New York

Annual Lit Crawl at the Bowery Poetry Club

Choosing a literary reading can be tough in this city, and not just because you have to plan that über-intellectual all-black outfit. There are so many writers and styles that may or may not suit your tastes, and who can keep up with all the indie publications anyway? Thankfully, the annual Lit Crawl (born in San Francisco) served up three hours of readings all over the East Village and Lower East Side last weekend. Fiction, memoir, poetry, improv, word games, and performance were all on the menu. You could sample a cadre of talented authors without committing to more than 45 minutes at a time. This year I heard short stories about stains at the Launderette (an actual Laundromat that was open for business), comical poetry at the Bowery Poetry Club, and a dramatized scene from a new novel at Dixon Place. It was all completely free -- one Saturday night extremely well spent. Watch out for Lit Crawls in these NFT cities next month: San Francisco October 7–15 and Austin on October 22.

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Nightlife • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Arabian Nights

You've probably passed this place dozens of times stumbling back to the 2nd Avenue F stop on those crazy nights in the L.E.S. But next time you're sober and want to soak up some of that alcohol with cheese, bread, and a hookah, go to La Vie Lounge. It's decked out like a Middle Eastern lounge complete with dimly lit candles, darkly painted walls, plush decor, and comfy couches on each side. Go for the Goat Cheese Brulée served with toasted pita and hummus, which is super creamy and the perfect late night snack. Ask your waitress in Cat Woman-esque black attire to fetch you a hookah for you and your friends. Have room for one more drink? Ask the waiter for a "Skinny Girl Margarita" (don't be shy, fellas!). Sit back and enjoy the Arabic music setting the mood overhead. You're in for the night.

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Restaurants • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Soba So Spectacular

Anyone can make udon, but working buckwheat flour into Soba noodles is a difficult art to master. At Sobaya, a noodle expert works his dough in the back of the dining room while guests patiently wait for the chance to dig in. While it's a pleasure to watch him show off his skills, it's even more fun to taste the results of his efforts--in soup, in stir-fry, and in salads. To appreciate soba in their full, firm-tender glory, try them cold (in a salad or as part of Sobaya's pre-7pm Happy Hour special: for $18, you get a tray of sushi, tempura, and a big bowl of cold soba noodles for dipping).

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Restaurants • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

NYU Fro-Yo To Go

While you may end up with two love handles if you keep going back for more (or take advantage of their larger sized cups), 16 handles is the best fro-yo location around. A frequent study-break spot for NYU kids, the joint offers sixteen flavors of frozen yogurt (it's healthier than ice cream!...just keep telling yourself that...and some are sugar free and/or kosher) and toppings ranging from the fruity (strawberries) to the slightly bad for you (butterfingers) to the WTF (lychee?) and tons of others in between. They charge by the weight, so you can keep adding goodies to your heart's content. And guys heads up: if you want to buy your girlfriend dessert and she won't eat something of the real dessert genre (it's always bathing suit season somewhere) this is the place to go; and no one will judge you if you indulge as well ("it [won't] devastate [your] reputation as a dude.") That’s from Sixteen Candles...now do you understand the name? There are only a few seats inside and the line can be long, but it moves quickly and gives you time to mentally plan. Plus, it's totally worth it.

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Shopping • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Logger Latte Chic

Walking into Grey Dog's Coffee is like walking into New Hampshire. The normal NYU hipster look fuses into lumberjack chic and the lively atmosphere is reminiscent of the type of cafe you'd hit up after a long day in the snow. Try to get there around 9:30 pm; the big dinner rush is gone so you can whip out your Scrabble board and set up shop until closing time. If you're having trouble deciding what to get, definitely order pie. Not only are they all delicious, but the portion is about the size of a a normal teenage girl's head (that's a large piece of pie if that imagery didn't help.) Although they deliver, the atmosphere is half the fun. And make sure to check out the paintings on the tables and the cartoons on the walls before taking off.

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Coffee • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Good Spirits: January 25th

We all know winter in New York can be grim. There's a reason wealthy New Yorkers spend all of January and February on their private Caribbean islands. One way to warm yourself up is to get out of the house and treat yourself to some good food and drink. Luckily, one of our favorite food publications, Edible Manhattan, is hosting a fantastic seasonal cocktail pairing event on January 25th at Le Poisson Rouge. Entitled "Good Spirits", Edible matches mixology-minded chefs and food artisans with spectacular, storied spirits (plus some beer, wine and coffee for good measure), asking them to strive for liquid symbiosis. Top-notch spirit companies like Tuthilltown, Prairie Vodka, Karma Tequila, Compass Box Whiskey will be serving up drinks galore. Plus, there will be tasty food selections from the likes of Fette Sau, Northern Spy, and Huckleberry Bar just to name a few. So conquer the winter blues, and get your tickets today before this excellent food and drink adventure sells out.

