Boulud Sud, by chef Daniel Boulud's, plus 4 new restaurants in New York

by Alexandra Forbes

Five new restaurants in New York, for my friend Ines....


BOULUD SUD

With so many restaurants in New York - Daniel, DBGB, Bar Boulud, Cafe Boulud - it is difficult to get excited over yet another opening. But all it took was one night of tasting Boulud Sud's menu from start to finish to conclude that the man did it again. The most French chefs, serving babaganoush and Tabouleh with mint and parsley? Yes, and both unbelievably good! He says Sud serves Mediterranean cuisine, a super vague term that enables the menu to hop along Valencia, Greece, Provence, Tunisia and Lebanon.
The robust and tasty cuisine and efficient service à la française are tops. The bland décor, not so much...
Boulud SUD: West 64th Street, tel. (212) 595-1313,



Epicerie Boulud
Nextdoor to Boulud Sud, this chic shop serves breakfast and lunch (including several hot sandwiches, like hot dog and a fancy crab roll. You can also buy amazing artisanal cheeses, baguette and terrines by Gilles Verot, sweets and gelatos. Only a five minute walk to Central Park - perfect for a picnic day!
1900 Broadway, tel. (212) 595-9606, www.danielnyc.com

THE DUTCH
This restaurant with an oyster bar and big windows in Soho is enchantingly beautiful. Chef Andrew Carmellini (Locanda Verde) goes more casual here, serving dishes like crab with bloody mary and aspargus with Thai flavours.
131 Sullivan St. tel. (212) 677-6200, www.thedutchnyc.com

SSAM BAR
The cult David Chang's restaurant no longer offers a full lunch menu, but it has now switched to serving quick lunches at the bar, where everything has duck in it, from the duck mousse sandwich to the roasted duck with rice. There's even duck mortadella and pancetta!
207 Second Avenue, tel. (212) 254-3500, www.momofuku.com

UNTITLED
This is the strange name of the new casual restaurant in the Whitney Museum, run by none other than ace Danny Meyer (Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, etc.). At lunch it is very coffee-shop-like: sandwiches, soups, pies and only one dish of the day.
On weekends it serves family-style dinners, where all clients eat the same menu and food comes in platters, to share.
945 Madison Ave tel. (212) 570-3670, http://www.untitledatthewhitney.com/

Assouline at The Plaza Hotel

Lady of elegance Lucia van de Post wrote a lovely piece on Assouline’s latest store recently opened in London’s Liberty in this weekends FT’s “How to Spend It” magazine – read here. The article perfectly captures the essence of being in one of the publishers seven venues worldwide, and also inspired me to finally revisit my own impressions, and highly suggest a visit at Assouline’s New York’s bookshop.

The photos you see here were taken a while ago when Oscar Niemeyer’s collectors book first came out together with his signature bookstand…The store is on the west mezzanine above The Plaza Hotel’s lobby. Just the location in itself already provides a special atmosphere of timelessness to the experience. To me, it’s like stepping into a capsule where time stands still and where it’s safe to browse and loose oneself amongst the shelves of this this classy library filled with gorgeous books, tasteful gifts and a pair of extremely chic (and comfy) chairs.

Be it a respite from the outside bustle or just a quick stop to get something beautiful, a visit to the Assouline shop is always a pleasure.

Tip: after immersing in the delight of the written world, satisfy your human cravings with a delicious snack at Todd English's Food Plaza in the basement of the The Plaza.

768 5th Avenue
Mezzanine at The Plaza Hotel
(212) 593-7236

Store Hours:
Mon – Sat: 11AM to 7PM
Sun: 12PM to 6PM

Souvlaki GR and Mastiha Shop in Manhattan

An iota of Greece in the Lower East Side

Smell and taste a speck of authentic Greece culture a few steps away from each other in the heart of the Lower East Side.

Mastiha Shop

Mastiha is the “world’s first chewing gum” according to the nice salesman at the first US branch of the Greece chain with shops all over Europe. The emphasis in this food and beauty products shop is on mastiha, a resin extracted from a tree bark that has anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory qualities. This apparently miraculous ingredient is used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and foods. All readily available at the store.

Mastiha: the resin is a treasure only found on the little island of Chios

You know what? I just thought of this…: we masticate gum right? I bet the verb masticate (= chew) comes from mastiha. I guess more things date back to the Greek than what we think!!

