The guys who brought you the beer-swilling sporty, fratty funhouse Porky’s, as well as the posh and exclusive Eldridge, are on the precipice of adding two more haunts to Manhattan’s repertoire. Amidst a year where the deafening sound of local shops and staple nightspots permanently closing their doors was heard citywide, Cole Bernard and Jason Lawrence of Status Nightlife have been working tirelessly and ambitiously, to open not one, but two new doors. Jason just made Gotham magazine’s list of 100 Hottest Eligible Bachelors, so the ladies have the opportunity to check him out whilst sinking their teeth into some liquor-laced cupcakes at new spot, Red Velvet; but not without stopping by The Yard first to watch the boys at the bar watching the boys on the field on giant flatscreens.

At the New York Film Festival premiere of Broken Embraces:

● PENELOPE CRUZ - Favorite restaurant in New York? "Oh, I have many because I love food so much!" And in Madrid? "I go to many that are out in the countryside, but whoever goes there for the first time should go to Botin. It's the oldest restaurant in the world." What did you like about it? "Everything!"

● PEDRO ALMODOVAR - Favorite restaurant in New York? "Mr. Chow's -- we had dinner there the other day, and it was really very impressive." And in Madrid? "In Madrid, there are many. Casa Lucio is one of my favorites."

Jonathan Goldsmith plays 'The Most Interesting Man in the World' in those ever present Dos Equis advertisements. The thing about it is, he's actually a very interesting man. I never had a Dos Equis until this campaign grabbed my attention. After this interview I arranged for Jonathan and his lovely wife Barbara to have dinner at La Esquina. Last night while I was having dinner there, the staff was gushing and thanking me for sending him their way. It was a thrill. He has an old world charm and charisma. He lights up a room. Somewhere out there is a casting person who got it right. I arranged for them to visit Rose Bar and they called the next day to thank me. They are a gracious couple. We seem to have become good friends. Often idols and celebrities are not as interesting as they seem when you actually meet them and I was pleasantly surprised. Jonathan Goldsmith is well cast as ‘The Most Interesting Man in the World.’ Ben Barna and I spoke with Goldsmith about the life he leads, and whether or not he has a lifetime supply of beer.

As Dan Humphrey, Gossip Girl’s loveable leading man, Penn Badgley traipses through New York with a coterie of privileged prep-school coeds. But when the cameras aren’t rolling, the laid-back actor, star of this month’s thriller The Stepfather, prefers tacos and street trucks to STK.

● Mayahuel (East Village) - Cocktail connoisseurs of Death & Co. build a tequila tabernacle to namesake goddess of pulque and agave. Dark, sexy atmo coupled with the smart pours will have you sinning and confessing, alternately.
● La Esquina (Nolita) - Bar scene with authentic Mexican food from über-scenesters Serge and Cordell. Dungeon chic and tacos. Not as stealth as at the start, but still holding its own.
● Los Feliz (Lower East Side) - Fat Baby peeps continue their colonization of Hell Square with South of the Border entry. La Esquina meets Spitzer's over margaritas. Come get feliz.

Jack Dakin and Corbin Plays are two Northern California Bay boys who came to New York City to create lounges and restaurants that combine functional design with the cool factor. They ended up working for the likes of Serge Becker, Sean MacPherson, and Eric Goode and on venues such as: Joe's Pub, The Bowery Hotel, Jane Hotel Ballroom, The Park, Dirty Disco, and Duke & Duchess. The duo plans to soon branch out to New Orleans, Dallas, and Philadelphia. We caught up with them before their national invasion.

Here at BlackBook, we pay a lot of attention to where cool customers go out -- bars, clubs, restaurants, shops, hotels, you name it. So why not flip the frame and let you see where we go out? Here's a periodically updated, exhaustive list of hotspots currently favored by everyone at BlackBook, from the mighty bosses down to the humble interns, from the charming local lounges around the corner to the jet-setting temples of luxe living.

EDITORIAL
● Editorial Director/Editor-in-Chief - Ray Rogers, Café Mogador (NYC) - Hummus, crack-caliber coffee, and outdoor patio for primo people-judging and "novel writing."
● Creative Director - Jason Daniels, Babettes (East Hampton) - Don’t let the word “organic” turn you off .
● Executive Editor - Chris Mohney, Pegu Club (NYC) - OCD cocktail heaven. Pith helmet and ivory cane optional.
● Senior Editor - Nick Haramis, The Jane Hotel and Ballroom (NYC) - Latest smash from Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode gets all Edwardian on the WVill.

Semu Namakajo, a.k.a. DJ Reach, is Manhattan’s very own household name when it comes to the world of nightclubs. Bringing his gift for musical mish-mashing to haunts across NYC, Vegas, the Hamptons, and Miami, Reach is best known for being one of the nicest dudes in the biz -- just ask any club owner in town. In a city where the sincere have dwindled down to a mere few, this New York native brings nothing but the realness in his music as well as his life. That’s because the music undoubtedly is his life.

I have some history with 98 Kenmare Street, the address of chef Ron Suhanosky's new, "real" Italian restaurant, Civetta. I tried to broker a deal at that space between "fiends" -- oops, that’s a typo but let's leave it -- I meant friends, Todd English, Joe "Viagra" Vicari, my boy Igor, and some other chaps. People with Igor as a first name invariably have forgettable last names, and anyway we made up as he apologized to me on his wedding night, and so he gets a pass. I saw The Godfather 50 times. A public bitch-slapping match between myself and super duper chef Todd English happened in all the funny papers some time ago, but even Todd I forgive, as I hear through channels that he is sorry. The problem with Todd in the first place is that he does everything through channels. He negotiated in bad faith and blamed the "channels.” He bitch-slapped me in the papers through his publicity "channel," and I guess with 20 restaurants under his wing, he even cooks through a "channel.” Well, the deal fell through, and fast friends have slowly become less hateful to each other. Anyway, I'm not here today to talk about old beef. I’m here to talk about new beef, in the form of Civetta owner and chef Ron's grilled sirloin alla pizziaola, rughetta, sea salt, and other delectables.

She’s been on the cover of countless fashion magazines, once inspired a novel by her ex-husband Salman Rushdie, and (with a little help from Tom Colicchio) has propelled Top Chef into smash-hit status since becoming the show’s fiery host in 2006. Now, add jewelry designer and ground beef paramour to Padma Lakshmi’s growing resume. Her jewelry line debuts at Bergdorf’s today, and she'll make an in-store appearance on May 8; here, the culinary bombshell discusses sex, burgers, and why she’d rather go naked.

A recent article suggested that you had dreams to build an empire. Is that the goal?
If someone else wants to call it an empire, that’s their business. I think only kings and queens have empires. But I’m lucky to have a new jewelry line. It’s a real labor of love, not at all a licensing deal. I’ve put all of my own money into it.