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Best-ever granola made in Brooklyn

13 Mar

Thanks to our friends at Samplrs I had the chance to try Early Bird granola, which, with a little Greek yogurt, has taken my breakfast-at-desk experience to new heights.

This granola is crazy good! A little sweet. A little salty. Organic ingredients. Just a touch of olive oil. Perfect.

I had the Jubilee Recipe with cherry and pistachio, but they also sell Farmhand’s Choice with pecans and Choc-a-doodle-do with dark chocolate and coconut.

At $7 bucks each—with free shipping—you will never eat trail mix again.

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This is my desk right now.

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Faces of Addiction

29 Feb

Check out this incredible flickr photo stream, Faces of Addiction.

During the week Chris Arnade is a 46-year-old trader for Citigroup. On weekends he is an amateur photographer who can be found documenting disenfranchised New Yorkers—homeless, addicts and prostitutes—in Hunts Point in the Bronx. I love that he develops professional color prints for his subjects and returns a few weeks later to give them their photos. Sometimes he can’t find them.

While the photos themselves are amazing, I was also moved by reading about people’s lives as captured by Chris. He writes, “I post people’s stories as they tell them to me. I am not a journalist. I don’t verify, just listen.”

One question he always asks his subjects is, “How would you like to be described?” It’s in their responses that you’ll find the most humane and soulful art.

See the NYT City Room blog post about Chris and his project.

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Ha ha Pinterest not just for food/decor porn and puppy pix

23 Feb

I stumbled across this Pinterest board today and had to laugh:

The Most Annoying New Yorkers

 

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Because you sometimes suck at presents

16 Feb

What if you opened your mail and found a Mini Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie?

Samplrs delivers locally sourced artisan foods to your doorstep. Indie merchants get a way to promote their products; foodies get new and exciting delicious bits. And bites. Bits of bites. It’s a monthly subscription service; $30/month for 4 to 5 full-sized products. Or just browse the Market to handpick treats for yourself (or for friends).

And trust me—these are not your everyday cupcakes/pretzels/whatever blah blah they are selling all over the place. Items include Danny Macaroons in Salted Caramel, Cheshire Canning HoneyHeat Sauce and Kings County Korean BBQ Beef Jerky.

In other words, YUM.

Let me know if you need my address.

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Why I like Top Hops

13 Feb

You may have heard about the new craft beer bar/store Top Hops on the Lower East Side. You probably know it’s a beer snob’s dream, with 20 taps and 800 (!!) stocked bottles. But also…

1. It’s a comfortable place to hang out—even by yourself—and not feel weird. Top Hops is not a scene. It’s a shop that has a bar in it. And talk about a clean, well-lighted place; it’s perfect for working on the NY mag crossword puzzle while you wait for your friends.

2. A flight of any four beers is $8. For someone who cannot make decisions, 20 taps is problematic. Flight = happy solution.

3. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The guys who work here like their customers and love their beer. They’re chatty and fun and make you feel welcome. Plus, they let you try whatever you want.

4. It’s all about options. Want to sip one pint at the bar? Get a growler to bring to a party? Mix and match your own six-pack from the many bottles from all over the world? Or just get one interesting bottle to go with your takeout?

5. Dutch pretzels for free snacking! And as the food menu rolls out, they’ll offer other locally sourced goodies like cheese, olives and chocolate. The night I was there they were sampling Mast Brothers Chocolates.

6. It would make a cool event space. Roomy and uncluttered, it seems good for groups, fundraisers and small parties. The shop has started to do pairing and tasting events—the owners are flexible and willing to work with you.

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Read all about it! My NYC book picks

7 Feb

Great NYC books I’ve recently found to be impactful, interesting or inspiring.

By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham (2010): The husband of an artsy power couple falls for his wife’s little brother.
Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney (1984): Peon in publishing is left by his wife and gets swept up in vapid ’80s hedonism.
The Submission by Amy Waldman (2011): The city freaks when the winning entry for the Ground Zero memorial is from a Muslim architect.
Dancer from the Dance by Andrew Holleran (1978): Gay men search for love and acceptance on the ’70s circuit scene.
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (2009): Interweaving stories surround Phillipe Petit’s tightrope walk between the Twin Towers.
Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby, Jr. (1964): Heartbreakingly sad characters in lower class Brooklyn in the ’50s; taboo topics abound.
The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud (2006): Three privileged Manhattanites in their 30s struggle with unmet aspirations.

