cherrypatter nyc

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

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

note: sadly shop has closed.

at the beginning of a very fun strip along grand street in williamsburg sits fuego 718, an eclectic, bursting with color gift shop with super affordable and unique goods from around the world.    fuego 718 offers some of the usual knicknacks and little books i often see in a gift store, but they also had lots of things i don’t often see.  piles of  postcards, some great note cards, a variety of kid items, jewelry as well as some nicely designed and stylish women’s bags of all materials and sizes.  i ended up getting a couple of these guatemalan potholders pictured above — so much cheaper than the ones i can usually find and more interesting then the standard marimekko which often seem to end up being the only ones i can buy that aren’t tan or grey. 

fuego 718 is also super green oriented.  there were plenty of excellently designed recycled baskets, bracelets made from vinyl records and vases from used bottles.   right now, they’re featuring artist leonor mendoza from venezuela with her handbags and very cool looking accessories all made with 100% recycled plastic bottles and paper.

fuego 718 definitely has a latin american and caribbean bent with plenty of handmade works from mexico, haiti, honduras although the shop also has many other items from asia –  cambodia, thailand and nepal.   there seems to be an obsession with dia de los muertos (day of the dead) related items such as the diaroma display above, as well as plenty of skeletons, figurines and other creatures representing the festivities.   fuego 718 also shows lots of unique art — not my style but nice to see nonetheless. 

as an added bonus, the owner alex aldama is really super nice and sweet.  he was chatty in a very friendly, helpful way and just so happy to be able to provide the history and details of where he had found certain items and who had helped to produce them.  his enthusiasm and sheer joy made visiting fuego 718 a pleasure, and from the comments on it seems i’m not the only one who feels that way.  fuego 718, 249 grand street between driggs avenue and roebling street, .

sometimes we’re in the mood for a classic, perfectly prepared brunch, and when we’re in that mindset the place we really want to go is prune.   so many restaurants treat brunch as a second class citizen —  the eggs are either too runny or too hard, the hollandaise sauce is thick and goopy, and the accompanying starch is cold — or they treat brunch as this over the top expensive elaborate experience like five points or telepan(while good, just too much fanciness for a sunday morning).  

fortunately, whenever we can manage to make it to prune and deal with the lines (and there are always lines), we are happy clams.  now that s. is just a wee bit bigger and his naps come later in the day, we have begun to be able to visit prune once again (there was about a two year hiatus).   our approach is to arrive around  9:30 while we wait for the doors to open bang on at 10.   to make the wait a little easier, there is a playground across the street — a bit grungy but somewhere for k and s to run around before being squeezed into prune’s super adorable but super tiny space.   and for those without time constraints or little ones, brunch is served till 3:30 so sleeping in is definitely possible.

on our most recent prune visit, the classic eggs benedict was served with perfectly poached eggs covered in a light and tangy hollandaise sauce accompanied by crisp potato rosti (we did notice that they have cut the size of that rosti in 1/2, but the dish is still plenty filling).   j got his constant of soft scrambled eggs (they seem to do them perfectly wet the way he likes them) served with bacon, another rosti and an english muffin.  we also figured we’d pig out and try something new for us (not for prune) — the most delicious airy ricotta served with raspberries, dried figs, toasted pine nuts and honey.  k and s split the dutch style pancake though they seemed to prefer the merveilles, little fried bits of dough kind of like a beignet served with the ricotta.   and then, for the perfect send off, the bill comes with some excellent scotty dog licorice from economy candy.

prune’s brunch menu includes many other tasty items including what they call the youth hostel breakfast with fish pastes, liver wursts, lanjaegers and grainy breads, a rich and satisfying spaghetti a la carbonara, a smoked fish plate from russ & daughters with salmon, sturgeon and sable.   to make the morning more festive, they offer more than ten kinds of freshly made bloody marys.   since our last visit, prune has also happily upgraded their coffee and glassware.   in addition to brunch, during the week prune has a lunch menu that i have been eager to try (the burger is supposed to be very tasty) as well as a consistently good dinner menu foucusing on whatever is freshest in the market.  prune, 54 east 1st street between 2nd and 1st avenues, manhattan, new york, .

