cherrypatter nyc

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, .

yes, i’ve been visiting a few too many pizza spots the last few weeks, but given that we have “pizza” friday in our house, and it is one of the few foods k eats without much complaint, it is no wonder.   so on my list for a while has been lucali.  with the never ending chatter about this place, i had super high expectations.   these were compounded when alan richman from gq recently ranked lucali’s margarita pie as the number two pizza in america (and he did quite an extensive search).

and while i think that lucali is definitely worth a visit if in brooklyn, and i always need an excuse to spend more time in carroll gardens, i just cannot see it besting some of my other brooklyn pizza favorites which are — no surprise — franny’s, di fara and motorino (for the sauce).  i actually thought that lucali’s pizza was most like motorino’s but in a cozier, attractive setting though i felt like the service was not the warmest. 

the pizza was good but not amazing.  it had a decent crust, a bit chewy with a light layer of cheese and some tangy sauce.   their toppings are a bit more interesting than di fara’s but not as adventuresome as motorino’s.  lucali offers anchovies, onions, olives, pepperoni and garlic as well as a few other items.  we got the basic margarita, given the family demands, but when we go back i’ll be adding some meat.  in the back of the restaurant, they have gorgeous balls of cheese sitting by the oven which look irresistible and so i decided to try one of their calzones which was fine but not something to recommend.  so if you have time to kill (there is nearly always a wait here), and happen to be in southern brooklyn, are with very picky kids and don’t want the fussiness or expense of franny’s, i think lucali is a good choice.    lucali, 575 henry street between carroll and summit streets, brooklyn new york, .

 

 i finally visited governors island for the very first time last year, and it was one weird experience.  although technically part of new york city, this 92-acre island that is just 800 yards from downtown manhattan, just feels like someplace else.  full of now empty and abandoned army residential buildings (which are very slowly in the process of being redeveloped) and lots and lots of green space, it was quite calm and peaceful.

lately, it seems, programming for activities on governors island have gotten much better, and so there are more reasons to go.  this year, first of all, they have started to offer free ferry service from the brooklyn side (making it much easier for those of us on the east side of the east river.   governors island has some improvements this year:  new hammocks and picnic areas, as well as a very fun city of dreams mini golf course, with each of the nine holes designed by a different artist.   there are also bikes available to rent (free on fridays), and you can also bring your own bike on the ferry.

this weekend, they will be hosting FIGMENT; a participatory art festival that they have had on the island for the past couple years.  could be fun.  i’m also planning to go out for the civil war renactment weekend on august 9th which should be a hoot.  before making the trek to governors island, and this is an all day activity, i would recommend bringing your own provisions.  we weren’t too thrilled with the options last year, and there weren’t many, though it is possible the food scene could have improved.  in case it hasn’t, you wouldn’t want to be stuck.  see the mini guide below for more food ideas.  and i also would wait for the rain to go away. there’s not much to do out there in a storm.  governors island, accessed by ferry.  from manhattan at the battery maritime building located next to the staten island ferry; and from brooklyn at the fulton ferry landing (only on saturdays).  the island is only open to the public on fridays, saturdays and sundays. 

a couple big tourist destinations leave from the very southern tip of manhattan including the statue of liberty/ellis island adventures, the staten island ferry (a great way to see the statue without having to wait in huge lines or pay a cent) and governors island which i just posted about above.  unfortunately, and maybe not surprisingly, this area is overrun with junk — junky food options, lots of junky souvenirs and then just lots of manhattan office workers (at least those who are left) scurrying about downtown trying to make it through their day. shopping and food are not the highlights here. below, i’ve tried to identify a few spots that might be worthwhile seeking out (and i had previously highlighted some wall street food ideas here) but most are a little further north of  the ferry terminals.  unless you have lots of time to kill downtown, i suggest bringing a lunch and venturing elsewhere for great shopping.

food:

sho shaun hergatt: the splashiest restaurant to open downtown in a long while.  located in the building called  the “setai” this is supposed to be fancy, expensive, and i have not yet been but it has been in the blogosphere. 40 broad street at exchange place, manhattan, new york, .

urban lobster shack: with a tip from serious eats, this spot serves a decent if not amazing, lobster roll, and might be a good place to get some picnic goods for the trek out to the island.  15 stone street between broadway and broad street, manhattan, new york, .

