nyc capers

Creatures of Comfort

2011-10-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

Creatures of Comfort
www.shop.creaturesofcomfort.us
205 Mulberry Street (between Spring and Kenmare)
NoLiTa
ph. 212 925 1005

I heart everything about Creatures of Comfort, from their extensive Rachel Comey heels collection to their eye popping Anntian hand-printed leggings. Pop into their warehouse like space and be whisked away by the nymph like creatures that work there.

Elizabeth Corkery

2011-10-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

www.elizabethcorkery.com

Williamsburg, Brooklyn is teaming with raw and unadulterated talent. Fellow Aussie transplant Elizabeth Corkery creates incredible pulsating panels using eye popping neons and clashing prints. She has also mastered the art of paint by numbers in a series of floral and urban landscapes that are begging for a clean white wall.

Saltie

2011-10-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

378 Metropolitan Ave (near Havemeyer St)
Williamsburg

If you find yourself in my neck of the woods, check out tiny neighborhood joint Saltie and try the Clean Slate – lentil hummus and bulgur on house-baked naan, with yoghurt, fresh herbs, pickled beets and watermelon radishes. The yoghurt comes from an organic Amish farmers’ cooperative in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (which would make a great road trip if you have time).

Vutera

2011-10-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

345 Grand St (near Marcy St)
Williamsburg
718-388-8451

If you're looking for a cosy spot to cuddle up with a lover or a good friend, try the front door of Rose Live Music. If you follow the flight of stairs down and squeeze past the bathroom, you'll pop out into a super sweet and charming underground space complete with candles and low wood beams. Magic.

Cameo

2011-10-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

The Lovin’ Cup Café
93 N. 6th St (near Wythe Ave)
Williamsburg
718-302-1180

Stand up comedy can be woo or poo, and i'm lucky to have found a gem close to my house. Every Wednesday night a trio of funnies are joined by different guests to give a crowd of hipsters free laughs. One of the people in the trio is SNL Jenny Slade. The other is a cute camp boy named Gabe Liedman, who I daydream about being besties with.

It was voted as some of the best stand up in NY 2010. Check it out here http://nymag.com/bestofny/fun/2010/stand-up/

Sanctuary T

2011-10-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

337B W. Broadway (at Grand St)
212-941-7832

I met my lovely friend Stella for a catch up at this sleek tea house. Her nickname is "baby giraffe on marbles", so I was a little worried when they bought the tea out in tall glass decanters. Luckily for the both of us she was easily distracted munching on edamame and plotting how she would quit her job the next morning. Zen.

21 Crosby Market

2011-09-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

133 Grand St (cnr Crosby)
SoHo
212-966-2020 (don't bother calling, they will probably yell at you)

If you're in the area and need some pepping up, this place sells the most amazing dried mangoes you will ever eat. I have my workmates addicted to them, and if we don't have a stash hidden somewhere in our studio I start to feel itchy. They also have fried egg sandwiches for $2. I couldn't make that shit up if I tried.

Ceci-Cela

2011-09-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

Ceci-Cela
55 Spring St (near Mulberry St)
Nolita
212-274-9179

My bestie and I love to throw around our motto "butter make it better", especially when we go to pick up breakfast pastries from this little Nolita gem. Try the spinach and ricotta triangle or the chocolate croissants, perfect for rubbing in your face any old time of the day.

Music Hall of Williamsburg

2011-09-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

66 North Sixth St (near Wythe Ave)
718-486-5400
www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com

MHoW is the little sister of Bowery Presents (also parents of Webster Hall and Bowery Ballroom). The space is very similar to the Ballroom and boasts a very impressive lineup of indie goodness.

Fette Sau

2011-09-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

354 Metropolitan Ave (near Havemeyer St)
Williamsburg
718-963-3404

Fette Sau (German for fat pig) is in a fenced-in lot and cinderblock building next to Tony & Sons, an auto-body repair shop. Think of a driveway with picnic tables and a wood-beamed, cement-floored interior with stools fashioned from John Deere tractor seats.

You'll be able to smell the gas-and-wood-fired cooking local Italian fennel sausages and ribs in panela-and-espresso-based spice rub. All meats are sold by weight and served on butcher paper with sauce on the side. Wash everything down with North American bourbon and whiskey or one of the ten tap beers served in huge glass jars.

Marlow & Sons

2011-08-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

81 Broadway (near Berry St)
Williamsburg
718-384-1441
www.marlowandsons.com

Next door to hotspot Diner, Marlow & Sons has become a friendly hipster rival.

The tiny dimly lit space is wood panelled and has communal tables to sip on crafted cocktails and local oysters. A lot of the produce comes from Marlow & Daughters, which is only down the road and regularly plays heavy metal.

Juliette

2011-08-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

135 North 5th St (near Bedford Ave)
Williamsburg
718-388-9222
www.juliettewilliamsburg.com

Juliette is like a little part of Paris in my favorite neighborhood. Think floor-to-ceiling glass windows, banquettes galore, a glass-ceilinged indoor patio, and a large roof garden with a great day or night time bar.

Five Leaves

2011-07-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

18 Bedford Ave (at Lorimer St)
Greenpoint
718-383-5345
www.fiveleavesny.com

How many Aussies does it take to fill a restaurant? Check out Five Leaves to find out. Heath Ledger planned this café with Jud Mongell - a Gitane veteran who carried over many elements to Five Leaves. The bar is shaped like a ship's prow, and maritime scenes are etched into marble tabletops.

Perfect for a hungover brunch (the grass fed beef burger comes with a sunny side up egg, home made pickled beets, and fried pineapple) or a romantic dinner (try the organic lamb shepherd's pie and a ginger margarita).

indieScreen

2010-10-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

285 Kent Avenue (at South 2nd St)
Williamsburg
www.indiescreen.us

Hipsters now have their very own cinema, thanks to Williamsburg's latest addition indieScreen.

Playing indie movies (of course) and serving booze and food, this little gem has a rotation of small flicks worth seeing.

McNally Jackson Books

2010-09-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

52 Prince St (near Mulberry St)
Nolita
212-274-1160
www.mcnallyrobinsonnyc.com

This Nolita bookstore is a very small and independent treasure trove, complete with a twenty-seat on-site tea house with plants, paintings, and photographs. They have a great schedule of weekly readings, signings, and discussions to check out, as well as a good bench outside to people watch.

Central Park Summerstage

2010-07-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

www.summerstage.org

Every summer hoardes of party goers head to Central Park to see a great selection of bands. Check out their schedule online - we have seen Passion Pit, Phoenix, and The Black Keys there.

Bakeri

2010-07-29T14:07:00.001-07:00

150 Wythe Ave (near N 8th)
Williamsburg

Bakeri is like the Bourke St Bakery of Williamsburg, with girls who wear milkmaid uniforms.

Employees Only

2010-07-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

510 Hudson St (near Christopher St)
212-242-3021
www.employeesonlynyc.com

EO was started for industry members, and is probably the best place to get a cocktail in NYC. Push past the clairvoyant at the front door into an old-world speakeasy with a curving bar where the mixologists wear butcher-like outfits. Try drinks with infusions like lavender scented gin meyer lemons.

Malatesta Trattoria

2010-07-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

649 Washington St (at Christopher St)
West Village
212-741-1207

When I was staying in the West Village, MT quickly became my favorite place to eat. The space is basic and carefree, and the food is fresh and reasonably priced. If you can wrangle an outside table, watch the young gay community march from the west side highway to the clubs further along Christopher St.

Emporio

2010-07-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

231 Mott St (near Prince St)
Nolita
212-966-1234
www.emporiony.com

Emporio is a few doors down from my old apartment, and is a great place enjoy old world industral design over a huge happy hour glass of wine at the bar (4-7pm). It is an even greater spot for watching Jude Law and Sienna Miller canoodle over dinner.

Movies With a View

2010-07-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

This year is Brooklyn Bridge Park's 11th Anniversary Season of Movies With A View summer 2010. The movies are shown at Pier 1 and can be watched from a picnic rug on the grass. Turn up at 6pm for music, with a short film at 8/8.30 and the main movie to follow.

Taïm

2010-07-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

Taïm
222 Waverly Pl (near Perry St)
West Village
212-691-1287
www.taimfalafel.com

Taïm is quite simply the best felafel I have ever had. They are fried-to-order and come in three varities - roasted pepper, harissa, and cilantro/parsley/mint. Stuff everything into a warm rounds of oil-and-herb-touched whole-wheat pita and Yemeni hot sauce (srug). Then wash it all down with a smoothie - date lime banana, or strawberry raspberry thai basil.

