NYC Staycations

An old school, mafia-tinged throwback

2011-06-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

For an old school, mafia-tinged throwback, Bamonte’s is the way to go.

The walls are covered in black and white family photos, as well as pictures of famous diners that have eaten here over the years—and many years these pictures represent, as Bamonte’s has been kicking it since 1900, making it one of New York’s oldest surviving restaurants. Plaques commemorate Bamonte’s 50th, 75th and 100th anniversary and are signed “From the Boys,” adding to its gangster appeal.

Once conventional and elegant, Bamonte’s now seems almost gimmicky, with its ancient, tuxedo-clad waiters, some who have worked here for 50 years, its chandeliers, wood telephone booths, white tablecloths and table-side buzzers, allowing customers to request the nearest silver-haired server.

Coming here is an old-fashioned experience, a time-travel of sorts. Upon entering, all you want to do is go home and get dressed up only to return, order a Manhattan and chain-smoke cigarettes, Mad Men style.

On an empty street, between the BQE and overgrown, empty lots, Bamonte’s is not much to look at; a typical two-story house on a mostly deserted block. However, customers are fiercely loyal, explaining Bamonte’s long life. It is a destination for milestones—weddings, graduations and birthdays are celebrated here daily. Sometimes all three are celebrated here by the same person, as one woman wrote on Yelp, substantiating Bamonte’s hold on its clientele.

The classic Italian menu is traditional and completely homemade, even the pasta. Chefs cook behind a glass window, their every movement visible to the customers. Beware of over-ordering, as the adequately priced portions are enormous, allowing you to have the same meal three or four times in the coming days.

The customers are a wild mix—groups that look like they have attended Bamonte’s opening, couples that seem like they’re about to get engaged, hipsters celebrating birthdays, family’s having their traditional Sunday dinner.

The places oozes a friendly camaraderie, a conviviality expressed by waiters and bartenders yelling hello at anyone entering, and making small talk with those at the bar as if they have known each other for years.

For anyone wanting to kick it old school, this is the place.

Bamonte’s
32 Withers St. btwn I-278 and Lorimer St., Willamsburg, Brooklyn.
718-384-8831
No website, it’s that old school.

Photo from nymag

You won’t mind getting shipwrecked here--The Surf Bar

2011-05-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

Once you’ve shaken out the pesky sand that got all up in your shoes you’ll start squinting. Soon, you’ll have a minor headache; you’ll be unsure whether it was caused by one of the many strong, more-bang-for-your-buck Mai Tais or Zombies you’ve been downing, or because your eyes have been unable to rest for even a second, darting from one trinket to the next.

The Surf Bar is a veritable shrine to surfing culture—Hawaii puked all over this place, but in a great way.

The bar is so kitschy it hurts, but it is precisely this over-the top, all the way or not at all attitude that makes this place a favorite among locals. Dozens of surfboards cover the ceiling, hundreds of stickers, shells, postcards and framed images of old school surfers and waves are plastered on the walls, leis squeezed into the remaining space. Even the bar is wearing a grass skirt and is covered in surfer-themed Barbies and Kens.

The seafood-heavy menu is decent, especially their infamous clam chowder and lobster roll, though the Italian red-checkered tablecloths throw you off a bit. The crowd is an eclectic mix of nervous first dates, typical Williamsburg hipsters, birthday parties and tourists exploring the ‘burg.

The music is good, a chilled mix of beachy music, and the drinks, served in tiki mugs, are strong, so it’s a great place to come and hang loose brah, and practice a bit of escapism.

Don’t forget to check out the outdoor patio in the summer where, only a few drinks in, you can almost hear the waves crashing nearby.

139 N 6th St, btwn Bedford Ave. and Berry St.
(718) 302-4441
www.brooklynsurfbar.com

Hours:

Monday-Thursday, noon-11 p.m.
Friday, noon-12.30 a.m.
Saturday, 11 a.m.- 12.30 a.m.
Sunday 11 a.m.-12 a.m.
Brunch, Sat & Sun, 11 a.m.-4p.m.

Larry Lawrence, hidden gem slash deficient puppet show

2011-05-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Everybody loves a secret bar. As mentioned in my post Speakeasy your way through the East Village it’s about the thrill of the chase, the sheer effort of finding the bar and getting in. But mainly, in a city where you are constantly competing with others about who is hipper or more of an insider, it’s about making your friends feel like tourists.

Most importantly, it’s all about having a haven in a city overrun by bars and people. And a haven Larry Lawrence is. Isn’t that what Brooklyn is about, having more space than those silly Manhattanites?

Larry Lawrence awes with its vast open space—a giant, cave-like loft. Once you’ve found the clandestine wooden door that blatantly but inconspicuously says “bar,” and have walked through the concrete hallway, you’ll immediately relax, breathe a little easier. The bar is one large, high-ceilinged room. A fun addition is that part of the small, 2nd floor outdoor area is visible from the inside through a big plate of glass, like a deficient, smoking puppet show, where only the legs and torsos are visible.

Your next thought will be “wow, this place will go up in flames instantly at the drop of a match,” because the bar consists of wood—from the polished wood bar, the wooden tables, wood walls, parquet floor, exposed wood beams and plywood booths, the place is basically a remodeled forest with a mountain-hut feel.

With only seven booths and fifteen seats at the bar, it’s a great place for a date as Larry Lawrence is dark and flatteringly lit by candles, the music playing comfortably in the background rather than overpowering any attempt at conversation.

The beer and wine selection is carefully curated, and with a less hipster than usual crowd, minimalist aesthetic and speakeasy vibe, it’s a great place to spend a relaxing evening.

Larry Lawrence
295 Grand St (between Havemeyer St & Roebling St)
(718) 218-7866
www.larrylawrencebar.com
Hours: 6 p.m. - 4 a.m., daily.

The Best Brunch in New York

2011-03-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

New Yorkers live for brunch.

New Yorkers are no strangers to instant gratification or wanting everything right this second—it is, after all, the city where you can order anything to your doorstep at any time, get a slice of pizza or dumplings at 5 am, the city that never sleeps… You catch my drift—but when it comes to brunch, New York takes the (pan)cake.

Whether they have just come home from a night of heavy drinking and debauchery and need a hair-of-the-dog Bloody Mary without ever removing their shades, or have just finished their morning run and can’t wait to break the yolk of their guilty pleasure Eggs Benedict, few New Yorkers forgo the pleasure of all day breakfast on weekends.
In a city that is not only deeply dedicated to the art of brunch, but also bursting with as many restaurants and cafés as New York City, it is hard to pinpoint a favorite place, or even which one qualifies as “the best,” but I think that after almost two years in the city I have narrowed my personal faves down to three.

Esperanto:

A breath of fresh, Brazilian-tinged, possibly even salty ocean air.

If you ask me, awesome ambiance aside, Esperanto has one of the best deals in the city—$9.99 gets you bottomless coffee, a Bloody Mary or Mimosa, as well as a main course. The food is delicious—a Latin take on all of your brunch staples, such as Eggs Benedict with chorizo and spicy Hollandaise or tropical French Toast.

Awash in beachy turquoise and green walls, sea-blue checkered tiles, colorful flowered tablemats, multicolored lights and old-school Spanish Bacardi posters give the place a wholly tropical vibe. Brazilian music blasts from the speakers, a breeze floats in from the open windows, making Esperanto feel like a funky, bamboo-lined Caribbean shack. Only a few Bloody Marys in you’ll be wondering which way it is to get to the beach. Until you notice full beards and flannel, and remember that you’re in the middle of Alphabet City, home of the hipsters, most of which are munching away around you, making the most of this vibrant neighborhood gem.

Good to know: Live music every night and half-price bottles of wine on Mondays.

Esperanto
145 Avenue C, corner of 9th Street, East Village/Alphabet City
212-505-6559
www.esperantony.com/

Brunch
Sat.—Sun., 11 a.m.—4 p.m.

Le Barricou:

This place is so authentically French, so snobbily Parisian, that you will get the sudden, powerful urge to smoke a pack of cigarettes and talk about Rimbaud in a French accent. From the wooden tables and chairs, complementary croissants, yellowed wallpaper made of French newspaper and wine bottle lined walls, you feel instantly teleported to St. Germain.

The brunch menu dazzles in quality and length—everything from pancakes and French toast, to every omelette or egg dish under the sun, as well as French staple Croque Madame—but it is the reasonable pricing that convinces even the toughest gourmand. I have eaten my way through most of the menu and have yet to find an item that I didn’t devour down to the last crumb.

So the mason glasses and living room-like area in the back complete with fireplace are pretty hipster, as well as the, again, flannel and beard-clad crowd, but what do you expect from a place in Williamsburg. It’s the French with a hipster twist that makes this restaurant one of a kind and we love it all the more for it.

Good to know: Le Barricou is open ‘til 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays for those drunk munchies and has a long list of Absinthe if you’re feeling adventurous.

Le Barricou
533 Grand Street at Union Street, Williamsburg
718-782-737
www.lebarricouny.com/

Brunch: Sat.—Sun., 11 a.m.—4 p.m.

Lodge:

If Brazilian and French isn’t your thing, Lodge, with its down-home American grub, is the place for you.