alfanoose: a little hole in the wall financial district falafel place with what time out says has excellent middle eastern fare though i have not yet been.  8 maiden lane between between broadway and nassau streets, manhattan, new york, .

shops & to do:

century 21:  not really my kind of shopping experience, but many many people i know, especially those who work in the financial district, love this deeply discounted department store. lots of great bargains, and if you don’t mind the crowds or the huge fairly unedited collection in the hopes of a great stylish find (and there will be one)  this is worth the 10-minute walk from the ferry terminal.  21 cortlandt street between church and broadway, manhattan, new york, .

the skyscraper museum:   i cannot believe i have never been here, but this little battery park museum seems to have lots of interesting architecture exhibits — currently on view is vertical cities: hong kong/new york.   39 battery place located in battery park city in the same building as the ritz carlton, manhattan, new york .

collect pond park: this is new york city’s latest public art fund installation which creates a meadow in the middle of the city (see photo above). this is definitely a hike from the ferry terminal, just north of wall street, and while not amazing, might be worth a peak if you’re walking north towards chinatown.   leonard street between centre and lafayette streets, manhattan, new york.

although i tend to be quite particular about my clothes and shoes, i have not treated my underthings as kindly, mostly because i am just less willing to splurge in the lingerie department.  however, i am slowly but surely coming around and gaining the understanding that yes, it is equally important to have beautiful undies and beautiful blouses and not just one or the other (and the gap just is not good enough these days).  fortunately, i have discovered journelle, which i think will be the perfect spot for me to begin this massive upgrade.  

opened in 2007, and located just off the mall-like shopping available on the 5th avenue corridor between 23rd street and  14th street — and across the street from one of my favorite speedy lunch spots, ennju,  journelle has a great collection of lingerie at all price points and in all styles.  i was first taken by these cotton slips/ lounge wear amulette and lola haze pictured up top.  i love how they are in these candy colors like hot pink, yellow and turquoise, and the styling reminds me of the cutest tennis skirts.  i think i should get a few of these right now. 

my last bra shopping expedition was a disaster.  i won’t mention the store, but since i can never figure out what fits me, i ended up at the salesgirl’s mercy, and her recommendations were terrible.  as a result, i now have a bunch of ill fitting bras and that really is such a bummer.    by the time i figured out that these bras were not meant for someone with my body type (and of course i bought a huge supply), it was way too late to return them and i had stupidly already cut off all the tabs.   not fun!

so now, at least, i know where to go to get my bra collection on track.   journelle is filled with beautiful bras of all types that not only looked great, but they were not crazy expensive.  the brands included myla, guia la bruna,  kenzo,  huit lingerie, si belle, eberjey, caprice and elle mcpherson’s.  and while i have not actually tried anything on at journelle, the store has luxurious fitting rooms — roomy with good mirrors and lighting, and from most of the reports it looks like pretty perfect service; helpful, stylish, but not too pushy and not intimidating.  journelle, 3 east 17th street between 5th avenue and broadway, manhattan, new york, .

i had heard of this place cloth mentioned a few times, but never knew quite where it was or what it was — some kind of crafty place is what i thought so maybe i just wasn’t that interested.  when i finally stumbled upon cloth recently in quest for other clothing stores in fort greene it was a lovely surprise.    located on a residential block just off of hanson place (very very close to target and more appealingly, to the brooklyn academy of music), cloth will become a frequent destination because of the quality, style and affordability on offer there.    given my fondness for sneakers, i may first have to go back to get those cute silver tournament tretorns above, and maybe think about this big, poufy, super bright, but so very me, bag.

cloth also had an excellent, highly edited selection of cotton, mostly eco-friendly, clothing including designs from stuart+brown, velvet designed by graham & spencer, and blouses from taboo, as well as great dresses by utility canvas.   i particularly liked that the clothing could be worn for work or fun, and that nothing was too trendy or too boring, and best of all it was quite affordable with most items coming in somewhere around $100 (either above or below that price point) and that is something that i can appreciate these days.

