Author Archives: Cary

National Pillow Fight Day!

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This might be the only holiday better than Halloween. Crazy folks everywhere from Istanbul to Harere, Zimabwe are participating. And New Yorkers are of course joining in–right here in Washington Square Park!

The fight starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. and lasts three hours. The ground rules:

+ Soft, feather-free pillows only!
+ Swing lightly, many people will be swinging at once.
+ Do not swing at people without pillows or with cameras.
+ Remove glasses beforehand! (I learned that one the hard way.)
+ Deposit pillows in donation boxes or take them with you.*
+ Jammies are welcome.

* Preferably the former, as the event collected over 1500 pillows for homeless shelters last year.

Lastly, don’t forget the ultimate pillow fight rule that still stands from when you were a kid: play nice!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

Pick Up A Book About New York!

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So glad that readers liked our little April Fool’s joke about the “sale” of the hotel. (Trump Square?!?! Lord help us.)

I wrote that while I was on vacation on the Amalfi coast in Italy. (If you haven’t been, it’s even more insanely beautiful than you’ve heard it is–or than any place has a right to be.) While on holiday, I usually like to read books or essays on the places that I’m visiting to immerse myself in my temporary home. In this case, I downloaded two books on the area that were..um, to be polite…awful.

So I thought that I’d save our friends visiting New York from the same fate and pass along some tips on books that will give them a flavor of our city and its people past and present that are actually good.

New York Stories:  Landmark Writing From Four Decades of New York Magazine by the editors of New York Magazine and Tom Wolfe: A collection of articles from the likes of Gloria Steinem, Jay McInerney, George Plimpton, Nora Ephron, Joe Klein, Kurt Anderson, Gael Greene and Emily Nussbaum. Topics include pretentious restaurants, high-end escorts and bloggers (uh-oh).

Through the Children’s Gate: A Home In New York by Adam Gopnick: Gopnick is one of The New Yorker’s finest writers. (Check out his book “Paris to the Moon” about his seven years living in the City of Light with his young family.) In this tome, he moves back to the New York just after 9/11 and muses on everything from a Disney-fied Times Square to school safety patrol, Upper East Side-style. (This is one of my favorites!)

My First New York: Early Adventures in the Big City as remembered by actors, artists, athletes, chefs, comedians. Another New York Magazine collection. Liza Minnelli, Parker Posey, Andy Samberg, Mike Myers, Dan Rather, Judy Collins, Ira Glass all weigh in. Need I say more?

All of these are relaxing, fun reads–perfect for passing time in a plane, or subway!

 

 

 

The Times, They Are A-Changin’

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Big changes are afoot here at the Washington Square Hotel.

The Paul family was recently made a generous offer to sell their historic hotel and restaurant and to the surprise of many who know them, accepted it. As much as they all love the hotel and consider it a second home, the offer was clearly attractive enough for them to grab it on the spot. The new owners will officially take over in the next month.

Yes, there will be changes. To what extent we don’t fully know, but we are aware of initial plans. To begin with, the hotel will be renamed “Trump Square”.

It’s true. The new owner is someone all New Yorkers know all too well–real estate giant Donald Trump. His crackerjack team at the Trump Organization is bound to bring some of that undeniably posh Trump style into the hotel’s current art deco splendor.

The changes will be swift and expansive, beginning with a menu and decor overhaul at North Square Restaurant, which will be re-named House of Romanov, with the new theme being one of pre-revolution royal Russian opulence. Wooden tables will be replaced with gold-plated banquettes; restrooms will be rechristened “Czar” and “Czarina” thrones.

Our regular diners will be happy to know that Chef Yoel Cruz is here to stay. He has already conducted several caviar and vodka tastings and, true to form, is spicing it up by bringing his own cultural flair to the table with a Mexican-inspired recipe for borscht, “Betabeles Ruso”. And consulting pastry chef John Cheng has been busy working around the clock on plans for a seven-foot high chocolate fountain to be placed in the lobby bar.

Even the Sunday jazz brunch will get a makeover: the Trump Organization would like to eventually morph the entertainment portion of the meal into a music competition with the Donald himself judging the up-and-coming talent. Guests tucking into Eggs Benedict just might be listening to the next Adele or Carrie Underwood!

It comes as no surprise that room décor will be turned up a notch or two on the glamour scale as well. Faux fur bedspreads, Frette sheets (with a red and gold “TS” stitched in the middle) and gold brocade curtains will grace the bedrooms; Limoges bidets will be a welcome addition in the bathrooms.

Staff uniforms will also reflect the new aesthetic: Hotel ambassador and greeter Ronnie Jenkins has been fitted for his new royal crimson uniform, complete with tasseled fez and epaulets. Restaurant bartenders and servers will only sport black Chanel, and any server with a less than perfect smile will be sent immediately to Trump’s own dentist for a through bleaching.

