cherrypatter nyc

most of my new york summers, especially when i was younger and childless, were marked by a big long wait on the great lawn for whatever production the public theater was putting on at the delacorte theater.  watching a production here is one of the more magical experiences in the city.  the setting, in the middle of the park, as the dusk turns to night, lights up the stage like no other.  so even if you cannot stand shakespeare (and i have to admit i am not a big fan but sometimes you have to suffer), it doesn’t really matter.  the place is what’s important, and then it is just an added bonus if you love the piece.  last summer was a huge treat for me when we got to see hair, one of the few musicals for which somehow, inexplicably, i know all the words.

this year, the the public theater’s first production is shakespeare’s 12th night which opened last night starring anne hathaway, and runs through july 12th.  the second production, playing from august 11th through august 30th, will be euripedes’ “the bacchae” starring jonathan groff with a “lush choral” score by philip glass.   fortunately, in this new computer age, the public theater last year introduced the virtual line so that you don’t actually have to hang out in central park for 8, 10 or even 24 hours (though that also remains an option).  the virtual line allows anyone to enter the lottery daily via the comfort of your own home (or iphone).  in addition, if you are willing to make a serious contribution to the public theater of $170 a ticket, that will also guarantee you a seat.  for some food ideas as to where to get some good grub before the show, see my mini guide below.  the delacorte theater, follow path from entrance to central park at 81st street and central park west, manhattan, new york, .

the next few months are prime picnic time in central park.  with so many different events going on there all summer long – from shakespeare in the park to summer stage as well as the new york philharmonic (july 14th) and the metropolitan opera (july 13th at summer stage this year) concerts –  i figured it was important to have a few ideas as to where to pick up some good eats from both the east and the west sides of town.   in addition to those below, about.com did a nice listing of some other options as well.

before packing picnic provisions, however, you might want to consider the brand new public fare, danny meyer’s latest venture operating out of the delacorte theatre.  while i only managed to taste the whoopie pie today (already stuffed from soft shell crabs at lunch), many of the other items looked good like the yellowfin tuna salad sandwich with lemon, olives and arugula on sullivan street panino, the chilled english pea soup with crème fraîche and chèvre and then the mixed berries with sour cream and brown sugar (real nostalgia food for me).  some initial positive reviews  have already come in for public fare from serious eats and grub street.   and as would be expected in a meyer joint, he doesn’t forget about those little service touches.   public fare also offers complimentary dog biscuits and edamame snacks while paying for your feast.  public fare, delacorte theater in central park, take path from entrance at 81st street and central park, manhattan, new york.

the west side:

levain bakery:  while mostly on the dessert side of things (with their über famous chocolate chip and walnut cookie), levain bakery also has some crispy pizza slices (like olives with goat cheese, or artichoke hearts with gruyère) and a few sandwich options all affordably priced (except the cookie at $3.75) as well as a nice selection of breads.  167 west 74th street between amsterdam and columbus avenues, manhattan, new york, .

salumeria rosi parmacotto: with an amazing selection of salumi including il parmacotto, porchetta toscana, speck di tirolo and prosciutto toscano grigliato as well as some fine cheeses, i think that you could put together a pretty nice spread, and then maybe go get a few chocolates from jacques torres next door to have a great, though a little unbalanced, meal. 283 amsterdam avenue between 73rd and 74th streets, manhattan, new york, .

zabars:  a little bit further from central park, zabars will have whatever you want to eat as well as a bunch of delicious prepared foods at decent prices.  i am also a huge fan of their cheese selection.  2245 broadway at 80th street, manhattan, new york, .

bouchon bakery: definitely the priciest option of this bunch, bouchon bakeryhas some lovely treats as well as some savory food items that would travel well. expect a line from this thomas keller shop.  time warner center at 10 columbus circle, manhattan, new york, .

