Paradou

Charming Paradou is a French/Wine Bar across the street from Pastis where we could not be seated yet for our reservation, because a table for two was not available. Luckily, we wound up at the better option. Seated near the street in the small front room, Paradou has a true European feel and a relaxed vibe. We found out when Business Week came over to interview us that wine was free on Monday nights- Depression Mondays as they were called in the '80's. The food at Paradou is good, we shared a plate of cheeses pictured above with housemade confitures which balanced the cheeses with a nice sweetness. One of the confitures was a spicy apricot which added a nice kick. A package of lovely wrapped goat, a strong blue and a comte rounded out the plate for $15. My beet ravioli which was a take on a goat cheese tart was filled with herbed goat cheese, served with raw golden beet "pasta" and caramelized walnuts with beet coulis for $12 was quite good. There is a lovely garden in the back for warmer nights. My favorite part about Paradou is that like Europe we sat unbothered for a few hours.
GO!

Please tune into Business Week in review Sunday at 11:30 on Ch. 7 to see the interview.

Ikea Cafeteria Brooklyn

The classic Swedish soul food dish of Swedish meatballs, mashed and ligonberries for $5 bucks. This is a pretty good dish of tasty, multiple meat balls and creamy mashed balanced by the tart ligonberries. Wash it down with some fruity Swedish soda for a fun diversion while shopping with the masses at Ikea's latest outpost. Wander over to Baked(see below) afterwards for dessert.
GO! only for the savory.

Baked

The famous Baked cupcakes at the origninal Red Hook Bakery on Van Brunt Street. I wandered over after Ikea, a good idea to combine the local flavor with the Swedish giant. Baked is adorable, piney walls with picnic style tables and a large chandelier in the middle. A visible kitchen is in the rear where all the goodies are baked(tadum). Lot's of brownie choices, I tried the salty dark chocolate one which was quite good. A bourbon /pecan bread pudding with golden raisins was also tasty. What knocked my socks off was a "chocolate malt" which was a dark spicy hot chocolate with Jacques Torres chocolate. Baked also makes homemade granolas, lot's of cafe options abound in this neighborhoody joint.
GO!

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!