Viriginia Woolf once said that one cannot think well, live well, and sleep well, if one has not dined well, and owner & executive chef Stephen Lyle (famous for the landmark, Odon restaurant), has taken this old adage to heart in his local favorite French-American bistro, Village. It’s apropos that Lyle has restored this superb 1920′s grand space, as the feel is decidedly a throw-back to the Algonquin set with its wood-paneled walls, antique fixtures, and dashes of vibrant red, everywhere. A vintage skylight that was uncovered and refurbished by the owners holds court in the dining room amongst locals feasting on oysters, steamed mussels, and perfectly-seasoned roasted chicken with lemon and thyme.

The menu is elegant and fish-friendly, and also ideal for the veggie-conscious diner (delicious fresh roasted beets with tarragon, arugula salad), but what makes patrons swivel in their seats are the frites, cooked to perfection.

A fine selection of French and Italian vintage wines and a cafe menu that offers American comfort food favorites, makes this the eatery you wouldn’t mind having around your corner.

Village Restaurant
62 W. 9th Street (6th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011
212-505-3355
*reservations highly recommended
Subways: F to 14th Street; Path train to 9th Street Station

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Sometimes a girl just needs a cookie…or two, three – who are we kidding here? Go in for the baker’s dozen at City Bakery, the iconic cafeteria-style shop that sells delicious sweets and decadent treats – a must-have for the gal with the sweet tooth.

Although the decor inside is industrial, and the arrangement of the cafeteria sort with metal chairs, tables and the lunchroom line, don’t be deceived. Peer over the glass at warm pretzel croissants, piping hot chocolate (I dare you to drink the entire cup) and marshmallows for dunking, and enormous chocolate-chocolate chunk, oatmeal raisin, or black chocolate cookies. Prepare for the sugar rush, ladies, and be ready to indulge.

If you’re serious about your chocolate addiction, go the distance in the curtained off connoisseur’s room, where you’ll find bars of Dutch and Belgium treats, cocoa, and other savory delights. The fine variety will make your head spin.

And yes, this gourmet emporium offers healthy items with a salad bar that can’t be beat, lunches and brunches and other waist-conscious what-nots. But why would you want a chef’s salad or buffet-style fare, when buttery cookies await?

The City Bakery
3 W 18th St (btwn 5th and 6th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011
212-366-1414
Subway: 1/9 to 18th Street, F to 14th Street, 6 to 23rd Street, N/R to 23rd Street

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Voted “Best New Bar/Lounge” by Time Out New York, this saucy brothel-turned-bar heats up the revitalized “Loho” (Lower Houston) lounge scene. You may just miss it with its non descript entryway with a hot pink awning that reads “health club”, but those in the know have just spied the hippest downtown lounge.

But once inside, lounge in set-in red velvet banquettes on street level, where you always feel like a VIP, or descend to the DJ-ready basement, where the original steam rooms have been renovated as tiled booths hosting private parties. The almost naughty feel harkens back to a 70′s New York where it was the last days of disco and anything could happen below the Bowery.

The patrons are mostly fashionistas who haunt the nearby trendy Chinatown shops, however, a bevy of bi-weekly reading series has drawn the smart art kids. The now-infamous Happy Ending Reading Series (2 Wednesdays per month) hosted by the charming author, Amanda Stern, showcases emerging authors and musicians, who are all required to take a public risk during their performance. Village Voice columnist, Rachel Kramer Bussel’s new In the Flesh Reading series, evokes nostalgia for this former massage parlor, where a happy ending, rather than decadent cocktails, was on the menu.

Happy Ending Lounge
302 Broome Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 334-9676
Cross Street: Between Forsyth Street and Eldridge Street
Subway: B, D train to Grand St or F to Delancey

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We’re privileged, we book-loving New Yorkers, and we don’t even know it. As dedicated readers and writers, rarely do we experience a dearth of the corporate-dominated meccas as well as the slew of mom and pop shops that dot all areas of the city. If you’re looking for a book and you have to be in New York, odds are you will find it. You will find signed first editions, perhaps the dog-eared author’s copy, pen marks canvassing the insides. You want your foamy chai latte and a whole floor to devour the latest cookbooks, trash magazines, and plan that possible trip to Peru – then visit the closes Barnes and Nobles. No worries, they’re careful to be within a mile radius of one another.

