Cafe Nadery

Stephen Kirschner is another colleague I had worked with and had not seen for a few years. He had recently decided to switch careers, after several years of working in various restaurants. Graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, he had looked forward to many years immersed in kitchens all over New York. So it was a bit of a shock to learn that Stephen had decided to switch careers. He has since been admitted to college and his subject du jour is - Political Science. I wish him a delightful career in politics or law and was charmed by our intense conversation on current world affairs. 

The Cafe takes it's name from the original Cafe Nadery, a staple of the intellectual scene in Teheran for many secular thinkers, writers and artists during the 1940's and onwards.

16 W 8th St, New York, NY Tel: (212) 260-5407 http://cafenaderyny.com/

La Pizza Fresca

What a night...a whirlwind affair that started at the offices of Christie's fine wine department, and then culminated at La Pizza Fresca downtown. MK, RY and yours truly along with 5 bottles of wine (3 Reislings, 1 Zierfanlander and 1 Burgundy) sat at the Italian restaurant's bar and just talked wine for 3 hours non stop. 

1. Goldberg Riesling, Weingut Van Volxem, 2007: Saar Riesling from the Roman Niewodniscanski’s estate is a treat. Rich melon fruit on the nose with a bit of lemon. The palate is concentrated with a silky texture and a faint hint of minerality. The delicacy and perfume of the Mosel region are the distinguishing characteristics of this polished wine. An absolute pleasure for Mosel lovers.

2. Weingut Knoll, Reid Loibenberg Riesling, Smaragd, 2002: Opened at just the right time! Muted petrol notes greet the nose, distinguishing characteristics of an aged Riesling. Notes of honey, dried apricots and the complex concentration of mature fruit are obvious from the first few minutes. The harvest usually takes place during the second week of December for this rich Smaragd. Wonderful accompaniment to our 3 Pizzas.

3. Weingut Knoll, Reid Schutt Durnsteiner Riesling, 2001: my favorite wine of the evening,  with the Austrian Saint Urban the Golden (Austria's favored saint) on the wine label, it would be indeed difficult to go wrong with the wine inside the bottle! The year 2001 was blessed with a warm summer and a rainy fall in which the grapes did not get as ripe as the ones in the year 2000 but matured with their acidity levels remaining high. I find that Knoll is always a little difficult when young but when opened during it's time of maturity it is intrinsically delicious.

4. Morey Saint Denis, 'en la Rue de Vergy' Domaine Perrot Minot, 2002: Simple perfection. A classic style Burgundy, delicate, with a hint of gaminess, faint blue cheese on the nose, well balanced tannins and an incredibly long finish. The 2002 is drinking very well. Notable through it's lovely light color, I can understand how wine lovers 'start with Bordeaux and end up in Burgundy.' This wine is quite a find, a village wine but with grapes grown right next to a grand cru vineyard. 

5. Stadlmann Zierfandler, Mandel-Hoh 2006: An old traditional grape varietal from Austria which grows almost exclusively in the tiny Thermenregion of the country. The Mandel-Hoh vineyard is the world's top site for this grape planted with decades to their  vines. Most plantings of Zierfandler were pulled out during the 80's and 90's and planted with Riesling and Gruner Veltliner but now the varietal is showing  a revival and this particular bottle is probably the best expression of the grape. Fruit forward with a refreshing acidity, some spice and mineral notes, the Mandel-Hoh vineyard Zierfandler was a very pleasant surprise.

Before I left Pizza Fresca, the owner Brad was kind enough to show me his absolutely amazing and densely packed underground cellar. Probably the most unusual wine list for an Italian restaurant notable mostly for it's delicious wood fired brick oven Neapolitan style pizza.

31 East 20th Street
between Park Avene South & Broadway
New York, NY 10003

www.lapizzafresca.com/

Cafe Ghia

Since our move to Queens, the first few weeks were spent unpacking boxes and trying to figure out what goes where. On another note, Lauren and I had been trying to meet over the past several weeks - if it wasn't this 

it was that, 

that got in our way. 

So this Sunday we met at Cafe Ghia, 

through the light rain 

the walk from 

the L train, 

the wide grey streets of Bushwick, 

colors of various murals

on the sides of warehouses,

buildings,

Another cool

Grey spring Day.

