Tag Archives: New York
Heat Wave, East Village
How do you keep your cool in the East Village during a heat wave? Summer may call for gingham prints and khakis in the Hamptons, but that look just won’t fly in this neighborhood, formerly ground zero for New York’s punk movement. Savvy dressers managed to keep the edge without looking like an excerpt from Goths in Hot Weather.
Rule No. 1: Don’t cave into pastels. Graphic red, white and black keep this look sharp and citified. (more…)
Eleven Madison Park
The democratization of the food world is in many ways a good thing. An appreciation of taco trucks, Chinatown pastry shops and country barbecue stands has trickled up from the populace to food authorities like the NYT and Food and Wine Magazine, which expanded its circle of “Best New Chefs” to include not just Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller (both class of ’88) but Roy Choi of LA’s Kogi Korean Barbecue trucks (class of ’10). A more level playing field has encouraged restauranteurs and chefs to strive for greatness, no matter how small or casual the venue.
But what’s been lost in the transition from “gourmand” (farewell, Gourmet) to “foodie” (hello, Yelp) is an appreciation of truly excellent food and service. When seeking out the latest “it” food, be it a pig roast or a roving dessert truck, diners are now willing to endure long lines for bad cuts of meat while Josh Ozersky snacks in the background. Just as it’s important to study the cut and feel of designer clothing to see what H&M should approximate, you have to visit a four-star place like Eleven Madison Park every once in a while to understand what lesser dining experiences lack. (more…)
Posted in Flatiron District, food, New York restaurants, NoMad, restaurants
Tagged American food, bars, Daniel Humm, French food, New York
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Hot Bird
On a forlorn stretch of Atlantic Avenue in Clinton Hill, parking lots and gas stations give way to this unexpected gem of an outdoor bar, Hot Bird, so named for the yellow painted signs that linger on several buildings across Brooklyn. The old BBQ chicken chain is long gone, but this new bar keeps the grungy spirit we imagine Hot Bird BBQ once had. Almost a dozen varieties of bourbon line the shelves on the back of this garage space, done over with dark-grouted subway tile walls and vintage Americana. Local craft beers are on tap.
The real draw is the spacious, laid back patio that somehow feels miles away from it all, even though it’s just a few feet away from the traffic of Atlantic Avenue, beyond a wood slat fence. (more…)
Street Chic: Governor’s Island Polo
Despite 94-degree heat, New Yorkers dressed to impress at this Sunday’s Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic 2010 on Governor’s Island. Elaborate hats, some of them made by the wearer, dotted the sidelines at this match while Prince Harry faced off against Nacho Figueras. While sundresses are still a favorite for polo attire, short shorts and rompers made a bigger showing this year, a reversal from the maxi dresses at the Hamptons polo matches in previous seasons.
A daringly modern, minimalist look that stood out in the crowd. A black sunhat still roots the outfit in polo territory. (more…)
Posted in fashion
Tagged 1920s, Governor's Island, men, New York, polo, preppy fashion, street chic, women
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8th Street, 9am
It may be shorts and flip flops weather, but you can’t wear that to work every morning – or can you? We set out to see what everyone’s sporting to the office by staking out 8th Street near two subway stations from 8:30 – 9:30am. One thing’s clear: the rules are changing. Flip flops and shorts are getting dressier, and work dress codes are getting more flexible. But that’s not to say you can’t do it in style.
Cuffed shorts are de rigeur this summer. This military pair gets dressed up with wedges, a simple black tank top, and Chanel bag. (more…)
Saraghina
It’s no secret that New Yorkers would kill for outdoor space in the summer. But cooped-up city dwellers have found another way to deal with a winter’s worth of claustrophobia: outdoor dining. Too bad the quest for an outdoor table can become as competitive as the hunt for an apartment with a backyard.
Fortunately there are still some lovely garden dining spots flying under the radar, one of the most impressive of which is Saraghina out in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. Massimiliano Nanni of Manhattan’s Piadina opened this pizza place last June when he couldn’t find enough decent restaurants in his own neighborhood. (He lives around the corner.) (more…)
Posted in Bed Stuy, food, Italian, New York restaurants, restaurants
Tagged Brooklyn, New York, pizza
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Tribeca Terroir
In theory, staying in New York City on a summer weekend when everyone else is away should mean you have access to plenty of restaurants, free concerts and barbecue real estate in the park while everyone else fights for a parking space in the Hamptons. In reality, the city is just as crowded as ever. Why? So many New Yorkers had the same idea.
So don’t head to Brooklyn on a summer weekend expecting to get a table at a popular place in Red Hook, Carroll Gardens or Williamsburg – they’ll be taken by locals. The best strategy on summer Saturdays is to target the areas where titans of industry live, where it would be horribly unfashionable to be seen in town, missing charity events galore in the Hamptons. In short, head to Tribeca. (more…)
Posted in American, food, New York restaurants, restaurants, Tribeca
Tagged bars, New York, tapas
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May Day, Union Square
On a recent brilliantly sunny, low-humidity day, it was like California in Union Square. This slightly cool spring afternoon called for creative layering. Think silk scarves and jackets over shorts, dresses and tees: it should always be easy to shed a few layers and take in the sun.
An animal-print silk scarf is a fast and easy way to embellish a standard outfit of jeans, tee, and shrunken leather jacket. Ballet flats with a black lace overlay pick up the pattern. (more…)
Posted in fashion
Tagged New York, street chic, trends, Union Square
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Inside Nordstrom Rack
I have a well-dressed, chichi New York friend who recently confessed that she loves bargains so much, she often shops at T.J. Maxx. Though she has gotten teased for this, especially when she totes those T.J. Maxx shopping bags to Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side, she is a good representative of the bargain mania that has been sweeping the country. A Stylist blogger just admitted to being addicted to members-only discount sites like Gilt Group, and Bluefly has been going strong for years now.
