Scratcher Cafe
It’s St. Patrick’s Day, so you know every Irish pub in this town will be packed to the gills with bellowing guys in green plastic tophats. Probably a good night to carefully seek out a low-key setting. Scratcher, located just…
Macarons at Bouchon Bakery
Update: Bouchon Bakery now has a location in Rockefeller Center Macarons are not macaroons. Those dense, coconut-cluster snacks have nothing on these French confections. One bite reveals the layers–a light whipped cream, sandwiched between two puffed pastries, whose sugary shells…
Crif Dogs
Update: Crif Dogs now has a location in Williamsburg, on Driggs Ave After a long night of bar-hopping, one bite of Crif Dog’s “chihuahua,” a smoked, deep-fried hot dog wrapped in bacon and topped with avocado and sour cream, practically…
Cafe Condesa
Until recently, I didn’t do brunch. Actually, that’s something of an understatement. I used to start my weekend with a large black coffee, a Camel Light, and a quick jaunt to the puppy run. Now that I’ve ditched coffee and…
Vanessa’s Dumpling House
Update: There’s now Vanessa’s Dumpling location on East 14th Street. Home of the best $1 dumpling deal in Chinatown, this mainstay is looking a lot spiffier these days. Back when it was known only as Dumpling House, it was half…
RIP Peeler Man Joe Ades
Well this is terrible news. Joe Ades, peddler of vegetable peelers and sidewalk personality has died, as reported by the New York Times. Always stylishly dressed in a sportcoat or vest, peeling carrots with orange-stained, latex-gloved fingers, Joe reeled in…
Porchetta
It’s a good time to be a pork-lover in NYC; not only do we have Momofuku Ssam’s famed steamed pork buns and a smattering of good barbecue joints, but now there’s a new shop in the East Village specializing in…
Jimmy’s Corner
Jimmy’s Corner is a dive in the best sense of the word. This narrow, 40-year-old haunt feels like it’s been plucked from Times Square’s seedier past and plunked down on today’s 44th Street where, ignored by tourists, it quietly ministers…
2008 Dog Halloween Parade
Once again, there were some fabulous, over-the-top dog costumes on display at the 2008 Tompkins Square Park Dog Halloween Parade and plenty of pups hamming it up for the cameras. This is my third year taking photos at this event,…
Magnolia Bakery Now Open in Midtown
Fans of Magnolia Bakery’s famously sweet cupcakes, rejoice. Now you no longer need to schlep downtown for a dose of that toothache-inducing buttercream frosting. Magnolia has just opened an under-the-radar outpost (no signage yet?) on the corner of 49th street…