Saturdays

2010-07-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

31 Crosby St (near Grand St)
SoHo

My friend Malte says the coffee from Saturdays is like sex. I think he could be right. Add an amazing collection of surfboards, a huge outdoor decked area at the back, and cute staff, and you have perfection.

Los Feliz

2010-06-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

109 Ludlow St (near Delancey)
Lower East Side
212-228-8383
www.losfeliznyc.com

Los Feliz is a great taqueria and tequileria in a multilevel space, complete with cobble stone den. There is a selection of tacos (try the beef cheek), quesadillas, and ceviches all served in disposable cardboard dishes.

There are more premium tequilas than you can poke a drunk Mexican at, and a killer hibiscus and jalapeno margaritas.

Lodge

2010-06-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

318 Grand St (at Havemeyer St)
Williamsburg
718-486-9400

We had a lazy Sunday dinner at Lodge, which has been modeled after a cabin in the Adirondacks. There is an open-air theme with plenty of pine, faux antler chandeliers and tables made from tree stumps.

Have a dirty gin martini at the bar while you're waiting, and then tuck in to the charcuterie plate (bresaola, truffled herbs, and salami scattered with fennel). There is a revolving menu which at the time included chilled strawberry and tarragon soup, and halibut with a quinoia salad.

El Almacen

2010-06-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

557 Driggs Ave (near N 7th St)
Williamsburg
718-218-7284

El Almacen is Spanish for general store, and is my new neighborhood favorite. The space is full of amazing old-time-shop décor like chalkboard menus, mismatched chairs, hanging scales, and bread loaves in wire baskets. Sit outside and feel like you're half way through your Argentinian holiday.

Try the hamachi ceviche with yuzu, shishito peppers, sea salt, and truffle oil. Both the lobster and fish tacos are amazing. And the porterhouse steak with chorizo, blood sausage, chimmichurri and truffle potatoes is out of this world. Needless to say they also have a great selection of Malbecs.

Chai Home Kitchen

2010-06-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

124 N6th St (at Berry)
Williamsburg
718-599-5889

Chai is a great neighbourhood Thai place, with tasty food and a massive bird cage filled with filament bulbs.

The restaurant is owned by a Japanese architect and his French-trained Thai-chef wife. Try the roast duck salad, or the duck with home made tamarind sauce.

Sweet and Vicious

2010-05-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

5 Spring St (near Bowery)
Nolita
212-334-7915
www.sweetandviciousnyc.com

Sweet and Vicious is a great local with a flower and graffiti lined back courtyard. They make a killer frozen margarita which they serve in a jar - lethal.

Zenkichi

2010-05-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

77 Nth 6th St (near Wythe St)
Williamsburg
718-388-8985
www.zenkichi.com

This izakaya is hidden behind a wall of wood, and is perfect for a date - dim lanterns lead the way to private curtained off eating booths in a very Japanese setting. Pair a bottle of specialty sake with pork kakuni, which is slow cooked over three days. Equally as good is the maguro carpaccio with white soy sauce, sesame oil, and yuzu pepper.

Fatty Cue

2010-05-24T06:08:00.001-07:00

91 Sth 6th St (near Berry St)
Williamsburg
718-599-3090
www.fattycue.com

Fatty Crab has opened a Williamsburg outpost with a BBQ twist. The restaurant has a focus on fatty and sustainable meats which are smoked over year aged upstate oak - the lamb and pork is from Marlow & Daughters, and the pork belly comes from Tamworth pigs. Try pairing the meats with chilli cucumbers and salted chillies, and wash it all down with a strawberry tinged cider.

Diner

2010-05-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

85 Broadway (at Berry St)
Williamsburg
718-486-3077
www.dinernyc.com

Williamsburg is full of unique and amazingly good eateries. When we first moved to NYC, we were told about the burger at Diner, which we've been back for several times. Buttery meat on a brioche roll has quickly become our top pic for a gourmet burger. And the setting is quaint but comfortable - tucked in to an original 1930s dining car.

Last night my lovely friend Amelia and I went to dinner at Diner for a bottle of wine and some delicious food. Diner's fare can best be described as home comfort cooking with incredible attention to detail. We had a salad of romaine hearts, poached egg, and anchovies to start. Then we ate thinly sliced raw Spanish mackrel with cilantro puree and radishes. And lastly some amazing grilled fish with sauteed asparagus and loosely mashed potatoess

Blue Bottle

2010-05-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

Blue Bottle Coffee Co.
160 Berry St (between 5th St & 6th St)
Williamsburg
www.bluebottlecoffee.net

We kicked off our Saturday adventures with a stop over at Blue Bottle, which makes great coffee. The huge warehouse space is amazing!

Botanica

2010-04-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

Botanica
220 Conover St (near Coffey St)
Red Hook
718-797-2297

We went for a very long and very fun bike ride with friends on Saturday, and made a stop at Botanica. It's a very Saturday afternoon friendly cocktail bar which has floor to ceiling glass industrial windows that open out on to a cobbled street. Try the Plantation (basil, gin, cointreau, fresh lime, and grapefruit juice).

Mojo Coffee

2010-04-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

Mojo Coffee
128 Charles St (near Greenwich)
West Village
212-691-6656

Mojo is a great place for working from your laptop - the sawn off tree trunk table tops are just the right size for your laptop and a good cup of coffee.

Choptank

2010-04-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

310 Bleecker St (near Grove St)
West Village
212-675-2009
www.choptanknyc.com

Toddle along to Choptank with a group of friends for some fresh seafood and white wine. At the moment they're doing a baker's dozen blue swimmer crabs which are cooked and then bought to your table for smashing. Messy goodness!

Pulino's

2010-04-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

282 Bowery (at Houston St)
Nolita
212-226-1966

NYC has a very distinct restuarant style: think subway tiles, sexy lighting, and industrial fixtures. The team that brought the noise for Schiller's has recently opened pizza haven Pulino's. Try the Gamberi - rock shrimp, speck, tomato, garlic & oregano.

Tribeca Film Festival

2010-04-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

www.tribecafilm.com/festival

The TFF was started by Robert De Niro and some of his NYC buddies after 9/11, to generate interest in the TriBeCa area. It runs every year in mid April and always has an amazing selection of international films. I just saw Thieves by Law, a documentary about the Russian mafia.

The best way to get tickets is by going to the Tribeca Cinemas on Varick St and getting your grubby little hands on whatever they have left - whatever it is, it's bound to be good.

Picnicing in Central Park

2010-04-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

With cherry blossoms and bicycles littering the streets, it's the perfect time to head over to Central Park with friends and have yourselves a Yogi bear style pic-a-nic.

My fave patch is Sheep's Meadow - there's a big collection of rocks at the south east corner which makes for an easy meeting spot. Don't forget you can't have open containers in NY. Remember to put your vodka bloody mary mix in a juice bottle.

Coachella

2010-04-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

If you're planning a spring visit to NYC, you should consider stopping off in LA on your way over (or home) and going to Coachella.

Hands down the best music festival you'll ever go to, you can run around with 75,000 people on the softest polo lawns which are surrounded by mountains and palm trees. And of course you'll get to hear some pretty special music (this year's highlights included Jay Z, Vampire Weekend, Florence and the Machine, Grizzly Bear, Whitest Boy Alive, The xx, Phoenix, Passion Pit, Spoon, White Rabbits, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros).

Soy Luck Club

2010-04-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

1 Jane St (at Greenwich St)
West Village
212-229-9898
www.soycafenyc.com

If you're pro soy or need a solace to do some work on your laptop, SLC is worth a visit. It's the little things, like offering agave nectar instead of sugar syrup.

Aldea

2010-04-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

31 W17th St New York (near Fifth Ave)
Chelsea
212-675-7223
www.aldearestaurant.com

I went to Aldea last night with friends and had a really satisfying dining experience. The restaurant has recently been given the nod in the categories of Best New Restaurant, Best New Chef, and currently hold NY Mag's Best Paella title.

Try the shrimp Alhinho and the foie gras terrine with caramelized bartlett pear and an amazing blis maple syrup. The lolla rossa & bibb lettuce salad is really exciting and features local cato corner farm’s country cheese, amazing candied cumin and pomegranate. For mains, the stand out was the juicy venison with an aromatic spice-crust featuring hazelnuts, and a huckleberry and parsnip purée.

