cherrypatter nyc

i always find lingerie shopping intimidating as i have mentioned before.   as a result, let’s just say my selection is not the most exciting.  epy, this teeny tiny shop in the east village might change all that.  first of all, it’s a very welcoming spot with a very limited but very appealing selection.   i really liked the rampage camisole with blue and brown stripes and other cute items by sophie b.  (could i really dress like blair waldorf!)

probably the most interesting thing about epy is that they do custom made lingerie, and it’s not really that expensive. as far as i could tell, this is all a one-woman show and she takes care of everything in the back room which has reams of great materials.  for prices between $65 and $150, epy can make you whatever you want in terms of panties, bras and slips or camisoles.   All you need to do is bring in a photo or even sketch, and your made-to-order undies will be on the way.   epy, 77 east 4th street between the bowery and second avenue, manhattan, new york, .

frankies 457 has become a bit of a habit for us, so it’s maybe not quite as special to us as it might be otherwise — or maybe we just take the quality there for granted, which we definitely shouldn’t. we probably come here once a month.   we come early, sit outside if it’s nice (and that backyard is the best though i’m not so thrilled with the recent tent addition but maybe that will go) and we just relax.   the kids are obsessed with the frankie’s house-made cavatelli pasta with butter.  no, it’s not on their menu, but they’ll happily make it, and now when the kids get promised cavatelli elsewhere (like what happened to us at north fork table and inn, they were hugely disappointed if that’s not the kind of pasta delivered).  don’t ask me why they have fixated on this but i guess it’s just a huge step up from the usual noodles and cheese at home. 

and even as the frankies empire is expanding at maybe a too rapid clip (i’ve written up prime meats, and have been checking out fort defiance, which i’m loving, and cafe pedlar, which has not been as impressive) the food and service at frankies 457 continues to be excellent. i have never had a bad pasta dish and the service is also always impeccable.  we almost always get an order of the beefy, meatballs with pine nuts and raisins, and follow that with some kind of pasta.  if i’m in a heavier kind of mood i like the cavatelli with faiccos hot sausage and browned sage butter, and for something lighter their linguini often has a rotating range of toppings like fava beans and toasted breadcrumbs, spicy crab or the regular clams.   we often get a side or two at frankies.   the veggies are always super fresh and seasonal, and lightly dressed with something delicious.  the roasted beets with an avocado balsamic vinegar is a favorite, and i like ordering it throughout the year to see how the beets’ flavors are changing.  they were particularly sweet a few weeks ago.

more recently, when my office moved to gowanus, we’ve been coming to frankies for celebratory lunches, and that is also great.  they have the regular menu plus a bunch of tasty sandwiches including a blt, a sausage and broccoli rabe, and an eggplant marinara with mozzarella. now if only they would deliver i would have the perfect work location.  at this point, i have eaten my way through the entire menu, and i think i just keep coming back to the gnocchi which might be my favorite item.  the gnocchi are so light and  fluffy, and then this grat tomato sauce is topped with ethereal ricotta.   they also have a strong, not outrageous, wine list, and in general the food costs are quite reasonable. just remember it’s cash only and it does get busy.   frankies 457, 457 court street between luquer street and 4th place, brooklyn, new york, .

this holiday, columbus day, is just a little bit odd.  only a fraction of the people i know get it off (of course all the public schools, and this is one of those days where i do in fact miss working for the government) and the rest of us continue as usual.  since i am working, and we got back way late last night, i didn’t get my regular post together for today so instead you get a few photos from our great little visit to storm king.  we went with some very good friends, and as a side bonus got to celebrate their 1-year anniversary with them.  i happily got at the very last minute the most beautiful birdfeeder from perch! design, and amy was kind enough to let me come to her working studio to pick it up sunday morning).

the day was picture perfect, and we got to see the new maya lin bodies of water which was pretty beautiful.  my big bummer this weekend was that somehow i broke my lens and maybe even the camera body this weekend.  i don’t even know how i did it, but i feel lost!  i cannot believe how much i have become reliant on that camera, and i so love the photos it takes.  i had to revert back to our point and shoot this weekend which was bearable but i don’t think i can manage for long without it (and my 6-year old took the photo at the top which i think was maybe the best of the bunch, yay, k!). 

