New York I Love You, and we're going Downtown ...

This weekend I was able to take a mini getaway thanks to my fabulous best friend, who gave me a pair of tickets to see the White Rabbits at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC for Christmas.  These talented bunnies are a very hip, indie rock band from Brooklyn worth checking out, try their single Percussion Gun - its an amped up song that I DARE you not to tap your fingers to if not completely 'air drum' to while you listen. 
The Bowery is located just outside the neighborhood known as SoHo which is short for South of Houston street.  My most memorable introduction to this neighborhood was in the film After Hours by the master Martin Scorsese who also let me fantasize about living in Little Italy through the movie Mean Streets (a must see), the neighborhood has drastically changed since that time, crime is down and the price of rent is way up.  Once a heavily crowded neighborhood of starving artists, film students and the like who have since migrated towards Tribeca, now has become a heavy population of starving fashionistas trying to squeeze into a smaller pair of skinny jeans.  Don't worry though, for the rest of us, SoHo has plenty of amazing culinary adventures which made this trip a Faith's Kitchen worthy adventure to write home about!  SoHo runs from Canal street (famous for the street side haggle heavy shopping strip) to Houston between Ave of the America's and Broadway.  We ventured a little outside of that to get a dose of Chinatown and Little Italy as well.  We could not have asked for more perfect weather!

 

Saturday started out with beautiful weather that thankfully contradicted the weather forecast.  My only brother, who has never been within the limits of my own home away from home, very excited to explore a neighborhood I've only been to once or twice and did not do nearly the exploring I planned on getting in this time!  The first and most important trick of any trip is hotel accomodations, the location of the Bowery and its proximity to Chinatown makes for an interesting time finding a hotel free of bed bugs, its an epidemic and I'm am non-negotiable about bringing home such impossible infestations.  So after a day of searching tripadvisor reviews, price shopping and then cross referencing that with the Bed Bug Registry I was happy to find a Hotel for under $200 within 2 blocks of the Music Venue and also less than 3 blocks from our fantastic brunch find.  No bed bug sightings, and when I called they were happy to discuss their weekly bed bug inspection service they pay for, to ensure the entire hotel is gone over room by room to proactively seek out and destroy any possible infestations.  Nicely sized room, hardwood floors, which is in itself a cleaner option than carpet, and most of all located conveniently to parking and everything we planned on exploring

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The decision to save all calories for meals was made early.  We travelled with a bottle of Pinaccle Whipped vodka and club soda, my brother who works for Coca Cola provided the Coke Zero and Cherry Coke Zero.  We settled in and had a few drinks while we plotted out our trek and got our bearings.  We did this while air guitaring righteously to a mix of Queen, a band to go unmatched in the world of Rock N Roll until Muse was born.  Both will Rock You, but this day would begin with the soundtrack of our childhood where Dad would amaze and mesmerize us with guitar riffs of Led Zepplin, Deep Purple and most impressively the stylings of Queen's Brian May.  We were now pumped and ready to hit the pavement.

Meandering around it is now just before dusk.   Since it is also a rather mild temperature for a Saturday in February, the streets are lively!  Lots of buzzing people, shopping and restaurants.  We head towards the SoHo neighborhood looking for a few of the museums and galleries, but it seems most are only open during the day and some only in the spring through fall.  I realize I have not eaten in almost 24 hours and my brother is ready to chow down.  We make our way over to the other direction closer to where the concert will be later, and found Katz Deli!

This spot is put on many tourist's lists because of the film When Harry met Sally where Meg Ryan famously, and rather sensually enjoyed a Pastrami sandwich while proving how easily a woman can 'fake' pleasure.  I will have to say, I do not believe she was faking with regards to the sandwich.  Neither myself nor my brother had any regrets paying over $17 for each.  When you walk into Katz, you are given a ticket, which will be marked at each station you go to create your meal.  A lost ticket is $50 when you go to 'check out' before leaving.  The lines can get long, but you can grab yourself a beer when you first come in to assist with the wait and let you enjoy the ambiance of this city staple 

We decided to get the Katz Ale which did not dissappoint, a delicious American Brown Ale brewed right in Brooklyn, very dark brown with a tan-colored foam, medium body with hints of caramel this was already filling our tummies.
Each sandwich is made to order and hand-carved by attentive, tourist-friendly workers.  They make their living by keeping people coming and getting tips, so we were asked where we hailed from and what brought us to the city.  Not only did he make us the best deli sandwich I have ever eaten, he also comiserated on the Joys and the Woes of having a younger brother!  We ordered the Pastrami on Rye and the Corned Beef Rueben.  Zack went to get us two more beers which we felt would pair with the pastrami in perfection!