The restaurant is literally a stone's throw away from a killer karaoke bar and some hidden cocktail lounges, which seem to be full all the time.

Brooklyn Bowl

2010-03-02T07:34:00.000-08:00

61 Wythe Ave (near North 11th St)
Williamsburg
718-963-3369
http://www.brooklynbowl.com/

Brooklyn Bowl is the perfect place to go with a group of friends for a one-stop-shop night.

We started with amazing Southern diner style food by the Blue Ribbon Brasserie guys (try the Really Sloppy Joe and the Blackened Cajun Catfish).

We then moved on to the alleys and helped our game with pitchers of frozen margaritas. During all of this time, a regge band and then DJs playing early 90s hip hop entertain a large dance floor behind the lanes.

Your best bet to get back to Manhattan is to call a town car.

Kaffe 1668

2010-01-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

275 Greenwich St (near Murray St)
Tribeca
212-693-3750

Some friends of ours who live in Tribeca took us to Kaffe 1668 one morning on our way to breakfast.

The two level industrial inspired space was opened by twin Swedes Mikael and Tomas Tjarnberg. It was named so because 1668 is supposed to be the year coffee became NYC's favorite breakfast beverage. There's a great selection of single-origin beans from Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea in Chicago, as well as organic teas if you're feeling more zen.

The owners say they were inspired by coffee hangouts in London and Australia. It makes for a great place to take your laptop and do some work, or catch up with a friend on a cold winter's afternoon.

Zampa Winebar + Kitchen

2010-01-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

306 W. 13th St (near Eighth Ave)
212-206-0601
www.zampanyc.com

I caught up with a group of fabulous girlfriends last night after a long stint away from NYC. We walked in to Zampa at Lou's advice and were amazed we could get a table right away.

Zampa is super easygoing but sexy, and has a great decor - white brick walls, a long 14-seat bar, and a collection of cute tables. They serve chicetti-style small plates (the Northern Italian version of tapas).

We started out with white bean and salty duck prosciutto crostinis, as well as an Italian cured meat plate (Prosciutto di Parma, Bresaola, and Sopressata) washed down with a sweet Reisling. Other highlights included the oven roasted shrimp with cannellini beans, the slow roasted lamb with parmesan crusted polenta, and tuna tartare with wasabi and shiso.

Perfecto!

Móle

2010-01-14T09:37:00.000-08:00

205 Allen St (near Houston St)
212-777-3200
www.molenyc.com

When we flew in to NYC's chilling winter after a month of summer in Sydney, my boyfriend and I went to warm up at cosy Móle.

The intimate setting with exposed brick and Mexican talavera tile was full of couples who were all enjoying the delicious Mexican fare. Guacamole lovers can order the dish made at their table. We had the fresh corn soup, followed by a couple of the specials. The prawn and crab ceviche was tangy, spicy goodness. The slow roasted duck melted away and came with a fresh and tangy cilantro sauce.

Overheard in New York

2009-12-01T18:03:00.001-08:00

Overheard in New York
www.overheardinnewyork.com

NYC is hands down the best people watching you'll ever do. There are fashionistas, hipsters, crazies, and best of all - those who are NYC born and bred (surprisingly rare). Not surprisingly, the city is full of A type personalities who have confidence in the way they move about the city, and everyone has to be as equally loud to be heard. It's easy to hear bits of people's conversations on the subway or sidewalk, and Overheard in New York invites people to write in with what they hear on NYC streets.

Child: Daddy, can we get a dog?
Dad: No, they don't do anything. At least Sid and Nancy keep the mice away.

--Tribeca

Pho Bang

2009-12-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

157 Mott St (near Broome St)
Nolita
212-966-3797

If you're craving cheap and tasty Vietnamese, drop by Pho Bang. The restaurant (not surprisingly) specializes in Pho Bang - clear broth with uncooked beef which cooks as you watch, rice noodles, and added bean sprouts, mint, lime, and basil. Also try the DIY beef rolls which you put together yourself in lettuce leaves with rice noodles, herbs and pickled vegetables.

On a side note, we were wondering why it is that all Vietnamese restaurants in Chinatown are decked out in 70s vinyl and equally bad taste.

The Odeon

2009-11-30T09:37:00.000-08:00

145 West Broadway (at Thomas St)
Tribeca
212-233-0507
www.theodeonrestaurant.com

We met our fabulous friends the Cronks at The Odeon for a catch up, and it was such a great night. It's said that The Odeon pioneered the TriBeCa area, with Warhol + Basquiat frequenting the spot when it first opened over 20 years ago. Now it's a NYC institution and makes for some amazing people watching.

There's an intimate bar for pre dinner drinks - try the Cucumber Martini (Hendricks, St Germain, and cucumber) and the Zen Martini (Ketel One Citroen, fresh ginger, Cointreau and lemon juice).

We had the steak tartare + satur farms baby beet salad (with shaved fennel, aged goat cheese and blood orange vinaigrette) to start, and both were fantastic. If you want something hearty, try the slow roasted leg of Colorado lamb with young beans, roasted tomato, Meyer lemon & lamb jus. Equally as good is the Eden Brook trout with Chinese long beans, confit tomato, capers and almond puree.

It's interesting to learn that so many NYC hot spots can trace their lineage back to The Odeon. Brad Kelley, of Kelley and Ping, was once a maitre d', the late Patrick Clark, of Tavern on the Green, was the original chef, and Pastis's Keith McNally was once an owner.

La Superior

2009-11-24T06:36:00.000-08:00

295 Berry St (near 2nd St)
Williamsburg
718-388-5988
www.lasuperiornyc.com

After an afternoon of bike riding and apartment hunting in Williamsburg, we popped over to La Superior, which some locals had told us about. Be prepared to eat some super tasty Mexican street food, hipster watch, and listen to the Talking Heads.

From the outside, the space looks like a bunker or a roadside diner. Inside the setting is very basic, with wobbly tables and a banquette that tips when someone from either end stands up. You'll forget about all of this once you bite in to the tacos, which are $2.50 a pop. Try the chipotle spiced shrimp or the smokey chorizo. The guacamole is hand made to order and full of green goodness.

Brinkley's

2009-11-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

406 Broome St (near Centre St)
Soho
212-680-5600
www.brinkleysnyc.com

Brinkley's is a handsome little gastropub which has taken over the old Bar Martignetty space in Soho. It's just around the corner from our house, so we had a quick bite to eat and some red wine there before catching a film.

There are lots of local beers on tap, and all of the wine is also local. The menu has lots of British pub fare like bubble + squeak, and bangers + mash.

It's probably best for having a drink at the orange glowing bar and snacking on the pint of prawns with bloody mary sauce. If you're feeling like you really need to drown your sorrows, try the deep fried mars bar.

Bronx Zoo

2009-11-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

Bronx River Pkwy (at Fordham Rd)
The Bronx
718-367-1010
www.bronxzoo.com

My boyfriend took me on a very fun date to the Bronx Zoo over the weekend. The Bronx Zoo is the largest metropolitan wildlife preserve in the US, and boasts more than 4,000 animals over 265 acres of land.

Our favorite was the Congo Gorilla Forest, where we literally only had a piece of glass and a foot between us and a family of gorillas. The Zoo also has a Skyfari - a two-mile-long span of cable cars that slide above the trees.

Sushi UO

2009-11-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

151 Rivington St (between Suffolk & Clinton)
Lower East Side
212-677-5470

A few nights after it opened, my boyfriend and I took our friends Ali and Wu to Sushi Uo (slang for “fish” in Japanese). Coincidentally, it's above our favorite bar 151 Rivington, and is also an unmarked speakeasy. The dim and narrow space is done in black and white, with the leather studded walls feeling a bit Pleasure Chest-esque.

Sushi chef David Bouhadana is a baby at 23 and has worked at Morimoto after studying in Japan. While his menu centres around sushi and sushimi, you should also try the chipotle spiced tuna on crispy rice and boneless short ribs braised in roast fennel + beer. There's a comprehensive wine selection. Try not to be as greedy as we were with it to avoid the Saturday morning hangover.

The Magician

2009-11-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

118 Rivington St (near Essex St)
Lower East Side
212-673-7851

I met my friend Ali for Friday night post work drinks at The Magician, which i've walked past so many times and not realised was a bar.