i find this all a bit baffling as i have never taken any photography classes, don’t really know anything about it but now i am addicted.   i’m off to b&h this morning, hopefully they can fix it on the spot, and then we’ll see if i can resist upgrading my lens to the 50 mm f/1.4.  it looks so good, but i really shouldn’t (new boots or lens?).  this has definitely become an expensive hobby.   

i went to the quintessential american high school, although maybe not exactly typical because it is in salt lake city – just a slightly different population from the rest of middle america but nice and conservative of course.   but the high school was typical enough, at least according to disney, that east high is the setting for the sickly sweet high school musical.  since i like catching glimpses of the school, which is a bit fancier than in my day, that is the very only reason i have even allowed 20 minutes of watching this show despite the begging that goes on from a certain member of this household. 

when i was at east high, my very favorite required class was graphics.  down in the dingy basement, we had a pretty crazy teacher and lots of old equipment, but none of that mattered. i just liked that i could create a basic design and then silkscreen it somewhere — paper, a t-shirt, a piece of plastic and i loved that look that came out. it didn’t really matter how ugly or ungracious the design was, it would always look better once printed somewhere.  since i have never considered myself particularly creative — i cannot draw, or really paint anything, or even sew — printmaking was a way to do that without seeming to have a lot of innate skill.

i was pretty excited when i learned about the lower east side print shop from mug.  printmaking is what they do all the time, and they have ongoing classes, and studio space.   of course, i am sure many of the people who use their facilities are super talented, but at least for me, it seems appealing that maybe i could take a class there and relive my 9th grade years (without all the teenage angst).  right now, the les print shop is running a solar plate etching class, a silkscreen class and a monotype class.  and next month, they will be starting a japanese waterbased woodcut class (moku hanga, a traditional japanese technique), an intaglio class which is a way to create very detailed images with techniques like etching, dry point and spit-bite — whatever those things are, and an intro to printmaking  which would be for me!

for the serious artists out there, the les print shop also rents out the studio for access to the printmaking equipment and they often have small exhibits.  right now is enoc perez, monoprints on view till november 1st.   the classes and workshops aren’t cheap, at around $395, but it seems like it could be a great distraction for the creatively frustrated like myself.   the les print shop is located in the garment district in the west 30s where i found lots of great food options, as well as lots of random shopping ideas (this is the land of the specialty shop).  a mini guide with my suggestions for where to hang out before and after class is below.    lower east side print shop, 306 west 37th street at 8th avenue, manhattan, new york, .

everyone has to come close to the garment district, at least if you ever have to use the ugliest train station ever — penn station. it still is hard to believe that the city allowed the old amazingly beautiful one designed by mckim, mead and white to be destroyed.  oh right, i forgot, madison square garden was a sign of the times.  anyways,  hopefully, someday that moynihan vision for a new post officewill take place.  anyways, since i am often coming and going to baltimore for work, amtrak and i are close friends and usually i have no desire to linger outside (or inside) that beautiful station.   but since i wanted to write about the great programming at the lower east side print shop, which is, despite the name, now located in the garment district, i figured this was a good excuse to check out this neighborhood and maybe i would have somewhere to go when that train was delayed for 2 hours. 

surprisingly, this area has all sorts of shopping options that i didn’t even knew existed in new york.  from a very high end hat shop, to numerous little wedding and bridal party shops (jenny yoo and kathlin argiro) and as i was roaming around i also saw sewing equipment, drum stores, a golf shop and custom men’s shirts.   new york magazine has a really great list  (just click on 30s west, to new york golf center, super fancy shirts.  and there are also lots of little places to eat, so in this mini guide i’ve highlighted what i think some of the better options from high end to super cheap.   

food:

