Comments on: Marnie Old Outed As Big Jerk

By: open your eyes

open your eyes — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:50:40 +0000

For those who aren’t aware of who else protested the UT License; but have recinded, read below from I beleive the Daily News……………………. The Starr Corp. may have had a part in this…..ya think ???????????

“THE OWNERS of the Union Trust (717 Chestnut) steakhouse have lashed out at a local sommelier (that’s wine expert to you and me) who’s trying to block them from getting a liquor license.
Marnie Old, who lives on the same block as the steakhouse, filed a protest letter with the state Liquor Control Board last summer. Other letters of protest were written by restaurateur Stephen Starr, who later rescinded his objections, and Steven Petrecca, a chef at Starr’s Jones, less than 100 yards from Union Trust. Petrecca, who also lives on the block, toured the property, met with Trust owners Terry White and Ed Doherty and rescinded his letter.”

Open your eyes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Just a thought

Just a thought — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:23:54 +0000

Perhaps it has nothing to do with Starr, as she is not his employee but a free agent and speaks on her own. Starr will pay her to get their steakhouse list up, trained, and running and then she will move to the next project. MAYBE Marnie is just upset that Union Trust chose another female wine consultant to guide their business and is miffed she wasn’t consulted for this big project. I certainly have no idea. just speculation.

By: Wine-ing Around

Wine-ing Around — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 16:41:00 +0000

Maybe she didn’t mean it and just wanted some name recognition so that a national outfit would see it and she would get bounce for her book. I’ve met her twice. She seems quiet and maybe she has handlers putting her up to this for PR? I thought oxycotin was the most dangerous legal drug on the planet :-0

By: jack

jack — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:46:56 +0000

Ridiculous. Obviously she is scared of the owners of the new steakhouse in town that will threaten her livelihood. I certainly hope the tables are turned on Starr. They will get what they deserve someday. Not very good publicity for Starr and his cronies.

By: RRV

RRV — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:18:33 +0000

I think the F-You was meant in the context of her trying to dictate where restaurants are allowed to serve alcohol not Parc specifically. Either way, if it was some xenophobic old lady protesting this it would be one thing but, Marnie Old is in the alcohol business. Its like the Marlborough Man complaining about the smoking section at a restaurant.
I just don’t get it, why would a former server, wine program and sales manager, beverage director (with an alcohol budget of over $1 Million), bar tender trainer, and current restaurant consultant who “drinks wine for a living” protest a liquor license for a luxury steakhouse? I don’t exactly think that’s a reasonable reaction from someone who’s life revolves around the distribution and sale of alcohol. Im sure it has nothing to do with her working for Stephen Starr.
Hypocritical? Yes.
Lame? Definitely

By: CEF

CEF — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:51:40 +0000

We quoted the DN. We like the most dangerous drug on the planet. Mutual satisfaction would be to let the restaurant open without the involvement of folks who already have opened restaurants of the same grandeur just across the city. Why no complaint about Jones, Morimoto, 707, the upcoming Chifa, etc? Why the steakhouse?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:21:17 +0000

This is one of those comical moments that just shows how childish everyone in the food business in Philly is when they open their mouths.

Rather that find rationale and negotiate the merits of the dispute to make it go away, everyone pounds on their chest.
I am not here to defend Marnie, Terry White say’s in the daily news that “Marnie makes her living selling the most dangerous legal drug out there”.
Marnie does not sell alcohol, she sells ideas and if that is how he feels about alcohol, why is he applying for a licence ???

Also that bit about “PARC” being a “middle finger F-You” to the city by Stephen Starr is just sad.
There is no reason for ridiculous statements like that, clearly 1000 people a day do not think so.

Fact is every new restaurant contends with these kinds of concerns and smart people negotiate them away instead instead of pointing fingers and concocting conspiracy theories.

All parties involved just need to grow up, deal with the issues to mutual satisfaction and the food press ought to ashamed for fanning the flames.

By: Maria

Maria — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:43:54 +0000

Since when do sommeliers who write books about the merits of beer and wine as food partners protest a liquor license for a high end steakhouse?? Oh…I get it Marnie…Wine goes well with steak at 18th & Locust but not at 7th & Chestnut…. What a hypocrite!
I could only imagine what she is like in person, yuck!