La Bonne Soupe is a midtown eatery that’s high on quality and low on attitude – refreshing from the neighboring Michael’s, where it’s all about table location, location, location. For nearly three decades, La Bonne Soupe has been serving up French bistro fare that’s wallet-friendly and convenient for the theater-going crowd. And for this New Yorker who gets vertigo when traveling above 14th Street, the restaurant is an institution – perfect for first dates, negotiating deals, and catching up with old friends – worthy of the subway ride and the crowded Fifth Avenue thoroughfare.

The vibrant main dining room is cozy and warm with its red-checkered tablecloths, framed vintage French cinema posters, neighborly banquettes, charming French waitresses – and their signature onion soup, well, I’ve been to Paris and La Bonne Soupe does compare. For $15.95, dine all the pre-fix, which includes their dinner soup selection, a glass of house wine, a fresh baguette, salad (with a dressing you will want to rob right off the table) and ribbon-whipped chocolate mousse. From the Croque Monsieur with its rich béchamel, to the buttery Filet Au Poivre simmering in a fragrant cognac sauce to the Fondue au Fromage which might very well inspire ecstasy cries, or pleas for seconds – you simply won’t be disappointed.

With prompt, friendly service, downtown prices in a theater location and tender chicken sautéed in a light white wine and butter sauce (did I mention the mousse?), La Bonne Soupe offers a little bit of Paris in the heart of New York City.

La Bonne Soupe
48 West 55th Street
between 5th and 6th avenues
New York, NY 10019
212.586.7650

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Not quite ready for the trendy Chelsea nightclubs, plush velvet ropes and snarly bouncers on Ninth Avenue or you’re tired from hauling Loehman’s and Williams & Sonoma bags down Seventh? Relief is here in the form of tasty three-finger sandwiches, a resident sommelier, and a vast collection of award-winning and downright delicious wines.

From the owners: “Bar Veloce opened its doors in March, 2000 in Manhattan’s East Village. Fusing an Italian-style paninoteca (panini bar) with a modern wine bar, its goal was to deliver exciting, reasonably priced Italian wine and food to discerning New Yorkers.” Since the March opening, the owners have branched out to key downtown neighborhoods. Combining a sleek modern interiors (Dutch chairs) and soft track lighting with smooth sounds and the buzz of the after-work crowd, this Chelsea gem is not only stylish, but affordable.

The wine list is selected with great care (I found the rich, cherry & bark Nebbiolo superior) and the bartender is an expert at fine pairings. Flavorful bruscetta (the olive tapenade and parmesan cheese topped with a slice of red vine tomato is divine!), light, savory panini and a selection of rich desserts (the nutella panini will make you howl with pleasure) make Bar Veloce a haven for sampling great fare, sipping wine and enjoying conversation with your best friend or after-work mates.

Bar Veloce
176 7th Avenue
between 20th and 21st Sts. (Chelsea)
Subway: 1 to 18th Street

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There is no shame in dragging your friends fifty two blocks, past the industrial clothing factories dotting Orchard Street where bearded men hock paisley dresses and orthopedic shoes circa 1969, all for the minor miracle of huddling in a tiny shoppe – just to get a taste. Yes, my obsession with il laboratorio del gelato, is very much like crack. Quite honestly, look to your right and let me know if you can possibly resist the creamiest gelato in New York City.

Dedicated to producing the very finest ice cream and sorbet, il laboratorio del gelato opened in August 2002 on Orchard Street in Lower Manhattan. With a list of almost 100 vibrant and affordable flavors which includes chocolate kahlua, lemon verbena, fuji apple, dinosaur plum…the options are dizzying and endless. This hip looking slip of a store offers an expansive window into an open kitchen, where their frozen desserts are hand-made in small batches, and many of the ingredients are locally supplied or organic.

With gelato this divine, you want to stop and sample all the flavors. On today’s trek, we savored toasted almond, blueberry and basil and yes, we are going back!