•  mad for chicken, there have been some raves about this spot  when it had been bon bon chicken, and it is a very loungy obviously happening spot. my guess is if the chicken is fresh it’s great, and even if it isn’t (which was our experience) it’s still a very good option if you need somewhere to hang out post empire state building.  314 5th avenue between 31st and 32nd streets, manhattan, new york, .
• gray’s papaya: this hot dog shop usually comes up in the best of the dog lists and it is so close to penn station i cannot believe i haven’t thought of it before.  539 8th avenue near 37th street, manhattan, new york, .
• szechuan gourmet, many think this may be one of the best chinese spots in manhattan. i haven’t been in a long while, but i’m definitely ready to check it out.  21 west 39th street, between 5th and 6th avenues, .
• keens,  a very high end steak place which i have not been to but is on my list.  a good option  if you were meeting someone after 6 or just had some serious time to kill.   72 west 36th street between 5th and 6th avenues, manhattan, new york, .
• djerden, a little forlorn as a restaurant, though i went there in the evening so i’m guessing it is more bustling during the day, but i had the tastiest spinach burek there. a great snack spot.  221 west 38th street between 7th and 8th avenue, new york, new york, .

shops/to do:

• grow/rebecca cole design: this shop and design store (pictured up top) which opened this summer has some kitschy stuff but mostly it was filled with very interesting garden items, especially if you have some space to add some green to your apartment or need a gift.  214 west 30th street between 7th and 8th avenues, new york, new york,
• clothingline: this is sample sale central.  always chock full of merchandise that changes often.  if i were coming to the area regularly, i would always stop by here.  261 west 36th street between 7th and 8th avenues, 2nd floor, new york, new york, .
• monif c.  this small, and nondescript space is filled with some really great plus size dresses and other outfits.  325 west 38th street between 8th and 9th avenues, suite 1007, manhattan, new york, . 
• 30th street guitars,  not much more to say but i think this is where you go if you have a guitar need. 236 west 30th street near 7th avenue, manhattan, new york, .
• b & h photo & video, one of the best photography stores in new york.  420 9th avenue at 34th street, manhattan, new york, .
• eugenia kim, a specialty hat designer with lots of beautiful things.  need to call for an appointment.  247 west 36th street, suite 502 near 8th avenue, manhattan, new york, .

i’m very happy to announce addition number two to cherrypatter (last week was the long awaited map) – again a long time in coming — will be a series of interviews to find out where some of the people behind my favorite places like to eat and shop.   i’ll also be featuring people who just love new york to see some of their favorite haunts as well.     i’ll be trying for a balance throughout the city but for now it may be a little brooklyn heavy, but hey, there’s not really much wrong with that.

first up in my interview series is ann catrell of annie’s blue ribbon general store.  living in brooklyn heights, ann is a super enthusiastic about brooklyn (and barely seems to leave the borough).   annie started her great shop in 2007 after dreaming about it for 10 years (see this great profile by shiny squirrel) and has filled her shop with stuff that’s fun and functional.  she  makes good use of her incredibly cute and versatile store to get all her essential goodies.   on the food front, she is a pizza lover and lots of other suggestions in boerum hill where her shop is located, as well as closer to her home.  thanks ann for sharing all your great ideas.  thanks so much ann for answering my questions and being my guinea pig as this section evolves!

click here for more: interview: ann cantrell, annie’s blue ribbon general store

although atlantic avenue has a bunch of fancy clothing shops, the rest of south brooklyn doesn’t really see that much in the high end range, or at least my interpreation of high end which is where the range is often around $200 or more.  for me, especially that i no longer work in a law firm which is a good thing in all respects, shopping in that higher range is definitely a huge splurge.   so if i’m going to do it, i want to do it right and it will definitely have to be at the right shop.   although bird is everywhere now — 5th avenue, smith street and williamsburg, somehow their displays these days are too stark and harsh for me to find appealing.  and i do love a. cheng who can sometimes be in that higher range and try to support her when i can though i see her stuff as a little more casual and i love it for work.   for something a little even fancier, and definitely special, dear fieldbinder is my local haunt. 

the shop itself is very inviting and intimate, and dear fieldbinder staff  are always super helpful even if all you are doing is pawing your way through the sales items.  the clothing choices are really great.  there is a such a wide range for such a tiny place, and always a very good selection of beautiful dresses that could be worn for work, or just out and about.  

