Saturday afternoon- Wine Tasting, Holiday Shopping

subway ad, defaced: anatomy.

Shivering at Fourth avenue, 11th Street- I waited on the F train and chatted on my cell. A few G trains passed, sparked. Heaved. The Orange logo showed in the dark tunnel. Relief. I stepped on and dialed Max, "Hey, train finally came. I'm approaching Smith, can you make it before I get there?"

"I'll try, which car are you in? Try to get to the back of the train."

I had two stops before Bergen. I walked to the back of the car and at Smith hopped down two cars, at Carroll: repeat action. As the train approached Bergen, I looked for Max on the platform. No Max. The plan didn't work. I stepped off and waited.

A moment later he turned the corner," I almost got it! My metro card needed to be refilled!"

While waiting for the next train, we spoke of the defaced subway ads and other modern art.



We made a few connections and dropped off near Warren Street in Tribeca. The New York Wine Co. was having a tasting event from 12-6pm. Two event managers perched themselves behind seventeen wines with a table of cheeses, olives, pickles and toast adjacent. Although many wine shops do frequent tastings, they typically only open a bottle or two. Today's event was not only free, but gorgeously organized and intricately planned. Upon arrival, cards were available for you to follow and mark the bottles/cases that you'd like to purchase. Free delivery (not exclusive to Manhattan!) and warm thoughts.


Among the wines, I'd have to say the Bizoit 06 Echezeaux and the Billecart Salmon NV Brut took the cake. (And ate it too). The Echezeaux is musky, with raspberry and cherry flavors. This Grand Cru put the other reds to shame- making it difficult to continue to taste. I regret having tried it before a handful of others. Take home a bottle ($244) or a case ($2928)- recession to be disregarded. The Billecart delighted me with three different types of grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier from Marne. A light pop on your tongue and ideal for snacking on robust cheeses. The pricing was decent for a bubbly $48 for a bottle, or $576 for a case.

love me: in SoHo.

After we finished sipping and considering, Max and I decided to pick up a few last minute holiday presents in SoHo. We stopped into Muji where I picked out more frames, a great sleek mushroom heather hoody and bonded with a girl on the awkward fit of a blouse that we both elected not to purchase. Max selected a calendar, then suggested we head over to the MoMa store. Despite the sexy gadgets, the clustered mess of people made the detour hardly worth it. Max picked up a stapleless stapeler and a fruit bowl.

speaks and eats, a way to start your Friday

The closure of the business week marked the beginning of what I hope to be a deeply satisfying and fulfilling weekend. I met Vadim in Midtown- where the idea of coffee turned to slinking downtown through various neighborhoods. We considered getting a drink in Korea Town, then found ourselves in Flatiron, Chelsea. We spotted a new Muji location and went in to thaw. We selected new pens, and Chrono notebooks. Shopping at Muji is like reading a Murakami book, people will approach you and say, "You're a Muji shopper too?" Simple, well-made and industrial sexy.

We gathered ourselves and crossed diagonally to Boqueria.

Boqueria is a favorite of ours, along with everyone I've come in with. Although still in the six o'clock hour, the tapas lounge was packed. We hunted a few seats on the bar, watched as a couple paid and took the last sips of their drinks. To sip, Vadim chose the Onix Garnaxta doq Priorat. The Grenache blend hails from the Catalunya region of Spain and exhibits extraordinary dark fruit/cherry flavors. Vadim exhibited a great satisfaction in his choice. I would have to agree, the glass was lingering with delight and certainly and excellent match for a windy December night.

I decided to go a little lighter with the CVNE White Rioja. The server warned that people tend to either really love the glass or not care for it at all. I accepted a taste and felt that it was a good match. The flavor is light and almost creamy. It presented itself as a good wine for tasting small plates.

Upon recommendation of the server, we tried the Grilled Spanish Octupus Skewers with Cherry Tomatoes, Roasted Squash and a Black Olive Vinegar Compote (photographed in mid-consumption above). Wow. Tender, warm and adventurous flavors mingled in this dish.


The second choice we made is one of my favored selections: Datiles con Beicon. Warm, syrupy sweet dates stuffed with pungent blue cheese, almonds and wrapped in crispy savory bacon (photographed above). This dish is quite rich and you really wouldn't want more than a few small bites. It's well suited for a light and refreshing Sangria or even a earthy glass of wine.