The tavern is filled with small wooden tables, heavy old-fashioned wooden office chairs, venetian blinds in the front windows and overhead office lamps. It's a great place to catch up with friends before dinner, and take advantage of the $3 drinks until 8pm.

Sunshine Cinema

2009-11-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

143 E Houston St (near Rivington)
Lower East Side
212-358-7709
www.landmarktheatres.com

At different times, Sunshine Cinema has been voted the hippest cinema and number one arthouse in NYC. I like it because it shows top notch indie + art house films, which are my absolute favorite.

On the weekend we saw New York, I Love You - a film which does a great depiction of NYC through a series of different stories which are written and directed by different artists. It was also great seeing areas in the film which are near our apartment, and also the restaurant we had dinner at two nights before.

Sunshine Cinema is still showing A Serious Man, the latest offering from the Cohen brothers. Dark comedy bliss which was made even better by a smuggled in bag of Natural Confectionary dinosaurs.

DuMont Burger

2009-11-03T17:15:00.000-08:00

314 Bedford Ave (near South 1st St)
Williamsburg
718-384-6127
www.dumontburger.com

My mouth is watering just thinking about the burger I ate at DuMont on the weekend. It was a warm birthday afternoon, so my boyfriend and I jumped on our bicycles and headed over to Williamsburg. We were searching for a juicy burger and a bad jacket for a dress up party, and we came up trumps for both.

DuMont has the most beautiful leather booths i've sat in, and the decor is homely and hot at the same time. Famous for its burgers, DuMont is also known for its list of signature cocktails.

We split the DuMont burger with sharp white cheddar, and also a special - crab cake burger. Both were chunky goodness and came with two types of pickles (which i'm obsessed with), and i'm sad to say I was pickled to the very top of my head.

Macondo

2009-11-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

Macondo
157 E. Houston St (near Allen St)
Lower East Side
212-473-9900
www.macondonyc.com

My boyfriend and I thought we'd solve our halloween party hangovers with a bloody mary and some Latin food, so headed to Macondo. We sat at the bar and watched the barman make haute blender drinks such as the one made with avocado, honey, agave nectar, and mescal.

We tried the salmon, avocado and soy ginger citrus ceviche (as the scallop seemed a little adventurous after a big night) and also the Cubano sandwich at the barman's suggestion - roasted pork, sliced ham, pickles, manchego cheese, and mustard with a side of yucca fries.

Great people watching and a chilled out place to hang on a Sunday afternoon.

Commerce

2009-11-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Commerce
50 Commerce St (near Bedford St)
West Village
212-524-2301
www.commercerestaurant.com

My wonderful boyfriend took me to Commerce for my birthday dinner - one of the hottest hot spots in the West Village. Only a few nights later we saw the restaurant and our cocktail mixologist in the movie New York, I Love You.

Commerce is almost hidden on a looped road and takes up the old Grange Hall space. There's a tiny cocktail bar framed in walnut detailing and brittle white subway tiles, which is packed full of people waiting (waiting, waiting) for a table.

To start with, we had a basket of house-made hot fresh bread (hot pretzels, baguettes, olive bread). Then we had the “hand cut” sliced rare beef tataki with ginger, soy and shiso, as well the spring vegetable fricassee with truffle and poached hen egg. For mains we tried one of the market specials - duck filled ravioli with seared foie gras and a red wine reduction, as well as braised beef short ribs with crispy roots and grandma style vegetables. All of the food was amazing and perfectly executed.

Such a great night!

Welcome to the Johnsons

2009-10-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Johnsons
123 Rivington St (near Essex St)
Lower East Side
212-420-9911

Welcome to the Johnsons is a shit hole and I love it. It was designed as a theme bar for kids too cool for theme bars and is always full of LES hipsters. The tiny space looks like a 1970s school camp rec room with faux-wood-paneled walls, a vintage brown refrigerator, sports league trophies, and a Ms. PacMan game.

While I like going to people watch from the plastic covered couches, my boyfriend loves that the drinks are dirt cheap. You can sink a whole bathtub full of Pabst Blue Ribbon cans at $1.75 a pop.

Fat Cat

2009-10-28T10:08:00.001-07:00

Fat Cat
75 Christopher St (near 7th Ave)
West Village
212-675-6056
www.fatcatmusic.org

There have been a few late nights when we've fallen into the rabbit hole known as Fat Cat. It's a strange thing walking into an underground den full of hipsters and student playing ping pong, scrabble, and pool. Even more strange is the live jazz playing every night (except Tuesday when live salsa music reins). It kind of feels like being in a trendy recreational hall where you can buy drinks from a bar instead of sneaking them from your friends' parents' mini fridge.

Motorino

2009-10-28T09:57:00.001-07:00

Motorino
349 E 12th St (near First Ave)
East Village
212-777-2644
www.motorinopizza.com

The Brooklyn institution Motorino recently opened a new pizza restaurant in the East Village. A girlfriend and I were looking for a midnight dinner after seeing Jude Law in Hamlet, and we walked in to the cosy room for some wood fired pizza.

The owner, Mathieu Palombino, was born in Belgium and headed up the BLT fish team where he earned a Michelin star. Now he's passionate about pizza and so are his team. Our waitress told us about the wood fire oven which you can see from the tables, and told us that the pizza is placed on a paddle and only stays in the oven for 2 minutes, where it is slowly shuffled around.

Try the Soppressata Piccante pizza with tomato, fior di latte, spicy soppressata, garlic, and chili oil. Absolutely delicious and great food to share. There's also a delicious wine menu and everything is available by the bottle or glass.

Hotel Delmano

2009-10-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hotel Delmano
82 Berry St (near N. 9th St)
Williamsburg
718-387-1945

I have a new favourite bar in NYC after we shared wines at Hotel Delmano with our friends Nikki + Brian on Sunday afternoon. HD is only a couple of blocks down from their amazing apartment, which is how they discovered it - lucky for us, because the building isn't marked and the windows are painted out.

The fit out of the bar is the best i've seen yet and has been painstainkingly done. You'd never pick it, but the space used to be a tattoo parlor. However, the space is now an amazing rendition of old world 1920s bliss. Make sure you visit the WC, which has beautiful brass taps and industrial globes.

The bar men all sport trendy beards and cheese cutter caps, and have such attention to detail (even poking cloves through lemon rinds as a drink garnish). The menu boasts a variety of Absinthes which are filtered through a sugar cube before being sucked through a glass straw, and the Commandant’s Cocktail (pear cognac, Cointreau, lemon juice, and green chartreuse).

If you're there as the afternoon gets later, there are small plates including duck pate and tins of sardines which come out on a cute wooden board with crackers.

Macao Trading Co.

2009-10-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

311 Church St (near Walker St)
Tribeca
212-431-8750
www.macaonyc.com

We had a farewell dinner at MTC on Monday night, which turned into a night of whisky sours and funny hats.

The space has an amazing fit out - the dining room upstairs has a small balcony around the ceiling and the walls are full of trading boxes and spices. We ate downstairs in the lounge, an intimate space with chicken wired glass and a cute cocktail bar.

The fusion of Chinese and Portugese seems a little unusual until you remember that Macao was a Portuguese colony in China for centuries. Small and large plates are given a bi-cultural treatment - we opted for the Portuguese-style lamb meatballs (stuffed with cheese and served with paprika sauce) instead of their Chinese equivalents (ground pork in sticky rice).

Stand outs included charred duck breast, jade dumplings (crab and shrimp with cilantro dipping sauce) and "ants climbing the tree" (glass noodles with minced pork and chilies). There's also a great late night menu which is served from midnight to 3am.

As we were finishing our meal, we noticed lots of party goers in funny hats pouring into the lounge. It turns out there are free cocktails in the lounge every Monday night from 10pm to midnight, and they even lend you a hat to wear while you're sipping on your whisky sour.

Moto

2009-10-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

349 Broadway(corner of Hooper)
South Williamsburg
718-599-6895
http://www.circa1938.com/

Last night we caught up with our friends Pete + Vanessa at one of their local favorites Moto.

I instantly fell in love with the quaint little space, which is nestled at the end of a triangle shaped building with no sign on the door. Moto is right next to the J/M subway line, which you can hear rumbling past and is only a couple of stops from the Lower East Side. You can find the building by looking up and seeing an overhanging bicycle.