We were correct.  Speechless, and now very very full.  Time to walk it

off and head back to get ready for the concert.  We paroosed a bit longer through the "Mean Streets" of  Little Italy and back towards SoHo, mostly window glances and took note of fun streets to explore the next morning, when we had more time.  We also felt the temperature start to drop so we picked up some gloves and hats from a boutique with outdoor tables.  My brother decided to go with a black cabbie cap, I picked up a droopy gray knit which I didn't realize would come in handy the next day. 

Heading into Little Italy

Zack went to get a few more beers while I changed for the concert.  He came back with some Pacifico which was less heavy than our earlier pints, so I had one and we waited for Kati and Joe to meet up with us, we all did a little pre-concert toasting and headed out confused on which direction after speaking to the front desk, and walked past the Bowery then took a cab 1 block to where we had just been standing, basically we paid $2.35 for directions because we had somehow lost our sense of direction, but we did all get a laugh of it.

The Bowery is a really cool venue, old and small (think Tower meets TLA) and you've got a seedy, dark and edgy venue to ensure front row status no matter who is playing.  I plopped myself right in front of the lead guitarist, who I discovered is better looking than the lead singer/pianist I was originally excited to see live!

Now at some point we all became separated and my phone had died, so I did get the pleasure of sitting outside of the venue waiting to see my friends and brother come out.  I also had the pleasure of listening to some really judgemental guy going on and on about how attractive every girl that walked by was followed by some flaw in her design that would be a 'deal breaker'.  First of all, each girl was about 5 leagues north of his, secondly, I think if my kitchen mop were wearing earrings and heels he would've asked it to come home with him, so I passed the time by dialoging with the slug and poking holes in his theorizing until my friends finally came out.  Free entertainment! It kept the mind and the blood moving in the cold, worked like a charm. Finally Kati and Joe saved me and we were off, however we were still missing one very intoxicated little brother. 



Some of us were a little out of sorts (not going to name names) so we decided more walking was not in our future.  Miraculously, my brother appeared soon after.  I think he needed to walk off his last two cocktails, and he apparently found himself a 24 hour subway which I am glad he did, because I'm sure otherwise Sunday would have been a lost cause for him.

As a rule, I am an early riser even after the latest of nights, however the later the night and longer the day, the slower the moving in the morning.  Luckily I had managed 2 big water bottles (thanks Kate) and had a coffee to jumpstart the day.  We checked out, and the hotel stored our bags while we went out to find  L'asso, which boasts "Best Pizza in Manhattan" and was featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay.  The menu offers a $20 brunch special which features a selection of dishes, Coffee, Tea, Juice and unlimited  Bloody Marys, Bellinis or Mimosas.  That is one heck of a deal!  We were a little early so we took some notes of the sights and street art.  I also stopped for my second cup of coffee in a little organic coffee shop and took some photos.  Chatted a bit with the super nice guy behind the counter about going organic, I love the way they blended the asian influence with their very chic coffee shop vibe, it was a fusion of China Town meets SoHo which fits perfectly as the shop sits smack in the middle of the two.

We also got to watch a 10 minute production of a tour bus trying to squeeze down Mott Street which is not only narrow, but also allows parking on both sides of the street.  More free entertainment.

The folks at L'asso are a little slow in the morning too, so hopefully you are okay with filling up on Bloody Marys and Mimosas.  There was interesting art and design on the walls, most notably a sign by the register which said "I Heart Global Warming" which I found to be both iroic and clever.

Turned out to be a fantastic find, I ordered the Tomato, Mushroom &Onion Fritatta (Egg Whites only), Zack did the classic version of the same, Joe had the L'asso BLT which looked amazing and Kati had a Goat Cheese & Sun Dried Tomato Fritatta.  Joe also managed to order some other goodness which included Brushette Uova - slow cooked scrambled eggs with tomatoes and fresh basil on toasts, and Cinnamon Bread with walnuts and orange butter.  The latter wasn't as impressive, but I believe it was unanimous that the slow cooked scrambled brushette was probably the best breakfast infusion ever.