while they don’t carry that many accessories, cloth does carry my favorite soap saipua.  and now when i have to hang around for k in case she decides to return to dance class at mark morris (i am wanting her to take tap, we’ll see if that happens), i definitely know where to go.   cloth, 138 fort greene place between hanson place and lafayette avenue, brooklyn, new york, .

i am not a buffalo style chicken wing expert (and there are lots of opinions on this topic: see here and here for starters).  nonetheless i think i can wholeheartedly recommend the wings from bonnie’s grill in park slope.   bonnie’s wings show up regularly on the wing rankings, and so i’m pretty sure i like them not just because they are a couple blocks from our apartment.  

as for my reasons.   first, these wings are very very spicy.  even the mild is pretty spicy so only if you really can bear the hottest of hot get the “hot.”  second, the sauce itself is tasty, tangy and there is always plenty of it.  third, there is a good mix of drumsticks and wings. personally i prefer the drumsticks but the wings here are pretty good (pretty juicy as far as wings go, and rarely dry and crackly).  fourth, and most importantly, the bones have a decent meat to bone ratio and some nice crisp skin.   we tend to visit bonnie’s for these wings a little too often for our own good, but when i’m hungry and tired they make a pretty good cheap dinner (i try to make those carrots count as my veggie).   bonnie’s grill, 278 5th avenue near 1st street, brooklyn, new york, 718,369.9527.

given my love of the sandwiches produced at porcetta, i was pretty darn excited to try out newly opened veloce pizzeriasince porcetta’s owner sara jenkins is half the creative team behind this sicilian pizza venture (the other owner come from the bar veloce mini chain which i’ve never tried).  and since j has no problem trying out every single pizza spot in new york, it was easy to convince him to come along to veloce pizzeria this past saturday night before seeing this really great little autobiographical musical everyday rapture  sung by its author sherie rene scott (and now i really want to know more about mennonites, and their shunning practices).

the big thing at veloce pizzeria is this is all sicilian or square slices.  with a limited menu, veloce had five primary pizzas to choose from and two specials.  we ended up with their sicilian classic called the sfincione with tomato sauce, anchovies, onions, caviocavallo and toasted bread crumbs as well as the special with capicola, fontina and red onion.  the special hit the spot.  the slices had a really lovely crust which was soft and airy and yet had just the right amount of chew to it, and then the toppings were also delicious with the onion super soft yet barely caramelized and the pork had a little kick to it.  although the dough on the classic was equally good, neither j nor i were too thrilled with the flavors, but i am guessing that had more to do with our unsophisticated tastes than the veloce’s pizza itself. i am sure a fish loving person would love it. 

in terms of how veloce’s ranks in the new york pizza world, looking first at only the sicilian slices i have tried, i thought veloce’s were much better than what’s available at adrienne’s pizza bar, and personally (though this may be considered heresy for those diehard classic pizza lovers) i thought the pies soared over l&b spumoni gardens (but they cannot beat that place for atmosphere).  i don’t think veloce’s slices topped the perfection often achieved at di fara’s, but in some ways the pizza at veloce is so much fancier that maybe they cannot be compared.  and i won’t even begin to try to contrast it with other pizza hot shots (with regular pies) out there like franny’s, co., lucali’s, etc….

in addition to pizza, veloce pizzeria offered a few appetizers.  at the recommendation of our extremely attentive and energetic waiter, we got the crisp, fresh and crackling calamari served with arugula and lemon and it was good.  other appetizers included frito misto as well as potato fritters served with prosciutto di parma, grana padano and mint.  for dessert, we got the gelato. i liked the concept — serving two flavors already frozen together sliced as if they had been cut from a pound cake — but the flavors we had were unimpressive — way too many nuts in the hazelnut chocolate and a very weak, watery tasting sour cream.  maybe i’ve been making too much really rich, flavorful ice cream at home lately from david leibovitz’s book the perfect scoop (most recent effort was the strawberry-sour cream ice cream with lots of crème fraiche). 

although veloce pizzeria had really nice wood plank floors and the room was generally attractive with stereotypical red checked table cloths and some huge flat screen t.v.s playing black and white movies, there were some oddities.  the tables were extremely tightly packed and the overhead flourescent bulbs were wrapped in some kind of wire mesh (maybe just a cheap way to make it look better?).  the extra bonus was the wallpaper lining the top of the walls which was done in gold and red with pictures of zebras, giraffes and camels — not quite sure the connection to sicilian pizza but the animals were cute.  i think we might have to go back to find out.  veloce pizzeria, 103 1st avenue between 6th and 7th streets, manhattan, new york, .