Moto was fashioned by a pair of motorcycle renovators, and became the subject of "Eat This New York," a documentary honored at the 2002 Hamptons International Film Festival.

The food is simple French comfort fare and everything we tried was perfect. Try the starter plate of bulgarian feta, soppressata, olives and mint, or the warm lentil salad with figs and feta. Make sure you save room for the sticky date pudding at the end!

There's live music at Moto every night - last night it was a woman with a crazy hat and orange lipstick singing to a lit up accordian.

Beauty Bar

2009-07-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

231 E. 14th St (near 2nd Ave)
East Village
212-539-1389
www.beautybar.com

A little while ago I planned a girls' night at Beauty Bar, a fabulous old-time beauty parlor that's been done up as a hip bar. Apart from the $10 manicure and martini deal (watch out - some of them taste like push pops), it's a great place to visit and see Liberace-esque chandeliers and bulbous hair dryers.

Prepare for some attitude for the bar staff early in the night, although the staff later on are so friendly they even gave our table a maxi pack of NYC branded condoms because he didn't want us to feel like we were lonely.

On your way home, pop by Duane Reade and buy some nail polish remover. The completely inked lady who did our nails may or may not have been a little wasted and seems to be a believer in painting outside the lines. Fun and worth it anyway!

Tom + Jerry's 288 Bar

2009-07-19T12:50:00.002-07:00

288 Elizabeth St (at Houston St)
Nolita
212-260-5045

I had my first Tom + Jerry's experience a couple of weeks ago when my boyfriend was in Argentina and I had no reason to go home after I finished work at 1am.

The bar was named after the owner's crazy collection of china bowls and cups which have Tom + Jerry scrawled all over them. Of course if you've polished off a bottle of wine by yourself before you walk in, the only thing you'll probably notice is how friendly and homely the neighbourhod bar feels.

The bartender was nice enough to let us play trashy Prince from the juke box and stay well past the 4am closing time. Bless her cotton socks.

If you go at a decent hour (like Friday afternoon), you'll find that they make big jugs of cucumber limeade and leave them at the bar. All you have to add is some Henricks and let the fun begin.

Butter

2009-07-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

415 Lafayette St (near Astor Place)
East Village
212-253-2828
http://www.butterrestaurant.com/

To date, Butter is one of the biggest scenester places i've eaten at since being in NYC. I went with a group of friends for a birthday dinner, which luckily coincided with NYC Restaurant Month. Otherwise be prepared to shave some notes of that roll in your pocket.

We started with some killer cocktails, my fave being the Spicy Margarita (Petron silver, tamirind puree, cointreau, and fresh lime with a chilli salted rim). When we were moved to our crescent shaped booth table at the back of the restuaurant, the people watching began. Highlights included hearing Whitney from The City talking ("like, she totally thinks she's pretty, but like, she's not as pretty as she thinks") and the table opposite from us being home to a revolving date - the guy sat there while two women at a time visited him every hour or so.

I washed down the crispy duck confit with lentils, crispy onions, and chestnut honey gastrique with some bubbles and then ate too much birthday cake and cheese.

If you go on a Monday night, there's a trendy bar that opens at midnight. We had a giggle seeing Whitney and her friends being turned away for turning up to early.

Bohemian

2009-07-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

Bohemian
(shhhhhhhhhh)

Everyone loves a good secret, especially when it's in NYC, and even more so when it involves a hidden space with amazing food.

Bohemian is hidden behind a Japanese wagyu butcher on a cobbled street, and I walked my boyfriend down its long white hallway last week. The space is crisp and styled with vintage inspired furniture, an indoor garden, and an abstract world map on the wall which features a very blurry Australia. Best of all the space only seats 25 people, so it's perfectly intimate.

The Japanese chef Kiyo came out to introduce himself to us and later presented us with an amazing plate of cured meat including duck breast, spicy chorizo, cured pork, and jamon. Some of the meats (including the chorizo) are from his friends' deli in Queens.

We also had the freshest and most delicate sushimi, some amazing wagyu steak from the front butcher, and miso crusted black cod which was beautifully buttery.

While Bohemian waits on its liquor licence, it's BYO, so you can take a special bottle of wine and even some sake to start. Let me know if you want the details.

NYC Films

2009-07-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

It goes without saying that NYC is a pretty amazing place and the perfect backdrop for a film. A couple of weeks ago we had Rob Pattinson on our block shooting a scene for his upcoming film and it was a little crazy. You'll be able to spot white trailers parked on the sidewalk, and in this case hundreds of screaming girls gathered around.

We've even had two friends yelled at recently for stepping into the scene of The City and Entourage.

Since moving to NYC, i've found it exciting to watch films which are shot around our neighbourhood. I saw our block in Exploding Girl (which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this year) and Larry David talks about our street in Whatever Works (the new Woody Allen flick).

My favourite place to see films is at the Angelika Film Centre (18 West Houston St at Mercer St, Soho http://www.angelikafilmcenter.com/angelika_index.asp?hID=1) - they show independent films and have a cute little cafe. Plus the whole thing is underground and next to a subway line, so you can hear the rumble of the trains as you're watching the film.

RAD B.C.

2009-07-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

Rad Bike Club

Meets in Williamsburg every Sunday

Because we're so radical and hard-ass, my boyfriend and I joined the R.B.C. After a pretty looooong 4th of July weekend, we hauled over to Brooklyn on Sunday afernoon and met up with a couple of handfuls of peeps with hot bikes. We rode over 25 miles across Brooklyn and Queens to the horse races at Bellmont to have a flutter and yell obscenities at horses.

If you're in NYC and want to join us for a Sunday bike ride, just give me a holler.

Santos Party House

2009-07-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

Santos Party House
100 Lafayette (near Walker St)
Chinatown
www.santospartyhouse.com

After throwing a rooftop BBQ we somehow found ourselves walking in to Santos Party House to see Q Tip perform on Friday night. We were a handful of whities in a very cool party hardy crowd, and from memory we were the only whities apart from a guy who had wings on his cap and danced like a robot from the future. Or that's what I remember after the handfuls of tequila slammers and booty shaking mess that ensued.

Party at your own risk!

Les Enfants Terribles

2009-07-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

Les Enfants Terribles

37 Canal St (at Ludlow St)

Lower East Side

212-777-7518

Daily 8am - 4am

LET is a pretty sexy little hang out on the border of the Lower East Side and Chinatown. It has a trendy but unpretenious crowd, a DJ with huge hair spinning world music, and a crazy tarot reader wearing a wizard's hat Harry Potter would be proud of.

The food is branded African/Moroccan/Brazilian/French. Our friend visiting from London was busting for steak so tried the Korhogofefemougou - succulent steak marinated in Ivory Coast spices. The stand out was the Muqueca (Brazilian seafood-coconut-milk stew) which was loaded with plump shrimp, two types of fish and mussels.

The space also has a rectangle bar in the middle of the floor which offers rum tastings and a list of tasty cocktails. Try the Aloe Martini, which was lush and perfectly balanced.

La Colombe

2009-06-29T17:37:00.001-07:00

La Colombe

272 Lafayette St (near Prince St)

Nolita

No phone number

La Colombe Torrefaction started in Philadelphia as a house of artisanal coffee roasters. Now they have two locations in Manhattan, the most recent being in Nolita. The airy space is a great place to get out of the sun and catch up with friends on the trendy wooden benches.

Irving Mill

2009-06-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

Irving Mill

116 E. 16th St (near Irving Place)

212-254-1600

http://www.irvingmill.com/

In NYC, scallops once had their hayday. That seems to have now been replaced by pork in innumerable possibilities. Ryan Skeen, the head chef at Irving Mill, whips up a mean crispy pig-ear salad and pork toast - squares of mashed, deep-fried pork jowls topped with caviar.

You could also try the Peruvian-style pulled-pork sandwich or the charcroute plate - strips of glazed pork shoulder cut in moon-shaped slices, and crispy wheels of deboned pig’s feet that are flattened and deep-fried. We joke that our friend Killer has pigs trotters, so i'm not sure i'd be able to try the latter.

Best time to go is Monday night for the $15 burger deal. The charred house cheeseburger, is amazingly juicy and comes with a pint of ale (we had Sweet Action) and also a dark rum cocktail muddled with fresh strawberries. Wear your very best elastic waisted pants or moo moo.