Prices: $2.75 a small cup (two scoops), $3.25 for a medium, and $3.75 for a large. Pints are $4.75, and $4.50 for two, or more pints. $2-5 for cappuccino, and other assorted drinks, such as affogato (espresso poured over a scoop of gelato.)

il laboratorio del gelato
95 Orchard St., New York, NY 10002
between Broome and Delancey Sts.
212-343-9922
Subway: F/V to Delancey

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After spending a luxurious two weeks in Paris sampling mousse and berry tarts, coming home to a sultry New York summer replete with hour-long lines at Starbucks and crowded thoroughfares, I was desperate for a little bit of Paris in Soho. Meet Ceci-Cela: a charming, cozy (cozy in New York speak = claustrophobic) cafe that evokes nostalgia for the crowded patisseries of Paris. Maybe it’s the glass cases of impossibly delicious pastries baked by chef Laurent Dupal who was trained at the prestigious Compagnons du Devoir du Tour de France or the loaves of warm bread smothered in strawberry preserves, but this shop is the eminent destination for sweet-hounds and gourmet coffee lovers, tired of the morning coffee carts lining the streets.

Owned by two former French pastry chefs who met while working at a Club Med, Ceci-Cela boasts a loyal following of downtown hipsters, expats and anyone seeking a cafe au lait and a flaky croissant (much better than the over-hyped Balthazar down the street). Although the service is a touch on the slow side, the savory fare is well worth it.

Duck into the woody back room with your Sunday Times and treat yourself to petit fours, a hearty sandwich and quiet in a notoriously rowdy neighborhood.

Ceci-Cela
55 Spring St
New York, 10012
(212) 274-9179
Subway: 6 to Spring Street

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Hankering for walnut brownies, overstuffed ciabatta sandwiches, homemade granola, piping-hot peanut butter cookies without all the yuppified Park Slope attitude? My home base for long conversations and tasty fare has been Naidre’s, a sweet cafe that escapes the stroller-mom madness of bustling Park Slope.

Inside resembles your breakfast nook replete with cookie jars, coffee pots, handwritten signs and the latest issues of Seed, Business Week, Entrepreneur, O and Time Out New York, spread out amongst the tables. Service is quick and incredibly friendly and you can tell a little bit of love goes into everything they make. From fresh tuna melts on multi-grain bread to the cinnamon raisin organic home-made oatmeal that sells out in a flash, to a bevy of healthy and decadent sandwiches, the options are bountiful and the vibe decidedly laid-back.

If the sumptuous selection of baked goods (some vegan, sugar and gluten-free but all are divine) don’t lure you back, check out their no cell phone policy – imagine a quiet lunch without someone barking into their phone. There is no table turn policy here and I’ve spent afternoon hours munching on energy cookies (think granola, cranberries and all the healthy bits rolled into a fortifying treat) and sipping on raspberry ice-teas. The coffee is always strong and fresh, and tea selections delightful (black current, mango, english breakfast, and a variety of green teas).

So head in with the breakfast crowd for fresh food on the go or kick back in the later hours at this Park Slope down-home cafe.

Two Locations:
Park Slope
384 7th Avenue
(Between 11th & 12th Streets)
Brooklyn 11215
TEL 718-965-7585
EMAIL naidre@naidres.com
Subway: F to Seventh Avenue

Carroll Gardens
502 Henry Street
(corner of Sackett)
Brooklyn, NY 11231
TEL 718-596-3400
EMAIL naidre@naidres.com

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I stumbled on to Pala by sheer accident. It was a late Saturday night and Allen was buzzing with outdoor conversations, bottles of wine being uncorked and cabs screeching to a collective halt. My girlfriend and I were famished and headed into the open-air restaurant to grab a slice on the run.

We certainly didn’t expect to fall madly in love. Although Pala was packed the gills, one never felt claustrophobic as the structure is much like a garage, with fresh air, open space and tables flowing out to the sidewalk. Each table is adorned with sprigs of fresh oregano (for pizza topping) and the menu is bountiful (40 Italian wines, over a dozen unique pizzas). We started off with the spinach salad – which was to die for – a plate filled with organic greens, fresh blue cheese and browned walnuts. Next up was the zucca pizza (pumpkin and top-notch pancetta) for me and the spicy cherry tomatoes and chunks of fresh mozzarella for my friend. The menu was filled with delish antipasti, salads and pizzas – so decision making was trying.

Be prepared the pizzas are HUGE! For $8, you get a foot-long, thin crust pizza that can easily feed two. With attentive service, remarkable and green conscious food (organic dough and ingredients), Pala boasts a chic, comfortable vibe and good with great flavor.

