Shorty's .32 by Andrea Strong
February 24, 2008, 7:45.38 pm ET
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"Lord I was born a ramblin' man. Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can. When it's time for leaving, I hope you'll understand that I was born a ramblin' man..." is a refrain you will hear quite often if you become a regular at Shorty's.32. (And I recommend that you do.)
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Kathlin Argiro by Tanya Benedicto
February 24, 2008, 7:38.54 pm ET
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How often does a bridesmaid, after a dress-fitting, leave the designer’s studio with a pink brocade suit for work and a floral wrap dress that anticipates the Spring? In a glum building in the Garment District, Kathlin Argiro’s lilac and shabby chic boutique hides on the 7th floor. more
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Gabriela's by Brian Scott Lipton
February 24, 2008, 7:35.23 pm ET
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Hanging around with a group of people whose tastebuds developed in New Mexico, I have gained higher standards for Mexican food in this city. So when I heard that Upper West Side favorite Gabriela’s had recently reopened, in a large, airy space on Columbus Avenue and 93rd Street, I got the gang together – plus a few Easterners – for a Sunday brunch taste test. And, yes, the restaurant passed with flying colors.
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LePage
February 24, 2008, 7:32.53 pm ET
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A visit to LePage in SoHo is quite the treat. Artist Cec LePage uses lucite to create wonderful designs ranging from modern to art deco. Through the use of color, light and texture, LePage offers one-of-a-kind creations ranging in price from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.
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Cherry Blossom Time
February 24, 2008, 7:29.47 pm ET
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Bring a little Spring inside. Cherry blossom branches are on sale at the farmer's market in Union Square and quite a steal at five bucks. Just leave 'em in water and watch them blossom for a week's worth of blooms. more
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The Oscars
February 23, 2008, 1:40.48 am ET
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For a few moments at least, a chance to experience what it's really like to accept an Academy Award. Each year, 50 genuine Oscars are put on display at Time Square Studios (1500 Broadway at W 44th St), and passersby are allowed to hold one and capture the moment on film. But hurry, February 23rd is the final day (noon-7pm), before the Oscars are really handed out.
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Maarten Van Severen
February 23, 2008, 1:24.55 am ET
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Maarten Van Severen's futuristic furniture was the subject of an exhibit in the Meatpacking District. His use of bright colors and modern design are timeless. For more information on this Belgian artist
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Amy Ruth's at Gage and Tollner
February 23, 2008, 1:11.23 am ET
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It's nice to know that some things never die. When Gage and Tollner, New York's oldest restaurant (est. 1879), became a
T.G.I Friday's it was as if the city lost a bit of its soul. The restaurant, built in a Brooklyn townhouse, was known for its working gaslights, ornate wood paneling and sophisticated service, not red-striped tables. So it is very nice to report that Cage and Tollner is about to get its soul back. Amy Ruth's, a Harlem mainstay for Southern comfort food, has taken over the place and is currently renovating. We wish Amy Ruths at Cage and Tollner much success. Hopefully, it will be restored to its original glory.
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Smith's by Andrea Strong
February 17, 2008, 10:41.43 pm ET
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Smith’s should not to be confused with THE Smith, the American Brasserie on Third Avenue or Smith & Mills, the cocktail den on North Moore Street. Smith’s is the snug and sexy new American restaurant from Red Cat and Harrison founding partner and owner of The Mermaid Inn Danny Abrams, Raul’s Cindy Smith and architect Mark Zeff (who designed Red Cat).
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Jessie James by Pamela Grossman
February 17, 2008, 10:39.43 pm ET
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When I left my apartment today, the sky was grey and the air felt chilly but not horribly cold: The weather was nothing remarkable. A few hours later, snow was tumbling heavily from the sky; and a half an hour after that, the sun was out! By sunset, the temperature felt like it had dropped by about a million degrees, and a strong wind seemed to be scolding pedestrians for being outside. OK, so February in New York City is not a great time for temperate or reliable forecasts. It can, however, be an especially good time for shopping.
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The New York Look by Tanya Benedicto
February 17, 2008, 10:37.03 pm ET
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Millions from the Midwest and Europe visit New York City in hopes of returning home with a new wardrobe soaked in Manhattan chic. Traveling ladies need not get lost in the obscure and unparallel side streets of downtown to find those select boutiques. Right on 45th and 5th, The New York Look flaunts cocktail dresses meant to make a splash, from boutique brands like Yoanna Barashi and elegant Galliano couture.
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The 39 Steps by Diane Snyder
February 17, 2008, 10:34.40 pm ET
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The Roundabout Theatre probably isn't doing itself any favors by billing its quirky Olivier award-winning transplant as Alfred Hitchcock meets Monty Python. As both a send-up and an homage of one of the suspense master's lesser known films, this freewheeling stage adaptation (technically based on John Buchan's book) employs enough lighthearted tomfoolery to induce a few chuckles but hardly reaches the gut-busting hilarity of a show like the Monty Python musical
Spamalot.
