Essex Street Market (Mercado)

No description of Shopsins would be complete without a piece of information about this market. Moved a few times to it's present incarnation, Essex street has served the Loisaida for many, many years. There are several fruit and veggie vendors offering the run of the mill to the specialized- small baby carrots, thin French beans, and lots of tropical fruits- mangoes, pineapples, papaya all at very cheap for Manhattan prices. A whole pineapple can be found for a mere $2.00. There is Jeffery's meat market a mainstay here offering lots of cuts of cow, and pork. New to the market are Saxelby cheese which features farmfresh American made cheeses and Sullivan street breads. Also, Formaggio Essex dabbles in the more exotic imported cheeses as well as olives, fresh olive oil and serrano and specialty hams. One of my fav shops is Roni Sue Chocalates whose wares are made fresh in her small cute as a button shop. Butternut crunch is buttery sweet and some dark and milk chocalates some with fruits like figs and raspberries are delish. Only downside to this market reminicicent of many I have visited in Latin America is that it is open only till 7PM and closed Sunday. One makes due at these prices and to enjoy the lively market atmosphere. This aint whole paycheck folks.

Shopsins General Store

WOW- what is this place you will ask as you wander through the mercado at Essex Street Market. It looks like a play grocery store with a few tables and open shelves stocked with kitchen food supplies like canned goods and industrial size vanilla containers etc. They do anything but play here. This former West Village restaurant has one of the most unique food offerings in all of NYC. With a menu so extensive, listing hundreds of items sort of like a diner, but food tasting so fresh and flavored Shopsins rocks the house. The shop is open very limited hours and serves mostly breakfast and lunch items. Many of the foods used in dishes have foods supplied by vendors in the market which adds a fresh flavor to the food. I have eaten here twice for breakfast and lunch. For breakfast we had the Adobe which is an egg burrito with beans and spinach covered by cranberry salsa and homemade coconut pancakes served with a mini bottle of pure maple syrup for $14 and also shared a Saxelby egg sandwhich with cheese from the next store cheese purveyor. The adobe tasted like a combo of dishes you would find on the left coast-the savory egg burrito with beans and sweet coconut pancakes as well as the tart cranberry salsa on top of this combo of flavors was killer! The cheese sandwich was just delish as well. At lunch I enjoyed and I do mean enjoyed a chicken and cheese enchilada. The waitress asked how spicy on a scale of 1-10 and I said an 8. This was a great explosion of flavors. Sitting at the counter of Shopsins and watching the family Shopsin, cook, serve and schmooze with customers they are an eccentric though comedic lot. Shopsins is just on of the most unique, quirky and delicious dining experiences around town! I do admit on a subsequent visit, not having any service. Bringing my dad to the Shopsin spot, I was very dissapointed at the nasty attitude that was displayed by the Shopsin son while we waited over 5 minutes for him to clean a table, as he said just give me a few minutes several times snottily. We left as the blatant annoyance displayed with customers is sometimes sort of comedic in a NY sort of way and other times just plain annyoying. I wll no doubt eat there again when service is mildy friendlier.

Il Fornaretto Bakery

The smell of freshly baked brick oven bread permeates the air at this Bensonhurst institution. Il Fornatto bakes bread the old fashioned way with natural ingredients in a brick oven. Different types of bread, baguettes, white, semolina and wheat as well as cookies and biscotti are available at this busy bakery. The semolina round loaf has a billowy inside and a well baked exterior. The day after Hurricane Irene, the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the air was familiar and welcome. Old school loaves of Italian love. Perfetto!

Morimoto

Iron Chef's restaurant Morimoto is a light colored ultra modern space on the edge of the meatpacking distict. Here a team of sushi chefs and iron chefs in training served by an army of waiters and busboys in black dish out the sophisticated Japanese fare. The signature salad with dried shallots is tasty. Miso soup with chunky tofu is warming. Oh and the fish here is top of the line, melt in your mouth sushi with losts of hmms abounding from happy mouthed diners. Desserts of mini pastries including green tea cremebrulee tart and a mini brownie are a yummy ending to a fine meal. After lunch or dinner the tranquil restrooms equipped with TOTO(imported Japanese) toilets which are heated and programable. One more point is that the wait staff here especially the busboys are some of the best looking men in black around town.