The High Line

2009-06-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

The Highline

529 W 20th St (between 10th + 11th Ave)

Chelsea

212-206-9922

http://www.thehighline.org/

Once upon a time, a pair of young preservationists fell in love with a weedy, ironbound rail bed which wound its way above the streets of West Chelsea and the meatpacking district. Owners of the lots it crossed wanted to tear it down but everyone else from developers to real estate agents had different ideas about how to commercialise on the space. The Highline was recently opened to the public and is a pretty unique idea, even for NYC.

The park is a big piece of green which is fashioned in an industrial style, nature and design being arranged to emulate neglect. Wooden deck chairs on train wheels slide along the old rails, where you can peer out to the bustle of the traffic.

NYC Food Film Festival

2009-06-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

NYC Food Film Festival

June 13 - 19

Water Taxi Beach, LIC, The Astor Center, and Manhattan

http://www.nycfoodfilmfestival.com/

If you're around NYC in spring check out the FFF - a multi-sensory experience where filmgoers are able to watch food films then sample the food portrayed in those films. The festival also has a mixologist on site, who mixes drinks inspired by the films.

Public

2009-06-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Public
210 Elizabeth St (near Prince St)
Nolita
212-343-7011
http://www.public-nyc.com/

Public is easily one of our favourite neighbourhood haunts. The food is amazing and the design of the space is quite simply perfect.

The swanky space has been designed with the idea of public institutions like libraries and schools and everything screams this - from the card filing cabinets lining the entrance walls, to the hundreds of individually wrapped and piled hand soaps in the bathroom, to the clip boards the menu sits on which are stamped like office order forms. The two-level room used to be a bakery but now has an industrial feel offset by moody filament bulbs along the ceiling.

The Australasian cusine proudly boasts a huge amount of farm-fresh ingredients and Southeast Asian spices and tastes.

If you're heading there for brunch, try a tasty bloody mary and the coconut pancakes with fresh ricotta, mango salad and ginger lime syrup.

Dinner is a bit of a fancy pants affair with an amazing selection of lamb, duck and seafood. Try the sesame crusted New Zealand snapper with mussels, roasted kaboucha squash and lily bulbs in a spicy sesame shellfish broth. The wine selection is fabulous (we had a good giggle over the sommelier saying to some customers "Can you imagine what people would have said if you bought a bottle of Australian wine to a dinner party 10 years ago?) but you should also try the Sauza Blanco tequila infused with red chili, lime juice, orange liqueur and guava puree.

New York Yankees

2009-05-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nyy

I've only been living in NYC for seven months and already i'm convinced that the Yankees are the best goddam baseball team ever. Going to a baseball game might seem like a bit of a cliche, but it's something you should definitely do while you're here.

It takes about 40 minutes to get to the new stadium on the subway, and as soon as you step off the platform you feel a massive buzz from the thousands of fans. You also get to walk past the old stadium, which is now selling pairs of its seats from $1,600.

Being in the new stadium really makes you feel that you're in the US - the amount and variety of fast food alone is dizzying. Foot long hot dogs, gourmet hot dogs, nachos, garlic fries with bright yellow cheese, ice cream served in plastic Yankees caps, and most importantly big plastic cups of cold beer.

When we went last week, all of the sailors were in town and constantly on the big screen in their crisp white uniforms chugging beers and dancing around. We were also entertained by the guys who come on and clean the pitch at half time - YMCA blares from the speakers and they even do the YMCA dance. The stadium has also recently discovered a 60 year old guy who looks like an ex-raver (tie died shirt intact) who dances on the screen to get the crowd worked up.

Watch out for the sports bars once you leave, which have Jagermeister machines in the window and scantily clad wasted girls stumbling around to the music. It might make you think you're on Spring Break or even standing in the scene of a Simpsons episode.

Bowery Ballroom

2009-05-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

Bowery Ballroom
6 Delancey St (near Bowery)
Lower East Side
212-533-2111
http://www.boweryballroom.com/

Last week we hauled together a group of friends and visitors and went to a sold out gig at the Bowery Ballroom. The BB opened in 1998 and is known as the best music club in NYC. There's a pretty good chance that a band you desperately want to see will play at this venue on tour, and it's a good idea to sign up to the BB's weekly newsletters so you can have a chance of buying a ticket to their constantly sold out nights.

The BB's band list is a treasure trove of upcoming local bands. We loved the White Rabbits (pictured above), an indie rock band from Brooklyn who you can hear here http://www.myspace.com/whiterabbits

The BB also has a great underground bar which screams (or slurs) NY - dim lights, hipsters, and exposed brick walls.

Von

2009-05-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

Von
3 Bleecker St (near Bowery)
Lower East Side
212-473-3039
http://www.vonbar.com/

Von is an adorable little wine bar that we've been to a few times and like more every time we go back. When we were last there, we met a guy who had written and performed a monologue in a local theatre about the bar's owner and local artist Von.

The intimate space has uneven floors and is covered in the owner's art - paintings, drawings, sculpture and photographs. There is a great collection of wine and Eurobeers, as well as a handful of aperitifs which I convinced myself would be a good idea to try before jumpfrogging down the street home.

There's a pretty hip crowd to contend with for space on a Friday night or weekend, but if you go during the week you can most probably meet the owner's dog Happy.

NYC Street Fairs

2009-05-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

We spent Saturday afternoon walking around the leafy streets of West Village at the Bedford, Barrow, Commerce Street Fair. It was so great to see the streets closed off, smell a BBQ, and listen to the sounds of street bands. It feels like a special moment to share with your neighbours after seeing the streets constantly busy and full of traffic.

When it heats up in NYC, there are so many street fairs you can laze around at with a cob of corn in one hand and a beer in the other. Hoorah to outdoor drinking sometimes!

Someone has been clever enough to post a list of the street fairs on in NYC until October here http://manhattan.about.com/od/eventsandattractions/a/streetfairsmay.htm, so get looking and walking.

NYC Dance Parade

2009-05-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

NYC Dance Parade
Annually in May
http://www.danceparade.org/EE/index.php/site/

If you're in NYC in May, you should check out an annual dance parade that runs from 27th and Broadway to Tompkins Square Park.

We went to check out the parade on the weekend with the Thommo's (aka the naughty strawberries) and had an ogle and a laugh at the parade of 3,791 dancers. While there were over 55 genres of movement (including African, Ballroom, Belly Dance, Cumbia, Disco, Ecstatic, Folkloric, Greek, Hip-Hop, Hooper, House, Hustle and Salsa, Mambo, Modern, Roller Dance, Roller Disco, Sacred, Salsa, Samba, Swing, Tap Dance, Techno, Tinku, Tribal, West Coast Swing, and Zydeco) my boyfriend was only interested in one performer, who i've featured in the above photograph.

We couldn't believe our eyes when a middle aged man dressed in a bright pink head-to-toe lycra suit, complete with silver cape, rode past on a unicycle. We couldn't close our eyes fast enough when he spun around and flashed a g-string mark complete with sweaty crack. And to top it all off, he rode around humming and flapping his arms about like a little fairy.

I'm so intrigued by NYC personalities that I had to do a little research and find out who the sweaty pink man was. I've been able to discover that he's known as PinkMan and used to frequent festivals in Berkeley, California. I wonder if he rode his unicycle across the US?

The Corner

2009-05-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

The Corner
114 Kenmare St (at Lafayette St)
Nolita
646-613-7100
http://www.esquinanyc.com/
Daily 12pm-2am

Our friend Webby arrived tonight and we tottered off down to The Corner (which coincidentally was the first place we ate after moving to NYC). We managed to score a table on the street with great industrial style vintage chairs where we could drink beers and sangria, and people watch on a busy night.

The Corner is a great little taqueria where you can munch on cheap and tasty Mexican fare - either at the bar inside or along the ledge outside the kitchen windows. There's always colourful and beautiful people pouring out from the illusive downstairs La Esquina, and also at the cafe around the corner.

We had some delicious pulled pork and then prawn tacos, as well as a very authentic line caught fish ceviche. Steer clear of the cactus salad, which sounds interesting on the menu but looks like it has the aftermath of the swine flu as a dressing.

Moustache

2009-05-14T08:35:00.001-07:00

Moustache
90 Bedford St (near Barrow St)
West Village
212-229-2220
www.moustachepitza.com

I'd been missing the tasty Middle Eastern nooks of Surry Hills, so when we stumbled across Moustache with its charming little space and delicious food it felt like a little part of home was in NYC.

