Tag Archives: New York
Best and Worst Dressed of the Met Costume Institute Ball
There was a lot to love – and so much to hate! – about the celebrity fashion at the 2009 Met Costume Institute Ball. First off, the theme of “The Model as Muse” guaranteed that there were going to be a lot of beautiful models there, because what beautiful person doesn’t want to go look at photographs of herself? Marc Jacobs, who bought up several tables for the event, supposedly counseled his posse to “wear short.” Maybe I am drinking the MJ Kool Aid, but the short styles, especially with the minidresses with trains, looked especially fetching. Mermaid styles? Please, please, celebs: stop shopping your closet for these.
All these photos are from WWD, which has an amazing slideshow of all the major hitters.
– OMG, Donatella, you didn’t tell me you were going to wear the blue Versace dress too?
– Quit your bitching, Cindy. At least I’m not popping out of my fabulous clashing blue Versace creation. You should be lucky we got these back from those drag queens in time for the ball.
Posted in fashion
Tagged Kate Moss, New York, street chic, streetchic
Comments Off on Best and Worst Dressed of the Met Costume Institute Ball
Monkey Bar
Back in the mid-’90s, when investment banking ruled the day, Monkey Bar was the place to see and be seen. There was a certain type of guy who gravitated here – the one who would wear his Brooks Brothers suit and Hermes tie out at 11pm rather than change. But on a recent late night, a group of white collar guys who huddled around their beers were stripped down to their undershirts – a suit isn’t exactly the badge of pride it used to be.
Is it strange that Monkey Bar of all places has been resuscitated now? Perhaps, but if anyone who could get glamorous media types and bankers together in Midtown, it would be Graydon Carter. (more…)
Posted in American, food, Midtown East, New York restaurants, restaurants
Tagged beef, Glenda Bailey, Graydon Carter, New York, steak tartare
Comments Off on Monkey Bar
Street Chic: Union Square Greenmarket
It may seem like forever ago that it was warm and sunny, but spring will be sprung again – and when it does, what will you wear? Dresses are still a strong trend, though this year the focus is on the waist. Put away the empire-waisted baby doll styles and go for shirt dresses in bright colors or delicate florals.
Distressed denim in all forms is going strong, and it seems like you can roll up the cuffs on almost anything and call it the “boyfriend” look.
After the jump: look at what New Yorkers were wearing on a hot Saturday at the Union Square Greenmarket.
The rule for bright colors this spring? There are no rules. Go as bright as you want and mix them all up. Love her pixie haircut, too.
Baoguette Cafe
CLOSED
What should banh mi be: traditional or new-style? How you answer that question greatly affects which banh mi you’ll like of the many new sandwich shops opening now. Just arrived in the old Bamn space on St. Mark’s (RIP to that noble effort to revive the automat) is Michael “Bao” Huynh’s new Baoguette Cafe, a follow-up to Baoguette, which opened in Murray Hill earlier this year. With its offerings of things like a “sloppy bao” with green mango and curried beef, Baoguette falls squarely in the new-style camp.
La Superior
One of the worst things about eating Mexican food in LA is coming back and eating it in New York. The New York version of Mexican food is almost sure to disappoint after you’ve had the vibrant, spicy food at a random hole-in-the-wall in an LA strip mall. Even the most successful NYC Mexican restaurants don’t source traditional ingredients like goat, and they get the cheese all wrong – Vermont cheddar is surely not a staple south of the border. Most Mexican food in New York is what Italian food was here in the mid-’80s: dumbed-down Mexican-American, not authentic Mexican.
That’s why it was such a relief to discover La Superior in Williamsburg after reading Pete Wells’ $25-and-under review. As soon as the first dishes landed, we knew: they got the cheese right.
La Superior’s requesón is a mild but cheesy cheese, fresh, with the consistency of a crumbly cottage cheese. Though it’s said you can use ricotta as a substitute, I don’t find the taste the same at all. (One close flavor you can sometimes find is Mexican Cotija cheese – not at high-end cheese stores, but at corner bodegas.) Here it is sprinkled on top of the flautas de pollo, which were very crisp and topped with bright, fresh greens and salsa that contrasted with the creaminess of the cheese.
Gorditas, typical Mexican street fare, are highly addictive little corn buns, split and stuffed with chorizo, lettuce, and more requesón. La Superior’s taste a little like huitlacoche, the surprisingly tasty weird corn fungus. If you want to spice up the gorditas some more, the green salsa served alongside does the trick.
The quesadillas also come street-style, more like heftier empanadas than a mere fried tortilla. But for me this amount of bread overwhelmed the filling.
Their tacos are amazing little delights, each one a separate burst of flavor. (This too is where so many other NYC Mexican places get it wrong – all Mexican dishes shouldn’t taste the same.) Clockwise from top, these are the camarón al chipotle (very spicy shrimp tacos), the carne asada (smoky grilled skirt steak), the carnitas (pork confit topped with sweet white onion), and the phenomenal rajas, roasted poblano pepper strips cooked with that fabulous cheese. This was a really intriguing combination. Usually you think of a creamy cheese as something to quell the spiciness of pepper, but when they’re cooked together, the cheese has the effect of drawing it out.