having spent a year travelling throughout china trying all sorts of amazing (and not so amazing) food, i definitely crave the local chinese specialties that are found at the hole in the wall spots.  not so clean, but oh so interesting and often tasty.   since my travels were long ago, my memories are somewhat faded but highlights include:  the sizzling rice dishes, the dan dannoodles (which i can find here regularly) and most amazing ma po dofu (or tofu) ever  in chengdu (my all time favorite city); sweet dumpling balls called yuanxiao that i had in hangzhou; and lovely youtiao (fried sticks of dough) served with sweet soy milk in dunhuang.    i guess my donut obsession has been around for a while.

unfortunately, i don’t often have chinese out these days though i try to cook one asian dinner a week if i can.  park slope’s offerings are extremely poor, and j is not a huge fan so i don’t drag him to flushing where i think the best chinese in new york has migrated.  lately, though, i have been determined to begin to see what’s going on in sunset park, brooklyn’s chinatown.  i’ve tried dim sum (so far not so exciting) and have been pleased with the huge grocery stores when i need various kinds of soy sauce, chili oil and black bean sauce. 

in my quest to find something good nearby, we recently visited lan zhou handpull noodle.  i of course love the imperfect translation — definitely reminds me of those china days — as does the very basic setting which is a very tiny spot (maybe 10 seats) with a couple tables, huge pots of broth and lots of slurping.    we stuck to the basics at lan zhou: i got the beef soup, and j got the house special with pork chop, beef tripe.  other options included tripe, fish balls and roast duck.  both orders came in large plastic bowls and included a fried egg (quite cooked) and some mustard greens and bok choy.  both were served in a tasty rich broth which was great especially as i was tending a not so pleasant cold.  i also loved the perfectly chewy wheat noodles which we could see being pulled as we ate, providing some mesmerizing entertainment for the kids.  while my meat was too chewy, and i could have done with more veggies, lan zhou offered tons of condiments including a nice chili oil and cut up cilantro so we could flavor it anyway we wanted and at around $5 a bowl it was cheap. 

so while i will go back to lan zhou both because it was tasty, nearby and felt a little like china, i will admit that i am not a hand pulled noodle expert like the girl who ate everything and i need some more context for a proper review   i plan to try chowhound‘s queens recommendations like  lao bei feng  and king 5 noodle house as well as hand pull noodle and dumpling house in bensonhurst.  in manhattan,   gets high marks for their pork-bone soup and tasty hand-pulled noodles opened this past february.  and then there is  which may or may not be related to lan zhou handpull noodle.  i’m excited for my research to begin.  lan zhou handpull noodle, 5924 8th avenue between 59th and 60th streets, brooklyn, new york, .

• hand pull noodle and dumpling house, 7201 18th avenue between 72nd and 73rd streets, bensonhurst, brooklyn,
• lao bei fang, 86-08 whitney avenue, queens,
• king 5 noodle house, 82-39 broadway, queens,
• super taste, 26 eldridge street between canal and division streets, 26 n eldridge street at canal street, manhattan,
• tasty hand-pulled noodles, 1 doyers street near bowery, manhattan, new york,
• lan zhou handmade noodle, 144 east broadway between allen and essex/pike & rutgers.

i don’t know that i really need an excuse to hang out outside and eat in this 70 degree weather (assuming no rain of course), but just in case you’re looking for one, taste of tribeca is a great event that is going on tomorrow, saturday, may 16th.  held on tribeca’s cobblestone streets, this event offers tastings from more than fifty mostly tribeca-based restaurants.  each one has a table, and they offer up a sample taste  (hopefully their best — but i’m sure there are some cost/public distribution considerations so maybe not their very best but regardless they are often good).  i would wager that some of the tables worth spending your ticket on ($45 gets you six tastes) include chanterelle, bouley bakery, bar artisanal, city hall, the harrison and the palm.   for some sweets, taste of tribeca includes at least two bakeries i would recommend–  billy’s bakery as well as grandaisy  (which is located in the old sullivan street bakery space and sometimes churns out baked good almost as good as before). 

taste of tribeca will also have a host of kiddie friendly events as well as a wine tour and a historic walking tour.    while the event is not super cheap, the proceeds do go to a good cause supporting the tribeca local public elementary schools and it really is just fun.  taste of tribeca, mostly along duane street (going west from hudson street) and along greenwich street.  from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

mini guide: tribeca: so i cannot believe i haven’t really written about anything in tribeca yet.  j and i used to hang out here all the time, and we still come here a lot in the spring and summer months as there are some super playgrounds in this neck of the woods.  below, i have highlighted some of the interesting shops though i need to go down myself sometime soon and confirm my memories and what i’ve read.  i’ve also listed a few food options just in case you are still hanging out downtown once dinner rolls around.

