Wednesday night seemed like a good night for celebrating, so we found ourselves making a beeline to La Esquina in Williamsburg. I had taken a photo of the Happy Hour sign days before, you know, for future reference. We ate indoors in the converted chrome "rail car" style diner on the bar side.

The drinks were very tasty -- not overly sweet. The atmosphere was comfortable, warm and cozy. And we had a very nice bartender -- we'll call him Brian, because his name was Brian -- who comped us a round, which was rather excellent. All in all, very celebratory. The chips, salsa and guacamole were pricey at $15, but hey, we were celebrating. Sometimes it's fun to spend a little too much.


Cafe de la Esquina
225 Wythe Avenue (Metropolitan/N 3rd)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718.393.5500
Happy Hour: W-F noon-7pm
Sat-Sun 11am-6pm

I am just going to come right out and say it. Russo's in Park Slope, whether it's their 7th Avenue location or their 5th Avenue location*, makes the best vegetarian Italian sandwiches in Brooklyn. Oh wait, Lorimer Market in Williamsburg also makes the best vegetarian Italian sandwiches in Brooklyn. Their "Mikey Bags" is all eggplanty and delicious. So stay tuned for a post devoted to Lorimer Market. But this one is for Russo's.

Russo's fresh mozzarella is heavenly. And they do wonders with their garlicy sauteed broccoli rabe. We always share two sandwiches when we go, and bring them all the way back on the G to Greenpoint. That's dedication to a sandwich. We're specific like that. One fabulous sandwich is broccoli rabe, fresh mozzarella, sun dried tomato. The other fabulous sandwich is broccoli rabe, portabello mushroom, artichoke. The guys who make the sandwiches are so nice. Then again, the guys who make the sandwiches at Lorimer Market are so nice too.

So we're pretty lucky to live in Brooklyn with all these great vegetarian Italian sandwiches that are under $10 and are large enough for dinner. I should probably close with a hashtag. #brooklynrocksforfoodandstuff


Russo's Mozzarella and Pasta
363 7th Avenue (10th/11th Streets)
Park Slope, Brooklyn
718.369.2874
*their East Village location doesn't make sandwiches

We had a celebratory lunch at Champs today. Yes, I wore my medal. I had the Soyaki Bowl with seitan. Amazing! Brown rice, broccoli, shredded carrot, onion, mushroom, tofu scramble and slices of delicious seitan. Tons of slices actually. What could be better? I brought much home. I love their giant portions that are good enough for two meals. J had his favorite, the Cuban Sandwich (vegan). Their food is great.

Champs! 176 Ainslie Street in Williamsburg. Everything is vegan. And tasty!

[images via yotel.com]

Today, I got invited to a lunch at Yotel, unfamiliar to me, yet somehow enticing. Or maybe we walked past it recently and I noticed the font. I wouldn't say it's fontastic, but it certainly catches your eye. So anyway, Yotel is a new hotel on 10th & 42nd (new as of mid-June, 2011). I checked out their Website, and I have to say, the place is right up my aesthetic alley. Futuristic, Japanese-ish, clean and modern.

Color me excited when I found out their restaurant, Dohyo, is designed after a sumo wrestling ring. Excellent. Seating is communal yet spacious. And color me even more excited when I found out the chef is Richard Sandoval of Zengo (my current absolute favorite restaurant in NYC)! Latin American-Asian fusion. Yes and yes.

Check out this quote:

DohYO is part of FOUR, YOTEL New York's 18,000 square foot series of dynamic, connective spaces, that fulfills YOTEL's vision of a flexible meeting and entertainment space where guests and locals can interact, lounge and dine.

The space is apparently modular too! I must pay a pre-visit with my camera. The lunch isn't until Thursday, September 22.

[image via ABC Kitchen]

I went to ABC Kitchen for lunch today. At last a chance to try Jean-Georges Vongerichten's organic farm-to-table restaurant at ABC Carpet & Home. Yes, definitely a pretty room -- all white with a mix of matte and lacquer-like finishes. And bleached branches. I definitely liked what I ordered. I decided to go with three small plates, which worked out to be a lot of food. I tried the Roast Carrot And Avocado Salad crunchy seeds, micro greens, sour cream and citrus (sans sour cream). Super delicious. A strange salad, yes. But ingredients I love. Then, Line Caught Tuna Sashimi marinated with ginger and mint. Delicate yet substantial. Then, a Whole Wheat Thin Crust Pizza of Jersey Tomatoes buffalo mozzarella and basil. The buffalo mozzarella was pillowy and perfect. I ate one slice, and took the rest home.

