JAKE MUESER

WHAT WOULD THE TITLE OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY BE?
Jake Mueser: Fashionably Late.

WHAT CAN’T YOU TRAVEL WITHOUT AND WHY?
I like to travel light but I carry a lot of things, so I need a jacket with tons of pockets and, of course, some Xanax.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION AND WHY?
I love Naples, Italy. It’s gritty, the food is amazing and it’s close to the Amalfi coast.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN NYC?
I love going uptown to the Neue Galerie, and lunch at Cafe Sabarsky.

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ONE PERSON TO SHOW YOU “THEIR NEW YORK,” WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
Anthony Bourdain. He had a way of making any city seem new and exciting.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE NYC RESTAURANTS? WHAT DO YOU ORDER THERE?
Via Carota; the menu always changes but the seasonal vegetable and pasta dishes are delicious.
The Odeon, for the tuna burger.
The bar at the Union Square Cafe: great wines and the best pasta and appetizers.

WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO SPOT IN NYC FOR DRINKS?
Summer drinks at Grand Banks.
Winter drinks by the fire at One if by Land, Two if by Sea.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE BRUNCH SPOTS?
Russ and Daughters. I order the Classic.
If I’m in Brooklyn, Frankel’s. I order the Number One.

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR ART FIX IN NYC? DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ARTIST?
Marlborough Contemporary shows some great artists and friends like the collaborative duo Freeman Lowe. I have many favorite artists such as Jakob Boeskov, Peter McGough, and Walton Ford.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE LATE-NIGHT HANGOUTS IN NYC AND WHY?
Black and White is a classic East Village bar. They always have good DJs, and it’s always open until 4am. I’ve been hanging out there for over a decade.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE NYC STORES AND WHY?
J. Mueser Bespoke, of course!
Leffot for a great selection of handmade men’s shoes.
I Need More; I’ve known Jimmy Webb since I first moved to NYC. He’s a fixture of old St. Marks Place, and now has his own amazing rock and roll shop on Orchard Street.

WHAT MUSIC ARE YOU LISTENING TO THESE DAYS? WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE MUSICIANS?
My musical taste has definitely calcified at this point. I mainly listen to Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, and Serge Gainsbourg.

WHAT ALBUM OR SONG WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOUR PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK TO NYC?
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! Nick Cave.
Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin.

WHEN YOU THINK OF NYC, ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR EMOTIONS OR MEMORIES THAT IMMEDIATELY COME TO MIND?
I always think of the opening monologue in Manhattan: “Behind his black-rimmed glasses was the coiled sexual power of a jungle cat. New York was his town and it always would be.”