However, if your palate is a touch more discriminating, visit 192 books. Owner, Jack MacRae, is practically an institution in the New York literary and arts scene. This is a man who knew everyone and always dishes great stories. The bookstores featuring key works of literature and history, art and criticism, the social and natural sciences, travel and children’s books, and more – you could tell all the books on the shelves and tables were chosen with particular and refined care. Careful to ensure that all the books, works of part, connect and disconnect in some interesting and pivotal way.

In addition to regularly presenting art exhibitions accompanied by a selection of titles relating to the artists or the theme explored, the store hosts reservation-only reading/speaking engagements with the world’s eminent authors: Veronica Gaitskill, Salman Rushdie, Joan Didion, Paul Auster, Paula Fox, just to name a few.

192 Books operates purely for the aficionado. Dig up those hard-to-find books on the obscure German artist you love, purchase the definitive book on New York architecture, and with a knowledgable staff, they’ll have find a new author to fall in love with.

192 Books
192 Tenth Avenue at 21st
New York, NY
Subway: C/E to 23rd Street

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At Grounded on Jane Street, a sun-drenched cafe hidden on the side streets of Greenwich Village, I was greeted by swirling ceiling fans and free wireless internet connectivity – crucial for the freelance writer in need of a quick java fix. Decidedly non-Starbucks, which has evolved to the Duane Reade of over-priced coffee shops, Grounded has a distinct downtown flavor, as single folks, buried in their laptop, indulging on oatmeal cookies and luscious mochas, quietly occupy each table. Cell phones are on low buzz, and all the accoutrements of the corporate set – vanished.

Grounded is the ideal spot for those who want to mellow out or get work done. Finish that screenplay, put the finishing touches on the novel, or launch a new business – this office is certainly wallet-friendly.

With a fine selection or organic teas (raves for the blackberry and jasmine, both which were sampled by yours truly) and the yummy biscotti, plus some delicious, heady ground organic coffee, this is my new favorite haunt for sipping and sampling newspapers. Most of the sandwiches and sweets are organic and natural as well.

Grounded
28 Jane Street
New York, NY
212-647-0943
Subway: A/C/E to 14th Street

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If you’re jetting about on autopilot, you very well might miss Sympathy for the Kettle, a magical oasis in the uber-hip East Village where the vibe is decidedly rock and roll. This teeny haven serves up a smattering (150+) of organic, free-trade, and luscious mix-brewed teas in teapots from the dainty to the Orient. Don’t be deceived by the softly-lit wire lamps, serene pink walls, and the display cases filled with whimsical china cups, sterling silver tea strainers, and aficionado books – owner, Jodi Holiday, stocks up whimsy alongside a rock and roll edge (from the tattoos to the Page and Plant blaring from the stereo).

But the teas are nothing short of divine. Holiday serves up the classic mainstays: earl grey, english breakfast, however, she’s creative, much like an obsessed French perfumier, creating new blends such as a Provencal blend of black teas and lavender. Customers have a choice of kettle teas, healing teas (infused with date, ginger citron or quince) or their famous honey/green tea lattes.

While the majority of their teas are from China, Sri Lanka, Japan, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, and emerging Rwanda, Kettle also offer herbs from South Africa, Argentina, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, France and the United States (including ginseng from Wisconsin and organic peppermint from Oregon).

So if you’re interested in proper tea with an edge, visit this favored East Village haunt where the teas and homemade treats (palmiers, scones) never fall short on flavor.

Sympathy for the Kettle
109 St. Marks Place
New York, NY
212-979-1650

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Owner and baker, Jerome Audureau, a man who believes baking isn’t baking until you shape the dough with your hands, adds Parisian flare to this simple, sweet space that is warm in decor (wicker and iron chairs), with walls that are painted in serene hues. Amidst soothing jazz, you’ll hear a constant buzz from patrons clicking on laptop keys or the family of tourists seeking refuge from the maddening galleries and street artists that flank West Broadway. Akin to the sidewalk cafes and bistros in Paris, you’re not gently prodded to the door as soon as you’ve polished off your goat cheese and portobello sandwich. Table-turn is an evil word at Once Upon a Tart and on a chilly Saturday afternoon, I met an old friend for hot tea, delicious treats and good conversation. During the three hours we spent in the cafe, I sampled the pumpkin cranberry biscotti AND scone, the roasted turkey and cranberry mango chutney and frisee sandwich, and a selection of their British teas, and couldn’t have been more satisfied. Wonderfully seasoned with a care for presentation, my late lunch was not only savory but sweet and flavorful. The freshest ingredients are used here and the proof is definitely in the tasty fare. The baked goods were heavenly – biscotti, light, crispy and the scone unbelievably light and flaky.