As some wise person who wrote greeting cards once said, “Change is good.” So as we wish our friends the Pauls well on their future endeavors, let’s give a big warm welcome to Trump Square and the House of Romanov!

Wow, that was one weird dream…. April Fool!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Dessert For Dummies

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I’m having a dinner party and want to impress my guests with my killer dessert skills (and not have to hide the Entenmann’s boxes). So I called up John Cheng and begged him to give me the easiest recipe he could think of.

Panna Cotta:

1 quart heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean (split in half)
4 sheets of gelatin (bloomed in cold water)

Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise; scrape out the seeds with a knife, then add the seeds and pod to a saucepan with the heavy cream. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Discard the vanilla pod.

Bloom gelatin sheets by placing them in cold water (doesn’t matter how much–just make sure they’re completely immersed). According to John, you’ll know when they’ve bloomed, i.e. go soft. Squeeze out the excess water.

Add sheets to hot cream to dissolve, pour it into 6 or 8 ramekins and refrigerate until they’re set. It’s seriously that easy.

A few extra hints from John:

You can also use champagne glasses to hold the panna cotta. (Sounds pretty.) And feel free to be creative–add whatever you want to the recipe…berries, chocolate, alcohol, passion puree…whatever floats your boat!

Time to get cooking. Thanks John!

 

Take A Stroll Down Bleecker Street

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One of the most popular streets in the village, it was named after the Bleecker family, because the road ran straight through their family farm in the late 18th century. Today the chickens and horses have been replaced by perfume shops and shoe stores and pastry shops.

Amy’s Bread (#250) A fantastic bakery with a small cafe serving sandwiches and noshes. The black olive twists are to die for.

Diptyque (#377) is the first U.S. foray for this French parfumer. Check out the variety of eaux de toilette, candles, colognes and body-care products.

John’s of Bleecker Street (#278) has been dishing out yummy, brick oven pizza since 1929. On the website it’s recommended by none other than Jack Black (Tenacious D!).  Black says that the pizza is so good, “I get it plain.” High praise, indeed.

Rocco’s Pastry Shop and Espresso Cafe (#243)  Cannoli’s, my friends. Cannolis. That is all.

(Word to the wise: You can skip Magnolia Bakery at #401, made famous by the ladies of Sex & the City. There’s a reason those ladies were so skinny–the cupcakes aren’t very good.)

Bleecker Street Records (#239): Yes, you can still buy vinyl, CDs and posters on Bleecker just like back in the day.

Murray’s Cheese (# 254): The best, best, best cheese shop in the city.

(Le) Poisson Rouge (#158) The new incarnation of the famed Village Gate features reasonably priced music of all genres. Classical, gospel, hip-hop, R&B, funk…everything from electronic to Americana to a string quartet.

Plus some fancy clothes:

Jimmy Choo (#407): Shoes!

Jack Spade (#409): Men’s store by Kate’s hubby.

Ralph Lauren has several outposts on Bleecker. RRL (#381) for jeans, boots and vests. Across the street, Rugby (#390) sells more traditional, preppy Lauren gear.

And that’s a little taste of Bleecker…

 

 

Vino For Margherita

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I’m a pizza fan…one of the biggest. And while an ice cold beer tastes perfect with a pie on an 80 degree day…well, in the cooler months, a pint of brew does nothing for me but fill me up and leave less room for gooey cheese. I’m first and foremost a wine gal, so I set out to find a few reasonably priced wines that would be compatible with pizza.

I asked a sommelier pal for pairings with your basic tomato, mozzarella and basil pie and he came up with a wallet-friendly list. Here you go:

For reds, three words say it all:  Barbera, Sangiovese (the grape of Chianti) and Primitivo. My buddy remarked that while all three of these are not overly fruity, they do have just enough fruit to make the natural sweetness of the tomato and cheese pop, plus enough tannin and acid to keep the palate fresh.

To be specific, get a Barbera d’Asti. Its round fruit favors and mild tannins will only set you back about $16 a bottle.

Or Apollonio Primitivo: $12-$18 will buy a bottle of the intense, richly-flavored full-bodied Primitivo from southern Italy. (FYI Primitivo is the likely origin of California’s Zinfandel, so think zin–but a little earthier.) This particular wine has lots of black cherry, coffee and cedar flavors.

And yes, whites pair well with a tomato-sauce based pizza, too. An un-oaked Chardonnay would be a good bet. Or Tocai Fruiliano. Or Soave.

Scubla Tocai Friuliano, from the Friuli region, sells for about $20 a bottle.

Pieropan Soave Classico is a young, fresh and vibrant wine with soft fruit flavors and orange blossoms and almonds on the finish.

