Big News! We are Back!

Summer is over and so is our hiatus!

We are excited to announce that Notes on a Party will relaunch today as a new digital media property that celebrates the art of entertaining. Our expanded editorial will cover Events from the Inside Out™ (which is also our new tag line). Expect daily posts or “notes” on the most talented vendors in New York, cool resources from the Web, original gift ideas and tips on party planning. We'll bring you behind-the-scenes at some of the most glamorous events in town to show you how it's done. And, we've added a few new featured columns which include:

Lazy Hostess
Entertaining made simple with a little help from the experts

It’s My Party
Amazing venues for all types of events

Behind-the-Scenes
Inside scoop on VIP parties from talented vendors & celebrity guests

Celia’s List
A peek into the coveted rolodex of a seasoned event planner

Also, we've added an Ask Celia button so that you can ask us anything you want about your next party or tell us what you are interested in reading about. The best questions/ideas will be posted each month.

Here's what you need to know:

Email subscriptions: many of you love getting your "notes" delivered right to your inbox. If you subscribed on the old site, your email will automatically be added to the list for our new weekly newsletter.

Our address has changed: notesonaparty.blogspot.com has been changed to www.notesonaparty.com. Bookmark the new URL for easy reference.

And, finally, a big THANK YOU to our amazing partners Base Design and Mutant Media who worked around the clock on the redesign of the web site and newsletter. We love the fresh, new look and easy navigation and we hope you will too!

Visit the new Notes on a Party and tell us what you think!

Burger Night

I'm declaring Sunday night Burger Night. If only to have an excuse to return to Stand (24 East 12th Street - 212.488.5900), a new restaurant by Jonathan Morr, the creator of BondSt, APT, and Townhouse Hotel in Miami.

On the door, it reads STAND. That rare well-done burger restaurant. And, it's not false advertisting....they got it right in so many ways.



Designed to be sleek and utilitarian, Stand is a sophisticated yet hip mess hall where every night is burger night. The menu features a good offering of 7-ounce burgers that include the usual suspects (beef, turkey, veggie) along with a few originals (bacon & egg, mushroom and chopped steak) - all with interesting condiments like green peppercorn sauce or onion marmalade. Sides like coleslaw and onion rings are classic. More interesting are the mashed sweet potatoes and parmesan.

Refreshments may be an afterthought at most burger spots but Morr has paid special attention here with a wide selection of shakes ranging from banana to apple pie to toasted marshmallow and unusual sodas like fresh blackberry and pineapple-lime. You can even order a pitcher of beer (so old school!).

As a marketing girl, I can't help but comment on the brand concept. What Morr does so well with each of his establishments is find cutting-edge talent to carry his brand vision down to the last details. In this case, BDDW (and the amazing Tyler Hays) was commissioned to design the cafeteria tables and school house chairs. Branding was done by my friends at Base Design. Their creative includes matchbooks that read "I met........at Stand," with blank lines for name, gender and number as well as napkins printed with "Use napkins. Save your pants."

Stand has take out and will deliver from Houston to 23rd Street and from 1st Avenue to 8th Avenue. Noon to midnight. No catering as of yet, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. They can accommodate parties of up to 12 but they don't take reservations.

At least you know that wherever you sit, you'll be at the cool kids table.

Photo above by Noah Kalina.