Sake is rarely spotted in the U.S. outside the gilded ghetto of sushi bars and Asian-themed nightclubs. That's a shame, as the sakes I've tasted would brighten just about any occasion. At its best, cold sake (the warm stuff is generally less refined) boasts the versatility of liquor, the cerebral complexity of wine, and the visceral satisfaction of beer. There are hundreds of styles and brands out there, but here's a selection of my favorites that you should be able to find at better wine and liquor stores anywhere. 

I am weak from Fashion Week. I have writer’s block and writer’s cramp. I'm discombobulated, disillusioned, distressed, disabled, dyslectic, disappointed, and disturbed. I don't know which end is up and I'm feeling low down. So, today this will be short and sweet and not too neat. Tonight I will follow one of my not-too-lost leaders Nur Khan to Hiro for Crystal Castles. He says there might be "more after" and I believe him, as he's a truthful human being and delivering a good time is his mission.

On my trip to Vegas the power of the strategic group machine was evident. Tao Vegas and Lavo, on back to back nights, packed a formidable wallop. The same one felt every night in associated New York venues. Avenue is still there and so is doing it, doing it and doing it well Marquee. The ability to service clients, especially those that spend big bucks in both New York and sin city, sets strategic groups above the rest. Tao New York as well as Stanton Social Club and other properties provide multiple cross promotion possibilities. It is difficult to see how any stand-alone nightlife entity can compete in New York without this outside revenue and marketing boost.

At David Barton Gym annual toy drive: ● MARC JACOBS - "In Paris, there's a small club called Montana, and there's a restaurant called Thiou. Bars I really don't hang out in. Oh, there's this great club that happens once a month in Paris called Club Sandwich. And it's at the Espace Cardin. And everyone gets super dressed-up, so it's really, really fun. I try to go whenever I'm in Paris, if it's going on. And we stay out all night and just dance like crazy. And in New York, my favorite restaurants have always been the same. I love to eat at Pastis. I love the Standard. I love Da Silvano. I eat in the lobby of the Mercer a lot, the hotel. I usually go to Pastis for lunch, and there's a sandwich that was on the menu, but they don't make it anymore, but I always insist that they make it for me. And it's really fattening, so I shouldn't eat it, but it's chicken paillard and gruyere cheese and bacon. And it's so delicious. It's really good. And it's my weakness. It's just like the most perfect sandwich."

The multi-platinum blonde and breast cancer survivor struts stateside

In the run up to Sunday's main event, the Gay Pride parade, I went to visit Miss Honey Dijon, the Chicago house DJ who is now a New Yorker. Miss Honey was playing at a party called Chocolate later in the evening, which was clear on the other side of town. I wasn't sure I would make it that long, so I met her at a Mexican restaurant in Echo Park, where she was sitting with six or so of her favorite gay boyfriends.

A night that began with a quiet and scrumptious Whole Foods BBQ was turned on its ear by a bombardment of text messages about the goings-on at theGansevoort rooftop. The nice weather enticed me to the party, which my friends call "woof.” I asked if that was the real name for the party -- after all, I am a nightlife correspondent, and accuracy should be part of my agenda. I asked my friend again, who avoided eye contact and said, "When it's good they call it ‘woof, woof’,” or sometimes "woof, roof'.” Maybe Sundays are not for answers. The roof was packed, although everybody told me it was a weak night. Apologetic promoters told me that "it’s usually more packed" and that celebrities abound. "Last week, Leonardo DiCaprio and Willem Dafoe were here, but this week we only have Lance Bass.”

Walter Durkacz is an extraordinary human being. He tells me this in the course of our interview, and you don’t find me disagreeing. In the movie business -- a place Walter tells me that he wants to be -- the real players are often quiet participants, while other less brainy but maybe more brawny folk tend to get all the credit. Take Gone with the Wind for instance, most people know its mega stars Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland and even Hattie McDaniel. But these were all just interchangeable hired guns, and so many others might have done just as well. The heavy lifting was done by the far lesser known (at least these days) producer David O. Selznick and the director Victor Fleming. How many of you knew Victor Fleming’s name? Yet, in that same year, 1939, Victor also directed The Wizard of Oz, so you really should know him. Walter Durkacz is that kind of player. If you take the time to read this, you will see a list of names and places that Walter made happen, and you will be impressed and wonder how come you’ve never heard of him. Although he is very quiet (unless you speak to him), Walter is making moves.

Rose Bar partner and creative director Nur Khan rocks out with Metallica in his living room, trains with Shaolin monks, holds court at his drinkery, and caps off the night at the Beatrice Inn. Just don’t ask him to sing karaoke.