So all in all, the ingredients were very nice. I left feeling good, not overly full. But were the ingredients, each excellent, combined in transformative, mind-altering ways? Well, no. Everything was great, and nothing was less than good. But it didn't rock my culinary world. That sounds so mock-snobby. And I don't mean to come off like that. It's just this: I look to award-winning restaurants for flavor combinations that are clever, masterful, delicious, exciting and new in a catch-you-off-guard sort of way. I felt that for its reputation, ABC Kitchen would deliver more solidly on the artistry. As I said, everything was great, and nothing was less than good. I'll just leave it at that.

The first Ruben: Veggie Ruben at Foodswings -- rye bread, faux swiss,
sauerkraut, mustard, the works. oh, and grilled tempeh.


Foodswings, Grand Street, Williamsburg


The second Rubin, 17th Street, Manhattan


Mongolian mask, 19th century, lion protectorate deity


This one was made of coral.

The #10 from Paris Sandwich is delicious!

The #10 from Paris Sandwich in Chinatown* (Grand Street, Manhattan) is my current favorite Vietnamese vegetarian sandwich. What did they do to the tofu? Is it char-grilled? So much flavor! And yes, just $4.25. That's more like it.

My other tofu sandwich favorite is from Nicky's Vietnamese on Atlantic Avenue ($5.50), and my other-other favorite is from An Nhau on Bedford Avenue (N 7th/N 8th) in Williamsburg ($5.50), just in case you want to hit all the tofu hot spots. I have 4th, 5th and 6th favorites, but we'll save that for another post on another day.


*Not to be confused with Paris Baguette in Koreatown.

[image via Experience Parisienne blog]

hot chocolate by 'wichcraft is open in Bryant Park!

At last, this cute little hut in Bryant Park that they've been painting and repainting every shade of green for at least the past five months has opened! I was so excited to see it open on Wednesday after the snow storm that I started snapping pictures without even realizing what they sold. Hint: a very very very delicious item that is a perfect compliment to ice skating. Hot chocolate! And not just your average hot chocolate, because 'wichcraft is never average. Malt hot chocolate! Peanut butter hot chocolate! I can vouch for both flavors, because the kind sir who was running the booth gave me samples. And yes, it made my day. There's also classic and handmade marshmallows. I'm guessing they're square marshmallows, because that's pretty much the trend in New York.

This cute little 'wichcraft hot chocolate outpost in conveniently located right near the entrance to the ice skating at Bryant Park. Enter on the 40th Street side and you'll see it, nestled in the snow. And if you want to know a bit more about skating The Pond, read this previous post. I'm a big fan.


hot chocolate by 'wichcraft
Bryant Park
closest entrance: 40th Street or 6th Avenue

hot chocolate by 'wichcraft
3 kinds of hot chocolate: classic, malt and peanut butter (chocolate)
3 sizes: S $3.50, M $4.50, L $5.50 + marshmallows 25 cents


I watched them build these curious protrusions everyday on my way to work.
They kept adding more and more texture. I figured it was going to be a florist
because it resembled cacti or something. I think in total, there are 4 shades of green.


But surprise, the interior is lavender! I love the front door, complete with
garage door hydraulics. I wonder what shade this wood will become?
Or will they leave it raw?

Calexico is new on Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint!
The quilted metal facade gives a nod to their street cart beginnings.


Calexico Hours. Open plenty late. Closed Mondays.
Take note.


The sputnik chandliers. LOVE!
And the recessed tin ceiling is great too. Along with the original poles.
I am guessing turn of the (last) century. So great.


Lighting is always key for me. I love what they put together here.

Excitement in Greenpoint. A new restaurant opened last month (although we just saw it for the first time on Sunday). It's Mexican, has tofu aplenty, margaritas, good prices, and excellent decor. Yes, they had me at tofu, but the sputnik-style chandeliers totally drew me in. Calexico, named for a town near the California/Mexico border where the owners (3 brothers, Dave, Jesse and Brian Vendley) are from, is doing a great business. The tables and bar are packed, so come early if you want the seat of your choice. Take-out customers come in all night, have a drink at the bar, and go merrily on their way. The service is speedy, but not rushed.

