The House

There seems to be no shortage of lovely little bars in Gramercy. The House is no exception. Tucked under branches thick with leaves, a golden glow pushes through the windows onto the side walk. We stepped into the restored carriage house (circa 1854) for a late night cocktail. The server graciously offered us one of the best tables and set down thin bread sticks for nibbling.

The wine list is ridiculously extensive: suggesting that the food might be something to write home about. I decided to sip on one of their signature cocktails: Blood Orange Martini. A relatively smooth drink with muddled oranges, extraordinary fragrance and color. I did feel that the Campari wasn't the best liquor to mix with the vodka, it added a slightly off taste, but by no means ruined the drink.

Image: Apartment Therapy.

sunday east, a photo series

you can ring my

integrated

ms. brown on the L

75

period.

repeat.

cigs and news.

bite

bite doesn't look like much. A small cafe at the edge of Union Square, it has modestly handwritten menu on a chalkboard. Soups, sandwiches and salad with a decent selection of beer, wine and sangria.

The charming light wood decor is open window to the streets whooshing with taxis and chirping with denizens. We sipped on what proved itself as masterfully potent sangria while we waited for our food to be prepared. The cocktail peaked my interest with a spice that could have easily been cloves, but I cannot be sure.


For lunch, we shared the Exotic Tuna Sandwich and bruschetta. The tuna came on a hearty homemade roll grilled crusty with a soft center. The fish tasted fresh and well seasoned with golden raisins, red cabbage and sliced carrots.The tomato and dark green garnish added a lovely texture. The bruschetta was probably the best I've ever had. The crusty baguette was toasted lightly, the fresh mozzarella was warmed and the tomatoes carried a nice flavor in contrast to the garlic-basil pesto.

I would also recommend the hummus. It's garlicy and smooth blended!

east village speak, a photo series

cash/tears

blondie.

thompkins park

"bunny bin laden"

corner school

slippery pigeons boxes

convenience.

the delancey

Entering The Delancey, I pulled back. Nearly pitch black, I adjusted after floating around the Lower East Side. I pulled back to Alvarez, "I don--" and stopped myself. Roll with it. The velvet modern seats, a few candles and bartenders that didn't seem surprised to see us, although we were the only ones in there.

He lead me upstairs into a scene on par with restaurants I'd been to in Mexico: a little heaven in the urban sprawl. The contrast is so dramatic, that in that moment I found pausing to take it in. We settled into a bench and sipped on Makers Mark.

I would be interested to see how the scene shapes as the evening pans out. It looks to have the potential to get packed, but the online reviews aren't in their favor.

in to the lower east, a photo series

chatter.

languages.

til the end.

call out.

shop.

silk.

together.

peru deux

downtown 4 local, a photo set

cartoon feature, a mobile uploads series

east village boys.

"trust no friends"

park ave: a glimpse of the empire state building

flagged.

upper east side fringe, a photo series

oops.

urbanglyphics

polo boys

MoMa: for free!

It's true! On Fridays from 4:00-8:00pm, you can visit the Museum of Modern Art for free. Vadim and I decided to go check out the Tangled Alphabets by Leon Ferrari and Mira Schendel. As well, we were both interested in seeing the featured Into the Sunset: Photography's Image of the American West. We also enjoyed the Polish Posters and Brooklyn crime statistic maps.

A word to the wise: the space was comparable to a beehive! Be patient, the crowds move swiftly.

dinner tonight: burgers and a white wine saute

Burgers:
I cheated and picked up a pre-made patty from Ceriello's butcher counter in Grand Central Market. The 1/2lb portion came infused with sweet Vidalia onions!

I brushed butter over the Le Creuset grill pan and dropped the meat on. After the first side had browned with gorgeous black grill lines, I flipped it over and dropped slices of lightly buttered Roasted Garlic & Oregano Bread from Zaro's.
Notes: The burgers were succulent, savory...incredible! Although I cooked them medium-well, they retained the moisture and flavor of a rare-cooked burger.

Saute:
Greenwich Produce cuts prep time with beautifully sliced/washed veggies and fruit. We picked out scallions, oyster mushrooms and French green beans.

I tossed the veggies in a large saute pan with a splash of olive oil and water for a slow simmer while water warmed up to make pasta. As the veggies sizzled, I integrated a few shakes of sea salt and cracked some fresh black pepper.

After dropping the pasta (wide homemade egg noodles from Trader Joe's) I splashed white wine and a 1/4 cup milk into the veggies.

After 7 minutes, drain the pasta and fold into the white wine saute.

Notes: Although I wouldn't typically serve burgers with a pasta, the white wine and crisp veggies worked well. The pasta would also be excellent with prawns or thinly sliced chicken!

bk poster boards, a photo series

translation.

zip.

slip.

shake.

shrink