as i have mentioned before, although j does like to have nice clothing and to look smart, he is is not really the best clothing shopper. he has a super hard time deciding what he likes, and then that makes deciding what to buy even harder if not possible. as a result many months and really years can go by without a wardrobe upgrade other than the few random pieces he gets here and there (and i do like to indulge him in the occasional seize sur vingt off the rack shirts). given that i don’t think he and i had gone on a summer shopping spree since pre k (that is at least six years ago), it was about time that we upgraded j’s shrunken, holey shirts and way too old and ratty shorts.

so this spring, after i finally was able to check save khaki out in their quaint, comfortable shop in the lower east side, i thought this was place was perfect for a solo shopping expedition. i could just send j unaccompanied because everything is so basic and pared down but still stylish and looks good. focusing on cotton goods, save khaki only has a few styles of short sleeve shirts, one more long sleeve style of shirt and then just a few pair of shorts. and while they have a few other items like hoodies, swimsuits and boxers, i thought that wouldn’t distract j from his mission. i also really loved save khaki’s different fabrics and the simplicity of the styles. the all cotton shirts were incredibly soft and silky and the shorts had a brushed cotton look that i assumed would look great on him, and they had some fun colors — nothing wild mind you — but some turquoises and orange. and it didn’t hurt that some the new brand (started in 2006) has obviously gotten a lot of play being carried at such hot spots as barneys and even featured in gq as one of the year’s best new menswear american designers.

so of course i was a little too optimistic. j returned from his save khaki journey with not a thing. discouraged by the muted tones (he does love crazy colors), he had failed to try on anything. fortunately, a few weeks ago we were able to go back together so that i could show him what he had missed. with just a little bit of prodding, he made his way to the dressing room, and we left with a new summer wardrobe which even included a frayed pair of shorts — shocking. this boy is now one happy clam. he loves the save khaki short sleeve shirts (so luxurious, so cool looking and so not fussy) and the shorts look great. and i have even gotten him to get rid of a few of the old pairs which is a minor miracle.

while i don’t think the fit at save khakiis for everyone (and j hasn’t tried their signature slim fit khakis yet) - at the shop i noticed another more hunky guy’s shirts seemed a little too tight — i know that for j’s skinny upper body build that i cannot wait for save khaki’s fall collection of cashmere sweaters and lightweight jackets. i think we may have finally found our “go to” menswear casual shop. save khaki, 327 lafayette street at bleeker street, 212.925.0134; and 254 broome street at orchard street, 212.614.7283, manhattan, new york.

we are definitely a cheese-loving family. j and i used to have cheese only dinners, and even now we sometimes resort to that when we are just too tired, or lazy, and i will say it is always a very very popular choice with the kids (though i think they just use cheese as an excuse for crackers but whatever). when we used to live in manhattan, we frequented all the major cheese players but we kept going back to zabar’s for consistently fresh, amazing selection of high quality cheeses (and this was in spite of the huge crowds and less than enjoyable shopping experience). murray’s cheese shop was good of course; but at least when they were in their smaller space, their selection was not as vast as it might now be, fairway was fine but not exciting, and dean & deluca was and is just over-the-top expensive. we also used to go to a small cheese shop that had been located on 9th avenue in the 40s that seemed to disappear a few years back.

since our move out to brooklyn, we have our own local cheese shops like stinky bklyn which we frequent. however, i have been tracking the manhattan cheese improvements and saxelby cheesemongers has been high on my list to check out. founded by anne saxelby in 2006, anne had previously worked for murray’s cheese shop as well as at cato corner farm (where she worked as a cheesemaker). for a great profile on anne see this interview by serious eats (oops, i see she loves lucali, oh well, maybe she’ll still let me eat her cheese).

back to the cheese. in addition to experiencing saxelby’s influence on casellula, i also stopped by saxelby cheesemongers recently, and i was a happy clam. first, i really love how local and seasonally focused the cheeses are — most are from farms in upstate new york, vermont and connecticut and a few other surrounding states. second, the range is really excellent from the super stinky to the more mild and creamy. third, the shop is tiny (really just a countertop within essex street market), service is great and the staff is infinitely patient with tastings. although the physical shop is small, saxelby’s has somewhere between 30 to 40 or so local purveyors at one time which allows for that range. some of the cheeses that appealed to me included the demitasse, which is a creamy, tangy mix cake of goat and cheese milk by lazy lady farm in westfield, vermont, the cabot clothbound cheddar by jasper hill farm out of greensboro vermont, and specially for j the maple smoked gouda made from raw cow’s milk by taylor farm in londonderry, vermont. i was also especially taken by the other dairy products. i took home with me a big chunk of cultured butter by evans farmhouse creamery which was delicious in a rhubarb pie, and if we lived closer i would be tempted to get their milk on a regular basis.

finally, it seems that anne has lots of cheese facts to share. in addition to what looks like a weekly cheese blog called the saxelby almanac (a recent post is all about summer appropriate cheeses), she also recently started to cohost (with nathalie jordie) cutting the curd, a biweekly program on heritage radio network. just wish i could download that as a podcast! saxelby cheesemongers, essex street market, 120 essex street between delancey and rivington streets, manhattan, new york, 212.228.2204.

i had seen shop mentioned in a few shopping guides including this one, and thought i definitely should come by as it seemed like my kind of store — fairly affordable yet chock full of interesting, comfortable, and stylish clothes that i would be more than happy to wear for work or for play. i defiitely fell for karma’s plaid blouse pictured above. they also had cute john eshaya tee shirts as well as dresses by manisse, bikinis by vitamin a, panties by eberjey. they have quite an extensive jean selection in various shades and colors with brands such as siwy (blue and white swirled), kasil and blank.