Alas, there may be a shortage of authentic Mexican food in New York, but if you can locate Cotija cheese, here’s a recipe for a Mexican salad for you. But if you’re going to La Superior, here’s your strategy:
- Arrive early (7-ish). If there’s a wait, you’ll have to wait in line – they don’t take cell phone numbers.
- BYOB! There’s a bodega around the corner with a good selection of beer.
- Prices are crazy cheap.
- Their idea of “decor” is a single string of colored lights. You’re not here for the romance.
- It’s much easier to get a table on busy nights as a party of two than as a larger party.
La Superior
295 Berry Street
Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-388-5988
Posted in food, Mexican, New York restaurants, restaurants, Williamsburg
Tagged Brooklyn, cheese, New York
Comments Off on La Superior
TopShop Opening Day Photos
There were a lot of trendsters in line on the opening day for TopShop – in fact, there was more fashion outside than inside TopShop, due to the sheer volume of TopShop fans.
The biggest trend? Jean shorts in a variety of washes and cuts, often paired with tights and Doc Marten’s. New York designers may be channeling the ’80s right now, but this generation definitely seems to be having its own 1993 grunge moment.
Denim shorts: first sighting.
A more tailored version of jean shorts.
First male TopShop fan in line. He was dressed a lot like the TopShop guys in their uniform of cropped pants.
Bright colors continue to be a big spring trend.
A variety of footwear. The heels are killer, but I would probably go with the other two choices for standing in line for two hours.
The official TopShop male uniform. Love the socks and the blazer with piping.
Sir Philip Green, left.
Kate Moss in a green dress, her own design, blocked from view by a cop who promised paparazzi he would move out of the way when the time came. Thanks, buddy.
Doc Marten’s, first sighting. Very appropriate for this occasion since they’re a British brand.
A glam rock look.
This look is sort of lazy-post-collegiate. Very artfully done.
A couple in plaid.
The floral, feminine dress belted with a rough-looking leather belt is right on target. It echoed several of the Kate Moss Liberty prints inside.
Doc Marten’s and plaid.
Model Coco Young. Her blazer is perfection! The shoulders are just strong enough without being overwhelming.
More Doc Marten-esque boots, this time paired with a stretchy black miniskirt.
The waiting game.
The ripped denim shorts paired with ripped tights and Doc Marten’s are classic early ’90s – but the feminine blouse and cool headphones place the whole outfit in this era.
Lucali's
Pizza, pizza: it’s cheap, delicious, and in the news—even making it into Page Six today via a Jimmy Fallon incident at Posto—an enviable feat for any food item. (Even burgers should be jealous.) Every time we turn around, a new pizza joint seems to be opening: Emporio, Spunto, Ignazio’s, Sora Lella, Scuderia, Kesté Pizza & Vino, Tonda—and that’s just within the last month.
Before you go chasing after the latest speck-inflected wonder, however, don’t forget the classics, because the one thing pizza shouldn’t be is trendy. A hot oven (wood- or coal-burning), 00 flour, the finest, freshest toppings and the correct technique are what go into the ideal pizza.
I had a madeleine moment when I bit into the pizza at Lucali’s in Carroll Gardens for the first time last week—it transported me to a rustic little pizzeria outside Florence, years ago. The Italians would drive for miles to get to this place. And so it is at Lucali, where even at 7:15, the wait for a table for two is two hours. Don’t go hating on the reverse bridge-and-tunnelers like me, though, for the wait—most of it is due to local fans who put their names in, then happily go home and wait.
In Lucali’s open kitchen, which, because of the wood-burning oven, is more of an open hearth surrounded by a white marble countertop, the chef grates the bufala mozzarella by hand. The choices for toppings are traditional, not trendy. One particularly sublime ingredient is the pepperoni, which, according to Serious Eats, comes from Esposito’s around the corner. This plus the onion was a fantastic combination–the sweetness of the onion contrasting with the smoky spiciness of the pepperoni. An excellent pizza is all about balance: the crispiness of the crust versus the chewy pockets of air at the edges, the tang of the sauce versus the creaminess of the cheese, then the high notes of basil and a little garlic. Lucali’s achieves this and then some, since all of the ingredients are potent and fresh enough to stand on their own. The attention to detail is particularly impressive: there’s a scant amount of freshly grated Parmesan sprinkled on top to give the cheese the slightest edge.
The ingredients aren’t the only thing here with an excellent pedigree. Slice reports that the oven comes from defunct Leonardo’s down the street, and owner Mark Iacono, who was raised in this once primarily Italian-American neighborhood, uses recipes from his Italian granny and aunts.
And guess what? The candlelit restaurant is actually romantic. There aren’t very many romantic pizza restaurants in NYC, and this one lets you BYOB, so our tab came to about $30 for two.