the east side:

mitchell london foods: definitely on the super pricey side, but really very very good. i don’t think you’ll see the cruellers there this time of year but most of the food is fabulous.  22 east 65th street, between madison and 5th avenues, manhattan, new york, .

yura & company: while i haven’t had their take out foods, it all looked excellent when i was there if also on the pricey side (i just don’t think it’s easy to find cheap on the east side, at least with any quality unfortunately).  1292 madison avenue at 92nd street, manhattan, new york, .

e.a.t.: as i have mentioned before, e.a.t. has very high quality take out for sandwiches, salads and other great picnic fare and it will not be a cheap venture but at least the shop is very close to the park.  1064 madison avenue at 80th street, manhattan, new york, .

i admit that i know absolutely nothing about fishing, and that frankly, the sport holds little appeal for me (too much sitting around doing what i would feel like is doing nothing) but my goal of this blog is to highlight the great shops around town and that means not just what i like to shop for but what others might need and want.  and given that it really is officially summer, and it is finally finally supposed to warm and hot and most likely mugging, i am guessing that fishing might be on the agenda for a few of you (and of course the equipment seems to be a great for some fun photos).

for anyone who loves fly fishing, urban angler is the perfect shop. located next to one of my all time favorite parks — madison square park — which has my beloved shake shack.   urban angler, which has another store in arlington, virginia, carries everything any fly fisherman would ever need starting with all sorts of fly rods from the best selling sage as well as g. loomis, winston and loop.  and apparently, fly fishing require some financial dedication as well as these rods range in price from $285 all the way up to $985 (that better be some good fishing).  urban angler also has plenty of fly reels.  in addition to sage, g. loomis and loop, urban angler carries reels from abel, tibor, lamson and ross.  they carry plenty of different flyl lines as well as freshwater flies (for the trout and bass) and saltwater flies (striped bass, blue fish and bone fish).

urban angler’s clothes are mostly from patagonia and simms and include super light weight shorts, pants and shirts that dry fast and are vented, gortex wading jackets, fleece underwear.   other accessories include hats and sunglasses (action optics and maui jim) as well as dvds and books dedicated of course to the topic of fly fishing.

lastly, urban angler also offers a guide service where they’ll hook you up with a guide to take you on the best fishing trip ever.  some of their popular nearby locations include jamaica bay out near breezy point, the hamptons and especially montauk for salt water fishing, and fresh water spots include the catskills and long island.  all this gear is enough to maybe hope that someone in my circle will want to go fishing just so i can go help them get outfitted right here in manhattan.  urban angler, 206 5th avenue, 3rd floor, between 25th and 26th streets, manhattan, new york, .

as you may have noticed, i have been spending more and more time in williamsburg which has been great. before starting this blog, i had only visited that part of the borough a handful of times and didn’t really know its nooks and crannies.  i am guessing this is because i was a little too old or a little too busy (working 80 hours a week at a law firm can do that to you) when williamsburg became the in spot, and then i had kids and that really threw me out of the mix.   however, now that some of those hipsters are carrying around some toddlers it’s a little easier to visit and not feel like an alien, and the neighborhood even has a few children-centered destinations like spacecraft that k and i cannot wait to visit.

while i generally find the food is a little more miss than hit in williamsburg, the shopping is really phenomenal in almost every category, which is why i keep coming back here maybe a little too often.  so this week’s williamsburg find is shoe market which had been on my list for quite a while, and is an offshoot of the super popular, trendy boutique mini minimarket.  with a great range of relatively affordable (most pairs that i saw ran between $80 and $150, and often on the lower side of that), shoe market had so many cute pairs that i easily could have bought a few if i hadn’t been worried about my summer camp bills.

some of my favorite sandals included gladiators by diba and the very lovely worishofer’s pictured below which i do think i must have. other sandals (and there were many more than this) included those by lovely people, bronx so today, seychelles and marais usa.  shoe market also had more business casual appropriate styles by jeffrey campbell and mariana by golc, as well as some cute flats by pink studio and rocket dog as well as the ever comfortable dansko.

