cherrypatter nyc

it’s little, it’s cute, it’s filled with some very nice stuff. marc and max lingerie has all the big names, maybe not super fancy, but what you’d expect from a high quality shop: vibrant red slips from cosabella as well as items from simone perele and elle macpherson. the colors are deep, in gorgeous jewel tones, and the materials silky smooth. all in all, very nice.

in addition to the big shots, marc and max lingerie has been using an in-house designer from project runway, ricky lizalde. his things are especially appealing, really nice detailing, and he’s been doing the shops displays too. marc and max lingerie carries a small amount of jewelry including pieces by a local designer. for such a small store, they have a surprisingly good selection. a nice addition to what is now a chain-filled street (poor bleeker!). marc and max lingerie, 342 bleeker street near 10th street, manhattan, new york, .

root, stock & quade was our first flower find when we moved out to the slope, and it was definitely a good one. their arrangements were really lovely — the tight, small bunches with stunning, unusual flowers that seem now to be the rage (or at least have been for a while). about two years ago, root, stock & quade abandoned us and moved to fort greene (park slope still needs a great florist – any flower people listening out there ), and they’ve been thriving at their new location just up from the park near pratt.

when visiting a few weeks back, root, stock & quade was in fine form with belles of ireland, local tulips, lilacs, peonies and shockingly bright yellow washington daffodils. a mother’s day menu should be posted sometime this week just in case you’re trying to find a good flower spot for the all important mama (if only they shipped to the great salt lake).

in addition to flowers, root, stock & quade also focuses quite a bit on the green in things. the shop stocks some gorgeous aloe plant succulents and they have a little garden in the back with different kinds of plants and shrubs (the lilacs are blooming now). root, stock & quade also is devoted to creating urban gardens in whatever space is available. for those in need, they give growing guidance and i think three very sad, droopy looking, tiny plants at the moment need to be brought in tout de suite. now i just need to understand why fort greene gets all the good flower shops! root stock & quade, 471 myrtle avenue between washington avenue and hall street, brooklyn, new york, .

it’s not like i haven’t written about other parts of david chang’s empire before, but the momofuku noodle bar is one of my all time favorite places in new york. we’ve been going there for ages. it’s where i went with serious noodle cravings when i was pregnant (both times) and we still go there for some great comfort food. we always always get the ramen. it may not be traditional, but it sure is the most perfect food i can imagine. using only the freshest ingredients, the eggs are only just poached, the pork is juicy, a little fatty in a good way, and the other more mysterious goodies are just a bonus. the broth is a little meaty, and the noodles are cooked to that exact consistency which is firm but not squishy, chewy but not brittle. j. and i have have eaten at the noodle bar at least 20 times, and every time this bowl of ramen is exactly like the others. there aren’t many other places i can say of where there’s such consistency in preparation and just pure goodness.

as he’s grown the restaurant more over the ages, david chang has added a bunch of other options to the momofuku noodle bar menu. all are intriguing if not always successful. these side dishes are market driven, a little edgy and sometimes as delicious as the noodles. on our last visit, the sliced hamachi with a sweet blood orange sauce, a few olives and some ginger was light and bright. of course, we always get those pork buns when we go too — no one seems to do those better than the momofuku chain and i have tried a lot. sometimes a chain can be a good thing. momofuku noodle bar, 171 first avenue between 10th and 11th streets, manhattan, new york city,

bronagh staley is the lucky one who gets to spend her time focusing on one of my all time favorite children’s clothing stores, sweet william, out in williamsburg. with the most gorgeous kiddie goods in linens, cottons and cashmeres for the littlest children (just wish she’d open up shop for those above 6). in her pre-shop life, bronagh was the fashion editor at cookie, and clearly her amazing editing ability shines through at this store. i’m so glad she was willing to let us in on some of her favorite haunts out in brooklyn for eating and shopping, some of which i haven’t been to yet (yes, rye, that’s you!). and of course, the fact that she loves barefoot contessa, also a staple of mine (ina just never fails me), is an added bonus. thanks so much bronagh.

