W42st Issue 17 - Hell's Kitchen Eats

w42st

ISSUE 17 MAY 2016

free bite TRY ME. DELICIOUI'M S!

Hell's kitchen eats

SUPPER CLUBS, COOKING CLASSES, WAR OF THE RAMENS, THE BRUNCH REVOLUTION. PLUS broadway news, real estate ... and dogs!

CONTENTS May Edition Never mind music. If there’s a food of love, it’s FOOD for heaven’s sake! So tuck your napkin under your chin, pull up a chair and come with us as we celebrate the real heart of Hell’s Kitchen.

From the best brunch spots and supper clubs to the war of the ramens, historic stores holding out against gentrification to feeding the hungry, we’ve got it all.

Heck, we even learn to cook. That’s how seriously we take this job! Oh, and did we mention that our editor now has a weekly email newsletter? Humor her.

Sign up here: bit.ly/W42STnewsletter.

THE TEAM THAT BROUGHT YOU W42ST

PUBLISHER PHIL O’BRIEN phil@w42st.com (646) 535-4407

EDITOR RUTH WALKER ruth@w42st.com (646) 847-9645

CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER KIMBERLY LEON SARNI kim@w42st.com (646) 450-7551

SENIOR ART ED LEE CAPLE lee@w42st.com

SALES DIRECTOR BOB BRUNO bob@w42st.com (929) 428-0767

SOCIAL MEDIA ED SANDRA MANGAN sandra@w42st. com

FOUNDING ED SIMON KIRRANE OPERATIONS MANAGER HJØRDIS LINNBLANFORD hjordis@w42st. com

BRAND AMBASSADOR LENA GROTTICELLI lena@w42st.com

CONTRIBUTORS

ALISA KRUTOVSKY JACI STEPHEN NACHO GUEVARA MATT D’SILVA CHRIS PENWARDEN CHRISTIAN MILES ROBIN RILEY HILLARY REEVES CIERA COYAN JEREMY KAPLAN

IAN TD SMITH ADRIEN POTIER MATTHEW LEHRER BROOKE BLOCKER RICK STOCKWELL SAMINA KALLOO GEORGE HAHN CARLA DUVAL MICHAEL PORTANTIERE

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher ©2016. Please note: Every effort has been made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions in this publication. However, if you spot one please accept our sincere apologies.

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COMMUNITY 6 NUMBERS GAME

64 PHOTO FINISH

Remember the Film Center Cafe?

George Hahn does.

Facts, figures and trivia – Hell’s Kitchen, we’ve got your foodie number.

WHAT’S GOING ON

7 JACI STEPHEN

Our diary of happenings, from theater to dance to family fun, is the only guide you’ll need this month. Keep it close.

Our columnist may have found the perfect weight loss plan.

8 MY HELL’S KITCHEN

He’s taught Jennifer Aniston a thing or two – now Anthony Abeson has put his acting knowlege in black and white.

10 OUT & ABOUT

The W42ST April launch party in full swing, plus The New 42nd Street’s 25th anniversary gala.

13 THE YOUNG ONES

The back story to this month’s talented cover artist.

14 SWEET HOMER

The food delivery service that has found a tech solution to our suppertime disasters.

56 GALLERY

Anyone with an eye for a picture and a half-decent cameraphone could have their work in our mag.

16 EVENTS

18 BROADWAY BUCKETS

Broadway Bares is coming soon. To get in the mood, we get up close and personal with the team that makes it all happen.

20 THE APARTMENT

The play that turns New York living into an artform.

Plus: Cagney review.

23 PREVIEWS

The hottest new shows coming to the hood this month.

EATING & DRINKING 26 KITCHEN ORIGINALS Celebrating the grocery stores, bakeries, bars and restaurants that are part of HK’s history.

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42 24 BRUNCH BREAK

As we lose more of our beloved diners, what’s the weekend alternative? Ladies and gents, we bring you the best bottomless brunches in town.

33 MAKE MINE MEZCAL

It’s the most buzzed-about booze of the moment – and it makes a mean cocktail.

34 BROTH ENCOUNTERS

The ramen joints just keep on opening up. We grab our spoons and test some of the best to find out what all the fuss is about.

36 WHAT’S COOKING?

If you use your oven as a spare closet, you’re not alone. New Yorkers are not known for their cooking. But we’re determined to learn.