Whether you’re jetting in for a quick pumpkin cranberry biscotti or spending a lazy afternoon sipping green tea and indulging in fluffy, decadent scones or being very, very good with a savory sandwich and tossed salad, Once Upon a Tart brings a little bit of whimsy into downtown bohemia.

Once Upon a Tart
135 Sullivan Street (Btwn Prince/Houston)
New York, NY 10012
212.387.8869
Subways: C/E to Spring Street or N/R to Prince Street

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Make no mistake, for good pizza, this girl will travel. Three trains and 45 minutes no less, but enter the non-descript DiFara Pizza on Avenue J, and after sampling the fare, the goods are certainly worth that wait. Amidst the bakeries, kosher delicatessens and laundromats that line this predominately Orthodox Jewish section of Brooklyn, in a small space you’ll find Dominick DeMarco, dressed in comfortable shoes and his flour-dusted apron, making thin Neapolitan pies the same way he’s been doing it for over forty years.

What sets DiFara apart from the legions of other pizzerias about town? DeMarco uses only the freshest and finest ingredients, buffalo and fresh mozzarella cheeses imported from Italy and after a few moments of watching him coax the dough, handle the pie in conspicuously non-wood-burning oven, no doubt you are in the house of a perfectionist. An artisan that serves up a wafer-thin crust, bits of fresh basil (grown in the window), and a lacing of extra-virgin olive oil through the sweet tomato sauce. The unveiling of the pie gets a ceremonial dusting of grana padana, administered in slow, deliberate, old-world style by the master himself.

Tip: Bring a book, folks. DiFara tends to make them in, with fans traveling as far as the West Coast to indulge in rustic, down-home pizza.

DiFara Pizza
1424 Avenue J
Brooklyn, New York
718.258.1367
Subway: Q to Avenue J

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Imagine for a moment the perfect pizza. A thin, flaky crust. Piping hot mozzarella cheese and savory toppings like sausage, homemade basil pesto, creamy mushrooms. Now imagine this pizza is healthy. You heard right – a pizza that’s actually good for you.

Featured on the Food Network’s show, “Recipe for Success”, twenty-something owner, Miki, a self-diagnosed lactose intolerant, couldn’t find delicious, guilt-free pizza that could be eaten anywhere. Seeking to make the ultimate American comfort food with the freshest, organic ingredients while giving customers the option to substitute traditional cheeses for rice/soy, coupled with an entrepreneur spirit – Slice was born.

It’s cozy space in Manhattan’s Upper East Side is clean, minimalist in decor and you’re greeted with soothing, indie music and spoken word. The tasty menu is penned on a chalkboard and the options are enough to make your mouth water, no doubt. I sampled the “Novice” – sundried tomatoes, pesto, organic mozzarella on an unbleached, herbed crust. That was just the beginning of my meal. Fresh, wholesome salads, homemade, gluten-free and chocolately desserts, I left without the heartburn from all the grease and oil that is the staple of traditional pizza joints that clutter the city streets. And although the slices are on the pricey side ($4), the portions are fair and the outcome incredibly delicious. Who knew healthy could taste so darn good?

Slices and pies range from “Dunce” to “Genius,” becoming more expensive as you get educated – $3.50 a slice/$18 a pie for a bruschetta-like “Dunce” to $24 for a “Master.” (A build-your-own “Genius” pie starts at $20, and toppings are additional.)

So, if you’ve got late-night cravings (they deliver!) or you just want to sample some tasty, healthy pizza, Slice is the perfect spot.

Slice The Perfect Food
1413 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10021
Tel: (212) 249-4353

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Yoga is not a workout. Repeat: Yoga is not a workout. People who aspire for the sleek Gwenyth abs, the uber-sculpted Madonna arms, saunter into studios that offer racks of $400 Marc Jacobs mat bags, ready to kick their new-year’s resolution body into shape, and after time, they realize they’ve been tricked. Yoga is a life practice – how you live life off the mat – and this is the kind of pragmatic, yet inspiring philosophy you’ll hear at Virayoga, a minimalist Anusara yoga studio, that has developed a a devoted following in the four years they’ve been in business. Hidden away from the chic couture shops and industrial-chic buldings that swarm Soho streets, you’ll find the scene at Virayoga free from pretension and attitude.

Enter the 2,000 square foot studio billowing with light, and you’ll encounter a friendly front desk staff, minimal hocking of trendy yoga wares, and a class that is focused and precise. Sure you’ll leave having gotten your workout grove on, however, don’t be surprised when a little Tantra philosophy sneaks in.

[Read more →]

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