After finishing up our light bites, we gathered our things to offer our seats to the many pairs of eyes that were watching, waiting. We crept down to Union Square to meet our respective parties and enjoy a chilly Friday night. I did a quick survey of Christmas shopping opportunities for the next day...

it's all smoke and mirrors.
Union Square.

Put it in your satchel, take it with you.

While in college, I took a Creative Writing class with Carol Guess. Her belief, which I openly adopted is that you must carry a notebook with you. Write down the little blips- or developed thoughts as they come. While I was a moleskin person for the first three books, I now prefer the industrial quality and Japanese concept of Muji Chronotebooks.
Each page has a clock image printed in the center. The notebook can double as a day planner. If you're a mind-map thinker like myself, the crafting of branches is a deeply satisfying process. Muji products are not only of exceptional quality, but well-priced for a budget. Each item is designed with industrial materials that are often over looked and therefore more economically accessible.

Buy it here: Muji Chronotebook.
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**If you have the interest: Carol Guess has a handful of delicious books published. Within those, Gaslight, Femmes Dictionary and Switch are the ones I'd recommend reading first and in that particular order. Most book shops will order what they don't have in stock (go to Strand!) or if you can't make the trek, there's always Amazon.

fashion, points of interest

With the influx of Russian oligarchs and Arab princes settling in London, Harrod's has acclimated by debuting a line of bullet-proof clothing for men. The items by Colombian designer Miguel Caballero range from $6,150-$14,000 (USD) per piece. In the event of past rivalries peaking their ugly faces on the streets, the wealthy gents will not need to rely on bulky protective gear. Within the fashion-forward collection, there are crisp white tuxedo shirts lined with bullet-proof materials- and natty leather jackets which take on a role of body-armor.



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In other fashion news and developments, Barcelona based retailer Mango has developed plans to lay down roots in Iraq. Mango would be the first international retailer to set-up shop in the war-torn, conservative country. Mango's intent is to create a line which ascribes to the culture's covered-up style.

Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad has linked up with Mango to put aside the signature flirty dresses and to introduce head scarves and veils to their tailored product line. It is anticipated that the store will be installed into the Kurdish city of Arbil, which has been witness to heinous violence such as a suicide bombing in May of 2007.

the stapleless stapler

It looks like the Guggenheim and promotes a greener cause! Supposedly the products works as effectively as a traditional stapler...and you don't have to work out jams!

Fact: if every office worker used one less staple every day for a year, we'd save 120 million tons of steel.

Buy it here.

pickles and things

Humidity and 89 degrees didn't hold me back from Sunday afternoon errands in SoHo and the Village-

After picking up a few essentials and a splurge or two at Muji, Vadim and I hit up the LeSportSac sample sale on W. 18th street. Although thoroughly picked over, we both snagged a cute bag and made our way back to Broome Street for the 8th annual Pickle Festival.

We sipped on Honest Ades as we trailed the avenues in the shade. A woman admitted a shrill scream- jarred, we paused. Fifteen feet ahead, the petite woman continued to scream at a man, "You touched my wallet, asshole!!" He backed off and she screamed into her cellphone, "He touched my wallet!" I took stock of the goose bumps spreading over my body and I stepped to the side as the accused sped past me, "Shit, you dropped it, I didn't touch yo wallet!" I looked back to the woman, who was adjusting her melon colored terry-clothe jumper.

We collected ourselves and commenced on, our path woven with discussion of the woman's pitch. It literally sounded as though she was morphing into some sort of creature.

Green balloons ahead marked the Pickle Festival. Jam packed with vinegar and twenty-somethings posing for photos while sucking pickles on sticks- it was a bit overwhelming. I sampled a few delights and purchased a jar of Wheel Whims Champagne Spears for my mother (I'll be seeing her next weekend!)


Giving up on the heat and crowds, we hopped on the first train- after a few transfers we ended up on some sort of Surprise! train, which continued to pass each stop until we were thirty blocks past home (...)

After negotiating our way back to the Slope, I elected to stop at the Union Market to pick up jars of Rick's Picks- my solution to avoiding the heat and lines at Broome street. Rick's Picks have simply designed jars of beets, curried and pickled tomatoes as well as the traditional pickle recipes! Super yum! I also selected pickled mushrooms and a cranberry mustard <3