Lucali’s Strategy
- Go early and put your name in. The hostess will take your cell number and call when your table’s ready.
- There aren’t any bars right near by. A good option a couple blocks away is Court Street’s Minibar, which has a nice selection of wines by the glass.
- Dress as if you’ll be sitting outside for a half hour or more in the cold, because you very well may be.
- There is nothing on the menu but pizza and calzones. Literally.
- Don’t forget to bring your own wine. Small corkage fee – $4?
- If all else fails, Lucali’s also offers take out!
Lucali’s
575 Henry St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
718-858-4086
Posted in Carroll Gardens, food, Italian, New York restaurants, restaurants
Tagged Brooklyn, New York, pizza
3 Comments
Breaking News: New Yorkers Don't Eat at Applebee's
In a shocking discovery, the Times revealed today that no one is dining at an Applebee’s in Manhattan: in fact, the restaurant is full of empty tables. The exact reason is unclear, but it may be because there are so many other similarly mediocre restaurants in the Times Square area offering up stiff competition, including Chevy’s, Dallas BBQ, ESPN Zone, and Dave & Busters.
Top analysts concur that as the demand for bad food lessens, many restaurants serving bad food are vulnerable to closure. Applebee’s franchise owner Zane Tankel once considered his only competition to be the inimitable Olive Garden, but:
“We’ll see some weeding out,” he said one recent lunch hour, sitting in a near-empty Applebee’s dining room overlooking 42nd Street. Noting a restaurant above him and another across the street, he said, “One of the three of us is not going to be here.”
Will Manhattan’s dining scene survive without Applebee’s? Where will local heroes like Plaxico Burress eat before putting a loaded weapon into the elastic waistband of their pants? If such pinnacles of New York fine cuisine fall prey to the recession, the future looks grim indeed.
Posted in food
Tagged East Village rants, New York
Comments Off on Breaking News: New Yorkers Don't Eat at Applebee's
TopShop NYC Opening – Video!
OK so this is the first Gastro Chic video ever, so it’s a little rough. But I wanted to show you what it was like inside TopShop on opening day, April 2nd.
All That for an Ice Cream Cone Top-Shop
I finally left TopShop at 4:32, 5 1/2 hours after I arrived to photograph the crowd (11am-12:20pm), wait in line (12:20pm – 2:30pm), shop (2:30pm-3pm), wait in the dressing room line (3pm-3:50pm), and finally try on clothes and check out (3:50pm-4:30pm). Note that the total time spent shopping was only 1/2 hour. All that for an ice cream cone top, three other items and the freebies: an “Everybody Loves TopShop” tote and a Union Jack tee.
TopShoooooop! Arghghghgh.
If I had to do it again, I would just buy clothes in my size (TopShop’s run small – buy a size up from your regular American size), try them on at home, and return the rejects. You have up to a month to return your purchases, and unlike Forevs 21, TopShop actually gives you your money back, not store credit.
So here’s the ice cream scoop top, one of four items bought. Kinda Sonia Rykiel-ish, but only $65. Was it all worth it? I don’t know. But I did notice the ice cream cone top was sold out by the time I left, and it’s not available online.
nah nah…..
More TopShop Waiting
Waiting in line 50 minutes for dressing room. I could make clothes
myself in this amount of time. Even if I had to start with a loom and
some thread.
At least they’re playing Lady Gaga?
In TopShop
Got in at 2:30. Total wait 2 hrs 10 mins.
Crowd inside in a shopping-induced haze. Excellent DJs blast Belle & Sebastian and The Smiths. Free manicures on one floor, free updos on another. This is not your grandma’s store opening. This is shopping as spectacle.
Sequins, fringe, acid wash: definitely not need-based clothes and accessories. Many items are over $100. Yet people are in line for the dressing room with 10 or more items. One woman strips down on the floor in front of a mirror and tries her clothes on there.
And the top floor of TopShop? Shopping nirvana: the shoes.
Cold TopShop
Very cold standing in shade on Broome St. Should have worn fleece – f* fashion.
Wondering why there’s more traffic out to the Holland when I realize: evening rush hour has started. Total time in line: 1 hr 51 mins.
Taco truck across the street. So. Far. Away.
The Wait
Waiting in line. Am one of approximately three nonsmokers of the hundred or so people in line. Estimated wait time: 1 1/2 hours. Note to potential TopShop shoppers: bring food and water.
Inexplicably, the woman ahead of me buys a $5 TopShop gift card from someone…for $5.
Kate Moss Has Left the Building
After a very disappointing paparazzi stake out that resulted in limited, blocked shots.
But it’s always entertaining to hear the paparazzi’s fashion and beauty commentary:
On a woman walking by in this season’s red-orange lipstick: She looks like that bird from Florida.
On a not-very-attractive woman with bright purple hair: Because when you look that good, you wanna draw a lot of attention to yourself.
On a large lady leaving from the same door Kate would eventually come out of: That’s not her!