and they had plenty of accessories. spring clutch purses by abaco and others by salome, and lots of jewelry including the super cute necklace above by bearhead factory. so if you’re in need for a few things for summer, which finally seems like it is in sight, i think that shop would be a good place for a little splurge that won’t make you feel too guilty. shop, 94 orchard street between broome and delancey streets, manhattan, new york, 212.375.0304.

for anyone who follows the new york donut scene even a little bit, the doughnut plant does not exactly need an introduction. having been around since 1994, mostly known for their super large yeast and cake donuts in all sorts of interesting flavors like vanilla bean, creme brulee, valrhona chocolate and cashew as well as square jelly donuts with the jam spread throughout the sides. and while i like those donuts on the rare occasion, i often find they are too heavy for me (really, it’s true).

however, i visited recently after an inspiring post by blondie and brownie where they reported on the tasty looking churros. and while the doughnut plant did not have the ones that blondie and brownie raved about — the ones filled with cajetas and sugar, and that were even more recently swooned over in serious eats - they did have the regular plain churros (pictured at top). and i found that they were superb. contrary to serious eats’ visit, the churros were not at all dry or bland, but in fact were super crispy, chewy (in all the right ways) and contained a lovely amount of doughiness.

according to doughnut plant’s website, they have been making churros for more than 10 years but somehow i had completely missed them and never saw them at one of their many outposts. but starting now, i will be on the look out or maybe they don’t transport well so they just stay at the main shop and so i will just have to trek over to their not quite convenient location a little more frequently. doughnut plant, 379 grand street between essex and norfolk streets, manhattan, new york, 212.505.3700.

so i will admit that i am not completely up to date on the gelato scene which situation needs to be corrected as it is getting a wee bit warmer. i have not yet tried l’arte del gelato that many seem to swoon over these days and i need to track down the van leeuwen ice cream truck (it seems to hang out in the village and soho) as well as this odd tanning/gelato spot oro verde gelati in bay ridge that ed levine wrote about. i have tried grom but didn’t really love it, and cones is fine on occasion. and while i do frequent shake shack quite often, i think of their soft serve ice cream as in an entirely different category, and the same is true with momofuku bakery & milk bar which also has soft serve ice creams (which i still do need to try). some restaurants also have great gelato — otto is one of those with their olive oil gelato and i probably need to try the gelato at convivio — but having a cone on the street versus sitting down is my favorite way to eat ice cream.

despite the numerous gelato options these days and pending my review of some of the new spots, for now, i am still quite enamored with il laboratorio del gelato which continues to have extremely rich and flavorful ice creams.

since opening in 2002, we have been trekking down to the lower east side to see what flavors treats were in stock. and as il laboratorio del gelato takes the laboratory in their name seriously, they are always testing out new flavors or rotating through what is in season. some of my favorites include the creme fraiche, black sesame and the milk chocolate (which may seem boring but believe me it’s not). as j is a fruit lover, he adores the blood orange, the watermelon and the grapefruit campari. and the list of flavors we need to try is endless — black fig, red plum, wasabi, avocado, ricotta, etc… and while we can get some of il laboratorio’s gelato from local high-end markets, i much prefer an in person visit. il laboratorio del gelato, 95 orchard street between broome and delancey streets, manhattan, new york, 212.343.9922.

i was never a big candy person growing up, and while i am sure my parents’ complete control of all sweets in the house definitely had something to do with it, i also never remember really missing it. however, somehow over the last decade or so there are a few sugar items that i have found that i just cannot live without. those cravings became even more intense after k’s arrival when i really, totally, in order to make it through the day on absolutely no sleep, had to have basic jelly beans (and not the ”gourmet” jelly bellys which are too small and just don’t have those original flavors), the juicy orange slices and licorice of all sorts especially the delectable kind that prune still offers post dining — those scottie dogs and coins were the best.

so in my quest for candy, i was shocked to discover that there is really only one place in the entire city that has everything you could dream of in the candy collection. not only do they have every kind of flavor of whatever you are looking for but they also have those childhood favorites from ages ago including some of my obsessions like fun dip, pop rocks and razzles. happily, economy candy is still going strong and every now and then, even though i am a little off my candy obsession, i have to go in to fill up my jar at home. economy candy, 108 rivington street at essex street, manhattan, new york, 800.352.4544.

to end our glorious two-day anniversary celebration several weeks ago, we opted to have brunch at what used to be i’m sure one of the hipper spots in town. since the stanton social has been open a few years, i am sure it is not quite as hot as it was or maybe it was because we were there before noon on a weekend. regardless, we were quite happy with our choice. first of all, the avro ko designed- space was great. really high ceilings, attractive art and great circular light fixtures combined with friendly service were a plus. then we really liked the small plate concept which allowed us to order more than five different things and not get too too too stuffed (we were able to manage some gelato an hour later). our standout dishes included the ricotta fritters and raspberry jam (pictured above) and the grilled cheese with house cured jalapeno bacon, fried green tomatos and lemon aoli. while not everything was spectacular, there were enough good things that we’ll plan to come back (we definitely want to check out the sliders and the baby benedict), and even bring the kiddies (we saw a few families there managing just fine). and now that i’ve read the reviews, we might even have to try out dinner though getting in then might be a little tougher. the stanton social, 99 stanton street near ludlow, manhattan, 212.995.9900.