Insider Tip: The shop will celebrate it’s three year anniversary and is planning a party! Check out their website for more details.

Creams that promise ancient healing properties

mastihashopny.com

145 Orchard St.

212 253 0895

Souvlaki GR

If all the chewing got your gastro juices going, walk over to Stanton Street and transport yourself to the island of Mykonos. Opened a few months ago and designed to feel like a typical island sidewalk café, this little corner is a charming cliché of the stone white traced floors, blue shutters and bougainvillea. The simple and yummy menu is irresistible and as satiating as it’s original meat/pita/tzatziki sauce sandwiches sold on the popular Souvlaki trucks around town.

souvlakigr.com

116 Stanton Street

212 777 0166

2001 Street fashion summer preview: truly short shorts

On the first warm day of the year a couple of weeks ago, Manhattan sidewalks were packed with short shorts. I mean really SHORT. I had to squint a few times at glaring white legs that were reflecting sunlight. Street wear pre-announces trends and usually differs from what you see in the display windows. In fact, long skirts are being declared by silent mannequins overlooking the bare legged ladies strutting by, showing off their... lack of a tan. I can only hope for lots of sun. At least I expect that the massive evident cellulite will be less visible if the all these exposed thighs take in a little bit of color :)

How to help Japan

These are troubled times. Not wanting to go into the debate about America’s meddling in the Middle East (again) – I’m thinking about the catastrophic events in Japan. We are here, going on about our lives, sitting in front of our computers, ordering our groceries online and clicking away trying to score the best reservation at opentable.com.

Walking around NYC though, I’m happy to notice reminders about how we can help the ones that are not. This week I went to Uniqlo and Ippudo, and saw that they are organizing drives and donations for the victims in Japan. Granted, both are Japanese, but still… I also received an email that SoulCycle will donate $1of every ride tomorrow to help those affected by the quake and tsunami throughout the Pacific. And my daughters school is also calling for action with donations to the Red Cross.

Too make it even easier for the us,- the lucky bastards gawking at the screen -, here’s a link to help those who are in a situation we can not even imagine:

RED CROSS JAPAN

Ippudo in the Village encourages patrons to donate by texting

Uniqlo in SoHo is collecting donations to the Red Cross at their registers

SoulCycle will be collecting money through Friday, for those who can not ride on Tuesday, March 22^nd

The AIPAD Photography Show at the Park Avenue Armory

Look. Click. Gone. It’s a moment in time, like a snapshot. Four days to be precise. Not a lot, so get organized to see the images of some of the most prominent and talented art photographers. Get your act together quickly and catch this impressive show: the AIPAD Photography Show New York is the longest running and top exhibition of fine art photography.

From the MoMA’s website:

Founded in 1979, The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) represents more than 145 of the world's leading galleries in fine-art photography. AIPAD is dedicated to creating and maintaining the highest standards of scholarship and ethical practice in the business of exhibiting, buying, and selling photographs as fine art. The AIPAD Photography Show is the longest-running and foremost exhibition of fine art photography. More than seventy of the world’s leading fine art photography galleries will present a wide range of museum-quality work, including contemporary, modern, and nineteenth-century photographs, as well as photo-based art, video, and new media.

Where

The Park Avenue Armory

Park Avenue and 67th Street

Show Hours
Thursday, March 17 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 18 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 19 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 20 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

momofuku Ma Peche NYC

Don’t be fooled by the small entrance in this midtown outpost of the East Village momofuku succession. If you remember Town, the previous restaurateur tenant, the steps at the end of the ground floor take you to a large double height ceiling dining room. Differently from the typical midtown atmosphere of beige upholstery and mahogany covered walls, Ma Peche is fresh and brings its concept of communal tables, clean lines and light wood uptown. And the rock’n roll in the background of course, just like its sisters – all creations of highly praised David Chang - momofuku Ssam Bar, Noodle Bar, and the exquisite and impossible to score a table: Ko. The entrance of Ma Peche is Milk Bar, the perfect take-out spot if you are craving a huge chocolate cookie after your 3-hour midtown meeting. Opened about a year ago, this is the perfect hidden haven from the rest of all the neighborhood’s sameness.

Ma Peche - 15 West 56th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenue - 212 757 5878

This short video I made of Milk Bar and momofuku Ma Peche captures the alternative downtown vibe in the midst of Manhattan’s corporate-land.