Slightly off the beaten path and fashioned after a cozy cabin in the Adirondacks, claiming to be “urban rustic,” Lodge is light and airy despite the weathered wood covering every surface—from the bar to the walls and floor. A country vibe emanates from the tree-trunk tables and stools and the smattering of antlers made into light fixtures and adorning the walls.

The food is apple pie all the way, (and by that I mean American), but most of it has a high-end twist. An egg sandwich here is not just an egg sandwich, but a fresh roll covered in delightful cashew pesto; a fried chicken sandwich is made classy by being doused in cilantro aioli. Don’t let menu items such as fried chicken and waffles or Carolina pulled pork and cheese grits fool you though, as all of the ingredients used at Lodge are organic and locally produced.

Brunching at Lodge is one trek you won’t regret.

Lodge:
318 Grand Street at at Havemeyer Street, Williamsburg
718-486-9400
www.lodgenyc.com/

Brunch: Sat.—Sun., 11 a.m.—4.30 p.m

Real Balls of Fury- SPiN

2011-03-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

Balls were flying.

Susan Sarandon was non-plussed.

Ping-pong-ping-pong-ping and point. Dora wins the game.

Next up, Kazmanian Devil, wearing thigh-high white and black striped socks to go with his black polo shirt and black shorts versus Kevin, his “China” emblazoned shirt tucked into his too short, too tight shorts, which distractingly keep riding up.

The movie Balls of Fury must have gotten their plotline from attending SPiN’s weekly Dirty Dozen ping-pong tournament, which usually runs from 7 pm until 2 am, as the speed of the balls and skill of the competitors are entertainingly awe-inspiring.

Where do they practice? How do they get so good?

A ball narrowly misses Sarandon’s face. She barely flinches.

Every Friday Night SPiN, a ping-pong bar co-founded by Susan Sarandon in 2009, challenges a dozen of the nations best players to compete for a cash prize of $500.

Table Tennis is making a comeback, with outspoken fans such as Owen Wilson, Salman Rushdie, 50 Cent, the Beastie Boys, and Jimmy Buffett, and a recently released book called called “Everything You Know Is Pong,” by Roger Bennett. Author Henry Miller once said in an interview that the secret to his longevity was “the purity of my soul, playing Ping-Pong and, above all, love!”

Viewers of the Dirty Dozen can grab a seat on the metal bleachers, beer or cocktail in hand, munching on a grilled cheese and other snacks, while contestants play rapid-fire rounds of table tennis to the death, all the while listening to the DJ spinning incredibly loud club tunes.

The crowd is random—ranging from Sarandon and her young hot hipster friends, to suit-clad after-work yuppies, old Asians potentially recruiting, high-heeled and scantily clad women, and sheepish looking kids that are most definitely underage.

SPiN looks like a luxury rec room; an enormous, 13,000 square foot basement designed by Todd Oldham, with 15 Olympic table tennis tables, pop-art images of ping-pong players covering the walls, and a giant bullet-proof window separating the DJ booth from the 23rd Street subway station.  Dozens of black lights make the whole place look like a surreal 70s hippie hangout, especially the psychedelic white-turned-neon-blue paper lanterns hanging from the ceilings.

Other fun features include locker rooms with overnight paddle storage, private ping-pong lessons, and a VIP Fred Perry Room with a table made of mirrors.

The concept is simple: alcohol + table tennis = lots of fun. Further fun-themed: the menu, as patrons can select from various, sliders, ice cream sandwiches and alcoholic ice-pops, to name a few of their array of food and drink options.

SPiN New York
48 E 23rd St (between 5th Ave & East 23rd St)
(212) 982-8802
www.spinnyc.com

Tiki Temple Painkiller Brings The Pain

2011-02-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

Recently, we have weathered snowpocalypses, snowrricanes and tsnowtamis, so what better way to lift winter blues than tropical drinks?

Enter Painkiller, Manhattan’s newest tiki bar following the success of Lani Kai and Hurricanes. This subterranean, windowless tiki oasis kills the pain alright; first successfully anesthetizing it, then knocking you out completely, to finally bring it tenfold the next morning.

Painkiller’s mood is constantly changing as its lights switch faster than those in a brothel in Amsterdam, from aquarium blue to jungle green and lipstick red, yet the divey vintage rock-feel remains constant. Painkiller’s is a great place for a private party as the bar is small and intimate, but as the night progresses it becomes increasingly loud and raucous.

Though not secret per se, Painkiller is well hidden on a slightly sketchy LES block. Its doors have TIKI enormously graffitied onto them, but you will most likely still walk by a few times, confused by the neighboring pickle store with the same building number.

Inside, a tiki temple awaits, with all the glorious kitsch we love about the genre—leopard-printed booths, bamboo walls, palm tree curtains, tribal masks, leis, colorful lamps.

The drink menu boasts over 108 cocktails, one more potent than the next. Have no fear, a knowledgeable waitress is at your rescue to recommend drinks when you tell her what you like. (Favorite base alcohol, sweet, tart, sour, preferred fruits, etc.) Around 10 drinks, $16 each, are so strong that only one per person is permitted. The Zombie for instance has at least five different shots in it, one of those being absinthe. Of course, punch bowls are also an option here, decked out with dozens of neon straws to drink straight from the bowl with your friends.

The juices are freshly squeezed and the syrups and coconut creams homemade. Further, Painkiller’s steps it up from traditional paper umbrellas to some outrageously decorated drinks—I think mine had a fuzzy flamingo in it.

Warning: Painkiller is not for the weak of heart or low of tolerance, massive hangover will ensue.

Painkiller
www.painkillernyc.com
49 Essex Street, LES
(212) 777-TIKI.

Ahoy, Matey—Walk the Plank to The Drink, Brooklyn.

2011-02-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

Half boat half rustic farmhouse, whalers and farmers alike would feel right at home at The Drink, a nautical punch mecca that is steadily becoming the new hipster hangout in Williamsburg.

Following the recent trend of “the cooler the bar, the harder it is to find,” The Drink can easily be missed, as nothing but a red light indicates its existence. Once discovered, pass the green stained glass window front, fogged-up and dripping from the crowds, and inhale the deeply aromatic scent of the varying punches that are this bar’s staple.

The Drink charms with its old-school nautical theme—the ceiling is papered with vintage nautical maps, the walls decked out with old captain’s wheels, anchors and framed drawings of ships, the floor made of wooden planks, with random piles of rope and other sea gear lying around. Simultaneously, the bar is also reminiscent of a cozy barn or a ski hut living room, with its dimmed lighting, handmade wooden bar and shelves, and mismatched wooden stools and tables.

Punch is the name of the game here, as bartenders mix two different hot and cold options every night for only $5 a cup, although different punches with nautical names such as “The Perfect Storm” and “The Crusade” can also be ordered by the ten-cup large bowl (around $40). Low-key and down to earth the bar is high-class and craft-oriented when it comes to their spirits, as everything is made only with fresh ingredients and high-quality liquor. Beer lovers will also rejoice over the carefully curated selection of beer, as one of the owners of The Drink is also behind celebrated beer-bar Spuyten Duyvil. Apparently, the bar also serves some sailor’s fare of smoked fish, hard cheeses and jerky, though I didn’t see that.

The perfect, warm and cozy, rum and cider infused bar to warm up in the winter, its outdoor patio will be the place to be in the summer.

Some punches:

• The Old Gunwhale: Old Weller Bourbon, Fresh Grapefruit Juice, Chamomile Tea Syrup,  Spiced Cranberry Bitters   
• The Wassail:  Rhum Barbancourt, Apple Cider, Cherry Juice, Mango Juice Allspice, Cinnamon, Pink Peppercorn, Clove and Cardamom Syrup  
• The Perfect Storm:  Coruba Jamaican Black Strap Rum, Fresh Lime Juice, Housemade Ginger Syrup, Green Tea Syrup, Angostura Bitters.  
• Charter:  Espolon Blanco Tequila,  Fresh Lime Juice, Ginger Syrup, Salt Tincture, Soda Float of Cassis syrup.  
• The Narwhal:  Rosemary-infused Damrak Gin, Honey Syrup, Lemon, Peychaud's Bitters.
• The Crusdade:  Old Monk Indian Rum, Rooibos Earl Grey Roasted Tea Syrup, Orange Peel, Clove, Peppercorn, Allspice Peppermint syrup, Lemon.

(found in Time Out New York)

The Drink
http://thedrinkbrooklyn.com/
228 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn
(718) 782-8463

Honey, you’re home (At The Blue Stove).

2011-01-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

Get transported back into an era of red lipstick, A-line dresses, flowery aprons, and lots and lots of pie.

The Blue Stove café and bakery is like walking into the 50s—with wi-fi. Clean, bright and quaint, with a black and white tiled floor, the no-fuss shop simply sells it’s baked goods from behind an old-school wood and glass counter, it’s specials scrawled on a chalkboard, the walls decorated with a few items of antique kitsch. Regulars comfortably lounge about the communal wooden tables and chairs and blue barstools, inhaling the sweet scent of freshly baked pies, the air so heavy with sugar you can almost lick it. Sipping coffee, reading the paper and typing on their laptops, everyone looks relaxed and well-fed.

The pièce de résistance is the Depression-era big blue stove, now a table for milk, sugar and spoons. The stove, after which the bakery is named after, was passed down from grandmother to mother to daughter Rachel McBride, who opened The Blue Stove in 2009, using old fashioned baking techniques and pie recipes from her grandmother. Pie is served in little glass bowls just like at gran’s house.