Café Ghia is owned by Bushwick residents Scott McGibney and Anna D'Agrosa and is named after Scott's 1970 Karmann Ghia, purchased when he was sixteen, which he still drives. The cafe itself is a cozy square shaped room fully packed during brunch and alive with the Bushwick scene. 

24 Irving Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Tel:718 821 8806

The NoMad Hotel

The NoMad hotel named for it's location in the neighborhood around Madison park was suggested by Mr. RY for our much neglected rendezvous. RY and I had worked together at Seasonal, an Austrian restaurant in New York and I will always remember heated debates on wine, restaurants or the virtues of peppermint vs mint tea.

This particular afternoon the heat was more weather related as we sat in the beautiful library inside the hotel sipping a perfectly made mochachino and some Puerrh tea. The hotel which opened about a year ago has been designed by French interior designer Jacques Garcia who has mixed 17th- and 18th-century references with modern influences recalling his youth spent in Paris. Chef Daniel Humm from Eleven Madison has created a menu which centers around his travels spent throughout Switzerland, California, and New York City.  A place for rest amidst the shopping paradise of Broadway, the library at the NoMad proved to be an idyllic space where even biscotti took on a delicate fervence.


1170 Broadway, New York
Tel: (212) 796-1500

Cocktails @ Junoon

This afternoon at Junoon, seated on a truly beautiful jhula from Rajasthan, India, Robin Lewis and I discussed his knowledge and passion for cocktails.

Priya Singh: How did you find yourself in New York?

Robin Lewis: During my days in college and in the summertime I used to work as a lifeguard around swimming pools. In the winter times I would work in restaurants. I did this for 3 years until I arrived in the Hamptons and did my rounds at various places. Then I went to South Beach and finally learnt the ropes as a professional at Smith & Wollensky. I came back to New York and just ended up staying. The energy and the life of this city keeps me here.

Priya Singh: Cocktails.....?

Robin Lewis: The craft of creating cocktails has always been highly respected in New York. It died for a few decades but in the past few years has come alive again. There is an art to it, it is about building something, creating new ideas. It is not as broad as wine or beer or has their history. I love it because it is fun and I find inspiration working with chefs. Along with the combination of ingredients and food, the application of ideas for pairing food & wine with wine and cocktails motivates me.

Priya Singh: What is your favourite drink?

Robin Lewis: My favourite drink- is the bartenders choice. Where that person can be at their most creative. Although I like bourbon in the winter and Tequila during the summer time.

Priya Singh: Your favourite food?

Robin Lewis: Really simple regional American cooking which focuses on fresh ingredients....other than that I love tacos!

Priya: Favourite cocktail places in NY?

Robin Lewis: There are so many..
1. Flat Iron Lounge
2. Employees Only
3. Macau
4. Dutch Kills in Long Island City, Queens.

Priya Singh: Favourite cocktails?

Robin Lewis: A good Negroni (traditionally made) and a Southside Fizz.

All photographs by Priya Singh
except for the last photo from the top which
was shot by Mr. Lewis

27 W 24 th Street, NY
Tel: 212 490 2100

The Chatwal

In New York there is such an abundance of cafe's, restaurants, bars and bistros that many of us do tend to miss the hospitality aspect of the many hotels that abound in this city. This could be the reason why the Chatwal hotel, it's bar or even its top notch restaurant 'The Lambs Club' are far from the radar of most avid restaurant goers.

A dramatically re-envisioned "baby grand" hotel, the Chatwal has been restored and modernised by the architect Thierry Despont, a graduate of the acclaimed Beaux-Arts in Paris. Despont is an architect and interior designer, decorating houses for corporate barons, billionaires and fashion tycoons. Hence the Chatwal located in the heart of midtown is described as a 'glamorous toast to the golden age of travel.' The main entrance leads to a small but incredibly beautiful art deco lobby which also serves as a bar and cafe. Once inside the hotel, you are greeted by a tranquil oasis away from the humdrum of midtown traffic.

The usual hum of
afternoon business meetings
and the quiet sounds
from the reception.
The perfect place
for my rather
late afternoon cappuccino.

