cherrypatter nyc

although bushwich is incredibly industrial, there seem to be some side benefits of being accessible on the l train and located just far enough away from the williamsburg crazy development scene.  bushwick has what some say is an emerging art scene, and the blog devoted to life in bushwick seems to be thriving.  brownstoner picked up that even british airways– the standard for the fancy life — has hyped the area noting it is the hip spot for a “thriving underground scene.” now our great friend, godmum to k., who works for b.a.’s press office should get lots of credit (and i am sure a promotion is in order) for managing to connect britishairways with bushwick in this little offbeat blog.  i think sadly that any english business travellers who head straight to this neck of the woods might be a little shocked at the desolation but then again maybe they are looking for the next clerkenwell.  right now, there are not too many food spots, and shopping options — well almost non existent unless you like dollar stores or run-of-the-mill thrift shops.  and there are definitely some galleries and art spaces so if you do go out to something like the putting lot (photos above and below), which is great fun, there are some things to do if you know where to go.

food:

roberta’s:   as i have written about before (and pictured above), i love this very low key casual spot for pizza and especially for the excellent fried chicken and the great outdoor space.  261 moore street between white and bogart streets, brooklyn, new york, .

northeast kingdom, withplenty of press and an appealing menu with options like organic chicken pot pie, the piedmontese beef  short rib pot au feu and the vegetable bindaloo, this seems like a somewhere we need to test out.  18 wyckoff avenue at troutman street, brooklyn, new york, .

tandem: from recent reviews, this places looks like a decent bar to get a solid cocktail or a beer, and some tasty snacks.  236 troutman street between wilson and knickerbocker avenues, brooklyn, new york, .

to do/shop:

factory fresh: an art gallery run out of an old bodega featuring fun artists like jon burgerman &  jim avignon  and pufferella on sale, they have also started hosting performances. their next show starting on august 14th is the brooklyn bailout burlesque with seven artists presenting strange and funny ways to deal with the economic crisis.   a recent show sponsored with plaztik mag this spring had artists create their own dream cardboard box homes.  1053 flushing avenue between morgan and knickerbocker, brooklyn, new york, .

the loom: an old pillow factory is in the process of transforming into a mini mall  at interior cobblestone courtyard. the top floors of the building have been transformed into lofts, and the owner is working on renting ground floor storefronts to smaller independent shops according to the brooklyn paper.  one of the first shops that hopes to open is the water tower decks and ink which will be a tattoo and skateboard shop. there was a also recent announcement of a small sandwich shop moving in.  1087 flushing avenue between porter and knickerbocker avenues, brooklyn new york, . 

the third ward: a little bit further away from core bushwick territory, this design center houses photo studios and other creative spaces and offers reasonably priced classes in the visual arts, technology and crafts. the third ward  also host events. next week is the performance piece the hannah complex presented by what we know so far, and they also have a movie house.  195 morgan avenue at stagg street, brooklyn, new york, .

when j and i wandered into billy reid’s recently, just looking for somewhere cool to hang out for a few minutes, we were very pleasantly surprised with all this completely unexpected hospitality.   we were offered drinks with ice.  j was ushered gently downstairs to try on some clothes, and i was free to roam through the store on my own.  not the usual fancy manhattan shop treatment.

although i had never heard of billy reid before, i soon learned it was part of a southern-based mini chain (six other stores in the south) which then made sense with all the very encouraged friendliness — and no i’m not complaining about that.  before i get to the clothes, though, i really just loved the store’s  lived-in design which was clearly very carefully put together using lots of reclaimed materials.  with a mix of dark wood (the display cabinets came from a dry goods store in montgomery, alabama), oil paintings, beautiful mirrors and lots of great light both upstairs and downstairs, the place was a very comfortable place to browse.

