Parks Slope to Fort Greene: Brunch & a Flea Market

A good Sunday morning starts here:

1. Moutarde-Cute french bistro in Parks Slope, with no wait! The host shook his head when I tried to sweet talk him into letting us sit outside, but I didn't mind his 'tude once I bit into my smoked salmon scramble. Yummy bloody mary.

2. Walk down 5th Ave to get the full cuteness experience of Parks Slope (lotta strollers!) and end up at the Flea at Skylight One Hanson-

What a sight! The tallest building in Brooklyn (built in 1929) becomes a flea market playground on Sundays and every nook and cranny of the ground floor, mezzanine and basement is filled with goodies (eh... slightly overpriced goodies). Between the mosaics on the floors and ceilings and the array of vintage clothes, jewelry, and accessories, it's a beautiful place to walk off a Sunday morning food coma/hangover. Food stations in the basement.

Afterward I would recommend walking through Fort Green- maybe pick up a cheap record off the street on Dekalb Ave (yes, my friend Flannery got this for only $2!), and get some coffee at Tillie's. 

Got the travel bug?

Moutarde

Flea Market: http://brooklynflea.com/

Coffee: http://www.tilliesofbrooklyn.com/

Upper West Side: Bacon Waffle!

Think about the flavors of strawberry ice cream, waffle cone, and maple bacon in the form of breakfast. When I get married, I would like to serve this instead of cake. It's really a waffle with strips of bacon in the batter. High quality bacon. The best bacon my friend Agustina ever had (and the girl has had a lot of bacon!) The waffle, topped with a delightful strawberry butter and maple syrup was a magical combination of sweet and savory, swine and sugar, buttery and crispy. 

On Good Enough to Eat's website, the chef and owner, Carrie Levin says the mission of the restaurant is to satisfy the hunger for wholesome, authentic, traditional American food. I would call this meal otherworldly, but if she calls it traditional American, then this may be my favorite bite of America yet. 

In the Upper West Side- go here before hitting the Natural History Museum or Central Park, or just go. You need no excuse.

Got the travel bug?
http://www.goodenoughtoeat.com/

NYC Day 2: Street Food, Antiques, and a Photo Tribute to NY Pizza

Hungover? Hungry? The perfect remedy according to Ferronlandia: Roll out of bed, grab a coffee, and head to the nearest street food festival for breakfast.

1. Grub Street Food Festival- Stay tuned for upcoming Street Food Festival Survival Rules based on our experience at this packed fair. Organizers estimated that 12,000 hungry people came through the gates, Agustina and I probably cut about half of them in line. All worth it for this.

The Ditch Dog:

Macaroni and Cheese on top of a hot dog. Ditch Plains, you made macaroni and cheese a condiment. God bless you.

Patacon Pisao: And here I thought I knew about the infinite possibilities of plantain-related snacks. But these crafty Venezuelans made tortillas out of plantains and then stuffed them with pork and chicken. Bravo!

Georgia's Eastside BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich:

 We walked by their restaurant and saw this.

Then we walked by their stand at the fair and had this. 

Then I understood.

2. Walk it off at the West 25th Street Market

This indoor antique gallery is not for the penny pinchers, but if you're after well-kept antiques with style this would be the place.  I would imagine it would be a sweet shopping destination when hiding from the winter. Across the street there’s a lower-end flea market. 

3. Casa Mezcal

A Mezcal bar? For real? Owned by David, a Jew from Long Island. Obviously. The place looks like my dream kitchen and the drinks were the best mezcal drinks I’ve ever had. Yea, yea he gave us some free shit cause it was my birthday. 

 4. Drinks and dancing in Williamsburg

Dram Bar-Looks like a fancy Tahoe cabin, smells like cedar, tastes like a tequila/mezcal old fashioned. Weird and cool. Use the bathroom here.

Bembe- World music all night, crowded as hell, drummers, touchy latino men, it’s somewhere in between Baobab and Brazil. At the end of the night the DJ did a mashup of "three little birds" and "let's get it on," and I liked it! 

5. Pizza at Anna Maria Pizza

Ever notice how New York pizza brings out the freak in all of us? The top pics are from this recent trip, when we made a very satisfying pit-stop for a slice of pie, but I noticed they were alarmingly similar to the photos from my last visit to NY.

Pizza photo session 2010:

Pizza photo session 2009:

It's just so wide and foldable, we can't help it!  

 

Got the travel bug?
Food: Ditch Plains, Patacon Pisao, Georgia's Eastside BBQ, Anna Maria Pizza
Drinks & Dancing: Casa Mezcal, Dram Bar, Bembe
Shopping: Hells Kitchen Flea Markets

Ferronlandia in NYC! Day 1: Lower East Side to West Village

I can't think of a better place to spend my birthday. I've never had a bad time in New York. I've snuck into the planetarium for a private showing, raided a TISH party for their beer, smiled and nodded as my friend told the cops I was French and didn't understand that public drinking was illegal in America, and eaten more than I thought was humanly possible- but no, I've never had a bad time.

So here I am again, right off the red-eye and into my first day with my partner in crime Agustina, who lives in the lower east side. The highlights:
1. Brunch at Clinton Street Baking Co. It smells like banana walnut in here. Fluffy pancakes to balance out the southern breakfast of eggs, cheesy grits and fried green tomatoes. Service was fast and everything at neighboring tables also looked delicious.

2. Walk around east village vintage shops, we scored at Buffalo Exchange, the prices are super fair and there are great finds. Walk down E 9th and you'll find a bunch more.

3. Dumplings in chinatown. $1 for five pork dumplings. $10 for 80. In case you were having a dumpling party. You'll get them and devour them faster than you can say... "is this wrong?"

4. Falafel at Mamoun's. Yes, I know every NYU kid alive knows about this place, but every time I come to New York I have to have it, and everyone who I visit loves an excuse to get it.
"Where's that place again, with the good fa-"
"Mamoun's. Let's go."

5. Les Nubians at the Le Poisson Rouge.

We came up on this show while browsing for nightime activities on the google and what a good find! I've been listening to these two since high school and they sounded beautiful live. The best part of the show may have been the preaching: "To all my sisters! Be masters of your pussy... cross your legs until you get what you want." Followed by frowns and shrugged shoulders from the men in the room, a collective "damn, now I'm definitely not gonna get any tonight." The venue was also dope, intimate yet lots of space and a chill crowd.
After that  it was officially my birthday and it gets a little blurry from then on. Blurry in a good way.

Got the travel bug?
Brunch: http://www.clintonstreetbaking.com/
Shopping: Buffalo Exchange
Other stores
Prosperity Dumpling: 46 Eldridge St
Falafel: http://mamouns.com/
Concert: http://lepoissonrouge.com/
http://www.lesnubians.com/