imported cement blocks and tropical wood from Haiti.Īfter all, that’s where he got his start in the business. “I never gave up though, and kept going back until I got in. But the doorman would never pick me because I was never dressed properly. “I used to go out for two reasons: to check out the music and to look at beautiful girls. I used to be one of those kids who paid $20 to get into a club and waited for hours in the cold, and now I have my own place. “I thought about my club, and I couldn’t believe that it was finally opening. “When the lights went out at the Rosa Cha show, I cried,” he says later. In fact, the native Haitian – who moved here nine years ago – is sometimes amazed he’s gotten so far in this town. While he believes in keeping his hand-picked crowds “tight,” Unik is hardly snooty (unlike his cold-blooded doorman). “All he has to do is come over to your house and in 20 minutes you’ll have a party.” ![]() “If people hear his name, they will show up wherever he is,” says Phat Farm’s Russell Simmons, who was a Serafina staple. Saturday night, he opens his first nightclub, a Meatpacking District lounge called PM. “He can’t throw a whacked party, even if he tries.” “His parties are off the hook every day for the last five years,” says RocaWear’s Damon Dash, a tireless scenester. One night, Jennifer Capriati tore off her shirt there. Their Wednesday night fests at the Serafina restaurant on Lafayette Street have attracted the likes of Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson and Sylvester Stallone. ![]() Unik – a charming, 32-year-old club promoter formerly known as Frank Ernest – is widely considered one of the city’s most adept hosts, along with his brother and partner KyKy. “What’s your story?” she oozes, completely charmed.īraxton might not know who this man is and where he came from – but just about every nightlife denizen in New York does. The “Aida” star bursts into a smile and gives her phone number to the stranger. AT the Rosa Cha fashion show on Saturday, a towering man with dreadlocks takes a seat beside singer Toni Braxton and whispers in her ear.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |