Haircut/ Vidal Sasson

Sleek new do ala Matthew at Vidal Sasson salon. Sasson offers up assistant cuts at the 18th street branch of the salon for $20. Matthew consulted with me about my concerns, and consulted the instructor and cut away. Cut with great thought and precision and blow dryed to perfection with additional flat-ironing (a personal favorite). My new do looked stylish, sleek and if I do say so myself kinda sexy with little cut from my pocket.
MUST GO!

Stinky Brooklyn

Stinky Brooklyn takes it's cheeses and other food stuffs seriously. Pricey for Brooklyn though Smith Street is no longer the land of bodegas and hardware stores of years past. This stretch is full of cute stores and restaurants and is a destination these days. Stinky Brooklyn(love the name) stocks great quality cheeses local and otherwise with accompanying sausage, bread and jarred goodies. I was impressed by the Serrano and Iberian hams, hoofs attached which is hard to find in the states. I bought some Vermont slab bacon which looked yum. The store stocks locally baked breads and is a real delight to shop.
GO!

Pisa Pork Store

Fresh made milky warm salted mozzeralla. Homemade meatballs better than nonna. This pork store delivers the cold cuts, meats and prepared foods you would expect. Also, stocking hard to find imported foods like an imported jarred pesto only found here at Pisa. This brand is the best one I have found outside of Italy. Lines out the door on Kings Highway on Sunday for this Brooklyn treasure.
GO!

Allegretti

Allegretti is a sleek new upscale Meditrranean restaurant in Chelsea. Super attentive service in a space feeling more Upper East Side than Chelsea. House made petite rolls with olives, pesto, or rye. These were delish. We shared a salad of baby lettuce, cucumbers, radishes,shaved ricotta salata, white balsamic vinaigrette for $12. The salad had very little flavor. The main was Atlantic Halibut with risotto paella cake, crispy asparagus, pancetta with tomato diablo sauce for $38. A timy piece of Atlantic Halibut served with two fried asparagus. This course was a complete mystery, there was barely enough food to feed an Olsen twin. My dining companion's course of Organic Chicken Breast with lemon, potato fondanta and roasted eggplant with capers was bigger and far tastier. The wine list is extensive and the waiter very knowledgable about making the right choice for us. Complimentary fennel and meringue cookies were tasty. The bathroom was spot on with fresh flowers. This food is well thought out, but is far from a knock out.
SLOW GO!

Blowdry

Sleek, sexy Antonio Prieto salon on West 20th street offers it's assistants a blowdry class Wednesday morning. For you that means if you are available you can make an appointment for a top-notch complimentary blowdry. You change into a robe and sit down for a consultation. Your face shape and blowdry preferences are discussed and then the blowdry begins. Brad coiffed my hair to perfection. Fabulous!
Must Go!

Gnocco

Gnocco on 10th Street and Ave. B. is an Italian restaurant that is genuine Italian, simple, quality ingredients cooked well, reminicent of the flavors of foods I have eaten in Italy. After tasting the pizza here many times, it used to be sold by the slice, I finally dined at the restuarant in it's charming garden. Lights strung around the yellow painted walled in a space that feels quietly serene yet sexy in Alphabet City. We started with a selection of formaggio(Italian cheeses)for $13.45. Served with pears and Italian honey, this was a sensational appetizer, simple flavors married together. We had the Napoli pizza with anchovies for $11.45. Pizza here is very thin with a slight char and a lovely fresh tomato sauce. Deliciouso. There are many types of pizzas as well as homemade pastas like the signature housemade gnocchi which I look forward to trying on future visits. Gnocco is the real deal with very reasonable prices.
Must GO!

http://gnocco.com/

Vidal Sasson

Assistant color: $30
Assistant haircut $20

The back of my head expertly colored and coiffed by Robin. Call the salon to set up a consultation and service with an assistant. Sasson runs one of the best and least expensive assistant programs in town.
Must Go!

Kafana

The owners had a lot of foresight in coming to Ave. C. and seventh street in this cash only restaurant. Exposed brick, European textured and patterned banguettes, and lots of dark wood give Kafana and exotic Euro feel. The food here does not dissapoint if it is a Eurotrip you are seeking. I have been here twice once for dinner and once for lunch. Weekend dinner is busy as people load up on grilled meats and head out for a night of partying. Saturday and Sunday, Kafana is open for lunch and my only dissapointment is the prices are the same as dinner. To start, a peasanty bread arrives with a flavorful red pepper sauce for dipping. This condiment is popular all over Central and Eastern European countries and is delish. I had the cheese pie for $3.95 to start at lunch which was the only dissapointment of both meals, layers of pillowy phyllo with very little feta. Both meals I ate the grilled pork chop($14.95) as an entree which could be the best grilled pork chop I have ever eaten. Mildly spiced and grilled to perfection, this is a pork lovers dream, served with a small salad of greens and radichio. You can add on a side of baker's(roasted) potatoes which are tasty and only cost $3.95. The grilled meats are a Serbian specialty and are not to be missed. At the first dinner my friend and I shared the sour cherry pie which is house made and rolled up with blueberries and was berry delicious.
GO!