shoe market had a few items for the boys like docksiders (not really my favorite look but i guess ironic if you wear them in bushwick), keds and havana joes.  they also carry flip flops by havaianas (for kids and adults), some sunglasses, purses, and even some matt bernson cuffs sold exclusively at shoe market.  what was really great about this shoe store, other than the prices, was the real range from the super trendy to what i could wear to work and for that reason shoe market is a keeper.  shoe market, 160 north 6th street at bedford avenue, brooklyn, new york, .

despite my pretty heavy duty chocolate obsession, it took me quite a while to track down bespoke chocolates, a shop with hand crafted artisan chocolates which opened up this winter in the east village.

run by impressively young (at least by my standards as ) chocolatier rachel zoe insler, bespoke chocolates seeks to match chocolates from around the world with the local flavors that are being used.   so, for example, the luscious milk chocolate truffle uses a 40% cocoa from a french chocolate source, and the rosemary vanilla is comprised of dark 72% (note the exact percentage) of venezuelan chocolate.  now i would have no idea how to figure these things out but i sure am glad that bespoke’s chocolatier uses her vast scientific skills (she is a former neuroscientist)  to get these formulas just right. 

bespoke chocolates’ signature chocolate is the dark chocolate covered sea salted caramel coated in pretzels.  this one bite oozy wonder reminded me of a much richer version of general greene’s salted caramel ice cream with fresh pretzels, which was good, but the chocolate version was much much better.  and while bespoke chocolates’ name suggests that it might be possible to get a chocolate made to order while you are in the store — that is not really possible unless you want to camp out for a few days .  with a little notice, the shop can definitely develop your own signature treat.   

while j and i chowed down our bespoke chocolates all in one night, and they were definitely good.  maybe not better than kee’s chocolates, which are a little finer, a little fancier, a little bigger, but still very very good. 

my number one favorite  at bespoke was the strawberry balsamic truffle which i thought there was no way i would like.  it just looked  a little too fussy, and i didn’t like it’s powder coating, and i generally only like strawberries  on their own, in ice cream or with sour cream and brown sugar but not in chocolate treats.  so i was definitely surprised.  this little ball (pictured above) was super, and even though they are not cheap (at $2.25 each) i think i might need to indulge every once and a while.  bespoke chocolates, 6 extra place off of 1st street between the bowery and 2nd avenue, manhattan, new york, .

my weekends with j are usually filled with some coffee quest.  since we’re in the middle of park slope, our 5-block radius leaves something to be desired in the coffee department so we are pretty willing to go out and try whatever is a little bit further away.  a few weeks ago, we made it to glass shop after an earlier attempt on memorial day when they were sadly not open. 

this small cafe, located just on the border between prospect heights and crown heights was a nice little surprise.   one of glass shop partner’s, australian francesco agostino, said that their emphasis is serving what they call australian style coffee, which seems to emphasize the milk-infused drinks (which is all good for me).  our cappuccinos, made using a la spaziale machine with la colombe torrefaction (the same great beans that café regular uses) were served in glasses sprinkled with a little cocoa on top.  they were quite tasty and rich, though maybe not up to café grumpy or abraço’s standards, but those are very high standards.  and now that cafe grumpy has opened on 7th avenue and 11th street that is definitely going to be a bit of a draw for us.

glass shop also has a small selection of pastries from nearby joyce bakeshop, and they make their own olive oil cakes which k loved, and sandwiches with bread from an oven that used to make the great creations for sullivan street bakery.  their sandwiches the day we were there included a sardine special, and j had a mozzarella and tomato that he said was quite good.  

