The Big Apple!

Travel.  It’s an emotive word for me where in an instant I recall fond memories of places visited and people I have met.  I’ve been to a number of exotic destinations in the world and one thing that always stands out is people.   It’s the stories we take home with us when the vacation ends that last a lifetime.  Last week I was in New York City and had a wonderful time.

While wandering the streets of NYC with my 18 year old daughter, we stumbled across a cafe in West Village (south of the Meatpacking District).  Owner, John Saric (a partner in the Ace Hotel New York) opened Kava Cafe in January of this year.  The decor was very welcoming with a European feeling, the food looked scrumptious and I saw that they had an impressive espresso machine (Strada by La Marzocco).  We immediately knew this was the place to have lunch.  Laura had a Prosciutto (Prosciutto, Parmigiano cheese, arugula, fig spread, olive oil and balsamico) sandwich while I had the hummus and vegetable sandwich.  I ordered a cappuccino and it’s one of the best I’ve had in NYC thus far!  It just so happened that John was at his cafe while we were there.  He introduced himself to me as well as his friend Mike.  He said Mike owns Beach Street Eatery (51 Beach Street near Greenwich Street).  Later, after Mike left, John told me that Mike was buried in the debris on 9/11 for hours trying to help rescue people. Mike’s eatery was used as a haven for those from the 9/11 attacks.  Click here to read the New York Times article written by Oliver Strand on Kava Cafe.

On a previous visit my husband and I were heading out for dinner but first wanted a pre-dinner drink and decided to go to Bond 45.  A quick drink at the bar was what we had in mind but there was only space for 1 person.  There were two people at the end and they kindly moved down so that we could both sit.  We thanked them and when it came time to leave, I wanted to say thanks again.  We chatted a bit and introduced ourselves.  Turns out the two were good friends and Missy was speaking to Brian about him taking photos of her wedding.  Lovely, genuine people and we met up with them again on this trip.

I also had the pleasure of meeting up with a high school friend of mine, Judith, whom I hadn’t seen in over 20 years!  Of course, having an 18 year old around meant shopping in her favorite stores:  Forever 21, Zara and  H&M to name a few (yes I admit I like shopping there, too) but in between the shopping, I found these food jewels:

• Zibetto Espresso Bar (owned by Anastasio Nougos from Sweden, typical stand-up bar like you’d see in Italy and the staff wear shirt and ties – the cappuccinos here are delicious!)
• Fika Espresso Bar (Fika is Swedish for ‘take a coffee break‘ – another place for a delicious cappuccino and they sell sandwiches, Swedish coffee, handmade assorted chocolates)
• Magnolia Bakery (my friend told me about this place but I wasn’t sure where it was and found it quite by accident and what a find it was!)
• Yum Yum Bangkok (possibly the closest to authentic Thai food I’ve tasted since I moved from Bangkok 2 years ago)
• Braai (South African cuisine and wine…lovely dining experience with a unique African bush-inspired theme and the food was scrumptious)
• Landmarc Time Warner Center (bistro fare featuring interpretations of French and Italian cuisine – this has become a family favorite!)
• Mast Brothers Chocolate (Oh my gosh!  Gorgeous chocolate…a must visit for lovers of handcrafted chocolate direct from the best cocoa farms.  I had the pleasure of speaking to Rick Mast and heard about the business of chocolate)
  
• Eataly (gourmet food and wine market from Turin, Italy opened in Manhattan August 2010 with multiple restaurants plus a cooking school housed in 50,000 sq.ft. of pure food fun!  Food shop and stay for lunch or dinner – the food is amazing!)  Spent Mother’s Day here and loved every minute!
• Amy’s Bread Hell’s Kitchen (fresh bread and sweets – yum and perfect with tea back at the hotel!)
• Dean & Deluca (founded in SoHo New York in 1977 by Joel Dean, Giorgio DeLuca and Jack Celgic now a multi-channel of gourmet and specialty foods throughout the US and abroad…the grandfather of a neighborhood grocery store!)
  
• Street food vendors (the aromas coming from their carts are hard to resist!  Laura and I ate lunch at 2 Halal Bros. near MoMA and thoroughly enjoyed the gyro and spicy chicken rice) 

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