cherrypatter nyc

for the past 10 or so years, i made a yearly pre-christmas pilgrimage (if not more frequently) to the cozy nancy koltes shop at the corner of spring and mulberry streets. tucked underground, nancy koltes was filled with great little treasures with a fantastic small but perfect selection of the silkiest nightgowns, the softest p.j.s and the cutest mens’ sleeping outfits. they had high design, highly usable dishware, the best placemats ever (we still use ours every day), addictive soaps and candles and even a few perfect toys.   oh, and they used to have some excellent sales.   so when i discovered maybe a year and a half ago, of course when i was desperate for some last minute gifts, nancy koltes had closed its doors i was not a happy camper.

this year, i discovered that returned  — hooray — not quite in the format of the shop that i loved — but some essential items remain, and there is always hope that the shop will return in all its glory.   for now, i’m quite happy with the fact that nancy koltes (she is in fact a real person, and i was very excited to actually get to meet her  for the first time on my latest visit) is here.  she continues to produce her absolutely exquisite linens working with her factories in italy (what a rough life).  in the works now is a new hotel line, more prints, and new towels (we have a set from her that i hope never to give up with vibrant oranges, reds and greens — and though the combo sounds crazy they are beautiful).  and while most of her current work is geared for wholesale customers, she is open for some retail.  fortunately, she’s also still producing some of her classic loungewear, and the shop carries a few of her other favorite makers as well like eberjey and boca terry.

and my absolute favorite kind of wedding gift is here, the perfect throw.  nancy koltes has this knack for finding the most gorgeous ones — the italian cecchi e cecchi, the new zealand stansborough and the american pur cashmere.  so while she’s back, i don’t recommend just dropping in — the hours at this not quite retail shop are not as regular or long, so you’ll want to make sure it’s open, and you might even get to meet nancy!  nancy koltes, 900 broadway at 19th street, suite 201, manhattan, new york, .

moon river chattel has a little bit of everything, and everything has a little bit of beauty.  with a very varied selection of home goods, it’s hard to walk out of this shop without something. from the low end treats like these gorgeous looking lollies from hammond and other retro candy like bit o’ honey, to adorable red and blue checked linen napkins, big art books by the likes of pentagram and the aia guide to architecture, it’s easy to find gifts for others or yourself.  they have a nice little kids section with some adorable things like a singing bird tea set, squeezable teddies, stamp sets and even a bow and arrow set (if you need a gun alternative!).

moon river chattel has containers in all materials and all sizes — i was particularly drawn to some enormous glass barrels with a small opening at the top though i have no idea where i would stuff it in our already way too filled up apartment and more importantly what would i put in it (pennies or dog food?).   moon river carries some girly things like avant garde jewellry, some twig pewter decorative letters and fancy italian bioceta bath brushes.

moon river chattel had the nicest terra cotta collection of pots and planters i have seen thus far in my garden hunting this year. i liked the tinge of green mixed in, and they had some plants outside as well.  they had a mini bath supply section, linen curtains and filament bulbs.   i think moon river might be best known for their salvaged furniture (there was a separate spot across the street for most of those pieces).  within this shop, there was a drop dead gorgeous maple table and other dressers and file cabinets, and they apparently do some .  they had a nice selection of iron looking hardware with more rustic looking knobs and other handles.   the prices weren’t crazy, and if you’re more into the rustic modern look or are planning to open the next rye-like restaurant, moon river chattel will certainly serve you well. moon river chattel, 62 grand street between kent and wythe avenues, brooklyn, new york, .

i do love the egg custard tarts at the end of a dim sum meal, and depending on how flaky, how warm, and how eggy they are, they are a make or break deal for me on the success  of the meal.  and since i’m not always in the mood for dim sum, and don’t tend to like the manhattan or brooklyn places (usually, i trek out to queens for a proper dim sum meal), i was happy to find multiple recommendations for the taipan bakery and their excellent egg custard tarts.  make sure to get the tarts fresh out of the oven. don’t expect anything resembling service or friendliness.  and be super glad that this place is so super accessible. someday i hope to do an egg custard tart tasting (starting with all of these spots) but that has to wait for another day after i finally do my long planned brooklyn croissant tasting which hopefully will happen this summer.  taipan bakery, 194 canal street between mulberry and mott streets, manhattan, new york, .