it does seem that the new york’s newest park, the high line, has been under discussion for a very long time with incredible publicity generated by lots of high end support (“friends of the high line” includes quite a roster of developers, politicians and celebrities like ed norton, stella mccartney and sarah jessica parker, of course).    now, at last, starting next tuesday, the first section of the high line will be open to the public which is pretty darn exciting.  

originally an elevated rail line built in the 1930s to carry freight trains from 14th street up to 34th street on the east side (for more history, there’s this video narrated by ethan hawke), this 60-foot track is in the process of being transformed into a mile and a half park packed with benches, water features, kids play areas and just, hopefully, some beautiful landscaping.  

i certainly am expecting a lot given the hype as well as the reputation of the architects who have designed the work — james corner field operations and diller scofidio + renfro.  yet, i worry, that the wealth behind this unusual walkway, and the surrounding super luxury developments will somehow make this park less appealing.  see this piece in the times. 

based on the reports so far, it appears that the opening of the high line will be highly managed.  first, only the first section (from gansevoort street to 20th street) is open; the remaining half is still in construction.  second, the flow must go from south to north and it’s not clear if lingering will be allowed. and last, and most fun of all, there will be official high line greeters, which i am guessing is a code word for people to help with the huge crowds. 

regardless, i’m excited to check it out though i might pass on opening day, and i’m really kicking myself for not going on the private tour that i could have taken in my last day job — what could have been more important than seeing the high line in mid construction and before the craziness begins.   for places to eat and shop nearby, see my post below.   the high line, entrance on 14th street and 10th avenue, starting on june 9th, open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., manhattan, new york.

 

mini guide: chelsea and the high line:  now that chelsea, or at least the far west side of chelsea will be dominated by the huge attraction of the high line, i think we will be coming to hang out here more and more often. unfortunately, much of the recent development that has gone on, particularly just to the south of the high line in the meatpacking district has just been incredibly high end, and incredibly inaccessible — at least for me.  so, here are some of my more affordable recommendations around the area closest to the first section of the high line that has opened stretching fron gansevoort street to 20th street.

food:

chelsea market: this is of course an excellent casual starting point and a great choice for kids.  amazing coffee at ninth street espresso, tasty grilled cheese sandwiches at amy’s bread, and lastly yummy if not surprising brownies from fat witch.  9th avenue at 15th street, manhattan, new york.

202:  while also in chelsea market, this is more of a sit down spot, and a little pricier.  j is absolutely crazy about their english breakfast (guess he has cravings for those stewed tomatos and baked beans) and i think the brunch is good if not amazing. it’s a little odd sitting right next to nicole farhi’s fancy designer clothes and household accessories, but service is decent and it’s an easy spot.  9th avenue at 15th street, manhattan, new york.  .

cookshop: and maybe getting into fancier digs but usually very solid food is cookshop. run by the same people at five points, cookshop has high quality locavore food in an attractive modern casual setting.  definitely need a reservation unless going in mid august as it can get crazy in there.  156 10th avenue at 20th street, manhattan, new york, .

shops:

boucher: one of my favorite jewelry stores with affordable and gorgeous hand made necklaces, bracelets and earrings made from all sorts of dazzling gems like black diamonds, aquamarine stones and opals.  ninth avenue at little west 12th street, manhattan, new york, .

auto: this intimate design shop is a must see to gauge the current trends for home. one of the original gentrifiers of the meatpacking district (just south of where the high line starts), auto has a  constantly rotating selection of interesting and appealing furnishings and some accessories for men (they often have good wallets) and women.  not cheap but not outrageous either and they do have good sales.  805 washington street between gansevoort and horatio streets, manhattan, new york, .

a trio of home design stores: on two blocks of ninth avenue, there are three excellent design stores. one is more modern and male, nest interiors; la cafetiere specializes in the french look, and bon maison compagnie is also french but with more range and gift ideas.  a great way to spend an hour.  ninth avenue between 19th and 21st streets, manhattan, new york.