shops:

for clothes?

i shop at jumelle, where they have really stylish women’s clothing. about glamour a little japanese vintage store where you can find great vivienne westwood pieces. mc and co (57 north 6th street, williamsburg), where corinne the owner carries the best selection of scarves, a wardrobe essential for me.

for house gifts?

moon river chattel has some really great classic home pieces. the future perfect has some really fun gifts with an avant garde edge. click here for more: interview: bronagh staley of sweet william

i hope you all aren’t getting too tired of clothing shops. i know i’ve been doing a lot lately (and one more lovely to come tomorrow) so sorry about the lack of variety but i want to make sure that i get out the photos in a timely way, that is you’re seeing spring clothes when there’s still a bit of chill in the air, and we haven’t yet moved to full-on summer. my latest shop is miks, a little teeny tiny quite affordable shop in the lower east side that has been around for ten years. most of miks clothes are imported from japan, and i’m particularly partial to the style — simple, clean cuts, not too frilly or fancy, and definitely not super trendy. these are things i could see wearing for a few years. pretty basic colors, but everything is well made, and there are lots of cute tops that would work for work or weekend wear.

on my visit a few weeks ago, miks had a great classic but fun navy trench coats, a blue and white cotton sweater, striped vests, big oversized cotton shirts in navy, red and brown and adorable silk shirts or frilly ones that would be perfect to tuck under a more “corporate” jacket. for the younger, or racier set (not me, that is, even if i were younger), miks had some tiny mini black cotton skirts as well as some short flouncy khaki shorts.

miks also has some handy accessories. light weight scarves to dress anything up, various caps and a little bit of jewelry too. the miks shop girls always seem to be japanese making it feel a bit more like maybe the shops in a back alley in tokyo rather than the lower east side. miks, 100 stanton street at ludlow street, manhattan, new york, .

s. and i are off to chicago saturday morning, and in the rush to try and get ready for that (3 travels in one week make for one unhappy clam), my post lagged today but alas, here it is before we head out. in god we trust is one shop that i really cannot believe i have not discovered until now, and only because we were killing time before paulie gee’s out in greenpoint did i even walk inside. in god we trust is super affordable, super stylish, and just a super sweet store filled with women’s and some men’s clothing. in god we trust designs most of the collection themselves, and have it manufactured locally in the garment district (good for them!).

i became instantly smitten by the canvas and leather navy bag above by billykirk, and it is now happily hanging in my closet with a few test runs complete with laptop, magazines and other stuff, it is a winner. the staff was sweet, patient and mostly calm with a 6 and 3 year-old moseying around, and the price was right.

in god we trust also has plenty of very affordable jewelry (which they also make themselves) and hugely cute and cheap sunglasses at $20 a pop. they have a nice little selection of shoes too, some from marais (two girls in brooklyn), and they’re sporting some generic surplus canvas boat shoes for the boys that have been a big hit so far. if you need something new for spring, and want to be local, i think in god we trust fits the bill. in god we trust, 135 wythe avenue between brooklyn, 388.2012; 153 ludlow between stanton and rivington, ; 265 lafayette, ; both in manhattan.

not much to say here, but for a very quick, very tasty, pork bun that will fill you up full of porky, saucy goodness, head straight to mei li wah bakery in manhattan’s chinatown. a tiny bit off the beaten path, and with plenty of fluorescent lighting, this fast food joint is such a good choice. i didn’t try anything else, and i really must do a pork bun tasting challenge, but for starters this one had flavor, the roasted meat seemed to be of decent quality and the bun to sauce ratio was perfection and all of this was could be had for a whopping 80 cents. , 64 bayard street between elizabeth and mott streets, manhattan, new york, .