on my latest visit, i was smitten by the velvet dress above by rodebjer.  it’s an updated version of a dress i used to use as my winter “wedding” dress — more sophisticated, and more sexy, and really just beautiful.  i was also tempted by this gorgeous deep blue, soft and very warm looking sweater by dagmar. both dagmar and rodebjer are high quality swedish designers.   dear fieldbinder also had some really fun, a little funky, floral dresses some of which were designed by corey lynn calter. i’m not sure i could get away with it, well maybe if i were 5 inches taller, but for someone with long legs and a little more spunk they would look great.   dear fieldbinder also always has a mix of  local designers like manisse and rachel nasvick with bigger names like lauren moffat and charlotte ronson. 

dear fieldbinder has a fantastic range of shoes, and often makes me think outside of my comfort zone carrying such best selling brands as cynthia vincent and jeffrey campbell.   they also have some perfect denims like j brand and april 77.  and the limited accessories they have are all wonderful. i’ve gotten j’s mum some lovely perfectly appropriate leather gloves, and i have been obsessing over some of their scarves.  they do have have lots of jewelry too including the beautiful delicate pieces pictured above by artisans like  iwona ludyga and jenny sheriff.    for some high design in brooklyn, dear fieldbinder is it for me.   dear fieldbinder, 198 smith street near baltic street, .

posteritati is an unassuming shop at the very bottom of chinatown (or soho according to some) just where it starts to bleed into the city hall and wall street area.  usually, i wouldn’t think of roaming around there but there actually seem to be quite a few cute shops there including saturdays, a surf and espresso shop and this really lovely michele varian that i am sure i will profile later (and will be back for christmas shopping for sure).   

back to posteritati.  this is really more of a shop for those obsessed with film or just a particular film or just want something great for your walls.  posteritati is well known as maybe the very best store around for cinema posters.   with more than 12,000 posters available at the shop, and access to more through their extensive computer base (everything has been digitalized), posteritati is going to be able to get you what you want from wherever you want in whatever language you want.  above (image provided by posteritati), is the 1967 italian poster for blow-up.  other more esoteric selections include a german poster for the seven-year itch with art by dorothea fischer-nosbisch and a 1966 japanese poster for how to steal a million.   if you want it, they will find it.

posteritati is fun to visit because it really functions as a gallery space, displaying  mini exhibits that rotate several times a year.   on view now is the “rock n’ roll” theme celebrating 40 years of woodstock.  some of the posters on view include the beatles (above is one from japan), hair, woodstock, janis joplin and bob dylan.  on thursday evening, october 22nd, posteritati is kicking off a new exhibit “best in show” where they’ll display some of their favorite canine and feline posters like wallace & gromit (a huge hit in our family), tintin and tom & jerry.  that night, they’re hosting a benefit where they’ll sell four posters to the highest bidder, and all the proceeds will go to animal haven, a nonprofit that finds homes for abandoned cats and dogs.  

once you find something you like, posteritati also offers linen-backing services to help “smooth out” the folds in most movie posters (nearly anything before 1990 was folded) and they will also frame your poster if you’d like.  posteritati is especially great because they offer a wide range of prices (from as little as $25 to 50 to thousands), so this is an excellent gift spot especially for difficult to shop for people, like younger males for example!  so i am going to be visiting posteritati often i think in my future – either on line or in person – for that perfect image.  posteritati, 239 centre street between broome and grand streets, manhattan, new york, .

yerba buena has been on my list since it opened last year, and we finally made it — en famille - just a few weeks ago.  we came at an ungodly hour (i won’t admit how early) but it’s a good thing we did as it’s not really a child-friendly restaurant though the waiter did a really good job accommodating us. i don’t think he had ever had anyone ask for a plain quesadilla, but we were so appreciative that he was able to get the kitchen to agree otherwise we might not have gotten to stay (yes i know in an ideal world our kids would be incredibly good, flexible eaters — but somehow i have failed with that with our older one and since i don’t want to starve her i do cave more for my sanity than her health).  

i knew lots of people liked yerba buena, but when we actually arrived i was surprised at how appealing the space was since it’s located on a fairly grungy block.  it’s pretty small, but has a great bluish/green bar which must make it especially alluring at night (yes, it was definitely still light when we were there). 