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Valentine's Day at Michel Cluizel
February 14, 2008, 10:21.20 pm ET
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Valentine's Day wouldn't be the same without a stop at
Chocolat Michel Cluizel's in the back of ABC Carpet. Rasberry and passion fruit bonbons; others filled with velvety ganache and pralines melt in your mouth. But at around $3/per piece it can get rather expensive. Still, there are some deals to be had, including medicine viles filled with cocoa nibs ($5) that promise to improve your concentration, energy and bliss, and what child (or adult for that matter) wouldn't love the fish shaped chocolates ($5) that resemble shiny sardines.
New York City's Valentine's Day Gift
February 14, 2008, 10:08.36 pm ET
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Just what New Yorkers needed to get them in the mood this Valentine's Day. The city giving out thousands of colorful condoms. We got our supply in Times Square. It brought back memories of Times Square's seedy side.
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Seymour Burton by Andrea Strong
February 10, 2008, 9:07.09 pm ET
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At one point or another, every lawyer dreams of ditching the big firm life, hanging up a shingle and trying to make it on their own. (Not me, but hey, I had other ideas.) That’s probably what Adam Cohn, an attorney here in the city, was planning. And on 5th Street, that’s just what he’s done. Only this shingle, a 2x4 white-washed rectangle swaying in wind, does not read, Attorney at Law, and it does not hang outside an office where strident esquires write briefs and file motions. His shingle reads Seymour Burton, and it hangs outside a snug and incredibly loveable East Village restaurant. (I guess he had other ideas, too.) more
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Clio by Pamela Grossman
February 10, 2008, 8:14.47 pm ET
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You're ready to expand your horizons--but your New York City apartment refuses to get bigger. A European jaunt is sounding great, but the office is expecting you at your desk for the forseeable future. Or maybe, bottom line, you're just in a bit of a February rut. How to open things up and bring the outside in? Local-legend housewares shop Clio offers some ideas.
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Magnolia's by Thomas Rafael
February 10, 2008, 8:11.18 pm ET
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The minute you walk in you know you're at Magnolia's Bakery. The whiff of freshly made cakes greets you at the door, along with a lengthy line; two trademarks of its original location in the Village. It can be a risky move duplicating what has for years been a destination for fresh baked cakes, especially cupcakes. And Magnolia's, for the most, part pulls it off.
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The Homecoming by Diane Snyder
February 10, 2008, 8:08.50 pm ET
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For the second time in as many seasons, British actress Eve Best delivers an award-worthy performance in a production that seems far too stately for Broadway but has managed to get there anyway. Last spring she combined toughness with just the right touch of vulnerability opposite Kevin Spacey in
A Moon for the Misbegotten. Now she’s the in-law in Harold Pinter’s unsettling probe into a family of men in London who clench their anger and bitterness in a viselike grip as they verbally dissect and dismember each other.
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World Champion New York Giants Honored in the Canyon of Heroes
February 5, 2008, 11:52.39 pm ET
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Bar Blanc by Andrea Strong
February 3, 2008, 9:18.59 pm ET
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This place is hot. White hot, to be exact. It’s washed in white and filled with a long slab of white marble bar lit with cool light and tables tucked into tufted white leather banquettes follow the curve of a wrist, wrapping around to give you a nook to rest inside of. Lighting the fresh shiny white tables are large circular silver lounge lamps that give the places an ultra modern sheen. Past a few sets of sheer curtains is a rear room, set with more glossy white lacquer tables, and surrounded by more white-washed walls. Taken as a whole, the restaurant, designed by Meyer Davis, is quite striking, and the designers have done a great job of banishing the rustic cave-like memories of Merge. This is a sexy restaurant.
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212 by Brian Scott Lipton
February 3, 2008, 9:16.30 pm ET
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It may say something about the typical Upper East Side clientele at 212 that more pages of the digest-size menu are devoted to cocktails than to the food, but rest assured, there’s plenty of good eating to be had at this stylish, laidback eatery, especially since executive chef Vincent Chirico has fine-tuned the menu.
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The Hat Shop by Pamela Grossman
February 3, 2008, 9:13.43 pm ET
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Did you know that cigarette holders were invented for women with veils on their hats? Or that what kind of hat will suit you is based in part on the circumference of your head? Linda Pagan, owner of Thompson Street's charming and well-curated The Hat Shop, explains that "we sell two things here: hats made from exquisite materials and everything we know about them."
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Is He Dead by Diane Snyder
February 3, 2008, 9:11.27 pm ET
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Mark Twain's recently unearthed, silly cream puff of a satire may be a delicious piece of eye candy, but sink your teeth into it and you realize it's mostly hollow inside. Despite all the comedic talent involved — playwright and adaptor David Ives, director Michael Blakemore and a stellar cast led by the winning Norbert Leo Butz — the result is an overlong and frequently labored production.
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November by Lesley Alexander
February 3, 2008, 9:09.06 pm ET
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David Mamet, one of our most renowned American playwrights, has a style all his own. It’s a fluid combination of rapid-fire delivery and voluminous profanity which in his past plays like "Glengarry Glen Ross" have taken on the dynamics of a classical concert. Yet his latest contribution to Broadway, "November" veers into new territory.
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