Thank Cod

Zenkichi makes me feel like I'm in Japan. The intimate setting gives you plenty of privacy--instead of having the waiter to come check in with you every five minutes, they have a buzzer at the table when you need them. The bamboo, stone, and wood decor immediately put me into a zen mode to enjoy my dinner. And the eight course dining experience for under $50? I can't complain. Zenkichi taught me raw Kobe beef can be soooo good! From start to finish, every dish has been well thought out. The presentation, the taste, they all perfectly compliment each other. My all time favorite is Grilled Black Cod. Full of flavor but not overwhelming, I have never tasted such amazing grilled fish anywhere else. Yet.

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Restaurants • Williamsburg

Hidden in Plain View

As we were walking down Dominick Street at 10:30 on a Monday night and turning the corner onto Hudson Street, my wife said to me "where is this gig again?" Then we saw four hepcats standing outside a narrow 6-story structure on an otherwise completely deserted Hudson Street. Bingo! The Jazz Gallery, a not-for-profit performance space that's been around since 1995. About thirty seats and an informal setting for such cats at Taylor Ho Bynum (one of our favorite NY trumpet players), the Roy Hargrove Big Band, and, the night we were there, for Myron Walden's trio Apex. Catching Myron, and especially his cohorts Dwayne Burno on bass and Eric McPherson on drums, at 11 pm on a sleepy Monday night in New York made me smile...only here, little pilgrims, only here...

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Nightlife • West Village

Telling Tales

One of America's national treasures resides right here in NYC and you have every reason to take advantage of it, if you can get an appointment: StoryCorps. This nationwide oral history project allows you to converse one-on-one with someone who plays a unique role in your life, record it, and save it for posterity in your home and in the Library of Congress, all for free (donations are suggested and well deserved). After securing an appointment, head down to the StoryCorps recording booth with your interviewer (or interviewee), get settled with a sound technician in the comfy and intimate surroundings, and start talking about life and the meaningful experiences that characterize your relationship. Appointments last one hour, which will either fly by or painfully crawl along, so decide who will interview whom and prepare questions ahead of time. It could be an emotional evening, one of comic reminiscence, or a bit of both, and you may be surprised at the courage and inspiration you'll find in the process. At the end you'll have a priceless time capsule on CD, or at least an hour of free therapy, or the knowledge that you DO love the sound of your own voice, especially when filtered through those fancy microphones.

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Events • City Hall / Chinatown

2010 Launch Party

Attention NFT lovers: it's time for some major fun in NYC. Yep, you guessed right. It's time for the annual NYC guidebook party! We recently released our NYC 2010 guidebooks in stores and worldwide, and we want to celebrate its release with you, our fans. Come join us at Fontana's to get your own free copy of the NYC 2010 guidebook (while supplies last) featuring new, fantastic places to shop, dine, and explore. We'll also be giving everyone a free beer thanks to Shmaltz (while supplies last, of course), and we'll have some cool prizes from local businesses to raffle off like Cafe Grumpy, Economy Candy, Exit 9, DUO, Paris Apartment, L'asso, and Idlewild Books. So on November 17th come on down to Fontana's at 6 pm. We promise more fun than your average Tuesday night. Sign up on Facebook or download the PDF invite.

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Nightlife • City Hall / Chinatown

Jewel of Red Hook

Of the thousands of jewelry stores in NYC, there are a handful that I've walked into and been equally blown away by the vibe as well as the wares displayed. It doesn't happen very often, since I could really give a damn about jewelry (now, personal electronics...that's another matter). But Metal and Thread, in Red Hook, managed to fully pierce my crusty, myopic exterior. The shop is exquisitely designed, the proprietors are the cutest couple (at least, they SEEM like a couple) I've seen since Quebec in July, and the combination of jewelry and antique tools for sale has obviously been curated with a lot of care. Simply, a special, special place to buy something for your loved one. Or something for the person you're hot for. Or both.

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Shopping • BoCoCa / Red Hook