the southerner behind the store, billy reid who is from and still lives in alabama, is on his second tour through new york.  after winning an award as the best new menswear designer in 2001, he started production right around september 11th, and when that didn’t go well given the timing, he moved back to alabama to retool and started opening up the other stores which have been very well received.   when we visited, i loved the gorgeous colors billy reid used in the women’s collection (that blue checked shirt above was fantastic).   in general, however, the  women’s clothing was maybe not at the top of its game (this was in june) so i feel it’s a bit unfair to say i didn’t like it as it seemed in transition, but i will come back to check out what billy reid has in the fall.  some of the jackets did look super cute, as did the dresses, and i am guessing that this is a place where it really makes sense to try things on.

billy reid’s menswear had lots of very appealing low key but attractive options.  for some reason, the few shirts that j was willing to try on (he had already been shopping a bit too long so he was at the end of his shopping window) were way too short — so it seems maybe this is a better place for those on the smaller side.  in all, i really liked the designs, the fabrics and the colors, and the price point was good too.  men’s shirts ran at around $145 or so and when on sale they could be marked down to half of that.  in addition to casual pants and shirts, billy reid also carries great shoes and boots (handmade in italy), ties, bags, denim and suits.  so with the reasonable price point, billy reid is a place to come by every now and then, and not just for the drink.  billy reid, 54 bond street at bowery, manhattan, new york, .

i travel a lot in my day job and as a result i am always thinking about how to balance lugging around a lot of stuff including a computer, masses of papers and some entertainment for those long days waiting and waiting and waiting to get home.   for the longest while, especially when i was shuffling to chicago weekly from laguardia (fortunately those trips are over) my best bet was my trusted tumi — boring but incredibly reliable and hardcore for all that jostling for a spot on the plane.

now that my travel is a bit more reasonable, and more like a day here and there so i don’t need to worry so much about my stuff and maybe i’m just a wee bit more sensitive to how i look as i trek through the likes of pittsburgh and baltimore with luggage, i have discovered the great style of hayden-harnett, two designers based in greenpoint where there great original store is located.  i am particularly smitten with their paule marrot editions of travel totes like the one pictured above.  and although i haven’t yet made the splurge, these super cute, and super functional bags would definitely brighten up my days so one of these is on the must purchase list.   i have already gotten myself one of their very functional, super light , quite affordable backpacks that nicely fits all my heavier things and i don’t hurt my back at the same time — nice.

hayden-harnett has lots of other great bags including shoulder bags, satchels and clutches.  they have plenty of very cute accessories too like wallets, coin purses, luggage tags and key chains.  at the newer nolita store which opened this spring hayden-harnett also offers a bunch of gift ideas from other brands like digby & iona jewelry and yee-haw industries stationery.     

and they also design some clothes though that is definitely not the mainstay of the company. i thought those blouses above were quite cute, and some other fun dresses.   and although they no longer seem to be designing for target at some great price points (let’s hope that comes back), there are always some kind of sales or promotions on at hayden-harnett, especially if you follow them on .  right now on the website though there are definitely some great deals on dresses, swimsuits (so cute!), shoes and even a couple of boots and of course lots of bags and totes.  hayden-harnett, 211 franklin street at freeman street, brooklyn, new york, ; 253 elizabeth street near houston street, manhattan, new york, .

while not exactly shocking news, locanda verde is now my very top place for breakfast in new york. and i know that it may seem a bit tedious, as there have been quite a few reports about this very subject including this one by ed levine for the huffington post, but that doesn’t make it any less true.  at first, when all the buzz started i was completely uninterested.  locanda verde is the restaurant for the much discussed robert deniro’s greenwich hotel,   usually, the celebrity-food combination would just put me off, and i would stay well clear. 

however, j and i had been wandering around tribeca a few weeks ago and we came across the space, and i just loved it. the setting is classically beautiful  — lots of light, a great combination of brick, dark woods and metals and comfortable seating.  the cafe area was especially attractive, and sitting outside was a bonus.   the clincher was that my budding barista  j noticed the gorgeous faema e61, one of the original high quality espresso machines and boy did it do its work well. 