More walking, we were sluggish to start, leaving nothing on our plates and realizing just how many beverages we consumed once we stood up, we needed to get moving and work some of this off.  It was a picture perfect day with abundant sunshine.  We treked over to SoHo to find the Cast Iron district. 

We also for the second time walked by a little store called The Best Chocolate Cake in the World which is en route to the heart of SoHo known as NoLita, and concluded I had to get one with a name like that.  We would be back to pick up and test the very brazen chef Carlos Bras Lopes's take on the chocolate cake soon enough.

I wanted to see these buildings and really get to know a new neighborhood that can be seen in movies like Ghostbusters, A Perfect Murder, Across the Universe and We Own The Night.  New York City has the largest amount of Cast Iron buildings in the world (over 250), most of which are in SoHo.  Greene Street was definitely my favorite to walk down. 

While absorbing the architecture we stumbled across two galleries I had on my list by happenstance.  The William Bennet Gallery is a small 2 room gallery with originals and reproductions of Salvadore Dali, Joan Miro, Henri Matisse, lots of Picasso and some Andy Warhol works as well.  I think I even spotted a Rembrandt in there!  I like the galleries here, not too big, just enough to stop in and absorb some cool work and pop back outside, makes for a really nice walking day.

Then it happened, I looked up and directly in front of me was An Amazing Gallery, no seriously that's what its called.  Its obvious to draw attention to yourself in NYC you really have to be willing to toot your own horn isnt it?  This one was just fun, pure fun fun fun!  The first floor is heavily illustration art, with works by Charles Schulz (Peanuts), Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), Dr Suess, and my favorite Daniel Merriam who I strongly urge you to check out, his works are something you can spend hours looking at repeatedly and still find newness each and every time.  There were some great slides and sketches by Tim Burton (A Nightmare Before Christmas) and Eyvind Earle (Disney), who I give credit for coming up with the Perfect Shade of Green for Witches (Think Maleficent).  The real treat for me was downstairs!!  Prints and originals by some of my earthly heroes responsible for creating my favorite unearthly heroes! 

Works by Julie Bell & Boris Vallejo, John Romita Jr. (also write of the movie Kick Ass), Joe Quesada & the man himself  Stan Lee, all whom I had the pleasure of meeting when I was younger and even score signatures from, and there were massive originals by a new personal favorite of mine who's work is just a fresh new take on the comic book medium Alex Ross.  I plan on seeking him out at a convention in the near future, his work is fantastic!  I was able to drag Kati into the gallery, but not all the way downstairs to the Geek Gallery in the basement.
 


As soon as I saw the skull flag I just had to take a peek at a really unique store called Evolution, it seems to specialize in all things weird, odd and especially creepy in science.  Definitely not your average window shopping experience, I got a little ring with a real beetle in glass for my favorite little lady Alyssa.

We also happened upon Sur La Table a french inspired culinary store with almost too much going on to focus, so many perfect additions for my Kitchen, so little time!!

As we headed back it was time to test out this Cake claim, we entered the closet sized coffee shop which apparently serves simply Coffee and Cake.  Although the decor and demeanor screams French, the chef and founder is actually from Portugal and brought his famous recipe to Brazil and Madrid once it was clear that people would travel and pay for a slice of this very simply constructed confection.  At $38 for a 7 inch cake, I was really hoping that this was not simply hype.

So I decided to bring the cake over to my brother-in-law's house where my husband and his two brothers appeared to be recovering from their own indulgent weekend.  I figured the cake was best left out of my kitchen, as I was happy with a small taste.  The cake is flourless, constructed simply with layers of chocolate merengue and chocolate mouse using 70% Cacao in the bittersweet variety drizzled with chocolate glaze.  There is also a traditional variety with only 55% Cacao for those that prefer a milk chocolate.  The cake is very rich and only to be devoured in the smallest of quantities as it is also very sweet.  I believe the claim is definitely a matter of opinion and also depends on the palette you have for serious chocolate.  I can honestly say I have never had a similar piece of cake and was happy to sample a piece of one man's culinary dream come true!

Definitely a sweet ending to a perfectly New York City Weekend!