everyone raves about the drinks, and my “yerba buena” mojito was delicious.  the ingredients included flor de cana 7 rum, mint, demarara syrup and lime juice.  the balance of sweet with the liquor was great.   foodwise, we were pretty pleased too.   i would definitely like to explore more of yerba buena’s menu on a future visit and try things like their yucca croquetas, grouper tacos and their beef short ribs and especially their other cocktails like the pisco punch or a poquito picante).  we loved the guacamole which was super spicy with chipotle and had a smattering of tasty queso fresco.   the calamari, which sounded appealing crushed in blue corn meal andthen served with a tomato salad tamarind vinaigrette, was just too mushy — could it have been left over from brunch or was it just too saucy?  

the main courses were excellent, though, and allowed me to overlook the squid.  j’s black cod was perfect.  we became black cod lovers back in the “heyday” of nobu (is that still going on?), and since we couldn’t, and didn’t want to, become regulars, we found a no name sushi restaurant on the upper west side that did the dish pretty well.  we haven’t found black miso cod in brooklyn, but yerba buena does an excellent rendition. the cod was flaky, the miso sauce was sweet enough and there was plenty of sauce.   i had the lechon, or suckling pig.  which i enjoyed after getting over the fact that it wasn’t served as pieces of pig (i was remembering the one i had loved at prune).  yerba buena’s version comes shredded served atop yucca puree and chicharron.  the pork was moist, and the sauce had a delicious tang so it got gobbled up.  we had to bypass dessert because we were stuffed, and real adults were coming in so we decided we should go before the kids had a serious meltdown.  but we will be back, and i’m especially interested in trying the new yerba buena at perry street which has at least one enthusiastic review so far.  yerba buena l.e.s.,  23 avenue a between houston and 2nd streets, , yerba buena perry, one perry street at greenwich avenue, , both in manhattan, new york.

j. spent more than 7 years living in germany before i met him, and understandably he was very excited for me to visit his adopted homeland.  i, on the other hand, couldn’t have been less enthusiastic.  of all the european countries, we were going to spend lots of time in stuttgart and frankfurt  — delightful.  starting out in heidelburg probably wasn’t the best choice either which i felt is just too touristy (he thinks, or maybe rather thought of, this is the perfect date city) but as our trip continued i grew increasingly fond of the scenery and especially the food which i couldn’t believe.  for scenery, i totally loved füssen with its bright blue lake with a backdrop of the alps, and the breakfasts were excellent (i cannot say the same for the dinners).  muesli, thick yogurt, fresh fruit and then these dark breads, cheeses and hams all made for a great start. 

then we headed to munich, and i went to my first beer garden.  it was a revelation.   i loved being outside.  i loved the beers, especially the wheat and other lighter beers. and i loved the snacks.  so while it is not terribly hard to get great beer in new york these days — with stores like brouwerij lane and grab – it is harder to recreate that biergarten experience.  although there isn’t much outside to speak of (at least on our visit), in all other ways der schwarze kölner  fit the bill. not too fancy, excellent german beer and tasty tidbits. 

j and i visited der schwarze kölner during its very early days.  no real plates as of yet (we got paper), and not much food either but what they had was good and the place was bustling.  although there wasn’t much food, there was plenty of beer to choose from.  among their list of about 40 different beers, they had bottles of reissdorf and sünner and wheat beers like hofbräu kindl weiβ. there are six on tap wheats and another five pilsners (like jever and bitburger).   j had a weihenstephaner kristall, and i had the kolsch gaffel on tap.  der schwarze kölner also had a couple nonalcholic options like clausthaler and schlenkeria marzn.  always a nice touch!

the bratwurst we had that night was excellent, grilled, popping out of its skin and extremely juicy.  the pretzels were not quite up to snuff, a bit too hard but maybe we need to check them out again.  since our visit, more food has made its way onto der schwarze kölner’s menu including a currywurst sandwich (bratwurst with curry ketchup), a gouda roll and a few other meat and cheese options. nothing fancy but definitely enough.  der schwarze kölner, 710 fulton street near greene avenue, brooklyn, new york.