128 West 44th Street
New York, NY
Tel: (212) 764-6200

Crosby St. Hotel Bar

The very British Ms. Kit Kemp, one of the co owners of the Crosby Street Hotel along with her husband Tim, has designed all of the interiors in a contemporary English style. Over the years having aquired a vast art collection, they have added many of these pieces into their latest venture in New York City- the Crosby Street Hotel which opened a few months ago on a quiet cobble stoned street in Soho.

As the hotel is a stone's throw from B's studio, we decided to walk in for some wine, to people watch and to make merry. While outside the cold December air was creeping about in the city, we settled into the warm and lively atmosphere of the magnificent bar overlooked by a huge wooden sculpture of a Dodo bird and other mythical creatures lining the room while sipping a Pinot Grigio and a Cabernet Sauvignon Rose from the Channing Daughters' Winery in New York State.

9 Crosby Street
New York, NY
Tel: 212 226-6400

The Oak Room

CLOSED VENUE:

I had arrived in New York with a suitcase and a penchant for life. A gentleman with a penchant for dark hair extended his hospitality by inviting me for drinks at the Oak Room. A little green behind the ears and yet curious, I ordered a Johnny Walker red and leaned back to study the view. Now this happened a long long time ago and by this time the Oak Room had lost it's former glory and was overstocked by bored waiters and overtly curious tourists.

This particular afternoon almost 13 years later on the suggestion of Mons. M, I decided to check out the renovated Plaza Hotel. Behold my surprise! I find the Oak Room to be at it's most elegant. The incredibly carved panelled woodwork has been polished through years of cigar smoke and cleverly lit wall murals added an almost ethereal glow to the bar and the dining room. The waiters were walking around with big smiles and there one can sense the ease in the atmosphere which was non existent almost 12 years ago sooooooo even it's for a coffee or a peg of some Johnny Walker on the rocks-check it out!

The Oak Room
10 Central Park South
New York, NY 10019

Tel: (212) 758-7777

d.b.a

My extremely broke friend and I decided to meet after 6 or 7 years during 'happy hour' at d.b.a. Being enlightened by dire straits and a healthy overdose of technology we looked up open bars in and around the city and found that d.b.a hosts an open bar on Monday nights. So while my friend sipped water (I assume he was more broke than myself) I ordered an Eisbock from Germany.

d.b.a is mostly a beer bar with a very notable selection of International and national beers. They also have an incredible array of bourbons, whiskeys and single malt Scotches. As it was a Monday night, the atmosphere was quiet, there were a few people around and the bartender Gareth was extremely attentive and knowledgeable about his beers, explaining each with the most incredible Australian accent. The space itself is the sister bar to d.b.a in the East Village which is always packed. This branch though has a lovely back garden which should do rather well during the hot summer nights.


where: 113, North 7th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY 11211
tel: 718 218 6006
open bar: Every Monday with a rotating selection of beer and spirits
Can get expensive with certain beers going well up to $ 7.00 and up

Smith and Mills

Everything changes so quickly....especially in this city. So imagine my surprise when I walk down the street of my old neighbourhood Tribeca to meet sexy Stacey and merry Maryna, I find that at least 2 new restaurants have opened. The much anticipated Ago - another one of Mr. Robert de Niro's ventures, located on Greenwich Street, and this tiny delicacy of a place called Smith and Mills on N. Moore street. One is led into a small garden setting from the 1920's, the details are exquisite.

Even though Tribeca is located near all the cool and busy spots of NY, this part of the street is quite secluded - especially after 5pm. A city within a city. Now with the state of the dollar, the only people who can afford to invest in all the million dollar lofts besides investment bankers and movie stars are mostly of European extraction. And they seemed to be congregating right here at this very hip and happening Smith and Mills for the evening. Located in a former carriage house, it is discreetly placed on a side street which could be missed entirely. In fact I walked past this street 3 times before locating it.  Warning: After 730 pm it is almost impossible to get a seat either at the bar or at any of the few available tables. Reservations might be highly recommended.


71 N. Moore Street
New York, NY
tel: 212 219 8568

212-219-8568