The ladies behind the counter are delightful—colorfully aproned 50s hipster-hybrids that are happy to help you decide between seasonally changing sweet and savory pies, whoopee pies, cakes, cookies, muffins, quiches and other pastries

As fatty, American and wholesome as apple pie, the baked goods are to die for. At $5 a slice the pies are a bit pricey, but well worth the money.

The Blue Stove 
415 Graham Avenue, Brooklyn

Speakeasy your way through the East Village

2010-11-19T16:08:00.000-08:00

Despite The Volstead Act prohibiting the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol from 1919 to 1933, being long gone, even today no self-respecting bar wants to advertise itself, because secret bars are so much cooler than normal bars. It’s about having a haven in a city that it overrun by bars and people. The thrill of the chase, the sheer effort of finding the bar, getting a reservation and getting in. The feeling of being in the know, an insider, and being able to make other New Yorkers feel like tourists.

Though the many speakeasy clubs around the East Village allowing for illegal imbibing no longer exist, a few clandestine bars remain, letting patrons surreptitiously tackle secret (or in some cases no longer so secret) entrances to then knock back old-school drinks without the fear of arrest.

Here’s your personal guide to the East Villages’ “secret” bars.

PDT (Please Don’t Tell)
113 Saint Marks Place at Avenue A
(212) 614-0386
http://www.pdtnyc.com

Though PDT is no longer secret, its coolness factor and appeal have never once waned. Many keep PDT’s number on speed-dial to obtain an elusive reservation in the tiny, dimly lit, wood paneled and taxidermy-strewn bar, once the phone lines open at 3 p.m.

Few can can resist the surreptitious way of entering the bar—through the innocuous hot dog joint Crif Dogs, further through a vintage phone booth within the restaurant, behind which the host/ess lurks whom you have to call by using the rotary dial phone.

Once you’ve made it, feel like you’re doing something illegal in the quiet and dimly lit speakeasy, sprawled in an old-school leather booth, as you enjoy innovative but pricey ($14) cocktails mixed by expert mixologists, or snack on tater tots or hot dogs from next door.

The Clincher: Reservations are essential to avoid being the sad patron munching on a hot dog outside the phone booth while smarter guests sashay on by. Phone lines open at 3 p.m., yet it is common for PDT to be fully booked by the time you finally get through a 3:07 p.m.

Cabin Down Below
110 Avenue A, at the corner of Seventh Street (Entrance is down the stairs at 132 ½ Seventh Street)
(212) 614-9798

An edgier version of PDT, The Cabin Down below, named after a Tom Petty song, is the product of three East Village scenesters; Johnny T, the owner of Niagara and Bowery Electric, Jesse Malin, from the bands Heart Attack and D Generation (now solo), and Matt Romano of The Strokes.

This is a doubly secret bar. Since the pizza joint through which one previously entered closed, you now have to climb down a few stairs in a somewhat sketchy back alley on Seventh Street. Having recently visited at 11 p.m. on a Thursday with three friends in tow, the bouncer ushered us to a small, dark, unremarkable and unfamiliar bar. Having been to CDB before, I shook my head and told him I wanted the real deal. A quick somewhat condescending scan of my friends and me later, he grumpily jerked his head towards an even more hidden back door.

Celebrity sightings are common at this chill, hipster-friendly bar that is sometimes more mom’s basement than speakeasy, with various nooks and crannies, affordable, no-frills drinks at the tiny bar, mellow music, antique mirrors, white-washed walls, bookshelves, exposed brick and wood-beamed rooms with cozy tables, booths and couches. The cabin-y feel comes from the fireplace, wooden swordfish, and paintings of bears and mountains.

Though it starts out as a chill lounge to have simple drinks and good conversation, as the night progresses it turns into a packed, club-like joint.

The Clincher: Enter through a somewhat sketchy back alley on 132 ½ Seventh Street and face the menacing bouncer to receive the once-over.

Cienfuegos above Carteles
443 E 6th St, between 1st Ave & Avenue A
(212) 614-6818
www.cienfuegosny.com/

This bar offers a taste of Havana in the middle of the East Village. The giant boom box is set to La Mega, blasting salsa and Hispanic music, setting the mood as you walk in. Bottles of rum line the bar, next to stacks of yellow Bustelo coffee tins. The floor, the bar, even the walls and ceilings are covered in a mosaic of mint green and lemon yellow tiles, giving the place a wholly tropical vibe.

And this is just Carteles, the tiny (just nine bar stools!) and ridiculously cute bar and sandwich shop below Cienfuegos.
Cienfuegos is clandestinely located around the bar and just past the espresso machine: one would never guess that there is a whole different world up there. After a 25-minute wait and with no idea what to expect, we are finally allowed up the rickety wooden stairs, underneath foil-wrapped pipes and vents, and past an altar of sorts with candles and mirrors. When we emerge, we are suddenly standing in a drinking parlor circa 1950 Cuba rather than 2010 East Village.

The large and high-ceilinged restaurant (about 25 tables) and rum bar with 57 types is coated in bright turquoise paint with white shuttered windows, the tables enclosed by white metal gates. Tufted white chairs and couches illuminated by candelabras, chandeliers and lanterns give the restaurant a loungey vibe. The tables are canvas, seemingly made of old suitcases smeared with paint and studded with rivets, adding to the rustic feel of the place. Fun gimmicks include metal punch bowls from which patrons can serve themselves with a giant spoon, and cigar boxes in which the bills arrive. The unusual, rum-based drinks are around $13, and there is a full menu of delicious Cuban food.

The clincher: though the space is large, you may have to wait.

Angel’s Share in Village Yokocho
8 Stuyvesant St
(212) 777-5415

As I stand on the last stair of the second floor Japanese restaurant Village Yokocho, innocuously looking around for the “secret” door to Angel’s Share (http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/lower-east-manhattan/angels-share-new-york.htm), a waiter catches my not-so-subtle glance and waves me towards him. “Bar?” he asks, and as I nod discreetly he throws a thumb to the left, towards an unmarked and nondescript door.

On the other side, a baroque, renaissance palace awaits, with giant windows overlooking Stuyvesant Street, floral gold and burgundy wallpaper, heavy, fringed curtains, leather booths and couches, and, the pièce de résistance; a giant painting of blond chubby cherubs (and a crying angel with horns) over the heavy wood bar.

In contrast to the loud and bustling sushi bar on the other side of the thin door, Angel’s Share has a wholly non-Asian feel to it, and with it’s candlelit vibe and soothing jazz, is quiet and much like a traditional speakeasy.

A wide selection of unusual drinks can be had for around $14 each, some made with intriguing ingredients such as dragon tears, mixed by bartenders in traditional speakeasy attire—ties, white shirts, vests, and those rubber bands around their forearms.

Angel’s Share also has ten pages of bourbon, scotch, whiskey, wine and sake to choose from and a few random appetizers ranging from sashimi to chicken wings.

The clincher: No standing at the bar and no parties larger than four.

Other not so hidden but sort of underground bars:

The Blind Barber, Barber by day, speakeasy by night through behind a sliding back door.

339 E 10th St between Avenue A and Avenue B
(212) 228-2123
www.blindbarber.com/

Death and Co., Dark and woody speakeasy with a not immediately obvious wood storefront.

433 East 6th Street and Avenue A
(212) 388-0882
www.deathandcompany.com/

Arlo and Esme, Enormous cavernous basement with various rooms to either dance or shoot pool in.

42 East 1st Street, between 1st and 2nd Ave
(212) 777-5617
www.arloandesme.com/

Originally published on The Local East Village

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As American As Apple Pie

2010-10-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

This is a bit of a belated post, as apple season is almost over, and all the good apples are very likely to have been picked.

However, plan a day for apple picking next fall. (Seriously!)

Going apple picking is a clichéd day of good, clean and wholesome fun. You are catapulted back into childhood by skipping through vast fields of orange foliage, throwing apples at your friends and drinking apple cider.

It is just such a completely un-New York experience that its relaxation value and restorative powers are indescribable. Getting out of the loud and hectic city to wander through a near empty field surrounded by bright orange leaves, literally stopping to smell the flowers, the sun shining on your face, wind rustling through the rows and rows of apple trees is almost like a free therapy session. The excitement alone of a fun daytrip to bumblef*ck nowhere is thrilling.

You never thought you’d get so picky with apples (“not that one, it has a scratch!”) but if that apple is going in my pie later on, it better be perfect. Like an apple connoisseur you will begin to try an apple from a tree first, before deeming it a “good tree” and allowing its apples into your peck. (That’s apple picking slang for around two gallons, four pecks making up a so-called bushel.) All you do is mosey around a large apple orchard, picking apples at random. Apple trees are organized by type, so one row will be Granny Smiths, another Red Delicious, another McIntosh and so on.

Obviously, my favorite part is the snack shack later on, where you can buy all sorts of goodies such as apple cider, apple doughnuts, apple strudel, apple pies and a whole lot of non-apple stuff too.

The next best part is going home to bake apple pies, apple crumble, apple butter, you name it, with your friends. Nothing brings roommates closer than the smell of a freshly baked pie in the oven.

The apple picking season often starts around Labor Day, and goes until the apples are all gone, usually around mid-November.

