Yerba Buena by Brian Scott Lipton
June 29, 2008, 8:32.28 pm ET
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A summer getaway is closer than you think. A meal at Yerba Buena, a new soothing pan-Latin eatery in Alphabet City, has the ability to make you feel like you’ve been transported thousands of miles from the city’s humid streets. Beautifully decorated in woods and neutrals that accentuate the coziness of the space, the restaurant is designed, in every possible way, to create a relaxing if slightly exotic experience.
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Cabrito by Andrea Strong
June 29, 2008, 8:29.49 pm ET
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The first time at Cabrito, Kiri and I were in on a Sunday night when it was relatively calm. We started with a bowl of guacamole and a couple of Sandias to drink—well-balanced mezcal-soaked watermelon cocktails that are lightly sweet and sneakily smoky, and that go down way too easily. Yeah, they’re good.
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Royale Bakery by Thomas Rafael
June 29, 2008, 8:24.43 pm ET
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If you're looking to satisfy that sweet tooth, you may want to head over to Royale, a new West Village spot for cupcakes and other goodies.
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Sustainable NYC by Pamela Grossman
June 29, 2008, 8:22.08 pm ET
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Used to be we could celebrate Earth Day, recycle responsibly, make sure we turned off the appliances and the car when they didn't need to be running, and feel like we'd been at least sort of enviro-friendly. But these days, dire warnings from, among others, Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio, and every critter on the endangered-species list make us realize that more must be done. Enter Sustainable NYC...
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BarBQ by Thomas Rafael
June 22, 2008, 9:19.50 pm ET
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Bar BQ is probably the closest you'll come to a honky tonk bar in Brooklyn. Here the bourbon is flowing, music is played loud and the barbecue is good and cheap. more
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Turqua Grill
June 22, 2008, 9:15.55 pm ET
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Bay Ridge, Brooklyn has its fair share of Middle Eastern restaurants. Tanoreen comes to mind with its whole baked fish that emerges from the oven nice and crispy, or the mouthwatering falafel sandwiches you'll find at King Falafel on Third Avenue. Turqua Grill is is also gaining a reputation for its Turkish treats.
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The Coffee Place
June 22, 2008, 9:12.46 pm ET
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Does coffee and a doughnut taste better when it's delivered with a smile? We think so. That's why we'd like to introduce you to Haney (left) and Hassan (right), two cousins who operate The Coffee Place at the corner of 49th Street and 7th Avenue.
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Daily 235
June 22, 2008, 9:10.59 pm ET
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Daily 235 is the kind of store you can get lost in. There are great little items for kids, like wind-up toy cars and tin robots. There are beagle shaped night lamps, blow-up planes and loop-the-loops.
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Park Avenue Summer by Andrea Strong
June 15, 2008, 10:11.45 pm ET
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You’ve probably heard all about Park Avenue Fill-In-the-Current-Season. It’s a restaurant that takes seasonality to the extreme, not only making over a few dishes on the menu to correspond with the change in nature’s bounty, but revamping the entire restaurant, from floor to ceiling, banquette to light fixtures, and the complete menu from breadbasket to dessert.
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South Brooklyn Pizza by Brian Scott Lipton
June 15, 2008, 9:57.18 pm ET
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If you’re one of those indecisive folks who spend hours perusing menus – often to the dismay of your dining companions – have I got a place for you! At the recently opened South Brooklyn Pizza, the menu includes one entrée and one entrée only; and you can guess what it is. What you might not be able to guess is just how good it is.
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Meatpacking District's New Outdoor Space
June 15, 2008, 9:51.02 pm ET
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The traffic chaos in the Meatpacking District's been replaced with a snazzy new public square complete with trees and ample seating. Unfortunately, your Manolos will still get stuck in the cobblestones.
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Maison Martin Margiela NY by Pamela Grossman
June 15, 2008, 9:44.13 pm ET
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Greta Garbo decided that she wanted "to be alone." Belgian-born, Paris-based fashion designer Martin Margiela wants, at the least, to be *left* alone. He refuses to pose for photos; he does not appear for a bow at the end of his shows. Interviews and other dealings with those outside of his company are reportedly conducted by fax.
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Primehouse by Andrea Strong
June 8, 2008, 10:52.39 pm ET
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One of my favorite meals is quite a simple one. It’s made up of two, maybe three courses. It starts with a dozen freshly-shucked oysters and is followed up with a well-seasoned steak—charred-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside—preferably a rib eye or a NY strip.
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Geminola by Pamela Grossman
June 8, 2008, 10:49.36 pm ET
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I was drawn into lovely, dreamy Geminola by some candy-colored and especially pretty dresses hanging outside. New? Vintage? Both: Designer/owner Lorraine Kirke reworks pre-1950s garments, mining them for fabulous fabric and trim, to create unabashedly girly items with modern charm.
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The Gowanus Yacht Club
June 8, 2008, 10:46.10 pm ET
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The Gowanus Yacht Club with its funky chic atmosphere keeps the beer flowing as folks gather at picnic tables munching on hot dogs and burgers from a makeshift grill. Great if you don't mind drinking beer and wine from plastic cups.
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Reasons To Be Pretty
June 8, 2008, 10:44.37 pm ET
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America's obsession with physical beauty is confronted headlong. In reasons to be pretty, Greg's tight-knit social circle is thrown into turmoil when his offhanded remarks about a female coworker's pretty face (and his girlfriend's lack thereof) get back to said girlfriend. But that's just the beginning.
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Black Mountain Wine House by Andrea Strong
June 1, 2008, 10:41.57 am ET
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Black Mountain Wine House is an apt name for this transporting little wine bar in Carroll Gardens. It feels like it was air lifted from the Black Mountains; it is literally a house, and they do serve quite a bit of wine. You’ll find it nested on the leafy corner of Hoyt and Union Streets like a mirage from some scene from an Ang Lee film.
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John Bartlett by Pamela Grossman
June 1, 2008, 10:38.10 am ET
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Since I discovered designer John Bartlett's work, in the late '90s, I've considered him one of my "underknown finds." This is I'm sure somewhat unrealistic, as actually he's well-known to many, having won numerous fashion awards and excelled in the business for quite a while; but he's not yet the household name that he could be.
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Salon de Ning
June 1, 2008, 10:35.53 am ET
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New York nightlife is hitting new heights with Salon de Ning, a posh new rooftop bar at the Peninsula Hotel. Inspired by Madame Ning, a Shanghai socialite, Salon de Ning features an indoor bar, two large outdoor terraces with Chinese day beds to take in the stunning panoramic views from high atop Fifth Avenue.
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In the Heights by Diane Snyder
June 1, 2008, 10:33.00 am ET
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Who says they're not writing old-fashioned musicals anymore? Lin-Manuel Miranda's salsa and hip-hop rhythms for his maiden Broadway effort may not be the kind usually heard on the Great White Way, but his lyrics and Quiara Alegria Hudes' book demonstrate a careful and devout understanding of the craft of musical theater.
more Photo: Joan Marcus