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.