Wilkens Farm
1335 White Hill Road, Yorktown Heights, New York
www.wilkensfarm.com
(914) 245-5111

Get Naked Get A Free Shot, at Mehanata Bulgarian Bar

2010-09-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

Stepping into Mehanata Bulgarian Bar is like stepping into another world. (An ethereal Siberian paradise according to the website.)

“OOOPPAAAA!!” People yelled, dancing in circles, clutching onto one another’s shoulders—It’s like walking in on a giant Bar Mitzvah.

It’s difficult to describe Mehanata. This place is a complete and total mess. But an AWESOME mess. The level of energy and cheerfulness at this place is unrivaled anywhere else in the city. Hundreds of incredibly drunk and even sweatier individuals instantly befriending one another to dance to the most eclectic music selection you will ever come across—a random but fantastic mix of Eastern European, Gypsy, Spanish, Trance, Electro, Punk, Ska, Reggae, Indian, you name it. And the trashy green laser lights just make it that much cooler.

There are also hookah pipes and a pole to dance on, but the true highlight of Mehanata is the Ice Cage.

The price is a little steep but well worth it. $20 bucks per head, $10 to open the door, allows up to six people to enjoy a truly unique drinking experience.

Ice Cagers get to dress up in Russian military jackets and hats and are handed a shot glass made of ice. Once inside the tiny room, they have two minutes TO TAKE AS MANY VODKA SHOTS AS POSSIBLE, choosing from 50+ different brands of vodkas. (I suggest going straight for the Grey Goose to get your money’s worth and hopefully minimize the hangover, unless you feel like experimenting .)

RSVP to get in for free, otherwise pay $10 to get in. Paying cover sucks, however, this place is completely worth it.

I guess Soviet Russia lives on at Mehanata.

Mehanata Bulgarian Bar
113 Ludlow Street
(212) 625-0981

More bang for your buck--Make the most of your metro card

2010-04-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

New York is the most expensive city in America. This is not news. So New Yorkers automatically develop street smarts in order to survive—they cultivate a sixth sense in knowing where to shop, where to eat, where to drink and when. Often, New Yorkers become experts at finding good deals and happy hours, even if it’s just free cheeseballs and Twizzlers at Leevee in Williamsburg or the dubious free pizza with a drink at the Crocodile Lounge in Gramercy. Nothing excites the New Yorker’s heart more than free stuff.

So, what if you could go on vacation for as little as $2.25? You can. Though the MTA can frustrate with its constant construction, delays, and general disorder, it can also take you pretty far from the city and allow for some excellent and cheap staycations.

Five places that will make the most of your metro card:

1) From Russia with love.
Brighton Beach, Brooklyn— Warm up with some vodka in the winter, and get your tan on in the summer. With the largest community of Ukrainians and Russians outside the former Soviet Union, Brighton Beach is also known as “Little Odessa,” has an established Russian-speaking community and is full of authentic restaurants, cafés and grocery stores. Giving it a slightly kitschy feel, restaurants are lavishly elaborate, as are the cabaret shows. (Check out Tatiana’s while you’re there.) For Russian authenticity points, order dumplings with your vodka. Brighton Beach, which was developed as a beach resort in 1868 although it’s really a bay, runs parallel to Coney Island. Less touristy with more of a neighborhood feel to it, Brighton Beach is like Coney’s Island’s better-looking and more chilled out brother.

About a 45-minute subway ride from midtown Manhattan, you can take the Q train on weekends, or the B (express) on weekdays to either the Brighton Beach or the Ocean Parkway stations.

2) Take me out to the horseraces
Aqueduct,Queens—Feel like My Fair Lady for the day and go to the horse races.

The Aqueduct Racetrack, known as “the big A,” opened in 1894, though it has been renovated and rebuilt since. In 1975 an inner track was constructed to facilitate winter racing.

The answer to your gambling twinkle is only about 45 minutes away—take the A train down to the Old Aqueduct Station where a courtesy bus service will take you straight to the admission gate.

The Old Aqueduct Station is part of the track, so it is only open from 11 am to 7pm on days when the track is open, which is pretty much year-round. Also, in order to get back to Manhattan you have to take the free shuttle bus to the North Conduit Avenue Station only a few blocks away.

3) Ferry rides and hiking trails
Staten Island—So Staten Island isn’t known for being exotic or exciting, but sometimes it’s the trip and not the destination. The Staten Island Ferry is not only free, but a scenic, 25-minuteride. Leaving from lower Manhattan you get a great view of the Financial District and the New York Harbor, as well as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. You can either choose to not set foot on Staten Island and simply take the next ferry straight back to Manhattan, or you could indulge in your adventurous side and go relax on Midland Beach, or go hiking on some of the beautiful trails in the Staten Island Greenbelt, 2,800 acres of foresty hills and ponds that run the length of Staten Island. Todt Hill, at 410 feet above sea level, is the highest elevation south of Maine along the East Sea Coast.

Take the N,R, W to Whitehall Street, the 4, 5 to Bowling Green, the 1 to South Ferry or the J, M, Z to Broad Street to get to the Whitehall Terminal, from which the Staten Island Ferry leaves approximately every 30 minutes.

4) Hot dogs and mermaids and cyclones, oh my.
Coney Island, Brooklyn— the alleged birthplace of the hotdog. For some ol’ fashioned fun: rides, games, beach and funnel cake. What more can your heart desire? Well if the answer is a mermaid parade and burlesque shows, Coney Island has that too.

For only 99 cents you can check out the Coney Island Museum for some old-school Coney Island memorabilia, crazy relics and a great view of the amusement park. (http://www.coneyisland.com/museum.shtml) (Open year-round, weekends only) Also, while you’re there, have a hot dog at Nathan’s—opened in 1916 it claims to be the birthplace of the hotdog. Also, the Cyclone rollercoaster, built in 1927, is one of the nation's oldest wooden coasters still in operation.

Coney Island is roughly open between Easter and Labor Day. If you need your Coney Island fix, check out the Carnival Club at Union Square.

Located in the southernmost part of Brooklyn, Coney Island is about 45 minutes from midtown Manhattan. Take the D, Q N or F train to the last stop, Stillwell Avenue.

5) Surf’s Up
Rockaway Beach, Queens—It’s no St. Barths with turquoise Evian-like water and white sand, but it’s a perfectly nice, 170 acre-large beach you can get to for $2.25, so who’s asking any questions? It has everything you want in a beach: sand, water, and best of all, surfable waves. With volleyball and handball courts, baseball fields and barbequing areas bring a picnic and make a day of it.

Located between Jamaica Bay to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, Rockaway Beach is only an hour and a bit from midtown Manhattan with the A train. Get off at the Rockaway Park—Beach 116th Street station.

Shake it like a Bollywood Star

2010-04-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

The treadmill is passé. The stripper pole is so last year. Latin is out. Now is the time to shake it like a Bollywood star at a Masala Bhangra class.

That’s right. A workout class named after a spicy curry, but can’t we all use a little spice in our lives?

Though Masala Bhangra is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this week, Mickela Mallozzi, 28, a master Masala Bhangra instructor, said that its prominence has exponentially grown “since the popularity of Bollywood and Slumdog Millionaire.”

Adding the current movie My Name is Khan, the new Subway commercial, So You Think You Can Dance going Bollywood and even figure skating couple Davis White winning 2nd place to a Bollywood song in the Olympics, Bollywood seems to be at the peak of its popularity.

“Ten years ago it was Latin, everyone did a Latin dance class, now it’s Bollywood and Indian-inspired dance classes everywhere. There are a ton of dance studios that do Bollywood type dance classes, aside from a workout,” said Mallozzi. “I don’t want to say it’s the next craze but it’s definitely becoming very popular.”

Masala Bhangra is a cardio dance workout, adapted from the native Bhangra folk dance from Northern India. Classic folk dance moves are modified into a workout by using even counting and repetition, “and then we mix a little bit of Bollywood in there,” Mallozzi explains.

The goal is not to teach traditional Bhangra, but to take Indian influences and turn it into a fun workout for people who may have never encountered Indian culture. “It’s a really nice way to connect with a different culture,” she said.

Celebrating its 10 year anniversary nect week and created by Sarina Jain, also known as the “Indian Jane Fonda” thanks to her 6 DVDs and numerous television appearances, the workout has been gaining popularity steadily since its conception, and is now taught at classes across America, and expanding to Japan, Belgium and England. Gyms and dance studios around the country are imitating her workout by offering similar classes, but Mallozzi claims that Masala Bhangra is the only one certified through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA).

Set to Bhangra music—which sounds like Indian hip-hop—a routine is repeated until you are literally shaking it like in a well-rehearsed Bollywood scene. It’s all there; the wrist turning, the finger pointing, the nodding and the head wobbling.
Recently, 15 students gathered at the NYHRC in the Financial District to take Mallozzi’s class. “Pretend you’re at a Bollywood set and we’re dancing in a Bollywood movie,” she tells her students, and 30 seconds into her workout they look like they are “Balle Balle!” students scream happily, wobbling their heads and twisting their wrists upward as if screwing in a lightbulb. Gathering the class together closely, instructors tell them to imagine themselves in a Bollywood movie, dressed up in beautiful saris with colorful scarves in their hands. The class is told to imagine a group of men in front of them whose attention they are trying to get. They are told to play coy but give them attitude through the dance.