Last night we went to the West Village space for the first time (we've previously been to the East Village space) with our friends Wu and Ali. It didn't take long to get a table, and soon after arriving our table was covered with little plates of labne, babganoush, lentil salad, lamb pitza, and felafel. Plus it's always a novelty getting the huge pillows of home made pita (the wholewheat is fantastic).

Interestingly enough, a friend of ours who's been living in NYC for a number of years told us that for a while after September 11 it was politically correct to be racist towards Middle Eastern people. While that might not be the case anymore, it was a little strange to see the food branded as "Mid Eastern".

Socarrat Paella Bar

2009-04-21T16:31:00.000-07:00

Socarrat Paella Bar
259 W 19th St (near Seventh Ave)
Chelsea
212-462-1000
www.socarratpaellabar.com

My boyfriend is a non believer in paella, but he may have been converted by our weekend visit to Socarrat Paella Bar. Socarrat was named after the amazingly crunchy crust that crystallises on the bottom of a paella pan when the food is perfectly cooked, and was voted best paella in NYC 2009 by the NY Times.

The tiny 24-seat space was designed by the team who did Allen & Delancy, which is oh so beautiful. It's a long narrow room that is held by an exposed brick wall covered in vintage mirrors and oil paintings, and an entire wall covered in colonial style wooden doors. Be prepared to sit at a communal bench and share tips on what's best with your neighbouring eaters.

Ask the staff what they recommend, which is what we did. We had the the paella de carne (chunks of pork, duck, chicken, and chorizo) and the arroz negro (with squid ink and a variety of delicious seafood). Both were amazing and so above any of the paella i've tasted, including that in Spain.

Like most NYC hot spots, there's a no-reservation policy. Be prepared to wait a couple of hours on a Friday or Saturday night (we were lucky enough to guzzle Prosecco at a friend's apartment in Chelsea, but there are also plenty of cute bars in the area).

Fort Greene Flea Markets

2009-04-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

The Brooklyn Flea has been going strong since 2008 and in the warmer weather, moves from its indoor space in DUMBO to an outdoor venue in Fort Greene. While the indoor winter markets buzz with cool music and chatter and smell like spiced cider, the outdoor markets are by far the most fun. On Saturday, I rode over the Williamsburg Bridge with my bicycle gang to have a stroll and people watch through the season opening of the Fort Greene Flea Markets. There is so much well priced art deco furniture, taxidermy (we now have Percy the Pheasant), vintage clothing, young designers' work, and everything in between.

The markets are in an area lined with beautiful brownstones, and are a great place to while away an afternoon in the sun walking around to 80s tunes playing from the vintage record stand. My friend Di and I sang "I can't go for that" all the way home on our bicycles (apart from the steep part of the Williamsburg bridge, which would leave just about anyone out of breath).

Green Depot

2009-04-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

Green Depot
222 Bowery (near Prince St)
Lower East Side
917-533-7273
www.greendepot.com

One of the things I love about New Yorkans is their awareness. You can have a conversation about politics or the economy (or pretty much anything) and hear a new perspective which is pretty well educated and well rounded. New Yorkans are also aware of environmental issues, and there are a number of great green stores popping up everywhere.

Green Depot opened around the corner from my house recently and when I visited for the first time today, I felt like a kid in a huge adult candy store. There are so many sustainable, organic, and recycled options for your house that are both practical and innovative. Even if you're not completely hippy-tised, you can stock up on LED lightbulbs and chemical free cleaning supplies. You can also bring your empty cleaning bottles into the store and they'll fill them with their chemical free products for 12c an ounce, which are on tap at the front bar.

The staff are amazingly friendly and helpful, and told me that they've been overwhelmed with the positive response from customers who are so excited about being able to easily involve organic and environmentally friendly practices in their everyday routines.

Egg

2009-04-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

Egg

135 N 5th St (near Bedford Ave)

Williamsburg

718-302-5151

www.pigandegg.com

I had a lazy brunch at Egg on the weekend with the members of my bicycle gang and it was amazing. Teamed with an afternoon in Brooklyn, it was pretty close to perfection.

Egg is a great place to eat southern style breakfast at any time of the day up until 3pm, which is great news for the city that likes to sleep in.

You won't be able to stop mmm-ing over the Eggs Rothko, a toad-in-the-hole made with brioche and topped with Grafton cheddar. The candied bacon and homemade pork sausage are meaty goodness, and the crunch of the hashbrowns are super satisfying. Watch out for the pancakes, which are bigger than my friend Di (who is luckily graceful enough to love sharing her food).

When you arrive, add your name to the chalk board out the front and be prepared to wait about 45 minutes if you're there early enough - otherwise you're going to be looking at about an hour and a half. Once you're at the table, the food comes quickly enough and you can spend your time waiting doodling on the table tops with crayons.

The Mercury Lounge

2009-04-10T13:51:00.001-07:00

The Mercury Lounge
217 East Houston St (near Ludlow)
Lower East Side
212-260-4700
www.mercuryloungenyc.com

We recently saw Angus & Julia Stone at the Mercury Lounge. It's such a small and intimate venue that you can literally reach out and touch the band, or just pose candidly in photos so it looks like you're friends with them (our friend Ben is very good at this).

The Mercury Lounge has become a NYC music institution and is often the place where NYC bands launch their careers, which is the case for the Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Interpol.

The Mercury Lounge's roster is put on by the Bowery Ballroom - check out either venue's website for a great collection of bands who play there or at Terminal 5.

Tompkins Square Park

2009-04-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Tompkins Square Park
Entrance at E. 7th & Avenue A
East Village
Open daily dawn - dusk

It's incredibly rare that my friend Quillz gets a weekend off. And last Sunday was probably the nicest day in NYC this year. So we thought we'd celebrate with a moist lunch (porchetta sandwich and cupcake) on a bench at TSP.

TSP has a pretty colourful history. It was home to drug dealers and homeless squatters from the ‘70s until 1988, when there was a violent riot. Since then however, the park has turned into a mellow public spot which is full of families, young couples in love, and lots of puppies.

TSP's main draw card are the dog runs. There are two dog runs, which are packed full of cute puppies and proud owners on a Sunday. The first dog run is for small dogs and while it smells like a nappy as times, it's full of cute sausage dogs in little jackets and pug puppies who sit on the background just watching. Inevitably there will be one randy dog that tries just about everything with just about every dog. Try looking at the second dog run for big dogs first, as the smaller dogs are generally more entertaining.

Butter Lane Cupcakes

2009-04-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

Butter Lane Cupcakes

123 E. 7th St (near Ave. A)

East Village

212-677-2880

Tue-Thu 11am-11pm . Fri-Sat 11am-midnight . Sun noon-10pm . Mon closed

http://butterlane.com/

After you've grabbed a sandwich from Porchetta, cross the road and venture East. You'll notice that the smell of porchetta is replaced by a sweet smell of baked cake and icing.

Butter Lane Cupcakes is as sweet as it smells. As soon as you step into the tiny space, you can see a couple of staff members behind the counter busily icing freshly baked cupcakes. Everything about the treats is good quality - vanilla bean, pure cocoa, organic butter, and fresh fruit.

You can choose the flavour of your cupcake's body (vanilla, chocolate, or banana) and then the icing (including key lime, coconut, and French chocolate). I couldn't get enough of the French chocolate icing, which is made with egg whites and melted sugar. I also dipped my finger in the French vanilla buttercream, which is speckled with vanilla bean pods.

Unfortunately I think we caught the staffmember who served us on a bad day - she was frowing so much that she looked like the kid with the upside down face from Family Guy.

Porchetta

2009-04-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

Porchetta
110 E. 7th St (near First Ave)
East Village
212-777-2151
Daily 12 - 10pm

Porchetta is a savory, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast which was pioneered by the Italians.

The store Porchetta, which I visited on the weekend, uses hogs from nearby Hampshire. The hog is wrapped in pork belly and seasoned with a paste of wild-fennel pollen, thyme, sage, rosemary, garlic, and lots of salt and pepper. Then the juicy porchetta is stuffed into a cibatta roll from Sullivan St Bakery and tightly wrapped in brown butcher paper. While the package is easy to take to nearly Tompkins Park if it's a nice day, you can also sit in the cutely tiled storefront and people watch from the stools at the front window.

You can smell the porchetta from a block away and it tastes as good as it smells. There are so many textures to enjoy - the softness of the roasted pork, the caramlised brittle-like skin, and the aromatic paste of wild herbs.