we ate at locanda verde about a week ago with my mom, the birthday girl k (just turned 6) and a quite unruly s giving us his worst toddler behavior.  nevertheless, the very beautiful staff couldn’t have been more gracious, welcoming and especially efficient for which i was grateful.  we were only one of about three parties at the restaurant (it was about 10 a.m. on a monday) so we basically had the place to ourselves. i was pretty shocked with the emptiness given that most of the over-the-top press had already come out but i was not too sad about it as it didn’t affect our meal in the least.

in addition to the excellent cappuccinos, we started with locanda verde’s baked goods served with this lovely honey butter and strawberry jam.   the light, slightly sticky, hazelnut bun was the highlight for me, and if i had been mindful of not getting overly stuffed (at least at that point), i would have been perfectly happy with one of those.  i of course had to try a few other items including the olive oil cake and the blueberry polenta muffin. they were good but not keepers for me.

onto locanda verde’s main breakfast course. i opted for the completely over the top uova modenese.  though very rich, this dish was spectacular.   perfectly poached eggs were served with perfect toast over spinach and house-made “modena” (a kind of pork ) which was then covered (and not smothered) with a tangy tomato hollandaise sauce.    i was in a bit of a food coma at this point though i did try a bit of my mom’s fluffy zucchini frittata which was also excellent.

locanda verde had so many other items that i wanted to try that i am sure we will be back there soon, especially as they are now serving brunch on the weekends (a mix of lunch and breakfast items apparently).  still on my list are the crisp polenta waffle,  the lemon riccotta pancakes, the sheep’s milk ricotta with honey and the porcetta sandwich.  i think that we may become locanda regulars, at least for a while, especially if i can convince j that on the occasional days he works in tribeca right across the street  (like tomorrow) that maybe we both need to scoot out of the house nice and early for a breakfast boost.   hmmm, we’ll have to figure out that babysitting trick.    locanda verde, 377 greeenwich street between franklin and moore streets, manhattan, new york, .

available just around the corner from our house at the weekly  park slope farmers’ market, the dream coconut bar from made by molly is rather excellent.  with the lightest of graham cracker crusts, the bars have an ideal amount of toasted coconut with condensed milk and bits of milk chocolate here and there.  i’m guessing these bars also have plenty of butter and maybe even some added sugar but whatever it is the mix is perfect.  i have tried various recipes for coconut bars but each time they may satisfy that craving but they’re too heavy or too rich, or worse, both.  the key with molly’s dream bars is to make sure to eat them on day one otherwise they too get a little chewy and are not quite as satisfying.  waiting too long, however, has never been my problem.

although those dream bars are my main obsession, made by molly has lots of other worthy treats.  another favorite of mine is the  incredibly rich cherry cream scone.  other goodies include brown sugar brownies, walnut brownies, vanilla sugar cookies, lime cornmeal cookies, katie’s oatmeal cream pies, chocolate pecan chubbies, chocolate cherry chunkers, peanut butter cremes and really fluffy homemade marshmallows.  made by molly also sells amy’s bread baguettes and rounds as well as some of their specialty items like the sourdough twists with chocolate.   

we are fortunate that this is the third summer that made by molly has been selling baked goods  at our local market.  though i cannot say it has been good for my goal of getting back in shape post baby (and really i have no excuse since s is getting close to 3 years old) .   the owners behind made by molly are based in astoria and someday hope to open up a bakery there – i can only hope they keep making the trek out to brooklyn even though my belly is not so happy about that.  made by molly, park slope farmers’ market, 5th avenue and 3rd street, brooklyn, new york, . open from the end of may through december.

it’s not like we need a ton of reasons to visit beautiful prospect park, though sometimes we do take this olmsted amenity for granted.   in the summer time, celebrate brooklyn! puts together a fantastic roster of music and other events that attract crowds both at night and during the day.  while the shows are winding down as it is sadly almost august (i cannot believe how fast my favorite season goes), there are a few more through the middle of the month.  

tonight starting at 7 is the royal family: soulive’s 10th anniversary celebration.   and tomorrow, saturday, august 1st starting at 7:30 p.m. will be dean and britta performing original scores to warhol’s rarely seen short silent film portraits.  other free concert highlights in august include a purple rain sing-along on august 6th, grace potter and the nocturnals on august 7th and hip hop with big daddy kane on august 8th.    