This Greenpoint-based Calexico is Brooklyn restaurant #2 for the Vendley brothers (the first location is 122 Union Street in Carroll Gardens) who started their Cal-Mex business running street carts 3 years ago. Hence the speedy delivery of your food. Also hence the quilted metal exterior of the restaurant. Decor à la food carte. Very clever.

The food is great, the vibe is great, and Paulie, the bar manager who works every night except Sunday, is a very refreshing non-pretentious non-hipster, who will treat you like a person and treat you well. Some nearby establishments should take note, but they won't, so scratch this last line.

Calexico
645 Manhattan Avenue (@ Bedford Avenue)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
347.763.2129

That's Paulie, bar manager. He gave excellent service to everyone who walked in.


Happy Hour special, $5


Where else can you get a mint jalapeno margarita? I'm hooked. $10


Very fresh chips, guacamole, hefty portion, $10


Tofu Torta (sandwich), very delicious, $10


Tacos, $4 each, black bean [L] and tofu [R]

Brooklyn Academy of Music


BAM, in downtown Brooklyn near the clock tower. Totally iconic.


They don't make signs like this anymore. Fontastic!


Now doesn't that look gorgeous? I love that this photo is time stamped.

I've been wanting to go to Junior's for five and a half years now, basically since we moved to Brooklyn. I'm not really a cheesecake fan, but really, Junior's is iconic. I was content with having a cup of coffee at the counter. Did they even have a counter? They must have a counter. (I looked it up online. They have a counter.)

So after we went to see a movie at BAM (another favorite iconic Brooklyn location of mine), we struck out for the Flatbush Avenue Extension (which I finally looked up on a map. All these years of hoping to happen upon Junior's on Flatbush Avenue did not prove fruitful. It never turned up.) And do you know what? It was my most favorite thing we have done lately!

The maitre d' was dressed in a suit. We sat at the horseshoe counter, and he immediately handed us menus. When does immediate acknowledgment happen in a New York restaurant? Our waiter was also dressed impeccably in a white shirt, black bow tie and vest. All of this proper service was straight out of another era. And it made our experience at Junior's so memorable. I cannot wait to go back.

We were just going to get coffee, but then we spied the mile-high lemon meringue pies in the window. So after three refills of coffee, we got a piece of pie to share. Look at this portion! Bottomless coffee was only $1.95 and this massive piece of pie (1/4 of a whole pie, in fact) dotted with the most delicious crumbs, was just $5.95. I think we tipped our waiter $10. He was great, and thanks to him, we had a great time.

Great logo, great orange stripes.


Yes, Junior's has a counter.


I love the milk pitcher. It's like a spaceship.


Would you look at this piece of lemon meringue pie!
Just look at it!

The latest in the Patina Restaurant Group's oeuvre, Lincoln, opens today in NYC!


The facade on 65th Street. Look closely: these are all names of films.

Designed by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, the looks of Lincoln from 65th Street.

The new restaurant/lawn behind Avery Fisher Hall near the reflecting pool won't be called the "Lincoln Center Hypar Restaurant" as I thought in July 2009. Although it is a hypar, the name will be more plainly spoken (written): Lincoln. And rumor has it, it's opening today! When I was at Lincoln Center for Fashion Week last week, I got a glimpse, snapped some pics, and asked a lot of questions. The menu will be continental Italian. The chef will be Jonathan Benno, formerly of Aqua, French Laundry, Daniel, Gramercy Tavern, Craft, and most recently, Per Se. Sounds great! I'd eat anything at this restaurant, just to experience the space. But since Lincoln is part of the Patina Restaurant Group, I'm pretty sure the food will be good.

And by the way, a hypar is a hyperbolic paraboloid shape. Get it? Think of it as a 3-d parallelogram with a sexy curve.


Lincoln Ristorante
142 W 65th Street
Lincoln Center
New York
212.359.6500

Getting set up for the special Fashion Week event


Some of the fashionable get to sample Lincoln's hospitality during NYFW


I love the angles


under the eaves


The reflecting pond


Very steep steps to get up to the lawn. I wore heels. Tricky terrain.


The lawn is so lovely! And the smell of real grass is like heaven to a New Yorker.
Real grass!


And look at the views!


This is one heck of a lawn.