Jason Polan has many art projects, but this one especially is brilliant and ridiculous and a little cramazing. It’s called Every Person in New York. He draws people he sees all over the city—on streets, corners and trains, in parks, museums and fast food joints. In fact, his goal is to draw as many people as he can—maybe someday, every single one.
Drawing by Jason Polan
Say you have visitors in town and you’re walking around the EV. Time for dinner, but you’d rather not bring your aunt to a noodle shop swarming with college kids. Apiary is your answer. Conveniently located on Third Ave at 11th, Apiary serves upscale food in a sleek and modern atmosphere. Though his menu is somewhat limited, Chef Scott Bryan (from Veritas) has chosen dishes that show off a variety of seasonal ingredients. Even simple plates like the beet salad, shrimp and potato gnocchi or chicken (often boring), are created with care. There’s a $35 prix fixe menu Sunday, Tues, Weds and Thurs, but even better is Monday’s no corkage fee. (That’s tonight, btw.) You can eat well without spending too much, and they take reservations—always a plus when out-of-towners are involved.
Man and Boy: What a show! First, Frank Langella is amazing. It is such a treat to see this guy’s complex intensity live. And the story is strikingly relevant to today’s times, despite being written by Terence Rattigan in 1963. Set during the Depression, the play features Langella as a finance mogul dad who heads to his estranged son’s apartment for refuge when word gets out that he’s at the center of a Ponzi scheme that will cause economic collapse. Can you say Bernie Madoff? Yet I still managed to feel bad for the guy (only a little). For his son, though, I cried.
Photo: Roundabout Theatre Company
La Cava wine bar (Second Ave. at E. 50th)
Unless you’re 24 and douche-y, you probably hate Turtle Bay. But I’m happy to report there is finally one place of redemption (and it’s not the bar Redemption).
Open less than a year, La Cava is an inviting wine bar that provides a respite from everything else in that area. Cozy enough for solo sipping, it also offers high-top tables for small groups of friends/coworkers. In front, floor-to-ceiling glass windows open to the sidewalk; a handful of tables spill over. The menu is your basic cheese, charcuterie and small plates, but it’s the happy hour ’til 7 that draws people in. Plus, the owner selects all the wines himself. This is a much-needed addition to Turtle Bay—and a solid after-work spot for the many offices around Third Ave in the low-50s.
This weekend I watched Bill Cunningham New York and it is quite possibly one of my favorite documentaries about a single subject. I think I am in love with this slightly bizarre and immensely talented and very funny 80-something-year-old man who still rides a bike around the city streets. (If you don’t know, Bill has been a photographer for the New York Times for the last 30 years, chronicling fashion both high and low.) This movie is not just a love letter to him and to syle but also to life in NYC. I couldn’t stop smiling.
Photo: First Thought Films / Zeitgeist Films
On Sunday, September 25, many great NY restaurants will donate up to 10% of sales to aid local farmers affected by Hurricane Irene.
Some of my personal faves that are participating:
-Gramercy Tavern
-al di la
-Fatty Crab
-Corsino
-Tipsy Parson
-Hill Country
-Telepan
Learn more at dineoutirene.com
Eat, drink, be merry, help people.
Finally made it to Ward III, a classic cocktail bar/lounge in Tribeca. I dug this place—its cozy feel, stellar bartenders and a menu of rules including, “Don’t be creepy.” Low-lighting and exposed brick keeps you comfy; jars of bitters lined the bar like an apothecary shop. My Baby Eveline was made with Tito’s Vodka, champagne, lemon and muddled strawberries, while the namesake Ward III featured bourbon, nutmeg, lime, bitters and an egg white. Our, choose your own Bespoke Cocktail by picking the spirit, texture, spice, flavor and fruit of your choice. Because life is all about options.
P.S. Didn’t snack here but the menu of upscale bar food looked promising.
What if the winner of the competition to design the Ground Zero Memorial was a Muslim architect named Mohammad?
In her debut novel The Submission, Amy Waldman plunges us into this scenario. It’s a terrifically realistic depiction of post- 9/11 New York, complete with bigotry, mistrust, fear and allegiance. Smart and multi-layered (art! journalism! group think! politics!), it might call your own morality into question.
Ever find yourself in the West 50s thinking, um, why does this area exist? Ardesia (52nd b/t Tenth and Eleventh) might make you feel better. It’s a spacious wine bar with good food (small plates like burrata, pretzels and surprisingly tasty seared flank steak) and plenty of interesting by-the-glass options. Even during happy hour when wine and beer is $2 off, this place rarely gets crowded—probably because it’s a schlep from the subway. But that means fewer annoying people to ruin the ambience. Or steal your seat on the outdoor patio.
Perfect weekend excursion: Take the short trek to Astoria and get nostalgic at the Museum of the Moving Image, where the temporary exhibit Jim Henson’s Fantastic World features puppets, drawings and storyboards by the creative genius. Learn how Henson got his start in commercials and later found inspiration for The Muppet Show, Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock. The museum’s permanent collection of artifacts is also noteworthy: old movie projectors, famous costumes, special effects props, etc. Or time your visit to catch a screening—a Gus Van Sant retrospective starts in September.
On your way back to the subway, pop into Arepas Cafe for some Venezuelan corn goodness filled with anything you can imagine (um, like shark meat). Even during brunch you will not be disappointed by the plain arepa with scrambled eggs, plantains, slices of avocado and huge chunks of queso. Just remember to douse everything in the special green sauce! Wash it all down with Polar pilsner or sangria at happy hour.
Because not all of us can go to the Hamptons.
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