“Throughout the workout, from the warm-up to the cool-down, there is infusion of the culture and I think the students like and appreciate that. They can have fun, learn about a culture and get in a sweat all at the same time,” said Gail Barranda Rivas, a part-time fitness instructor at NYSC. With over 100 instructors nationwide, in New York 10 instructors teach at over 10 different gyms, including Crunch, NYSC, New York Health and Raquet Club, 92nd Y, Vanderbilt Y, Westside Y, Manhattan JCC, Reebok Sports Club and Alvin Ailey studios.

The 45-minute workout, which can burn over 500 calories, is cardio based, but routines incorporate skipping, squats, jumps and turns making it a total body workout, training the upper arms, upper body, abs, legs, gluts and calves. Rivas explained that because the dance is originally a very male dance, it is also very strong in its moves, and that the non-stop cardio and constant movement builds up endurance.

Mallozzi, one of the master instructors, teaches 12 classes a week, and usually has between 20 and 30 people in attendance. She says that the majority are non-Indian, and that she gets nervous when Indians attend because it is their culture, that she, a white woman, is trying to represent, but that she is flattered when they tell her that she is doing a great job. An NYU graduate, she started out as a student of Jain’s in 2005, taking the class for fun, and becoming an instructor when Jain asked her to sub for her for a month.

Abhlshek Gupta, 25, works in risk management, but pops out of the office every other week to take a class. “It’s fun and the best cardio workout,” he said, adding that he hates the treadmill. From near Punjab, Gupta grew up dancing Bhangra, and said that though it has a few minor differences, the class is not only fun but also a great representation of his culture.

Mallozzi said that she sees her classes as family, similar to dancing at an Indian wedding. “It’s a whole experience in this class, it’s not just a workout,” she said, claiming that it is all about having fun and forgetting about working out. “You forget that you’re sweating your brains out and burning calories,” she said.

It is this lighthearted and fun approach to working out that is establishing Masala Bhangra as a workout with endurance.

“Most trends come and go,” Rivas said, “There is no doubt that Bollywood fever is everywhere and the Masala Bhangra workout is benefitting from it but this is a workout that is here to stay. It’s got serious longevity.”

She adds, “You are doing it in a social environment where you are celebrating life through music, movement and culture. You see people smiling while they’re sweating! You don't see that on the treadmill! The workout is addicting and really, if you’re going to workout, why not do it and have fun at the same time?”

Did you hear Tiger changed his name to Cheetah?

2010-04-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

If you’re not an avid golfer, don’t feel like schlepping around your golf case or can’t afford/don’t have access to a real golf course, the Chelsea Piers Golf Course is for you.

Ok, so there’s no bright green, perfectly manicured grass that disappears into the horizon here, but you have Jersey!

The three-story driving range is really a pier facing the glittering Hudson and New Jersey. You’ll feel a bit like a gerbil in your little cubby of a hitting stall but that is quickly forgotten listening to the rhythmic whacks of golf balls around you, the sound of boats rocking in their wharf, the sparkling lights of the Garden State and the quiet breeze off the water.

When you get there you buy a ticket with a certain number of golf balls. You are then assigned a hitting stall, where you insert the ticket and can see how many balls you have left and adjust the tee. The tee is pretty cool, a sort of golf ball dispensing machine that automatically brings up a ball from beneath you as soon as you’ve hit the last one. Very high-tech.

The Golf Club also offers lessons, a golf simulator and events such as date night with an open wine and beer bar and a dark chocolate tasting ($30).

Cost/ Off Peak/ Peak
$25/147/90
$30/186/113
$50/323/197
$100/676/411

Club rental
One club $4, Two clubs $5, etc.

Chelsea Piers Golf Course
Pier 59
 23rd St. & the Hudson River 
212.336.6400

Hours:
April – September: 6:30am - 12:00am
October – March: 6:30am - 11:00pm

A Beer Garden in the Lower East Side--Loreley

2010-04-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

With barely a blade of grass to substantiate its claim of being a beer garden it is still a nice place to enjoy a good German daytime beer to go with your fresh air.

Again, there is no music, no beer wenches in Dirndls and no trees... So its beer garden claim is somewhat debatable. The actual garden is a tiny backyard-ish square surrounded by a mesh fence and covered by a tent-like roof, which unfortunately means that it’s never in the sun.

Long communal wood tables and benches however add to the authenticity of the place. Apparently, a carpenter in Cologne who specializes in beer garden furniture made them.

The selection of 18 imported beers is excellent, and comes in the traditional Weissbier glasses, Masses, or straight from the bottle.

The presentation of the food as well as the quality and menu is extremely authentic. The food menu is vast in its scope and fantastic, offering a wide array of delicious German food—from Bratwurst to Schnitzel to Spätzle. My personal favorites are cheese Spätzle and the Schnitzel sandwich—the latter being so good it almost drove my friend to violence when her boyfriend snuck a bite.

I have a slight prejudice because it’s apparently a Cologne-style beer garden, and the walls are adorned with pictures of Cologne, even though we all know that BAVARIAN is the way to go, but I still give this place my blessing. I can never say no to the opportunity of eating and drinking outside, especially not in New York City and especially not to a place that offers my homeland’s food.

Fun fact: Loreley is named after a legendary siren who apparently sits on a rock over the Rhine river and lures sailors to their death.

Loreley
7 Rivington Street
(212) 253-7077

Hours
Monday-Thursday, noon-midnight
Friday, noon-2am
Saturday, 1pm-2am
Sunday, 1pm-midnight

To beer garden or not to beergarden--The Standard Beer Garden

2010-04-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

I love this place. I really do. However, calling it a beer garden is a big fat lie.

Why it fools the non-German into believing it is a beer garden:
• Delicious delicious German beer on tap.
• The use of Masses and Steins as glasses.
• Indeed outdoors.
• Sizzling Bratwurst fresh off the grill.
• Giant Pretzels! The size god intended them to be.
• German signs everywhere.
• Waiters wearing T-shirts depicting traditional German attire. (Dirndls for women and Lederhosen for men)
• Communal beer tables and benches.
• People can smoke.

Why it does not fool me:
• Mobster-looking bouncers handling a line to get in.
• Women in stilettos.
• Ping Pong tables.
• Only three beers on tap.
• It may be outdoors but it is under the High Line and therefore never actually in the sun and not actually a garden.
• No band.
• No music.
• No one is singing.
• No families or children.
• Waiters wearing T-shirts depicting traditional German attire instead of actual German attire.
• Super-stylish but inauthentic turquoise metal high chairs and tables.
• $16 Pretzels. (Say whaat!?)
• Use of tickets to obtain beer and brats.

That being said, I’m only being picky because I’m from Munich, the home of beer gardens.

The Standard Beer Garden has a chilled atmosphere and with its exposed brick, iron columns and turquoise chairs it's stylish on top of it. When it’s nice out, I love being outside and I love a good German beer —The Standard provides both, so I’m not complaining.

The crowd is well-dressed, maybe a bit uppity. But you’re in the Meatpacking District at a nice hotel, what do you expect?

All in all a great place to hang out with friends and drink during the day without feeling like an alcoholic.

The Standard Beer Garden
848 Washington St at 12th St.
212-645-4646
standardhotels.com
Sun-Wed, 5pm-midnight
Thu-Sat, 5pm-1am

Stop and smell the roses…In Brooklyn.

2010-04-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden offers peace and relaxation and NATURE seldom found in the city. It’s a real breath of fresh air…in Brooklyn.

However, the BBG tends to bewilder the jaded New Yorker’s senses, as these are no longer accustomed to the smell of flowers instead of Gyros and urine, the sight of magnolias and orchids instead of trash and old gum, and the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze instead of sirens and buses.

It offers a multitude of staycations; a trip to Japan, England, Italy, or a tropical jungle depending on where in the Garden you are located, be it the Japanese Hill-and-Pond, the Shakespeare or the Osborne Garden.

A former ash dump turned Botanical Garden in 1910, the BBG is a 52-acre oasis of tranquility nestled just outside the Brooklyn Museum. Showcasing over 11,000 different plants from around the world, its highlights comprise the Rose Gardens, Cherry Esplanade, Daffodil Hill, the Japanese temple in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and the Lily Pool Terrace, to name a few.

Much less crowded than Central Park, the BBG offers ample grassy fields to lay out on, so bring a blanket and a book, sneak in a picnic and take a nap in the sun.

If you’re an aspiring botanist or actually interested in the plants rather than the ambiance, the BBG’s website offers a cool page allowing you to see what’s in bloom and when, and when the best time to go see a certain plant is.

Bring a date, because this place is not only romantic as hell but cheap, and will definitely win you some brownie points.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Hours
March 14–November 5, 2010
* Tuesday–Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
* Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
* Closed Mondays (but open Memorial Day and Columbus Day, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
* Closed Labor Day
November 6, 2010–March 13, 2011
* Tuesday–Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
* Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
* Closed Mondays (but open Martin Luther King Jr. Day and President's Day, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
* Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day

Admission
Adults $8
Seniors (65 and over) $4
Students 12+ with valid IDs $4
Children under 12 Free

By subway
2 or 3 to Eastern Parkway—Brooklyn Museum station
B or Q to Prospect Park station (B doesn’t run on weekends)
4 or 5 to Franklin Avenue

Pravda-Russia circa Cold War

2010-03-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

This subterranean Russian vodka-den immediately transports you to Moscow circa Cold War. Vaulted ceilings with Russian graffiti, metal doors, lamps meant to resemble Russian streetlights, dimmed lighting and red booths give Pravda a romantic yet dangerous vibe. You expect a Russian mobster to appear from behind a column any minute now.