food:

blaue gans:  located in a lovely space with soaring ceilings and a great bar, this sister restaurnt to café sabarsky turns out  very tasty austrian fare which always features some schnitzel and some form of j’s favorite spätzle as well as some beautiful sausages.  dessert will always include that amazing strudel also found at café sabarsky. 139 duane street between church and west broadway, manhattan, new york, . 

bread tribeca: j and i were fans of the first bread over on spring street, and while i don’t think the intimate setting translated perfectly to this bigger tribeca space, the italian food is still tasty  and it’s a good place for groups (lots of basic variety and enough space and good service).  301 church street near walker street, manhattan, new york, .

matsugen: so i have been wanting to go to this high end jean georges japanese spot here since it opened in the same richard meier space where his former chinese restaurant 66 crashed (and was such a disappointment).  based on a few reviews, it seems that at matsugen the noodles, specifically the soba, are what to get here and i am always up for that.   241 church street at leonard street, manhattan, new york, .

shops:

r gallery: although i have never been here, i am super intrigued by the david wiseman installation as his work looks gorgeous (see above).  the duo zesty meyers and evan snyderman founded this gallery that focuses on excellent, innovative 20th and 21st century design, both new and vintage.  82 franklin street between church street and broadway, manhattan, new york, .

dune: while technically a store, i really think of this as more of an idea factory.  this shop has amazing super high-end modern furniture from cutting edge designers like michael solis, sarah fels and nick dine. i always leave there with visions of what might be our next big thing for the apartment.  88 franklin street near broadway, manhattan, new york, .

tribeca girls: now that k is turning 6 this summer, and what i had hoped would be my local source for great clothes has closed, i think tribeca girls is a must visit place as it apparently has a real tween focus with style and hopefully not too much frill.  171 duane street near greenwich street, manhattan, new york, .

as i have been on the hunt for great little independent shops all over new york, i was surprised to keep hearing that there is this one must see place on the upper east side.  and, well, i used to live up there (way to the east but still technically the upper east side) andi cannot remember once finding a home/design/clothing shop that had the kind of interesting, artsy and intriguing mix that i have come to find in brooklyn with some regularity (think cog and pearl). 

so when i finally got myself to blue tree late one sunday, after a trip to the met and central park with the kids, i couldn’t stop myself from spending a good long time in the shop even though it was definitely dinner time and certain family members were anxious to get home.   blue tree is an incredibly lovely store with all sorts of treasures for the home, the bathroom, the kitchen and of course for girls young and old (perfume, jewelry, shoes, bags and clothes).   as the owner of blue tree, phoebe cates clearly has a very specific aesthetic which really shines through in the display — focusing on the beautiful and the pretty as well as the interesting, unique and sometimes fun too.  and while blue tree certainly has the high end covered — there were a number of things that i would take home in a heartbeat if i had an unlimited bank account — the store has made sure to include a range of less expensive, though equally alluring, making this the perfect place to shop whenever.    blue tree really seemed like the perfect place to shop for the “hard to buy for” mom (of which mine definitely falls into that category) or the friend who just has everything.  

although relatively small, blue tree has a lot to discover.  i was mesmerized by these baby head candle stick holders (so eerie and yet so peaceful and made just for the store) and wanted to stock up on these macaroon and religieuse candles.  blue tree also has many small perfume bottles and perfume including the saffron james perfume  pictured above, as well as some very fancy and pricey shoes such as these  pink gold shoes by rupert sanderson as well as some really fun affordable shoes by designers like melissa.  i also was in love with some of the art, especially the incredible piece by bill fink pictured at the top (called camilla) and i adored the functional yet very cute wooden horse and squirrel bookends, the bug rings and the many kinds of glass bottles on display.

throughout blue tree, i noticed all sorts of lucite — heart shaped pendants, little purses and then these incredibly detailed and hand crafted boxes.   the boxes, which i saw in pretty shades of blue, red, purple and pink, were exquisite and would be great for that very super special present, and at nearly $1,500, i would hope that the recipient would be equally enamored.   fortunately, blue tree also has some cute beaded boxes for$25 so that might have to do for now.

and although i didn’t have much space here to show much of the collection, blue tree has a nice selection of women’s clothing from italian linen blouses by primavera, shirts by antipast, basic tees by majestic, other t shirts as well as great flouncy skirts by jarbo and some great ruffle blouses with 3/4 length sleeves by what comes around goes around.   i will be back regularly for great ideas, some wishful thinking and especially for my mother’s birthday which is coming up very very soon.  blue tree, 1283 madison avenue at 92nd street, manhattan, new york, .