as you know by now, we’re a pizza loving family and with the weather warming up a bit, and mostly because it’s staying a little lighter at night, we have begun our friday night outings again. a few weeks ago, we made our way out to greenpoint to test out paulie gee’s, the new neapolitan spot that opened up this winter. we got there relatively early, and discovered that there really are families living in greenpoint and they had all made it to paulie gee’s. the setting was a rustic and warm in that urban, kind of industrial way that is so brooklyn these days. the service was pretty good (but not sure how they’d fare with a huge crowd), and we all got fed quite quickly which always makes us happy.

my favorite paulie gee pie by far was the greenpointer, a nicely charred, chewy crust (not too soggy either), covered in arugula with some salty lemon juice above a topping of fior di latte. the cheese was sparse yet flavorful, and the greens didn’t overwhelm the pizza (which had happened at co for me). the basic pie, the margherita was pretty good, and i also really liked the king harry which added prosciutto to the mix along with some tomatoes and pecorino romano. i kept stealing bites of that — again i liked that ham saltiness with the rest of the pie (and as others have noted this dough might have a little less salt than i am used to so maybe that’s why i liked those toppings better). we also started out with a salad of orange slices and red onion which with a light, tangy dressing was a good reminder that spring was here.

if we had been feeling more adventuresome, there were some options including one special with kale and guanciale and another with braised fennel, sardines, raisins and breadcrumbs. i think paulie gee’s will continue to experiment, with plans to bring figs and gorgonzola into the mix sometime soon. paulie gee is also one of those “if only i could be so brave” kind of stories. the owner, paulie gee, went from being an it manager to a pizza connoisseur to opening up his own restaurant. pretty cool, something j dreams about for his someday coffee & sandwich shop). the voice did a great interview of paulie gee. in terms of brooklyn pizza, i don’t think paulie gee’s tops motorino (which reminds me i need to drag the family there) but it gets extra bonus points for a much nicer atmosphere. paulie gee’s, 60 greenpoint avenue between franklin and west streets, .

we just got back from our trip to the big island, of hawaii that is, and i couldn’t help but share a few photos from our trip way out in the pacific even though it’s just a little bit off topic. while a beach and sun vacation is not my usual first choice, we had a pretty great time, and of course this has got to be one of the easiest ways to hang out with young kids. i particularly loved visiting the kilauea volcano, which although it wasn’t spewing lava (we were 3 weeks late), it was pretty dramatic nonetheless. and my other favorite bit by far was the farmer’s market at hilo for all the great and interesting fruits, and food, and even some cute jewelry. hope you all had a great two weeks, and now we’ll see if i can readjust to working life. hmmm, may not be quite as relaxing.

although i didn’t bring a tripod, at least i got some decent pictures. click here for more: the big island

we have found a new favorite spot to lounge around in the mornings, and it’s in a most surprising location — brooklyn heights, the brooklyn neighborhood with maybe the least appealing amenities in terms of shops and food (other than of course the fantastic architecture, gorgeous streets and amazing views). iris café is located off in one of the beautiful corners of brooklyn heights, in a lovely space with huge windows facing southeast letting lots of sun in in the morning time. the lovely room (high ceilings, wood plank tables) is fairly spacious for a brooklyn spot, which helps when the place is packed. iris café has a nice, diverse menu with lots on it.

first off, the iris café cinnamon roll was really excellent. warm, soft (no raisins, a bonus for me), and just a touch of sweetness. i gobbled that thing down. we also had some eggs and soldiers (hard for that to be bad of course), and then a tasty new york cheddar and avocado sandwich. their stumptown coffee was pretty good too. if we lived closer, i would be here all the time with sandwich options like the roast beef with chimichurri, horseradish and tomato or the tuna with olive oil, hard egg and pickled green beans. iris cafe also has a rotating special of soups. ours that sunday was pozole pork hominy.

iris café also carries some market staples that i can’t wait to try like their gerald jerkey, maple hill yogurt and in case i can’t make it to the greenmarket some farm fresh eggs. the only downside was the place was a little chaotic, and the service had a not such nice edge to it. hopefully, all the press won’t make that worse, but regardless we’ll be back soon. iris café, 20 columbia place between joralemon street and atlantic avenue, brooklyn, new york, .