Cocktails are fantastically weird yet delicious. There are over 70 different brands of vodka to choose from, as well as ten house-infused ones with flavors ranging from fig to horseradish, spiced cranberry to dill and cucumber.

The menu is authentically Russian, with smoked salmon blinis, spinach and cheese Pirozhki, but caviar is the name of the game, coming in all shapes and portions. Personally, I recommend the caviar pizza.

With it’s red glow, dimmed lightning and nooks and crannies it’s the perfect place to start an evening of decadence and gluttony.

K SHASTYU!

Recommended cocktails ($13):
BOHEMIAN Vodka, Passion Fruit Puree & Wildberry Juice
LENINADE Citrus Vodka,Lemon Juice & Fresh Mint
SPICED APPLE Apple Vodka, Demerara & Nutmeg
MANGO LASSI Mango Vodka, Yogurt & Mango

Cocktails for the adventurous:
CAVIAR MARTINI Dill & Cucumber with a Spoon of Caviar
VLADIMIR MARTINI Fig Vodka & Russian Tea Syrup
THE GOGOL Horseradish Vodka & Pickled Quail Egg
MOSCOW MULE Ginger Vodka, Ginger Beer & Lime Juice

281 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 226-4696
www.pravdany.com

Blink and you'll miss Café Kinski

2010-03-24T17:47:00.001-07:00

Though only the name and a lone Austrian art poster suggest its Austrian heritage to the passerby, Café Kinski’s menu is convincing in its authenticity.

Choose among various Knödel (dumplings) both sweet and savory, or try their delicious Kaiserschmarrn, a type of pancake, that even Vienna-native Jakob Charim, 27, called “really authentic.”

The place has got unique style, however. The inside has large plywood screwed into the walls, surrounding one communal table in the center of the bedroom-sized café. Mismatched chairs range from battered metal chair to squeaky wooden office chair, giving the rather aesthetically bare place a sort of bohemian and purposefully accidental coolness.

Ignore the confused non-Austrian waiter and the Asian chef and discover the delicious Frittatensuppe (pancake-strip soup) or an Einspänner coffee, brewed from Austria’s favorite Meinl brand.

128 Rivington Street
Hours:
Closed Mondays
Tuesday-Friday, 8am-10pm
Saturday and Sunday 11am-10pm

A real urban jungle

2010-03-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

Though I cannot say what country this staycation is taking you to, I can say that it takes you to a quieter, more relaxed and more scenic place than the couch you just crawled off of.

Spanning 1.45 miles, unexpected calm awaits you thirty feet above the ground.

The High Line is an incredibly cool walk to do on a sunny day. A park built on elevated former railroad tracks between 10th and 11th Avenues, the High Line runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 34th Street. (Although currently it is only open up to 20th Street.)

Only 60 feet wide, the High Line is a strip of unexpected nature, a belt of peace, a ribbon-shaped refuge that cuts through the noise and stress of New York.

With its industrial feel, curved lines, steel structures, parts made of glass, exposed concrete paths, wood benches and elegant chaise longues, the High Line has something inherently artsy and designer-y about it. It has embraced the fine line between industrial aesthetics and clean elegance.

Sundecks lined with deck chairs facing the sparkling Hudson are ideal for tanning or watching a sunset. Drawing up to 25,000 visitors a day the High Line can be reminiscent of a packed beach, as dozens of people lie next to each other like sardines, faces turned towards the sun.

The flora remains wild and prairie-like as a nod to its natural roots (pun intended) as a self-seeded landscape. Steel-framed planting beds are filled with sage, switchgrass and ironweed, but patches of wild grass spring through deliberate cracks in the concrete paths, giving it a wild and natural look.

The use of the High Line as a freight railroad was discontinued in 1980. After this, it became known as a decrepit place where shrubs and trees sprung up wildly. In 1999 the non-profit Friends of the High Line was formed to re-develop it into a park, and in 2004 the city provided $50 million in funding. Some famous supporters are designer Diane von Fürstenberg, hotel developer Andre Balazs, and actor Edward Norton.

The High Line opened to the public on June 9, 2009, though the middle section is still being refurbished and the northernmost blocks (20-34) are not open yet.

Hours
Daily 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Last entrance to the park is at 7:45 PM.

Access
Gansevoort Street
14th Street (elevator access)
16th Street (elevator access)
18th Street
20th Street

www.thehighline.org

Manhattan's only Tiki bar- The many hats of Otto’s Shrunken Head

2010-02-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

A Q&A with co-owner, Nell Mellon

Manhattan does not feel like an island, and it’s tough to imagine yourself somewhere tropical when sirens are blaring, cars are honking and buses are roaring by.

Otto’s Shrunken Head makes a tropical getaway possible, without leaving this island.

The only Tiki bar in Manhattan is half Hawaii, half rock ‘n’ roll, and kind of looks like a voodoo priestesses’ shack. Shrunken heads, mugs and other knickknacks are everywhere. Glittery skulls hang from the ceiling, next to a skeleton on a surfboard, a gold swordfish, and multi-colored blowfish lamps. Palm tree wallpaper, the bamboo bar with a grass skirt fringe and colorful Christmas lights complete the illusion of being at a beach party. However, retro wallpaper with half-clad women, red leather booths, tiger print stools and the red and yellow checked floor give it an edgier more rock ‘n’ roll-y vibe.

Drinks are absolutely potent, and well worth the $10 dollars as you will not need a second one. Served in ceramic Tiki mugs varying in shape from skull to parrot to shrunken head, with umbrellas, plastic monkeys and other decorations making it almost difficult to drink, the cocktails are a work of art. The names are as fun as the decorations, since you can order Suffering Bastards, Shrunken Skirts, Otto’s Orgasms or Patty’s Poison, to name a few.

Otto’s Shrunken Head is unpredictable—you never know what you will get. One night you can be head-banging with a leather clad, eyeliner wearing crowd, the next you’ll be sipping a Zombie swaying to some Reggae. Live bands perform almost every night, ranging from rock to country.

One of the owners, Pittsburgh native Nell Mellon, 38, almost cliché-edly epitomizes the “vivacious redhead,” with her big curly red hair and gregarious personality. She even has a drink named after her—the Naughty Nell, a berry, grape, and citrus vodka blend created by Otto’s “very own intoxicating Nell.”

“Hey Charlie! Budweiser?” she asks an incoming patron, demonstrating her familiarity with her customers. It is 4 pm on a Friday and Nell is watching CSI with two wine-sipping ladies, telling them about her recent solo trip to Thailand and exchanging stories.

Taking a break from chatting with her customers, Nell explains the essence of the Tiki bar.

So what’s your job description, how many hours do you work?
Owner, manager, bartender, booker. I have a lot of hats. It varies week to week. I mean I have a set bartending schedule where I bartend 3 nights a week. But it’s different depending how many emails come in, how many parties I’m coordinating, running, getting stuff for the bar…

How often do bands play?
We have one or two bands almost every night.

Why a Tiki bar, why New York?
My partners and I realized that there used to be a lot of Tiki bars in New York, a lot of them are gone, and it seemed like something fun to do. Like, two of my partners used to have a studio, a recording studio for bands, so they had a lot of contacts with bands, they thought it’d be nice to have a venue for bands as well as vintage Tiki. And I really love vintage stuff. So it’s kind of not your traditional Tiki bar, it’s definitely an updated version.

It’s more rock and roll.
Right, it’s more of a rock and roll Tiki bar. Yeah, like the blowfish lights are kind of traditional, but the vintage material on the walls I’d say is a little more retro. It’s a retro look, not what a real Tiki bar would have… It’s our version of a Tiki bar.

How many Tiki bars are there in New York?
Right now there’s just us and, um… Actually, there’s just us... There used to be a bar called Waikiki Wally’s on First and First but they closed. They opened around the same time that we did, but they closed a few months ago and they’re doing something else now. There’s a Tiki bar in Brooklyn called the Zombie Hut and then I heard rumors that there’s supposed to be one opening somewhere on Lafayette. But it’s supposed to be an upscale Tiki bar but I don’t know the details, I just heard the rumors.

So you’re pretty much the only Tiki bar in Manhattan.
For right now, yeah, but I’m thinking a few months there will probably be another one.

How do you convey the Tiki atmosphere, the Tiki lifestyle?
It’s just fun, I mean, people call a lot for birthday parties and stuff because it’s an automatic theme, like, they don’t have to think of one. They don’t have to be like ‘ooh we’re gonna do a party and it’s gonna have a theme,’ like a New Orleans Theme or, I dunno, whatever theme people come up with, they don’t need to, they come here and it’s like, the decorations are already here. You know, it makes it easy for them, maybe just get some leis and stuff. We definitely encourage people who have parties to bring leis, or get traditional, like, Tiki pupu platters and what not. We try to make it fun.