Primehouse New York

Taking advantage of midwinter restaurant week, we lunched at the Primehouse on Park Ave South. For $20.08 for lunch at participating restaurants, you can have a 3 course extravaganza. Now primehouse is pricey in general although average for a steakhouse. It is an exciting place to eat, new digs and great service and lots of youngish business people dining out hopefully still on expense accounts after the markets last tumbles. Well, lunch was very very good. The restaurant serves bialy like bread on sort of skewer. These bialyish breads are warm and better than most bagel stores even in the boroughs. Next course was onion soup with imported Gruyere, dense and rich served with a toast point with bacon- very good. The next course was braised short ribs with root veggies and mashed. The mashed and veggies were perfect, the (short rib) was a tad try and not moist to my taste. Dessert was terrific with a chocolate cake- very well done considering they are so overdone. This molten laced rich, gooey filling was served with wonderful pistachio ice-cream and dried cherries. You know how I love ice-cream. So if someone is treating or you want to treat yourself to a meaty meal Primehouse does satisfy.

Seymour Burton

The new and new looking Seymour Burton restaurant is just too cute to ignore. Set in a space that looks not quite finished, this spot is like eating at a friends house while watching them cook for you. The open kitchen cooks to order and during my recent brunch foray, I was the only customer at noon, adding to that being in a friend's kitchen as well as chatting with the owner and waitress. Two flaky, sugary, salty little biscuits arrived- delish and original. I could'nt resist the potato pancake with creme fraiche, salmon, and arugula and this was the ultimate latke- big, dense, flavored with all the other flavors adding the perfect balance. The coffee arrives in it's own press. For dessert housemade ice-cream for the kid in you although chocalate/whiskey is definitely an adult flavor. This friendly little spot has an interesting menu and cooks everything in their very open kitchen with a friend's touch. Should you go? Go!

Alchemy

If you're down on 5th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn that is check out the brunch offerings at this wood and exposed brick North Slope restaurant and bar. At brunch Alchemy is a little quieter than some of the hotter 5th Avenue joints like Miriam's restaurant across the street. Alchemy offers comfort style options at booths or communal tables. Great burgers and typical brunch offerings as well as specials like yummy huevos rancheros make make Alchemy a fun alternative to the busier spots. Of course, beer on tap and the other brunch drinks made barside don't hurt.

Artisinal

Fondue....they do. At the big, and boistrous Artisinal restaurant, cheese and more specifically fondue is the dining specialty. Last night they were packed with cheese hungry throngs devouring their specialty, us included. The Swiss fondue pot tasty cheese is excellent as they have a cheese purveyor on premises with a large selection of specialty cheeses to taste and buy. The bread though for the fondue is not peasanty or fresh enough for true enjoyment of the cheese. The accompanying veggies ordered were limited. Raclette anyone? More on raclette later.

AQ Cafe

Not new, but venerable this treasure treat is housed in the Scandanavian house on Park Ave. between 37th and 38th. Streets. Originally the cafe offshoot of Aquavit- reasonably priced Scandanavian soul food is served and eaten in the tranquil street level cafe. Sweedish meatballs with mashed and ligonberries or a selection of sandwiches with Scandanavian potato salad. Eat for under $10 in the Scandanavian designed cafe. There is a shop full of imported treasures to browse apres lunch.

Beauty Bargain/Downtown/Janet Ruffin's Parlor

Janet Rufin's Parlor is a great central spot that hosts an Apprentice Training program. This program allows licensed stylists to cut or color your hair for a fraction of the cost of a senior stylist. For just $41, you can get a fab single process, and they will even blow your hair dry for you. My colorist Stacy checks on what I want, applies color and even adds a few lighter pieces creating a low-lites effect. My coolor looks great, and Stacy even styles my newly colored head. The salon is super friendly, very knowlegdable and won't break the bank.