James

James the restaurant opened on lovely Carlton Avenue in the same spot as the former and underpopulated Sorrel food spot. Shabby chic decorations like a worn mirror over the bar with wood tables and brown wood banguettes give James a subdued feel. Service is friendly though non-attentive and clueless when asked for their recommendations. The food here does shine, with lots of greenmarket, seasonal options creatively prepared. My starter of heirloom tomato salad with globe basil and warm chevre fondue for $11 was quite good. The goat cheese fondue was a yummy counterpoint to the fresh tomatoes. Bread came upon request. I ordered a main dish of homemade black pepper fettucine with shitake mushrooms and manchego cheese. Fresh, with a nice broth at the bottom, this dish comes in a smaller size for $12 and a larger size for $18. My side of creamed swiss chard for $6 was insanely good, perhaps one of the best sides around. Creamy swiss chard, fresh and naughtily delish. Dessert was the only dissapointment, my dessert of strawberry salad in raspberry cream was ordinary and simple with some of the strawberries not ripe and for $8, I could have skipped it. The bathroom is pretty, with fresh flowers an antique feel and Molton Brown products.
GO!

La Superior

Superior Mexican street food served at this popular new restaurant in the hipster hood of South Williamsburg. The little red colored taqueria joint was crowded on the Tuesday night of my visit. There is a bar at next to the kitchen where singles are seated and two rows of tables backed by beige banguettes. A couple of pics of vintage Mexican movie posters above the bar is the sole decoration. The food is divided into several sections including appetizers, tacos, quesadillas, corrida(larger plates) and sides. The salsa sampler with seven salsas ranging from mild to mildly hot with housemade chips simply rocks. The Gorditas for $5(pictured on right) are little corn cakes filled with a ricotta like cheese and served with a green sauce is simply nothing else I have tasted here or Mexico and is delish. My last dish was the taco de rajas with poblanos and green and white onion which was quite tasty for $2.50. The joint serves aqua frescas made to order and the watermelon ordered was the best I ever tasted. The food is a bit like Cabrito's on Bleeker Street though about two thirds cheaper. Still waiting for it's liquor license the bodega stocks beer across the street and the friendly owner likes a cold one himself.
Must Go!

Sentosa

Sentosa on Prince Street in Flushing shares it's address with several restaurants, but stands apart in cuisine. Malaysian food made to order in a sleek restaurant space. The first floor is full of dark woods creating a relaxing environment in a busy hectic area. My Queens restaurant group dined here on Sunday and it was an exotic taste experience. Malaysian melds flavors from Chinese, Thai and Indian cuisines. My friends began their meal with the roti canai which is a roti pancake with a curry dip of potatoes and chicken. The curry contained some coconut milk which made for a spicy, flavorful dip. My main of the pinapple rice(spicy) was served in a half of a coconut(spectacular) and cost $10. It was filled with calamari, shrimp, rice of course, veggies and raisins sweetened the pot. This dish was delish and what distinguishes Sentosa from other Manhattan Malaysians I have tried is the food is made to order and that makes all the differences. Bathrooms are a tight squeeze upstairs. Flushing is an international destination all by itself.
GO!

Calexico

Gorgeous, Mex. grub made fresh at their newest cart on 25th. Street and Park Ave. South. The offerings are slender though cheap, thoughtful and made to order. Our two burritos pictured on the grill were the Calexico Carne Asada which was good grilled hanger with rice, beans, cheese, pico de gallo and avocado crema on a fresh flour tortilla for $8. I added on guacamole for an extra $2. My friend ordered the black bean burrito for $6 which had the same black beans, pico de gallo, and cheese with chipotle crema instead of avocado crema. The burritos were huge and delish. The other options are pollo asado and chipotle pork. Both are $7 bucks. Other add-ons include chips and salsa, Mexican rice and roasted tomato salsa all for $1-$2 bucks. You can also make any burrito offered served in a burrito bowl with a small salad.Take this good grub over to Madison Square Park for some alfresco dining and you have a lovely lunch.
Must Go!