Abraço Espresso

2009-04-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

Abraço Espresso

86 E. 7th St (near First Ave)

East Village

212-3889731

Tues - Sat 8am-6pm . Sun 9am-6pm . Closed Mon

Abraço (which is Portugese for embrace) is a tiny espresso bar which is always teeming with interesting locals. The baristas are so friendly they'll make you think that you've met them before, and the coffee is so great that you'll be asking yourself why you haven't been there before.

Things you have to try include the cortado (a mini cappucino) and the cured olive cookie, which is part of the bar's semi-sweet menu. Both are amazing. You can also get freshly made iced coffee, which is perfect for the spring Sundays you spend dog watching at Tompkins Park.

151

2009-04-03T06:59:00.000-07:00

151
151 Rivington St (nr. Suffolk St)
Lower East Side
212-228-4139
Sun-Fri 6pm-4am, Sat 7pm-4am

There's nothing I love more than a good dive bar. In NYC, my friends and I are on the constant search for hidden dimly lit spaces with interesting characters.

Last night, I went back to 151 with friends for some pre-dinner drinks. 151 is a great late night haunt that you'd never know was there unless you'd been told. The bar is hidden down a shady staircase covered in graffiti with no marked entrance or sign. The decor is something between grungy and chic, and screams seventies - amber bead curtains and mod lamps are mixed in with graffitied bathrooms and too-cool-for-school bartenders playing a selection of hard-rock from their laptop.

Happy hour is between 6 and 10pm (2 for 1 drinks) and is a great time to watch the bar fill up with NYC locals.

Defonte's

2009-04-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

Defonte's
261 Third Ave. (at 21st St)
Gramercy
212-614-1500

I met a couple of girlfriends today for monster sandwiches at Defonte's. The new Gramercy space (which opened five weeks ago) is an addition to the shop the Defonte's have had in Red Hook for 87 years. We were served by the grandson of the founder, Nicky Defonte, who was incredibly friendly and had a great Brooklyn accent.

The sandwiches are huge and made on fresh sesame-seed bread. As a general rule, the hot heroes look and sound more appealing than the cold ones. We watched a worker machine slice a housemade mozzarella the size of a basketball, and shave perfectly roasted rare beef dipped in jus for our sandwiches.

We tried Potatoes and Eggs (with Virginia ham), Hot Roast Beef (paired with fried eggplant and mozzarella), and the Dino (meatball parm). You can have the sandwiches cut whichever way you like, so they're perfect for sharing. There are a few small tables and stools in the constantly packed space, but if it's nice weather head to the adorable park on the corner of 21st and Lexington.

Atmos

2009-04-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Atmos
203 W. 125th St (nr. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.)
Harlem
212-666-2242
Mon -Sat 11am - 8pm
Sunday 12pm - 7pm
http://atmosny.typepad.com/

My friend Ange was telling me that she wakes up looking at sneakers every day. I've seen her husband Jeremy model an impressive collection of sneakers (which are always carefully matched to a trendy t-shirt), but that couldn't prepare me for what I saw when I visited their West Village apartment. Think of a large bedroom which has had metal shelves installed on each wall, and is home to boxed sneakers which are packed from floor to roof. I have never seen anything like it, and am completely in awe.

We rode our bicycles up to Harlem on the weekend and visited Atmos, which has a collection of sneakers almost as impressive as Jeremy's.

Atmos has a great wall of backlit cubbyholes which display a mass of high-top sneakers. The store has strong connections to Japan, which you can see in its collection of Japanese designer gear. Atmos has also been given the nod by Nike, and you can custom-order special-edition Nike/Atmos Art-Force Dunks in your own choice of colors.

Red velvet cupcakes

2009-04-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

NYC loves cupcakes. And even more so, red velvet cupcakes. Red velvet cake is rich and sweet, and is a great bright or dark red colour. It's most popular in Southern US and is also known as "the chocolate cake of the South".

If you're a Sex and the City fan, you've probably already decided you're going to Magnolia Bakery (401 Bleecker St, West Village http://www.magnoliacupcakes.com/) However, if you're feeling adventurous you should head to Make My Cake (2380 Adam C. Powell Blvd, Harlem, 212 234.2344 http://makemycake.com/)

The New York Times rated Make My Cake’s red velvet cupcakes as the best in NYC. Their cupcakes will satisfy your sweet tooth and make you feel like you should have your blood sugar levels checked. It’s decor is cutesy and comfortable and they have a great bathroom.

If it's warm when you're visiting, hire a bicycle and ride to Harlem using the Western Highway. Go on a Sunday so you can ride past the churches full of singing choirs, and see the cute little old ladies in their Sunday best.

Freemans

2009-03-23T08:06:00.001-07:00

Freemans

End of Freeman Alley (near Rivington St)

Lower East Side

212-420-0012

www.freemansrestaurant.com

Freemans is such a wonderful experience and as a local, somewhere you want to keep going back to. The low profile but very chic restaurant is at the end of a little alley which is covered in street art and small overhanging globes, and is opened for lunch Mon-Fri, brunch on the weekend, and dinner every night.

Freemans has picked up on NYC's fixation towards taxidermy, sporting phesants and deer on its walls and bars. The main area, two side rooms and two bars also have a great collection of old school family portraits and a very cool empty bee hive. The bar is a great place to try specialty cocktails and marvel at the bar staff's collection of impressive lumberjack inspired beards.

The hot artichoke dip is amazing and the roast pork sandwich with pickled zucchini is definitely worth a try. If you're heading there for dinner, get the devils on horseback (80s dinner party revival) and the roulate of rabbit.

While you're at Freeman's restaurant, check out the barber and sporting goods store on Rivington. It's very English countryside inspired (think amazing leather gloves, bicycle saddles and ivory shaving brushes) and the staff are too cute for words.

The Gutter Bar

2009-03-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

The Gutter Bar
200 North 14th Street (between Wyth Ave & Berry St)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-387-3585
http://www.thegutterbrooklyn.com/

Last weekend after bike riding over the Williamsburg Bridge to have brunch at Five Leaves, we went for a walk around the industrial wastelands tucked into the back of Williamsburg. In what seemed like the middle of nowhere, we saw an inconspicuous "Bowling" sign sticking out of a wall.

It was love at first sight - a dive bar attached to an eight-lane bowling alley. Complete with 1970s Brunswick scoring machines, an antique telephone booth, and Tiffany beer lamps lighting the (fake) mahogany tables. Prepare to listen to indie-rock and try the range of micro brews - perfect for a Saturday afternoon!

Joe's Shanghai Restaurant

2009-03-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

Joe's Shanghai Restaurant

9 Pell Street

Chinatown

212-233-8888
Mon - Sun 11am - 11pm

If you're after dumpering goodness with a twist, totter along to Joe's and check out their Xiao Long Bao or "Little Dumplings from Basket" which started in Nan Xiang, a suburb of Shanghai. The dumplings are made fresh to order and are delivered to the table in piping hot bamboo steamers by waiters who look like villans out of kung fu movies. Each sack like dumpling contains a little pork (or crab) meatball surrounded by soup.

The best way to eat them is to bite off a little piece of the doughy wrapper, suck the broth with a "slurp", then eat the rest. Make sure you try the Szechuan string beans, which are full of salty goodness.

Shake Shack

2009-03-04T07:14:00.001-08:00

Shake Shack
Southeast Cnr of Madison Square Park
(Madison Ave and E 23rd St)
212-889-6600
www.shakeshacknyc.com
11am - 9pm

Shake Shack is the shiz nit. It's like a roadside burger joint but inside a park, so you can watch the squirrels and sit with your bicycle.

The burgers are out of this world - a fresh brioche bun, meat cooked to perfection, and Shake Shack's own special sauce. There are also really great options for vegetarians, like the 'Shroom Burger (crisp fried portobello mushroom filled with melted cheese). The shakes are ice cream sucking goodness and it's inevitable that you'll feel like another one as soon as you've finished the first.

Be prepared to wait about an hour to get to the front of the line - during the week all the people working close by pile out, and on the weekend there are teens and hungover partiers galore. Whatever you do, don't be discouraged by the line!

Shake Shack is also a do-gooder, offsetting 100% of its electricity by purchasing wind-power credits. They also compost their onsite organic materials, and the oil they use to cook your food is recycled into bio-diesel fuel.