So why not check out the goods before you lay down the cash? That’s essentially what Nordstrom Rack is – a Bluefly with shopping aisles. While the hardcore bargain hunters elbowing their way through this basement space may not exactly be Bergdorf blondes, and there may not be as many upscale designers, Nordstrom carries current season merch from labels like Michael Michael Kors, Trina Turk, Seven Jeans, Bruno Magli and more, with prices slashed to a half or quarter the original cost. Here’s a collection of stealth photos, name brands and pricing from inside the new 14th Street store. (more…)
Corsino
CLOSED
One good thing about the chain-ification of New York restaurants: you pretty much know what you’re getting into before you even walk in the door. The thing to know about new casual Italian spot Corsino, located in the old Frederick’s Downtown spot, is that it’s backed by Jason Denton of ‘ino, ‘inoteca, and ‘inoteca Liquori. Cue crostini, pasta, small plates, good cocktails and a lively scene.
The menu has its ups and downs, but if you have any favorites from the other ‘inos, chances are you can order them here. A crostino with cannellini puree and artichokes ($2.50 per crostino) was the best crostino we ordered that night, the creamy beans playing off the acidity of the artichoke. But the olive tapenade, middle, was overly salty – a problem that plagued several of Corsino’s dishes, and the shrimp and arugula crostino tasted like it had been made with tinned shrimp. With so much variety on the menu here, it’s easy to stumble. But a recent dinner at ‘inoteca Liquori makes me believe that the delicious ricotta and orange honey crostini and the solid mushroom and taleggio crostini would also be good bets at Corsino. (more…)
Lunch: Ippudo
The most popular restaurant in my neighborhood is one I haven’t been able to visit until now. Every time I walked by Ippudo, it was mobbed, the plate glass window full of the forlornly hungry faces of gastro tourists and dedicated locals. Waits were usually an hour or more, which meant we usually walked away shaking our fists and saying, “It’s just soup, people! Get a grip!”
In cases like this, you usually try to console yourself by getting the same dish in a nearby alternate restaurant. But now that I’ve actually been able to eat at Ippudo, I can report that it can be revelatory – and not nearly the same as your average ramen place around the corner. (more…)
Posted in East Village, food, Japanese, New York restaurants, restaurants
Tagged New York, ramen
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Yerba Buena West
A restaurant that serves food from a variety of different but interrelated countries is usually one you should avoid. Sushi and bibimbop and pad thai? How do you know which one the kitchen can actually do well? But if chef-partner Julian Medina at Yerba Buena West had stuck to just Mexican or Cuban food, the diners would have been the ones missing out on the variety of stimulating dishes and cocktails this place has to offer.
Not just Mexican or Cuban but also Argentinian, Peruvian and Chilean, the menu at Yerba Buena West touches down on ceviches, arepas, empanadas and grilled meat. Here everything feels a little less trendy and more grown up than the original Yerba Buena in the East Village. An antique bar frames one side of the room, and the vibrant blue lighting of the East Village spot has been ditched for the traditional look of cream-colored upholstered chairs, black and white tile floors, exposed brick and cream colored walls and minimal decorations. Senor Swanky’s this is not. (more…)
Posted in food, Mexican, New York restaurants, restaurants, West Village
Tagged bars, duck, New York
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Rainy Day Wear
It’s the kind of outfit you don’t want to think about but can’t really avoid: what to wear on a chilly, rainy spring day. Along with the proliferation of trenches, military field jackets get put to the test in rainy weather, when a large hood is the perfect defense against drizzle. More surprising this spring: the number of white jackets, jeans and even all-white outfits that made an appearance on a rainy day on Madison Avenue.
The emblematic New York rainy day look? A $4 black umbrella from one of the “umbrella umbrella” guys, mixed here with the cute schoolgirlish outfit of a striped scarf and I Love NY sweatshirt. The chambray color of her jeans is right on trend as well. (more…)
ABC Kitchen
Jean-Georges Vongerichten, one of the few big-name New York chefs who has not gone full speed ahead into locally-sourced, organic cuisine, finally throws his hat into the ring with ABC Kitchen. The result could be called Fusion Cuisine 2.0: Send a talented French chef trained in Asia to the Union Square Greenmarket, where American sugar snap peas, Latin peppers and artisanal meat all vie for your attention, and you never know what new creation will land on the table.
Behind the minimalist exterior, the restaurant space itself, on the south side of the giant ABC Home store in the Flatiron district, is wonderfully inviting, slightly formal in an aristocratic country-home sort of way, but not at all stuffy. Mismatched china, antique silverware grace the simple white lacquered tables under the old exposed beams overhead. The buzzy but low-key atmosphere was just sceney enough to be interesting but not distracting. (more…)
Posted in American, Flatiron District, food, New York restaurants, restaurants
Tagged bars, foie gras, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, New York
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The Bodega
We originally went out to Bushwick for Northeast Kingdom – but if we went back, it would be for new wine and beer bar The Bodega. This Spanish-inspired spot is owned by a local couple, Gina Leone and Ben Warren, who’ll help you navigate the rotating menu of hard-to-find beers, many of them Belgian. (You can find the full menu here.) Wine lovers are not left out of the equation though – this is one place where the owners are equally well versed in both.
D. went for the unusual Cuvee Renee Lambic beer from Belgium, which was a hit. Sour and apple-y, it had an almost cider taste. (more…)