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Nightlife • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Shake It Up

On the Bowery, a lively part of town, a spirited crowd roams the night away. Case in point: Double Crown. The amazing wooden bar that sweeps the whole way around is the perfect place for people watching. The bar staff are welcoming and are exceptionally talented with the cocktail shaker. They even rustled up some tasty non-alcoholic cocktails for the ones taking the night off. Double Crown is better known for its culinary talents; it won two stars from the New York Times for its ability to fuse Britannia and Eastern cuisine. Food aside, it should not be over looked as a great place to get the drinks in before hitting the rest of the Bowery.

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Restaurants • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Two Words: Salted Caramel

There's a reason salted caramel has created a taste craze: it's one of the best ways to wake up the sweet and salty zones on your palate. Or, to put it pornographically, it's a combination so good it will make you moan. The chocolatiers at Bespoke (tucked away on Extra Place below some fancy new lofts off of East 1st Street) understand the power of salted caramel, and they've created a truffle that encases it in dark chocolate and pretzels. They've got other truffles, too (infused with delicacies like single origin Colombian cocoa and black tea), but the salted caramel pretty much steals the show.

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Shopping • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Rocket Food

What's shaped like a dandelion leaf and tastes like pepper? ARUGULA! This caused much amusement at Pulino's for the Europeans among us, because we know it as "rocket." Once the confusion had been sorted and the pizzas ordered, we settle in to what turned out to be one of my favorite meals in New York. The pizza had a light and crispy base and was full of flavor. This comes as no surprise when considering that chef Nate Appleman is one of the few American pizzaiolos to have certified training in the production of authentic Neapolitan pizza. The restaurant has a rustic style with a modern twist, aged bottles with bare brick walls, and wooden tables. The atmosphere is warm and lively, and the icing on the cake is the dreamy concierge, who upgraded us to a better table and gave us the wonderful explanation of arugula. If he isn't enough to entice you, then the pizza surely should be.

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Restaurants • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Italian Feasting

You only have to make two decisions: What you will be drinking and whether you will have the meat or fish for a main. This does not mean you do not get to try a variety of Italian specialties; in fact, it's the complete opposite. The courses just keep on coming. You have 4 exquisite starter dishes that you share, followed by a small pasta dish. Then you have the mains, a palate cleanser, and a selection of pastries. And one last decision, coffee? It is hard to get a table as this hot spot is small, and they do not take reservation and won't seat you until the whole party has arrived. But it's well worth the extreme effort you need to undertake. The music was a little loud but the food was so excellent who needs conversation? Just smile, eat, and nod.

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Restaurants • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Charcoal Sushi

Unless you have a big group, the best spot in the dining room is at the counter. Sit down here and you'll get the full Robotaya experience. They specialize in the traditional robatayaki style of cooking-- a Japanese grilling technique that cooks food over charcoal right before your eyes. The meat, seafood and the veggies are so fresh and so perfectly grilled, they barely need seasoning. And when you throw in a great selection of sake and a few tasty soups, you have one of the most interesting Japanese dining outings in New York.

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Restaurants • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

5 Buck Bargain

Every once in awhile you hear about a deal so good, you figure it can't be true. Case in point: I was surfing The Interwebs a few weeks ago (not during work hours of course), when I stumbled upon an entry on the world famous pizza blog Slice about a five dollar Margherita pizza on St Mark's Place. The next time I was down in the East Village--ok, about 4 hours after I read that post--I headed straight to Totale to investigate. And yes, that is not a misprint. A measly five bucks gets you a gorgeous Neapolitan pizza. The crust is charred, the mozzarella is luscious, and the sauce is tangy and first rate. And just like in Napoli, the space is spare and simple. No reclaimed Redwood table here--just a few marble tops, a bottle of olive oil, and good pizza. Oh, and if that's not enough, the place is BYOB. So grab a beer from your fridge and make a dash for St. Mark's Place. If there's a better dining deal in the city right now, let us know!

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Restaurants • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Joy of Sake

The Japanese translation for "wino"--Arukoru izon-sha--is less word than phrase, roughly "one dependent on alcohol." Which sounds eerily similar to the brochures given college freshman, equal parts AA scare tactic and spot-on description. Fortunately, it makes no mention of "sake," which means you are free to attend New York's 10th annual Joy of Sake extravaganza guilt-free on September 23rd. The largest of its sort outside of Japan, this year features 329 sakes (of which 194 are normally unavailable in the US). To make matters better, 13 restaurants will be supplying signature appetizers, everything from tofu and sea urchin, tuna truffle sandwiches and crab-stuffed crepes to smoked duck sushi and tender roasted octopus (the latter courtesy of Brooklyn standout Hibino). To sum up: Super Happy Love Rice Wine Gives Extravagant Fun To All Who Attend. Konichiwa, bitches! Check out www.joyofsake.com for more info.