Tip: Akin to Rome, pizza is served by the foot (a steal at $8) and easily feeds two. If you’re in a hurry, you can order up pre-made slices at the counter. Also, CASH ONLY.

Pala
198 Allen St
New York, NY 10002
(212) 614-7252
Between Houston Street and Stanton Street
Subway: F, V at 2 Ave

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Owners Peggy & Debbie, former theater actors who ran in the corporate circuit and former employees of the famed Magnolia bakery, took their love of baking and launched a full-scale operation in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Armed with dusty Betty Crocker cookbooks, quite simply, the two best friends wanted to open a cozy, comfortable shop brimming with velvet and decorative treats. Your home – only with a pantry of cupcakes. In 2002, Sugar Sweet Sunshine was born.

SSS is a kitch place with a low-key vibe. The decor borrows from the 60′s & 70′s with pea-green chairs, tv dinner tables and other accessories of the playful era. But the cupcakes are a pure delight. Pistachio nut, pumpkin, and rich velvet pipped with either chocolate or vanilla icing, I guarantee you will enter giddy and leave with a dizzing sugar-high. And with haute bakeries hocking tiny, bland cupcakes priced upwards of $3-$4, these darling and creatively made treats at SSS are a worthwhile steal at $1.50

Sugar Sweet Sunshine
126 Rivington Street
NY, NY 10002
212.995.1960
Subway: F/V to Delancey

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Dying to get the celebrity spa treatment without the haute spa attitude? Tired of being shamed if your feet and bikini line are not up to snuff? Itching to be beautiful without harming our world and ourselves? Well, the environmentally-minded girl on the run can take a long, sweet pause at priti, an organic, non-toxic spa.

I try to avoid spas as much as humanely possible. From getting a hard-sale twenty-minute product pitch while flutes whistle in the background of my allegedly relaxing facial, to snickers at my non-perfectly coifed bikini line, to being herded between treatments like cattle, New York City spa visits have become akin to expensive Chinese torture. Until I discovered priti – a snug haven in the midst of the heavily trafficked, hip East Village. Owner and former fashion model/fashion photographer Kim D’Amato’s vision is simple: to support purveyors of organic products and to reduce chemically produced products, which are harmful to the environment, not to mention ourselves.

My kind of woman, and my kind of spa.

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A favorite among Cooper Union and NYU students, Chickpea, a new falafel joint in the epicenter of the East Village, is perfect for the budget-minded gal who has a hankering for savory shawarma (roasted marinated lamb, chicken or turkey fillets). Although the food is served in a rapid-flash style, there is nothing “fast food” about the chewy homemade pita, the outrageous falafel, the deliciously seasoned red onion and the shawarma – juicy and roasting on a revolving spit.

For $3.50, score a sandwich overstuffed with fresh food that’s high on flavor. And the scene is certainly not greasy or low-budget – copper counters, Moroccan starlight fixtures, even a lounge! – Chickpea is the perfect moniker for this tasty wallet-conscious spot.

Chickpea
23 3rd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
212.254.9500
Subway: 6 to Astor Place

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Ladies, I confess – I am addicted to chic, well-tailored clothing. Cigarette pants, a car coat, and daring red ballet flats? I’m seduced. For over twenty-five years, Agnes B, a French designer who must be channeling Audrey Hepburn as a muse for her elegant but not conventional fashions, has charmed her way into our closets.

The designer is inspired by everyday life, and is convinced that clothes are truly an expression of one’s character. And upon entering their lovely and spare Union Square location, Miss B is right on the mark. The style is distinctly classic with a twist – a pleated skirt with a bullfight silkscreen, a fitted collar shirt with daring green stripes, a simple black cardigan with white polka dots decorating the lapel – the clothes are fun, wearable and not overly self-conscious. The palate is simple: blacks, whites, browns and navys. The coats are camel-haired and single-breasted black wool – all made with the finest quality materials, all flattering.

The store atmosphere is subdued and you won’t find aggressive salespeople making a hard-sell in the dressing room. Instead you’ll be greeted by jazz, French rap, and an eclectic mix of international books, cds, and tasteful, Parisian-style clothing.

Agnes B
13 E 16th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 741-2585
Subways: N/R, 4/5/6 to Union Square

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