Like, Tiki bars when they started it was when the GI’s came back from war, from having been stationed down in the south seas and it was really exotic, and it was kind of escapism for them, you know, they just came back from war, they don’t want to face reality, so escapism was these great cocktails in these big fancy ceramic mugs with silly straws and umbrellas and little plastic monkeys hanging off the side, and it was fun and silly, and a good way to escape the realities of what they were going through.

And I think for New Yorkers it’s nice to have that. You’re stressing all the time—your train is late, you’re getting to work late, you have to work extra hours, you know, you’re always fighting in a way, you’re always on guard. And it’s nice to be able to walk of the street and be somewhere where it’s like, okay, we’re on vacation.
You know you feel like you’re somewhere warm even when you’re not. You know, ironically, on the really cold days of winter we sell just as many frozen drinks as we do in the summer. Because it’s like, once people are here they forget that there is snow outside.

You just described the essence of my blog.
Yeah, it’s good to have little refuges from every day life, from what’s going on. And there are other bars, restaurants, places like that in the city that you can go to too, I don’t think we’re the only place, but I do think that we’re one of the many flavors of New York. Like, even if you don’t have the money to go somewhere, you’re writing a blog on staycations and it’s great because New York is one of the few cities where you can live, and I’ve lived here for over ten years and I am still finding new places, you know. You’ll never find everything, because there is so much to see and do, there is just always so much happening, new bars are opening, new restaurants, especially with the bar here it’s great, because we have so many different promoters. So some nights we have a surf rock night, other nights it’s a Japanese rock-a-billy, there’s comedy shows, so there are all these different people bringing their ideas into the bar, which is great because it’s always changing. Sometimes we have country music, sometimes we have reggae bands, like, it just depends on the promoters.

For me the bar is kind of like a living, breathing thing. It’s not just the same thing every night, its not just a rock and roll Tiki bar, because they type of music and the people coming in and out varies. Some nights I’ll have all twenty-somethings and its great because they have this great way of looking at things, and this different energy and then other times the crowd is forty and up. Every night is different. It’s a good thing but in some ways its hard because people like are like ‘well I don’t understand, like, what kind of bar is this? One night I was here and all these people were wearing black clothing and the next time everyone was wearing crazy colors and hair was all over the place.’

I can attest to that. I come here a lot and one night I brought this slightly conservative friend and it was heavy metal night or something. He couldn’t get out fast enough. Do you have any anecdotes or crazy stories?
I don’t know, I probably should have some good and funny stories. I don’t know, I guess it comes down to the fact that there is such a diversity of people that come in here so every time you come in you have a wild mix of people at the bar, and that in and of itself is kind of crazy. Like I have construction guys that work around the area so on their way home from work they’ll stop buy for a drink, so I might have a couple guys at the bar wearing hard hats, then I have some people who are retired, aren’t working, are working and on their way home, tourists from Germany that are really excited about Tiki and are wearing Hawaiian shirts and want to try everything on the menu. It’s just so crazy, the mix of people. So that kind of makes it interesting.

538 E 14th St. btwn Ave. A & Ave. B
(212) 228-2240
http://www.ottosshrunkenhead.com

Europe of yore in Manhattan

2010-02-20T19:10:00.000-08:00

“Where the hell am I?” will most likely be your first question when emerging from the A train on 190th, as you peer into hills and valleys, and take in the scenic view of the Hudson. Toto, we’re not in Manhattan anymore… (But you really are!)

Birds are chirping, a breeze rustles through the trees, there’s not a siren to be heard. It’s a whole ‘nother world out there.

The Cloisters themselves are even more of a mirage of being somewhere else. All of a sudden you find yourself not only transported to Europe, but to the Middle Ages. And this without ever leaving the island.

The Cloisters is a branch of the Met dedicated to the art and architecture of the European Middle Ages. All the way up in Washington Heights it’s far away enough to make it serene and somewhat secret, but close enough to be worth the trip.

The collection of medieval European artifacts contains about five thousand medieval works of art from between the 12th and 15th centuries.

If stained glass windows, tapestries and manuscripts aren’t your cup of tea though, don’t be deceived—the trip up there is worth it alone for wandering through the gardens, Fort Tryon Park in which it is located, and the view of the Hudson. You are literally transported to the Europe of yore.

The most interesting thing about the Cloisters is the building, which in itself is a medieval piece of art. Like a European castle, it majestically sits on a hill overlooking the river. It is a composite structure, built in Fort Tryon Park between 1934 and 1938, assembled from pieces of five medieval French cloisters: Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Bonnefont-en-Comminges, Trie-en-Bigorre, and Froville. The gardens planted around it were planted according to horticultural information gathered from various medieval documents and artifacts.

Real cloisters provided sheltered access from one building to another, and here the same thing is done but from gallery to gallery. Benches provide a relaxing and comfortable place to relax and enjoy the silence and the views. Hugh Jackman and his family certainly enjoyed it today. (No, really, he was there.)

Fun fact: John D. Rockefeller donated most of the collection, as well as over 60 acres of riverfront land on which the Cloisters sit. Rockefeller also donated an additional several hundred acres across the Hudson in New Jersey in to ensure that the Cloisters views remained intact.

How to get there:
Take M4 bus to the last stop (Fort Tryon Park–The Cloisters) or
the A train to 190th Street.

Admissions:
The admission is sneaky. They recommend various prices but really you can pay whatever you want.

Hours:
Tuesday–Sunday:
9:30 a.m.–4:45 p.m. (November–February)
9:30 a.m.–5:15 p.m. (March–October)
Closed Mondays, January 1, Thanksgiving Day, December 25

No shrimp on this barbie

2010-02-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

Forget putting some shrimp on the Barbie, the Tuck Shop offers some real Australian grub. What is Australian food you ask? Valid question. Well it’s not all kangaroo burgers and Bloomin’ Onions from Outback Steakhouse—the food of choice Down Under is pie. Beef pies, lamb pies, chook (chicken) pies, Guinness and steak pies, you name it. Delicious ground meat in a flaky pastry shell, about the size of a hand—which is the suggested utensil for eating pies. Equally popular are the sausage rolls, a tube shaped pastry crust filled with pork sausage meat, and the veggie rolls. For dessert try a Lamington, a slice of sponge cake layered with jam, coated in chocolate, and dusted with coconut.

Apart from the staples, the Tuck Shop also sells flat whites (coffee), Coopers (beer), Vegemite (yeasty spread), Shapes (crackers) and Tim Tams (delicious cookies)—all Australian favorites that line the Tuck Shop’s walls.

In case you’ve forgotten where you are, images of kangaroos, a big green surfboard, a map of Australia, cricket bats, a trashcan labeled the “spew bucket” and Australian license plates further the Australian atmosphere.

“It is pretty authentic. The pies are great, the sausage rolls are great. I love their sausage rolls,” Chris Buckley, a Brisbane native, said, adding that he sometimes misses the food he was raised on. “But the curry chicken is no good,” he adds, shaking his head, claiming that, that doesn’t exist in Australia. He also shakes his head at the prices—$5 per pie, but says he tolerates it because it’s New York City.

Sitting on a barstool at the counter, sipping a Coopers Sparkling Ale Buckley said that he discovered the Tuck Shop over the summer of 2008, and comes every few months, but “not nearly enough.”

“Pies are Australian soul food,” Deven Marriner, from Melbourne, said. Marriner, who has worked at the Tuck Shop for eight months, estimates that between 30% and 40% of customers are Aussies. He thinks that the Tuck Shop is pretty authentic, and though some clients are homesick Australians, people usually come for the Tuck Shop’s novelty. Though he says that the beef pie is the biggest seller he laments the inauthentic Mac and Cheese and pulled pork pies.

The only thing transporting you back to New York City from your fantasies of beaches and hot Australian surfer dudes is getting asked for ID when ordering beer.

Crikey, I guess I’m in New York after all.

68 East 1st Street, btwn 1st Ave. and 2nd Ave.
and
115 St. Mark's Place, btwn 1st Ave. and Ave. A
(212) 979-5200
www.tuckshopnyc.com

Rajs and Tajs- A block of India

2010-02-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

Krishnas, Brahmas, Buddhas and Vishnus line the road. Colorful lights twinkle in every window. Indian waiters try to hustle you into their restaurants, advertising their menus. The sound of sitar music fills the air, which is heavy with the smell of cumin and curry.

Yep, this is still New York City. Welcome to Indian Restaurant Row on 6th street between First and Second Avenue.

With around 12 Indian restaurants on one block, it feels like a trip to India. It’s easy to get confused between restaurants named Raj Mahal and Taj Mahal and Taj and so on, and a running joke in New York is that the restaurants all share one kitchen in the back, in which case I guess the joke is on us.

The décor is visually stimulating—and that’s an understatement. Murals, mirrors, trinkets and pictures of the Taj Mahal cover the walls. Many of the restaurants are cave-like at a height of 7 feet, and are covered in blinking Christmas lights. Often, white-bearded, ancient-looking and traditionally dressed men play sitar as they sit crosslegged in the windows.

With over 12 restaurants that claim various Indian heritages and cuisines (North, South, curry only, vegetarian, who knows) the options and varieties of food are almost endless. Which is almost a problem—with so many similar restaurants in such close proximity to one another one gets the urge to try them all, if only out of fear to have missed out on a better deal or a better meal.
Sixth Street seems as authentically Indian as it comes…For Americanized Indian food that is.