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

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

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

although i have spared this post, i went a little happy at this gorgeous gardening spot located out in red hook, brooklyn.  the liberty sunset garden center is very close to fairway, and even closer to steve’s authentic keylime pies (yum) as well as to perch! design’s small outpost for some of their ceramics.  on a shopping expedition for gallons of various cleaning products at fairway, k and i stopped by a week ago to see what was there.  we first went to the inside part of this garden center which i had been to a while ago, and i was a bit baffled as to the appeal of this cavernous space.  yes, it was big, and had lots of green big plants and pots and even a waterfall and pond, none of it was quite my style, and i actually thought some of the plants looked a little bedraggled (granted i don’t really  know anything about plants so who’s to say what i know.)

with k leading the way jumping up and over rocks and sculptures, we finally figured out where the action was, in the outdoor section of liberty sunset and that area was fantastic.  rows upon rows of beautiful flowers and plants including  , , , dahlinovas (pictured up top) to my favorites .  they also had tremendous varities in the herb collection.  i never knew that there were so many kinds of sage — nazareth sage, sage berggarten, sage tri-color and sage pineapple, and then these kinds of mints: mint kentucky, mint orange, mint variegated peppermint and mint golden ginger.  

it was all enough for me to really crave having a house rather than this relativelly crammed apartment (even if we know nothing about how to take care of a yard).  red hook, not surprisingly, with its urban spaciousness and the calm that comes with being near the water, has become home to a few other nurseries including the gowanus nursery and chesea garden center — though i don’t think either has the charm of liberty sunset garden center — they are there as a back up in case you don’t find what you need.  for me the trouble at liberty sunset was limiting my picks.  liberty sunset garden center, 204-207 van dyke street (at the most western edge of the street at pier 41, brooklyn, new york, .

our meal this past saturday has been a long time coming.  starting in the winter, every few weeks or so, we would visit prime meats just to see if there might be signs of life there as there was constant chatter about this new restaurant.  as anyone tracking the brooklyn food scene knows, prime meats is owned by the guys behind two other spots in carroll gardens: the consistently excellent frankies 457 and the recently opened café pedlar (we visited during its first few days– hopefully things are running a bit more smoothly now).  and they will also be opening yet a fourth brooklyn venture this year with the delightful coffee shop in red hook. 

so this weekend, somehow the odds worked in our favor when buttermilk channel turned out to be closed  (we wanted to check out the brunch that some have raved about; we have not been so keen on their dinners).  and instead, we trudged down the block eternally hopeful that maybe prime meats was finally open.  happily, it was both open and not too busy.  and  after those weeks of anticipation, we were not disappointed. 

in addition to a lovely though somewhat small space (as far as we could tell — the lay out is a bit odd) and attentive service, the food was excellent.   j was particularly thrilled with the germanic bent of the prime meats menu.   j had the poached egg, schinken and the all important spargel – that white asparagus that apparently all germans go crazy for in may, and which was quite tasty.  i had an extremely delicious, tender and perfectly seasoned weisswurst served in a tureen of boiling water (which i was somewhat awkwardly instructed to take out of the ceramic bowl and then release from its thick casing) with a side of sweet mustard and a pretzel roll. we also shared the bread plate with dense raisin and walnut thinly sliced bread served with the most tasty butter and lingonberry jam.  the kiddies were happy with excellently prepared french toast and an olive oil bundt cake.  the menu, with its central european focus, also includes a selection of meats and cheeses as well as some salads, and of course a number of appealing beers.   we also tried the stumptown cappuccinos made on their super fancy marzocco machine, and while it was good i still prefer southside coffee‘s intelligentsia brew.    but for restaurant cappuccino, i don’t think i can complain too much.

needless to say, prime meats has now jumped to the top of our brooklyn brunch spots.  given our experience at frankies, i’m assuming that the service and food at prime meats will only get better and more consistent and that we’ll be making lots of trips to court street for our central european fix.  prime meats, 465 court street at lucquer street, brooklyn, new york, .  and just a side note that they only accept cash.