the last week of celebrate brooklyn! is studded with benefits (meaning you have to pay) and include tv on the radio, bonnie raitt and taj mahal and ending with  animal collective on august 14th and 15th.  see here for the detailed calendar.  for some ideas as to where to pick up some picnic foods before a concert, and where to hang out in park slope, see my mini guide below.  celebrate brooklyn!  located at the prospect park bandshell at about 10th street most easily reached from prospect park west located along west drive.

the northern edge of park slope, which is the edge closest to where celebrate brooklyn! is held at the bandshell, has not exactly been leading the way in style, and tends to make park slope feel and look as dowdy as it sometimes can seem (at least food and shopping wise).    the main drag of 7th avenue is slowly, very slowly improving, and i am guessing the reason why is that those landlords just won’t cut anyone a break so it is difficult to move in unless you have a chain (so disappointing to see things like five guys there). 

the northern part of 7th avenue (from 9th street to flatbush) is definitely the most bedraggled so while there is a lot of shopping, not much is exciting or worth a trip.  if i had some time to kill before a concert, i would spend it on the southern half of 7th avenue which runs from 9th street to 16th street and beyond.   for a few years, this strip was worth a trip with some real gems like rare device and greenjeans among other interesting small shops.  sadly, many of those are now gone (those two just mentioned included) but there are a few bright shops left and i’ve mentioned one below.  and just roaming down here is great as it is my favorite part of park slope. it’s a little more sleepy down there, things aren’t quite as gentrified and it just feels friendlier.   south slope is definitely one of my top places to move if and when we get the opportunity to do that.  see below for some places to pick up goodies for a picnic before a concert as well as some shopping ideas in both the north and south slope.

food:

bklyn larder: operated by the owners of franny’s, this is my new favorite spot for take out prepared foods. very yummy pork shoulder and excellent sandwiches (the blt was amazing). they also have a picnic in the park special with comte, country pate, a demi baguette, olives and a dark chocolate bar for $18  – no bargain but i bet it is really really good.   228 flatbush avenue between bergen street and 6th avenue, brooklyn, new york, .

blue apron: if in the north slope, blue apron is a good if expensive standby for premade sandwiches with meats and cheeses, luscious cheeses, great basic breads and very rich treats like my faves from whimsy & spice. 814 union street between 7th and 8th avenues, brooklyn, new york, .

grab specialty foods: if in the south slope, grab is my choice for cheese, charcuterie and breads.  they sometimes have sandwiches and also carry baked’s brownies and cupcakes often. they also have beer growlers with excellent beers on tap which would be fun in the park.  438 7th avenue between 14th and 15th streets, brooklyn, new york, .

 

shops:

:  maybe not always the friendliest spot, but this store does carry an excellently edited, though very pricey, gifts (or treats for yourself) that include soaps, stationery, casual jewelry, very cute handbags (in the $100 to $200 range), some kids toys and clothes, and other random bits. 115 7th avenue between carroll and president streets, brooklyn, new york, .

living on seventh, maybe my favorite all purpose store in park slope with beautiful candles, kitchen accessories, bath supplies, and a great very limited selection of blouses, skirts and sometimes pants and even shoes.  291 seventh avenue near 3rd street, brooklyn, new york, .

goldy & mac: if in south slope, goldy & mac is great for affordable, stylish women’s clothes.  they change their stock constantly so it is always worth popping in to see what’s new, and they have excellent sales.  staff attention  seems to have gotten worse (not mean, just much more indifferent) but given the pricing it really doesn’t matter.  396 7th avenue between, brooklyn, new york, .