(Don’t I sound knowledgeable? I actually think that even though wine tasting terms can tend to sound precious, they really are a good description when you’re actually tasting the wine.)

Remember, folks, that this is just a guide for a basic pizza–as you add various toppings to your pizza the pairings can change!

Hope you learned a little more about wine today. I know I did!

 

 

Passover In The City

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If you’re travelling and not able to be with your family for Passover (March 25 through April 2) or simply don’t want to cook and clean up at home, here are a few ideas for you:

Take a matzo factory tour at Streit’s Matzo Factory. Aron Streit began making matzo by hand on the Lower East Side in 1916, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue to carry on that tradition at the Rivington Street bakery.

Talia’s, a kosher steakhouse on the Upper West Side is having several Seder seatings on both nights.

Balaboosta on Mulberry street will host a second night Seder on the 26th. Chef David Tanis (a New York Times columnist) and Pastry Chef Keren Weiner (of Il Buco) will join forces on the five course dinner, including wine pairings and live music.

A Seder fit for foodies is available on the second night at the James Beard Foundation. Chef Joe Dobias and mixologist Jill Schulster will present an extravagant five course dinner, along with hors d’ouvres, complete with wine pairings.

If these suggestions don’t suit you, log into chabad.org, pop in your zip code and voila, a list of Seders nearby will pop up!

Good Pesach, everyone!

Celebrate Easter With Us!

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Easter is only a few weeks away. If you’re too pooped from the egg hunt to even think about cooking, come on over and enjoy the holiday meal with us at either brunch or dinner.

Brunch specials will include a Mediterranean omelette, banana and chocolate pancakes, seafood salad, shrimp bisque and chicken risotto.

A three course prix fixe Easter dinner is only $40. Appetizer choices include shrimp bisque, arugula salad or grilled quail with chanterelles, butternut squash, taleggio cheese polenta with a sherry demi-glace.

Special entrees are roasted poisson with creamed corn, kale, scallion pancake, rosemary and dried chili au jus. Or seared branzino with tomato aramanth (a grain), wild mushrooms and herb buerre blanc. Or grilled skirt steak with spinach, ricotta gnocchi and red wine au jus.

(FYI if you’re full from nibbling too many marshmallow peeps, all of these specials can be ordered ala carte.)

Happy Easter, everyone!

Don’t Worry…It’s Coming

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Spring, that is. Although it certainly doesn’t feel like it (fortheloveofgod it’s only 30 degrees outside right now), the first day of Spring is right around the corner–next Wednesday, the 20th, in fact. Here are a few pics of warmer weather and outside fun to whet your appetite:

Dogwoods? Cherry blossoms? Who cares…they’re beautiful.

Must have been rough getting this on the subway.

Tulips!

Free music!

Sidewalk cafes!

Kardashian sightings!

Spring is coming folks–it really is. Have a great weekend!

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!

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Nope, a cat didn’t walk across my keypad. That is, “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” in Gaelic! I’ve rounded up some fun stuff to do this weekend to celebrate my people. (Yup, I’m an Irish gal.)  Here you go:

The official St. Patrick’s Day Parade will take place on Saturday, the 16th beginning at 11 am at Fifth Ave. and 44th St. It proceeds up Fifth to 86th street and the last bagpiper winds down around 5 pm. Honestly, it’s probably smart to head north for less crowded viewing (above 59th St.) Bring an umbrella–it’s supposed to be relatively warm (50 degrees) but rainy on Saturday. (Murphy’s law: It always rains on Parade Day!)

Quick tidbit on the St. Patty’s parade: Can you believe that the first NYC one was organized in 1762 by Irish soldiers? ‘Tis true. (Now you’re smarter than you were yesterday.)

But if large crowds freak you out, there’s always the Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Day Parade which takes place on Sunday. Anyone can march–just assemble at noon at Prospect Park West and 14th St. If you just want to watch, the actual parade begins at 15th St. and Prospect Park West. Get the whole route and schedule here.

Midtown’s Irish Arts Center holds an open house on March 17th. From 12 to 5 pm you can get your Irish on with tons of activities scheduled featuring Irish dancing, arts and crafts, musical performances and films. Bring the kids, because face painting is on the agenda!

Big Onion Tours has an Irish New York walking tour scheduled for Saturday at 11 am. The tour will examine the role of Irish immigrants in the history of New York City. Big Onion tours are definitely educational, but more importantly, they’re notoriously fun. More details here.

If you’re craving music, Black 47 is a popular, NY-based Celtic rock band that flavors beautiful traditional Irish folk tunes with small dollops of jazz, hip-hop and reggae. On Saturday, they’ll be playing at BB King’s Blues Club starting at 7 pm.

Whatever you choose to do, enjoy being Irish for a day!