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Who needs another Irish pub? Scotland’s where it’s at!

3 Feb

My cousin works at Mt. Sinai so sometimes I end up on the UES (boo). But this week we discovered a totally awesome spot up there (yay). Caledonia is the Latin word for Scotland, and it is also the name of a super-friendly Scottish pub on Second Ave between 83rd and 84th. You are probably thinking, who cares about another pub? Well, there are only 4 Scottish bars in Manhattan*, according to Mike (bartender/co-owner). Caledonia is tiny—maybe 15 bar stools—but its low-key vibe is the perfect escape from the sea of ultra-douchey bars around here. Not a frat boy in sight.

In addition to 10+ Scottish craft bottled beers, they have Belhaven on tap—both the Cream Ale and IPA—as well as Innis & Gunn cask (Rum Cask until March, when it will switch to Whiskey Cask). Draft beers/wines are $2 off until 7pm.

But onto the whiskey! I am not a whiskey girl but this place has about 130 of them! They also do whiskey tastings. And I am willing to bet the Old Fashioned is one of the city’s best.

You know what really made my night, though? When Mike told me he lived in Queens, I said, that’s funny—I know another Scottish bartender who lives in Queens. Um, yep. They came over from Scotland together.

Only in New York.

*St. Andrews near Times Square, and Highlands and Mary Queen of Scots.

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Eat a home-cooked meal with cool strangers

30 Jan

What if a professional chef invited you (and a handful of other strangers) to her house and cooked for you at a very affordable price? Enter Soup Next Door, a newly formed eating community. “Independently minded” chefs create their own menus, people sign up and meet up (sometimes at venues, but more often at homes), and everyone eats. Most of the meals are BYOB and some are as inexpensive as $15 (max price is $40). The groups tend to be small—between 8 and 15 people; upcoming events include “Singles Mingle, Italian Style” and “A Valentine’s Dinner with Jack.”

Totally awesome way to meet new people in a low-key and comfortable environment.

Schedule of Upcoming Events

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SNL ladies dish about being in comedy, in love—and also, in labor

24 Jan

(This cover grosses me out a little.)

I may be the last person on Earth to have picked up Tina Fey’s Bossypants, a quick, enjoyable read with plenty of sarcasm and self-deprecation. To fully appreciate it, it helps to know a bit about SNL, 30 Rock and/or NYC. (It is also useful to know who Alec Baldwin is. Oh, and some lady named Sarah Palin.) But lest you think it is merely about Tina’s ascent to TV success, there are also some endearing chapters about her don’t-eff-with-me dad, her honeymoon on a cruise ship that almost went up in flames and her completely justifiable annoyances with Teat Nazis. Published in April 2011, it’s still on the NYT Best Seller list.

(This cover is just a little weird.)

Now her compatriot in comedy Rachel Dratch is coming out with her own book. On sale in late April, Girl Walks into a Bar… Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters and a Midlife Miracle may have been inspired by Tina Fey’s memoir just a little.  If you didn’t know, both women got their start doing improv in Chicago before making their way to SNL (along with Amy Poehler, who apparently has no plans for a tell-all book). But Rachel’s chapters detail her dream of becoming an actor, her bad luck with dating and her ultimate acceptance of never becoming a mom … right around the time she gets unexpectedly pregnant. At 43. By a guy who lives across the country with whom she’s in the early stages of a “long-distance, fun, casual, not-defined relationship.” You may guess there was a bit more cursing in this book. It made me laugh out loud. (I’m immature.)

Just two good reads by successful women in the male-dominated field of comedy peppered with reflections on life and motherhood.

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Guess what, dudes? Whole Foods has a real bar!

13 Jan

116 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

Living in NYC means being annoyed often. And always within a two-block radius of Whole Foods. (The people! The lines! The prices!) So imagine my delight when I popped into the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle to buy a baguette and stumbled upon a cozy bar in the spot designated for the ne’er-meant-to-be WF wine shop. On Tap elevates the growler service of other locations by inviting shoppers to sit for a sip. There are 10 draft beers (and 116 bottles) starting at $6, plus 8 local wines (around $7 a glass). A locally inspired menu features treats like pickles, pretzels, housemade potato chips, cheese (full plates and ricotta) and curry macadamia nuts. They also tease with cheese curds but are apparently always sold out. Who cares, though … after a beer and a snack, shopping in that crazy place is soooo much more tolerable.

Food Menu Nom Nom Nom

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