38 SECRET SUPPERS

Restaurants getting a little dull?

Spice things up with Hell’s Kitchen’s latest supper club.

42 STAFF SURVEY

Erol Zeren reveals the secret to the perfect cup of Joe. And he should know.

54 LIFESTYLE

44 BEER

Food and beer matching never really caught on. So just make a meal of your beer instead.

58 PUMP ROOM

Worshipping at the alter of iron, where Arnold Schwarzenegger worked out.

45 WINE

Tasting wine with more than your mouth can reveal more about it than you ever knew.

46 FEED ME!

Ever wondered what happens to all Amy’s Bread’s leftovers? Wonder no more.

REAL ESTATE 50 AIRBNB TO Z

The rights, wrongs and ongoing controversy surrounding the spacesharing app.

53 IN THE KNOW

Just about to sign for that new place? Here are five things you should do first.

54 FOODIE FABULOUS

Whether it’s a gift you’re in the market for, or just a foodie-themed fancy for you, we’ve done the shopping so you don’t have to.

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61 GOING ORGANIC COVER This month’s cover is by Ana Krutchinsky, an actress and artist studying right here in Hell’s Kitchen.

She’s also behind the networking site Ex Locum, which helps young creatives find collaborative partnerships.

Find out more – and see more of her art – on page 13. www.exlocum. com

The news on the dirty dozen is out – which fruit and veg are on the list?

PETS 64 WAGGING TALES

Our favorite, most photogenic pups in Hell’s Kitchen. Get involved by emailing waggingtales@w42st.com with your dog’s vital stats.

W42ST+ THE GUIDE IS HERE!

Do not adjust your sets. W42ST has turned its back end upside-down and created a guide to the very best of Hell’s Kitchen. Here’s where you’ll find everything from bars and restaurants, to nail salons, dog walkers, personal trainers and more.

Plus an illustrated map. Want to be included? Contact bob@w42st.com.

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APPETIZERS

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DIGITAL EDITION

JACI STEPHEN

DESPERATE MEASURES

When she’s filled her face with dollar pizzas and the scales have started straining, Jaci has a failsafe weight plan

IMAGE: WALTER VAN DYK

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efore I moved to New York, I could count on one hand the times I had eaten pizza in my entire life; then my existence became a veritable Heaven’s Kitchen, grasping every fistful of dollar slices.

But now, as my weight starts to creep up, I’ve decided it’s time to change things, and so I have just one question before temptation kicks in: Would Eva Longoria Eat It? A plate of fries arrives at my table in a bar and I look at them longingly before asking: would Eva eat them?

Well, no. Only if you chloroformed the Desperate Housewife first and force-fed them. You don’t get to be and maintain a size zero, not to mention acquire a perfect mouth that looks as if it has just had a lipstick manicure, by ramming a plate of deep fried potatoes down your throat. So, it’s always no to fries.

I apply the same rule to food in all hostelries. Spaghetti, steak, mac and cheese. Asking the question is a guaranteed way to lose weight, and I believe that I have inadvertently stumbled upon the perfect diet: because the answer to the question “Would Eva Longoria Eat It?” is always going to be No. I suspect that Eva, based in the terminally body-conscious LA, enjoys playing with the occasional leaf – without dressing (are you crazy?) – and, to this end, I am now perfecting the art of steering a leaf around my plate,

Above: Nothing but the occasional leaf will now pass these lips!

without ever consuming it, while giving the impression that I am stuffing my face. Over the radish, under the yellow pepper, slalom over the red onion – I can make a leaf’s journey around my plate last longer than a Grand Prix. And, by the end of its course, it really does look half consumed.

Another technique sure to bring about this apparition of greed is to place the weight of a cherry tomato in the middle of, say, a mound of arugula: it flattens the centre of the display to such an extent, your dining companion might be tempted to tell you to slow down, for fear of your developing indigestion through over-

BACON, BUTTER, AND THE OTHER FOODS I HATE

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Anchovies – Olives – like eating your over-rated, own body parts edible bullets. after a heavy night out.

Liver – if you’ve Capers – if read Philip I wanted to Roth’s Portnoy’s eat rabbit pellets, Complaint, you’ll I’d buy a rabbit. know why.

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Bacon – it my own smells of pig. excrement? I And tastes of rest my case. pig. You know why? Because it Butter – IS pig! it makes me heave.

Mouldy Rather like a lot cheese – of the men I’ve would I eat known.