happily, ice cream season is back, with 70 degrees days all weekend long .   we topped off our saturday afternoon with a visit to one of our long time favorite spots down in dumbo where the lines are  long but the reward is great.  we have been indulging in ice cream at the brooklyn ice cream factory for years. we’ve brought both kids here since they were teeny tiny creatures.  pre the pizza explosion in brooklyn,we often made it a 2- part excursion.  first pizza at grimaldi’s, and then we’d head to fulton landing for the simple but always excellent ice cream at the brooklyn ice cream factory.  when we were in manhattan and k was only a few weeks old (back in 2003), i used to take the water taxi down the east river, meet up with j. in wall street, and we’d trek across the river for our feast.  when s. was born, we brought him here for t at the tender age of 7 days in january 2007 when it was weirdly 70 degrees.  we of course had to have ice cream that day, and really any other time we’re near by.

although the brooklyn ice cream factory is now crazy mobbed (it is sadly a tourist mecca), the ice cream is as good as ever.  with just a few flavors (my favorites are the peaches and cream and chocolate), the toppings are high quality and everything is fresh, fresh fresh.  j and i particularly love  their banana splits, though i wish we got just a wee bit more hot fudge sauce.  and although not quite as fancy or huge, in terms of quality and flavor, think brooklyn ice cream factory’s hot fudge sundaes rank with the best in the city.

we also spent a few quality hours hanging out at the new pier 1 at the brooklyn bridge park which was great. we’ll be back for picnics and hanging out, and we really cannot wait till the pier 6 playground opens hopefully very very soon.  i posted a few more pictures below of this glorious addition to the borough. brooklyn ice cream factory, 1 water street near old fulton street, ; and 97 commercial street at manhattan avenue, ; both in brooklyn, new york.  (the past few summers, the brooklyn ice cream factory has also had a summer outlet in manhattan at 42nd and park avenue.) click here for more: brooklyn ice cream factory: creamy deliciousness for the masses

thanks to sweet william’s founder bronagh staley, i discovered this vast vintage shop full of all sorts of treasures in williamsburg this spring.   mostly, i was taken with all their knicknacks and little japanese toys, stickers, packaging tape (the cherries, donkeys and dogs were calling my name) and notebook after notebook (i do have something about those).   though i have no idea what i would do with these, i really wanted to stock up on as many vivienne westwood handkerchiefs as i could — maybe the hint of a little mushroom coming to visit s’s nose would stop this very determined 3-year old from using his fingers!

about glamour also has a tremendous selection of funky, interesting clothes for men and women which is great with its emphasis on japanese-inspired styles so you can get something just a little bit different, and more interesting.  they get frequent shipments, rotate their stuff and all around it’s a good place to check out every now and then.

and don’t forget accessories. about glamour has tons of hats, scarves, shoes and especially a huge inventory of tights and socks — maybe not so necessary now that the weather is again turning back to the spring i love but a good place to remember when fall rolls around many many months from now. about glamour, 107-a n. 3rd street between wythe avenue and berry street, brooklyn, .

i am a big fan of malin & goetz, and was pretty excited when the founders matthew malin and andrew goetz agreed to reveal some of their favorite spots in new york which seem to revolve around chelsea for the most part with a few ventures into the west village.  these guys have the perfect modern apothecary, all sorts of fun stuff, very green and lovely.  malin and goetz also love dogs, and apparently andrew is an excellent chef putting on  put on some must attend dinner parties. personally, though, i really wish i could be one of their lady friends who benefit from gifts from designers they know. nice!

shops:

for clothes and shoes?