If you’ve got a hankering for some Indian fare, click here for a list of some of the 6th street restaurants.

A Little Britain in New York City

2010-02-01T08:10:00.002-08:00

If your spinster aunt was British, this is probably what her apartment would look like. Tea and Sympathy’s tiny room that seats only 23 people is covered in knickknacks—plates, porcelain figures, and teapots, so many teapots. Dozens of them in all shapes, colors and sizes adorn the walls. Some of them are shaped like houses, or faces or policemen; others are covered in floral patterns and butterflies. Further, there are teapot-shaped salt-and-pepper shakers, a teapot lamp and a teapot clock. Crookedly framed pictures of the Queen, Lady Di and other members of the Royal Family both past and present cover most of the walls not covered in teapots, giving Tea and Sympathy even more of a cozy vibe. Floral tablecloths, creaky wooden floors and heavy wooden furniture complete the British-spinster-aunt look.

When one of the authentically British waitresses comes to take your order it’s the final straw—you could swear you just apparated into London, Harry Potter style. This sentiment is strengthened by most of the neighboring tables being occupied by Brits.

Waitress Ciara Collins-Atkins, from Gloucester, England, estimates that around 40% of Tea and Sympathy’s clientele is from the motherland. “Lots of homesick English,” she says, adding that many of them crave their country’s comfort foods, such as beans on toast, which is on the menu along with staples such as treacle tart, crumpets, custard, Shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash. Nicky Perry, the founder of Tea and Sympathy, has said that she was sick of the negative connotations of British food in America and set out to change that when she opened the café 20 years ago.

As the name suggests, tea is the main attraction, as there are over 40 different flavors to choose from. Once it is served in its own little teapot, with elegant china, you cannot help but feel dainty and try to resist the urge to stick your little pinky out.

When your English experience is coming to an end you can head over next door and buy a souvenir from your travels. Tea, British groceries and chocolates, and, you guessed it, teapots, are available for purchase among other things.

Cheerio!

108Greenwich Avenue
btwn 12th & 13th Street

Opening times:
Mon - Fri from 11.30am - 10.30pm
Sat - Sun from 9.30am - 10.30pm
www.teaandsympathynewyork.com

Carnival—bringing Coney Island to the city.

2010-02-01T08:10:00.001-08:00

Coney Island is a place of good, ol’ fashioned fun. A nostalgic site for the simple pleasures in life—the beach, rides, games and corn dogs. For those who miss the fun that Coney Island offers during the dreary winter months during which it is closed can rejoice, as the Carnival Club at Union Square brings Coney Island to Manhattan.

Though the Carnival Club saves you the long subway ride through Brooklyn, you do have to walk up 5 flights of stairs in your party attire. But this minor obstacle is quickly forgotten once you walk through a hallway of funhouse mirrors, see the giant clown face inside which the dance floor is located, the brightly colored vaulted circus tent ceiling, the lights, the colors, the games and 50s Betty Page porn on the big screens.

Minus the rides, no details are spared from your favorite childhood carnival memories.

Carnival is the perfect fusion of the Coney Island of yore and modern Manhattan, as it perfectly combines the traditional dunk tank, games such as knock-the-bottles and ring toss, stuffed animals, women on stilts, contortionists, hot dogs, and caramel apples with more contemporary alcoholic snow cones, cotton candy cocktails, go-go dancers and dancing music.

Carnival is as cheesy as you expect it to be, but it wholly embraces its cheesiness, making it a super cool place to go out, and one of the most unique clubs in the city.

Carnival
110 University Place btwn 12th & 13th St
(212) 255-8188
www.carnivalnyc.com

How to unleash your inner Bavarian!

2010-01-31T09:27:00.000-08:00

I’ve seen the faces, jaw slightly ajar, eyes wide, incredulous, filled with envy. The stuttered, “Th-th-the country of beer, sausages, and autobahns?”

Yes. Yes, that’s Germany, that’s my home, that’s where I’m from. Land of good beer, better food, and fast cars.
But now you can be German too. Bavarian specifically. Or at least you can pretend to be. Here are some easy and, in typically German fashion, efficient steps to unleash your inner Bavarian.

1) Assume a new alter ego, such as Hans or Heidi.

2) Put on your Dirndl if you’re a woman, or your Lederhosen if you’re a guy.

3) Play the song “Viva Bavaria” on repeat. If you can’t find it, the German national anthem will do.

4) Crack open a nice cold bottle of German beer, preferably Bavarian, with a hard to pronounce name such as Löwenbräu, Radlberger, or Augustiner.

5) Do not attempt to read the label, as you will blow your non-German cover.

6) Pour it into a tall, pre-chilled glass. I repeat, a glass, not a red plastic cup. Hold the glass at a 45° angle as you pour the beer, in order to minimize foam. Though a small crown should remain, the less foam in your glass, the closer you are to seeming German.

7) If you happen to be drinking Weissbier, a German favorite, leave one cm, not inch, of beer in the bottle, while rubbing the bottle between your hands as if to warm them. Then pour the rest into the glass, thereby maximizing the beer output and the yeasty residue, a delicacy in the world of beer.

8) Drink.

9) Start making loud noises of pleasure and satisfaction.

10) Immediately start complaining about American beer. Throw in the words piss and water, and start boasting how you could drink any American under the table.

11) Use this opportunity to talk about your superior and refined German palate.

12) Complain about the movie Beerfest, and how it does not at all resemble the truth. Explain that the real Oktoberfest is better.

13) Drop some insider knowledge; explain that Oktoberfest actually starts in September.

14) Crack open beer number two and repeat steps four through nine.

15) Complain about David Hasselhoff and explain that he is not, in fact, German, and we do not, in fact, like him. He is an embarrassment to the German name.

16) Make Schnitzel. Take some thinly sliced Veal, dip it into flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. These can be store bought. Crumble in some cornflakes for a tasty twist. Then fry at medium heat in a saucepan with butter, until golden brown on the outside, and fully cooked on the inside. Do not try to cheat by cooking on high, as you will only burn the outside while the inside remains raw. Yes, efficiency is German, but failure is not.

17) Crack open beer number three. Or six, depending on the extent that you have assimilated into German culture. Repeat steps four through nine.

18) Pass out slurring “Viva Bavaria,” and waving a fork of Sauerkraut.

Congratulations, you can now pass as Bavarian.

Auf Wiedersehen.

Baby, it’s cold outside.

2010-01-27T15:54:00.001-08:00

You are utterly relaxed... Lying comfortably, your eyes shut, your skin tingling happily as it basks in the warmth. A breeze tickles your feet, while your nostrils curl slightly as the delicious smell of coconut oil wafts by…

Sound good? Well, this fantasy is closer and cheaper than you think.

Yep, I’m talking about the tanning salon. Don’t act shocked, I know it’s not healthy and makes people look like tangerines but I’m not telling you to go for 30 minutes 5 times a week. I’m thinking 10 minutes every month or so. Also, if you use those delicious smelling lotions you won’t burn.

Admit it, you miss the sun, you recoil every time you look at your translucent skin and you are beginning to suspect that you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Then off to the tanning salon you go. There is no better, faster and cheaper way to tank some Vitamin D, which is scientifically proven to strengthen bones and prevent diseases like osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and many forms of cancer. Further, it is believed that sunlight and simulated sunlight are a successful treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder, and can also reduce symptoms of PMS.

Those benefits aside, it’ll give you some much needed holiday feelings, and your newly golden skin is likely to boost your confidence.

Get your tan on at these locations:

Beach Bum 14th Street
25 West 14th St
+1 (212) 645-8261
beachbum14st.com

Beach Bum 23rd Street
132 East 23rd St
+1 (212) 254-0280
beachbum23st.com

Beach Bum 72nd Street
50 West 72nd St
+1 (212) 721-0335
beachbum72st.com

Beach Bum 86th Street
1276 Lexington Ave
+1 (212) 996-8261
beachbum86st.com

Beach Bum 96th Street
2551 Broadway
+1 (212) 666-4241
beachbum96st.com

Beach Bum Chelsea
239 Seventh Ave
+1 (212) 706-1666
beachbumchelsea.com

Sometimes you just need a staycation

2010-01-24T11:42:00.001-08:00

Yes, “Empire State of Mind” is a great song, and though we’re all kind of sick of it by now, the lines “New York/concrete jungle where dreams are made of/there’s nothing you can’t do” ring true.

New York City is the city of dreams, the city of opportunities. A vibrant and electric city where there are a million things to do and see, and, to use a cliché, it’s the city that never sleeps.

But sometimes, when a bus roars by making a phone call impossible, or an ambulance flies past, siren shrilling at an almost unbearable volume, and you are pushing your way through throngs of people, elbows out, dodging strollers and dogs, it can be an overwhelming city. A city where the 9-5 job is scoffed at, because here, the 9-8 job reigns. A city that is grey and hard and can exhaust you with its incessant energy and 24/7 lifestyle and has a tendency to make people feel claustrophobic on bad days. A city that as much as you love it sometimes gives you an intense desire to scream and simply get away.

…And that is when you need a staycation.

Need to get out of the city but don’t have the time or money? Not to worry, that’s what this blog is for. When New York gets too much to handle, check this blog to find places to go and things to do that’ll make you feel like you are on vacation… Without breaking the bank.