well maybe the works on offer here are not quite cheap, but the affordable art fair new york city has always had lots of gorgeous, interesting art for relatively affordable prices (starting at $100).  j and i don’t know too much about art, and we are definitely not experts, but the few times we’ve come to this affordable art fair we’ve had a great time looking and dreaming.  it is, however, always a challenge getting to consensus.  he loves pastels and impressionism (so not my thing) and i am much more of a gerard richter or a jim maio cityscape gal — the latter’s my latest obsession over a work that we might actually buy).  and then there is the “do we do this, or do we not do this, and is it even worth it or, rather, where would we actually put it” discussion that can go on for a while.  as a result, we haven’t bought that much art over time but we always love to look and someday, maybe soon, we’ll finally finally fill that big empty space over our sofa. 

hopefully, you might be a little more decisive when it comes to plunking down cash for a picture and if so there’s always been great stuff to choose from here.  this year, the affordable art fair has more than 60 international galleries participating with mostly paintings but some photographs and sculpture.  some of the artists that look intriguing include sang bum lin, stephen nederveen, kathleen wilke and julio fierro.   the fair is also featuring a recent graduate section showcasing student works.  as an added incentive to parents, the fair is offering a children’s art studio from 12 to 4 on saturday or sunday where parents can drop their kids (ages 3 to 12) to play at a jim dine hammering station, draw lines and shapes a la ellsworth kelly or mondrian and do other interactive art projects.  how much better can that be — free educational childcare.   regardless of whether you’re in the market or not, the affordable art fair is an excellent way to spend a few hours.   affordable art fair new york city, 7 west 34th street between 5th and 6th avenues, manhattan, new york. open friday, may 8th (12 p.m. to 8 p.m.), saturday, may 9th (12 p.m. to 8 p.m.) and sunday, may 10th (12 p.m. to 5 p.m.). 

  

mini guide new york: murray hill: the affordable art fair is not exactly in the most appealing of locations though it is a destination spot for a number of reasons — super close to the beautiful , next to bustling if not appealing macy’s and the huge h&m (and the only one with children’s and maternity clothing making it a destination in itself) and of course very close to the hideous but often necessary madison square garden and penn station (why this was destroyed is just impossible to understand).  so there are many reasons why you might end up in this neighborhood, and then one of the more difficult questions is what to do and where to shop if a chain is not your thing.  so these are my thoughts:

food:

penelope, a super cozy spot for brunch (there can be a wait) and lunch as well as dinner. i have not been for a few years, but recent reviews look like it has been holding its own. 159 lexington avenue at 30th street, manhattan, new york, .

morgan library cafe: the beautiful gem of a museum, recently redone by renzo piano, has a lovely cafe with slow service and fairly decent snack food.  it is an extremely pleasant atmosphere, and if you are in no rush it can be very relaxing and even tasty.  they also have a nice gift shop and often an interesting small show — right now there’s a new yorker cartoon exhibit.   225 madison avenue at 36th street, .

artisanal bistro, fromagerie and wine bar:  for heartier fare, and excellent cheeses, artisanal is a great place.  it can be super pricey so watch what you order, though it seems they have modified their restaurant to be a little more affordable allowing just wine or cheese or both rather than a full-on meal.  i have not been for a number of years but believe the cheese still stands strong.  2 park avenue at 32nd street, manhattan, new york, .

korean: so there are a ton of korean restaurants right here, and while i am no expert, some suggestions include madangsui for barbecue, arirang which just opened for noodle soups, and cho dang gol and  for bi bim bop and other classics.  reviews by some more experienced korean food eaters definitely vary but i am guessing for those not that well versed in korean food these would all be good places to try.  madangsui, 35 west 35th street between 5th and 6th avenues, ; arirang, 32 west 32nd street between 5th and 6th avenues, ; cho dang gol, 55 west 35th street between 5th and 6th avenues, gahm mi oak, 43 west 32nd street between 5th avenue and broadway, .

shops:

the j.b. prince company, i have never been here, but i am definitely intrigued.  according to new york magazine, this is a shop for cooks and especially bakers.  hmmm. i do love to bake  (just did my first rhubarb pie of the season) and have yet to find my perfect kitchen shop.  this might be it. 36 east 31st street, 11th floor, .

ddc domus design collection: while not particularly affordable, this design shop carries a large range of interesting modern designers that are great for thinking outside the box and definitely a little more fun than design within reach and a lot more fun than west elm. 181 madison avenue at 34th street, manhattan, new york, .

http://www.scandinaviahouse.org/shop.html: located in the ground floor of the scandinavia house, this small shop offers a nice range of scandinavian goods including some kitchen and household items, decorative glass and fun kiddie toys.  58 park avenue near 37th street, manhattan, new york, .