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Landmarks • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

East Meets West

"Welcome to my mess," offers Dress Shoppe owner Purushottam Goyal when customers walk through the door. And what a mess it is: The interior is a full-on visual explosion, a mashup of the expected and the inexplicable, a perfect blending of the respective essences of India and the East Village. Here you will find Hindu and Buddhist religious statuettes sharing shelf space with secondhand Barbie and baby dolls and a life-size porcelain cat. Garlands of flowers and mirrors and other ornaments of devotion hang from the walls. Framed prints of deities and queens overflow onto the floor and lean against tables displaying colorful rings and bangles. A bucket of antique padlocks lurks mysteriously next to a vintage radio and a pair of ash-laden cowboy hat-shaped incense holders from Wall Drug in South Dakota. East meets West! As inferred by the name, Dress Shoppe also sells a large selection of women's and men's clothing from India. Everything's for sale and it's always on sale for less than the marked price, true to Dress Shoppe's bazaar/flea-market nature. Be sure to grab some of Mr. Goyal's famous incense, a truly intoxicating nag champa that draws orders from as far as Europe.

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Shopping • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

The Mate Challenge

These days, stores and cafes around the city are offering mate (mah-tay), the bitter Argentine "tea" steeped in hot (not boiling) water, traditionally drunk from a gourd through a metal straw. For some Argentines, mate is literally a substitute for water, even during the peak of summer, regardless of the fact that they're drinking hot liquid through a burning metal tube. But oddly enough, mate in New York is rarely prepared hot with the aforementioned gourd and straw, but rather drunk cold from a bottle like a Gatorade substitute, and in my personal opinion, cold mate tastes disgusting. Ordering a mate teabag in a cafe, as I've often seen here, is also markedly un-Argentine, as most natives have their personal gourd and thermos of hot water surgically attached to their hands. Can any NFT followers explain the cold mate trend?

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Shopping • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Truck of Dreams

This West Village/Meatpacking district taco truck primarily caters to drunk New Yorkers, but their cemita (a pressed sandwich with chipotle, Mexican farmer's cheese, avocado and your choice of meat) is $6 of delicious even if you're sober. Goat tacos are good, too, and tamales are supposedly great (they're always out when I go). Skip the taco arabe--chipotle-marinated pork in a dry flour tortilla. The truck is open 7 days from 12 pm-5 am, so you can feast until the wee hours.

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Restaurants • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Gifts For You (And Them)

I know that the official NFT blurb for Pylones ("colorful gifty things for your 15-year-old suburban niece") may actually give the impression that this is a place you need to avoid like the plague. But it's really hard not to like Pylones. Many of those colorful gifty things are actually quite cool, like their thermoses (or is it thermi?), trivets, office tchotches, clocks, etc. Someone move into a new apartment and you want to give them a colorful gifty thing? Pylones. Have a female co-worker in your office Secret Santa and you want to give them a colorful gifty thing? Pylones. Want to supplement a nice gift for your girlfriend with a colorful gifty thing? Pylones. And, if you have a 15-year-old suburban niece...Pylones. And with 4 convenient Manhattan locations, you can't go wrong.

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Shopping • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Eastern Escapes

Here's a quick summary of Cafe Khufu: hookahs, organic tea, pleasing to the eyes design, friendly staff that will make you feel like you've known them all your life, great relaxing music, and a really chill vibe that's extremely hard to find in New York City. The thick aromatic smoke created by the hookahs will transport you from the East Village to a mysterious Eastern land. The big variety of organic teas are served in small metal carafes and tiny glass cups and will give you the energy you need to power through the work week--this shot of relaxation is exactly what you need after a long day of work in the big city.

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Nightlife • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Aces High

Designing their own artistic corner bordering Chinatown and Little Italy this helps to keep the Lombardi tourists out and the pizza loving locals in. L'asso translating to 'the ace' in Italian, plays a winner with their seasonally changing, modern Italian dishes.  Adhering strictly to D.O.C. guidelines that even Nonna would be proud of. This particular night young NY-based artist Jason Yarmosky (jasonyarmosky.com) is beginning his exhibition 'Boxed in' which will serve as eye candy to L'asso diners over the coming weeks. L'asso clearly is a hub for young talent, hipster locals and discerning foodies or those that love to sip wine and share a 29" Roman style slab.

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Restaurants • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo

Pucking Pub

Well in view of the tubby golden goat-boy statue over the main entrance of the Puck Building is the bar, Puck Fair. This Emerald Isle knock-off is as decent an "Irish Pub" as can be expected, so long as you fully understand that there's no such thing as pub, let alone an Irish one, in these United States. That said, Puck Fair has some of the essential elements of pub-iness. The many beers on tap are served in imperial pints, which means you'll get drunk 20% faster. There is pubish fare that straddles the Atlantic, and the heartier Irish grub like bangers n' mash far outperforms its wussy New York Yuppie prosciutto-wrap counterpart. The kitchen comically delineates authentic food by beginning menu items with the word "Irish." In the multi-level drinking hall, loud with New York-accented voices, it's hard to imagine you're hunkered down in a County Kerry hideaway. But enjoy enough of those imperial pints and you'll forget about authenticity and be talking blarney to the bar's goat-mural in no time.

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Nightlife • Washington Square / NYU / NoHo / SoHo