 

at annie’s blue ribbon general store in boerum hill, i have now found my source for whenever i need whatever random thing might come up.   open since the fall of 2007, this little shop set in a very cute building on state street really does have a little bit of everything combined with some fun and a twist.  billing themselves as an urban general store, annie’s has a little bit of everything including cleaning, kitchen and bathroom products, brooklyn stuff, fun books, pet supplies and even a few beauty items.  the owner takes great care in selecting her goods so that the selection is cute and fun, and sometimes with a twist like these really excellent toilet plungers. now who couldn’t benefit from an upgrade in that department.   

annie’s blue ribbon general store has a good toy selection too.  i like the emphasis on the classics like the slinky, the magic 8 ball and mr. potato head, as well as fireman and pirate hats, kaleidoscopes, colorforms (oooh, i really love those and still haven’t indulged but i better soon before the kids get too old) and stamp kits.   the toys all seemed to be battery-free too as an added bonus.   and while the selection may not be as classically beautiful as acorn’s or as extensive as lulu’s, annie’s toys are definitely very reasonably priced and would make super gifts.  they also had a nice selection of baby gifts including adorable books like baby’s first tattoo and safe baby handling tips and for the mama the essential plum isand’s mommas belly butter.

annie’s also had a green emphasis with nellie’s all-natural laundry nuggets, lots of very cute recyclable bags in all sizes and colors, bambu veneerware plates, bowls and utensils, klean kanteen bottles and mrs. meyer’s cleaning products.  with great, free gift wrap, annie’s is an excellent place to go for that last minute housewarming present or birthday party gift.      annie’s blue ribbon general store, 365 state street at bond street, brooklyn, new york, .

high*way, which has been in nolita since before it became so crazy, when things were a bit more affordable and a bit more fun, is still around carrying these great, reasonable and stylish bags in all shapes and sizes.  mostly flat with lots of zippers and pouches, the bags that jem filippi designs for high*way are super useful and functional and often make good presents as they come in an array of sizes.  in addition to basic purses, they also carry coin purses as well as really cute laptop bags (if only i hadn’t already splurged on one).   most of the bags are made of a lightweight nylon that doesn’t feel flimsy, and will last and last.

although you can get high*way bags all over the the web, including moma, as usual i prefer their small shop on one of my favorite blocks in manhattan with trees lining each side, lots of other good shopping, and even a little good eating nearby.   high*way, 238 mott street between prince and spring streets, manhattan, new york, .

i confess, i am not a vegan, and probably could never ever be a vegan unless i had some incredibly deadly allergy that prevented me from eating all those forbidden treats like milk, cheese and eggs. however, if i were, lula’s sweet apothecary is the place i would head every summer afternoon. and clearly, i would not be alone. on the sunday we visited a few weeks ago, we got there bang on at 3 and there was a line out the door, and the business continued with no break for over an hour — there must be huge demand for lula’s treats.

first off, lula’s is just a super sweet old fashioned soda shop — very charming in an old world way with lots of glass jars and seltzer bottles filled with vegan and dairy-free treats like chocolates,  cookies, gummy bears and chocolate covered pretzels.    has a few stools and even a small counter which is great for some serious people watching as lula’s seems to attract people from around the city.  the vegan twist is quite the draw. on top of that the owners, who are often at lula’s, are extremely nice offering up tons of tastes and endless patience.

and while the ice cream there is just not for me (i tried really though it’s possible that maybe i just didn’t try the right flavors like the peanut butter fudge or the right bases as maybe coconut milk would have been better), our enthusiastic friend who discovered lula’s a few months ago  is completely addicted.  she has been making repeat trips, and even k who i could have sworn would have noticed the difference from regular ice cream was ecstatic with her mint chip cone.  and there are who find lula’s vegan ice cream absolutely delicious.  

lula’s ice creams are made with soy milk as well as coconut and different nut milks like cashew and sweetened with maple syrup or organic cane juice.  in addition to a rotating roster of ice cream flavors like root beer, carrot cake, pina colada, cake batter and coconut fudge,  lula’s also offers up shakes, floats, egg creams,hot fudge sundaes complete with whipped cream, cherries and chocolate sprinkles.   so maybe this spot is not for me, but i can think of quite a few rellies and friends who i would definitely bring over to the east village for some of the best non milk ice cream around.  lula’s sweet apothecary, 516 east 6th street between avenues a and b, manhattan, new york, . note that they don’t open till 3 p.m. and are closed on mondays.