the space was especially nice and low key.  glass shop is located in a former glass factory and has high ceilings and great lighting, and a communal table in the back.  they plan to open their garden sometime in the future, and for now there are a couple of spots out front to hang out.  so while i don’t consider glass shop a destination spot for coffee, if you are nearby, or even somewhat nearby, say at the brooklyn museum, the brooklyn botanic garden or the brooklyn children’s museum this is a very good place to stop by.  glass shop, 766 classon avenue between st. john and sterling place, brooklyn, new york.

i haven’t been out to coney island in a while, and this weekend is a perfect excuse as the weather is supposed to finally be decent (maybe) and it is time for the annual mermaid parade.   this year’s king neptune is harvey keitel with his queen mermaid daphna (whoever she is) leading the way.  started in 1983, the parade hosts lots of mermaid-like creatures, but it also seems like an excuse for a little bit of craziness in the clothing department (not much up top so be warned if you’re bringing your kids or just aren’t into that kind of thing).  

and if you get bored with the parade, or it is just too crowded, there are plenty of other things to do and eat out by the seashore.  see my mini guide below.   starts this saturday, june 20th at 2 p.m. at west 21st street and surf avenue and runs along the boardwalk ending at west 15th street, coney island, brooklyn.  see here  for details.

coney island is a very special place lining brooklyn’s seashore, and sadly, it has been on the decline for a while.  the city’s approach to redevelopment so far has resulted in the closing of many smaller amusements that used to line the boardwalk (astroland shut last summer for example) with the hope that there will be big redevelopment complete with huge hotels and towering residential condos.    the city claims they want to maintain the amusements, but many fear (like the group save coney island) that the result will be a soulless, corporate-type theme park rather than something that reflects coney island’s unique history and character.  this past week, the city planning commission approved a rezoning which shrinks the amusement areas (from 60 acres to 12) which is a key step toward making the redevelopment happen but not in the way many of us would like.  

but for now, coney island’s boardwalk still has a bit of the feel from its early successes like dreamland and luna park, so it’s definitely worth a trip to visit what’s left of the amusements like deno’s wonder wheel,  nathan’s hotdogs, and even a small sideshow area.  see this newsday article for a more definitive list and i’ve highlighted a few.   the coney island neighborhood also has a few good food options, but as for shopping (at least the kind that i like to do) as far as i can tell there is not much of it.  now granted, i have not been out there in a while but based on what little the research surfaced i think you’re best bet is to trot out for some rides and fun, and some really amazing turkish food.

to do:

the cyclone:    running since 1927, this rickety and great little roller coaster is still going. though it’s small, it gives a great ride.  open daily in the summer.  834 surf avenue off the boardwalk between west 8th and 12th streets, brooklyn, new york, .

the brooklyn cyclones:  located just off the coney island boardwalk, this minor league team has a great little park, lots of accessible, affordable games, and their opening night is tonight.  1905 surf avenue at 19th street, brooklyn, new york, .

coney island museum:just a small upstart, the museum has dedicated itself to the history of coney island, and is filled with all sorts of coney island paraphernalia.  open every weekend, they offer coney island-centric lectures sunday afternoons.  for more on the history of the museum and it’s current director listen to hey brooklyn’s podcast here.  1208 surf avenue near west 12th street, brooklyn, new york, .

ringling bros. and barnum & bailey circus: they are hosting their latest show out on the boardwalk this summer which is called the “coney island boom a ring.” i have yet to see one of their circuses, so i have no idea how it will be, but if you don’t mind elephants in the acts (i’m on the fence), this might be fun too and i know that k already wants to go so i might have to relent.  between the boardwalk and surf avenue, between 20th and 21st streets, from june 17 to sept. 7, 2009.

food:

: this affordable restaurant got amazing raves on chowhound and  for turkish treats like sigari (phyllo wrapped cheese), freshly baked bread, succulent shish kebabs and turkish-style grape leaves.  i really must try this place out. 1955 coney island avenue between avenue p and quentin road, brooklyn, new york, .

