New York - July 02, 2001

man ray Opens

man ray restaurant

Yes, at long last, man ray, the offshoot of the wildly fabulous Paris spot, is—no, not “open,” silly; it’s “in previews.” Meaning you can eat there, but the management has basically indemnified itself: it doesn’t claim to have all things smoothed out just quite yet. But the attitude part seems in working order. This past Friday we went incognito to check it out, and the doorman promptly turned us away. No reservation? No love…

But the stage is set with big-name financial backers like Harvey Weinstein, Johnny Depp and John Malkovich. Indeed, man ray has all the necessary ingredients for hotspot stardom. A hip Chelsea location! A never-gonna-make-it-in-show-biz “waif” staff! A DJ booth! And that darn looped Lounge Classics CD!

(Sound familiar?)

Oh, you came for the food? Barracuda seviche, buddy. No, that menu item is not meant as a joke; it is not intended as a reference to the crowd.

(Neither are the barbecued pigs’ trotters.)

Spineless jellyfish, anyone?