matthew: barneys coop;  Andrew: dave’s army/navy, paragon nyc. click here for more: interview: matthew malin and andrew goetz of malin & goetz

when we lived on the upper east side, i was always ,on the hunt for a great treat, and really, at that time, there just wasn’t much. we had fauchon briefly, and some like two little red hens (i’m not a fan) or can tolerate the snootiness at payard’s fc chocolate bar.  however, these options didn’t quite do it for me so when amanda hesser raved about mille crêpes i made my way over to lady m right away.   this is a fancy, dancy place. pretty, very narrow, full of marble, a little corporate, and a little high maintenance (as expected located just off madison) with dazzling, beautifully-crafted desserts.

lady m is a great place to linger and meet friends (kids are not as easy).  service is professional, efficient, coffee and tea are fine, and the desserts do not disappoint.  the mille crêpes dessert  is over the top.  a million layers, covered in creme, it is rich, heavy but has a bit of bounce from the crepes which makes it somehow perfect for a later afternoon snack.  so lady m is very good for an outing with a few friends or family post museum visit to relax — just remember this is one pricey spot too.     lady m, 41 east 78th street between madison and park avenues, manhattan, .

hope you all had a good weekend, despite the blustery weather, and a good mama’s day.   one of my gifts, in addition to many kisses, handmade cards and the best shoes ever, was a little time to restore cherrypatter.  so i’m happy to report that all my posts are back up and so finally i can do some new content today. i still have some little link fixes and things but that will come in time.

today is all about chicken. at rich nieto’s suggestion, we headed out to jackson heights a few weeks ago to check out pio pio — i didn’t realize it was a chain and a huge operation, not usually two qualities i look for in tasty food.  but pio pio surprised me.  service was efficient. despite tons of families lining up for the enormous, modern, spare space, we were seated quickly, and the food came rolling out soon after that.  the very best part of the meal was the rotisserie chicken.  juicy, hot, and served with the most addictive green spicy mayonnaise-like sauce that i could eat for hours.  the chicken came with those thick fries — a little bit soft and oily and very very hot.  those too were amazing dipped in that fantastic sauce with mystery ingredients called aji.  next time, i’ll stock up as pio pio sells it or maybe try another version recommended here.

the rest of our pio pio meal was not so great so i’d just stick with the chicken. but for that, it was worth the trip – affordable, delicious and great for take-out or huge groups! pio pio, 84-13 northern boulevard at 84th street, queens, new york, ; also locations in manhattan (702 amsterdam avenue at 94th street, ;  1746 first avenue near 90th street, ).

although cherrypatter is not exactly back in action, i did want to do a quick post on j’s very successful big birthday festivities this  past weekend.  family and friends made the trek from near and far (london, boston, salt lake city and washington, d.c.  — we were so happy the volcano had calmed down) resulting in the birthday boy having a very excellent time. the party was in the barn behind frankies.  everything was perfect:  fantastic service, the to-be-expected high quality food and just a very very relaxed atmosphere.  once we made our way through the depressing street fair, we didn’t even notice that court street wasn’t it’s usual, charming pleasant self.

the high point, foodwise, at least was the croquembouche.   j. and i have been to several weddings in france with these beauties, and i was able to track down the chef at almondine to put one together for us.  i seem to remember it being lit on fire, but the chef insisted that that never ever happens (in a heavy french accent of course).  he did an amazing job.  the chef also promised if i could show him one lit up i could get it for free — might have to track one down just for that. filled with alternating creampuffs of vanilla and chocolate, the croquembouche was covered in a hard caramel coating, and the kids went to town on the beautiful ribboned candy.

the flowers too worked out well. although i had tried to get the attention of one of my favorite flower shops, we ended up with stem from fort greene.  the flowers also turned out great.  great oranges, reds and pinks with no pastels and plenty of whites.  i forgot to take photos on the day of, but here they are four days later still looking pretty spectacular.  have a super weekend, and see you next week with normal posting action.

hi everyone,

so sorry I have been very out of commission.  we just got the site back yesterday — yay for rachel — and now i have some reinstalling of stuff to do and updating, but i plan to be back in action next week.  hope all is good and see you very very soon!