gulluoglu: a spinoff of an istanbul bakery, this spot’s highlights seem to be su borek (a delicious looking phyllo cheese item), baklava (with more than 12 kinds) and multiple puddings, another apparent turkish specialty  – i obviously know nothing of turkish cuisine but it is time to start.  1985 coney island avenue between avenue p and avenue q, brooklyn, new york, .

totonno’s pizzeria napolitano:  closed by a terrible fire in march, the word from slice is that it will open in mid-july — hopefully that’s true as it really seems like a must try pizza spot to add to my very long pizza list.  1524 neptune avenue near 15th street, brooklyn, new york, .

despite thinking that i have explored every nook and cranny on the upper east side for interesting, not crazily priced stores, i was surprised to learn from my friend in silver spring, maryland that i might have missed a special spot. and it’s true.  enchanted is a really wonderful toy store full of hand made, well-crafted toys which was founded back in 2004 by the creator of stila jeanine lobel and some fellow parents (cookie magazine did a nice profile).

located along lexington avenue, enchanted has a magical feel with a large tree located behind the counter from which tumble numerous  beautiful hand made wool and cloth mobiles making it feel very much like we have entered an enchanted forest (bringing to mind the forest that we have been reading about at home as part of the amazing english faraway tree series).   enchanted is full of european wooden toys from such brands as ostheimer, bundspechter, haba and erzi.   they also have incredible cotton and wool dolls made by a german artist and stuffed felted dolls that are infinitely squeezable.  they also have some lovely larger wooden ships complete with sails — pirates are a recurring theme– as well as noah’s arks and castles.

 

enchanted also has lots of great art supplies and crafts: stockmar crayons and lyra pencils in all colors, as well as other crafts like modeling beeswax, wool felting and waldorf doll-making supplies.  enchanted has many lovely costumes for princes, knights, kings, pirates and feature wooden shields and swords.  (for other costume ideas, i would recommend john derain, one of my all-time favorite shops, does have the most amazingly beautiful french children costumes ever but they are really over the top with prices mostly close to $200).

as an added bonus, purchasing toys at enchanted is somewhat guilt-free, as the nonprofit store donates a portion of their profits to a nearby waldorf school rudolf steiner, which has an educational program that emphasizes independent thinking and lots and lots of creative play. if only our local public elementary school would figure out that creativity is good for kids.  hmmmm, maybe not in my lifetime.  enchanted, 1179 lexington avenue at 80th street, manhattan, new york, .

a good pet store seems to be really hard to find. i have been on the lookout for quite a while, and though i found this super fancy spot in manhattan, it’s a little too highly managed, and given that i really have a thing for big dogs, didn’t seem like the place for me. part of it i am sure is that we have yet to make the plunge and get a dog so i don’t know the animal world.  but that day is coming. we have promised the kids that we will have a dog, a big black dog, in the house by next january. maybe not the best time of year to have a puppy but we need a reason to be cheery as winter rolls along.

in the meantime, i came across ps9 pet supplies in williamsburg, a super cute, stylish but not too over-the-top pet shop serving mostly cats and dogs with a few rabbits and bird things.  they had some doggy clothing (bandannas, rain jackets and sweatshirts) though that is not the big focus. ps9 is mostly about high quality basics: good looking collars, leashes, drinking bowls and dog beds.  i particularly loved this eicrate designed by peter pracillo for designgo!, and the very cute, all natural wool cat toys called paca pets (the alpaca family is my favorite).

ps9 also carries premium and super premium food options with an emphasis on organic including the brands evo (grain-free, whatever that means, and ps9′s best seller for dogs), natural balance, wellness and merrick pet foods (and i love the names of these — what dog could resist cowboy cookout, wilderness blend, grammmy’s pot pie or turducken).  ps9 also has some frozen treats like stella & chewy’s, primal pet foods  and nature’s variety as well as raw bones. i’m excited to come back in the winter to get ready for the new family pet!  ps9 pet supplies, 169 n. 9th street between bedford and driggs avenue, brooklyn, new york, .