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DIGITAL EDITION

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Shrimps – they’re still especially the damned sprouts. heavily pregnant female ones.

Artichokes Enough said.

– way too complicated: Brussels they’re the sprouts – Rubik’s Cube of no matter how the vegetable you cook them, aisle.

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eating. Or you can achieve the weighing down technique by moving all your arugula to the side of your plate, taking a piece of bread (obviously, without eating a crumb), ripping it in two and squashing it down at each end of your pile of leaves, thereby giving the appearance of real over-indulgence.

Carbs? Heaven forbid: the woman’s a pig – yet leaving the restaurant thinner, albeit starving.

If the answer to Would Eva Longoria Eat It? is no, the answer to Would Eva Longoria Drink It? is: You must be insane. Glass of champagne? 150 calories. Dry white wine? 120. You don’t shrink to the kind of shape that gets blown away in an LA earthquake by consuming empty calories.

So, at 117lbs (way too big for my five foot frame), it’s back to my masterplan.

Eva Longoria, eat your heart out. Oh, I forgot: you can’t. Too many calories.

FROM MY PHOTO STREAM No bills: Sometimes I wake up, survey the evidence and wonder what on Earth I got up to the night before.

Welcome home: Two years ago this month, I moved to New York.

Now, Teddy and Bunny have joined me. Here they are on their first Transatlantic trip on Virgin Atlantic, en route to their new home in Hell’s Kitchen.

Lost in Hell’s Kitchen: Tom Hanks has taken to Twitter with photos of single items separated from their double; I’ve decided to do the same. So, if you recognize this glove ...

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MY HELL’S KITCHEN

“It’s very hard to be intimidated or trivialized or seen as merely a YouTube sensation or hot when you know yourself that you are a son or a daughter of magicians and shamans and sorcerers.”

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DIGITAL EDITION

MY HELL’S KITCHEN

Know someone cool who’d make a great subject for My Hell’s Kitchen? Put us in touch, we’ll do the rest.

Email news@w42st.com

Witch CRAFT

Acting is about so much more than Instagram followers and a YouTube account. Anthony Abeson explains …

Interview Carla Duval Photograph Nacho Guevara How long have you lived in Hell’s Kitchen?

Since 1979.

What brought you here?

I had a theatre in DC. It was doing very well, but I felt the need to develop more as a teacher and director. Not only was I returning to my hometown – I was born and raised in Manhattan – but also, where am I going to further develop my craft, theatrically speaking, if not in New York?

When I came back, I was able to study with Stella Adler and Harold Clurman and to continue my exposure to Strasberg. So it was developmental.

What has your experience been?

When I first moved into this apartment, it was 1979. In my first week, the woman in 1D had her throat slit in her bathtub to the point where the police told me it was almost a complete decapitation – it was hanging on by a thread. That was the first week. Then around several months later, someone shot the mailman in the stomach.

And you stayed?

Yeah! That’s the “before.” I think everyone’s aware of the “after.” But Hell’s Kitchen, at that time, still resonated with the dark energies that originally gave it the name.

How has it changed since you came here?

It’s become much more gentrified. Many of us were appalled when McDonald’s moved in. There were signs saying: “Keep it real.” When I was here in ‘79, it was very much deserted at night and there were a lot of closed-up storefronts. It’s incredible, the change. And in many ways, I’m sure it’s positive, but on some levels I think it’s less so because it’s resulted in a lack of

authenticity and historicity. But still, the architecture, thank God they haven’t torn all of it down yet.

What do you eat in the area?

I like Pam’s Real Thai. It’s a real neighborhood restaurant. We have lots of new touristy Thai places, but Pam’s Real Thai is real. And, of course, the Westway Diner. Ageha Sushi, too.

What’s the best thing about HK living?

A) I can walk to work. B) When I come in from Pennsylvania, I can walk from the bus station. C) It reminds me, at least architecturally and in terms of vibes, of the town I grew up in. Much of the city has been demolished. I wish you could have seen the original Penn Station; it was a work of art. My apartment building is 116 years old.

And we’re looking around at buildings of equal age, historical architecture.

And that’s nice; I like the old.

And the worst?

I really don’t like that it’s become a “scene.” I’m thrilled for the local merchants, because I know that it’s good for business, but it’s started to lose the cultural and neighborhood aspects that made it special. It has really become a scene.

How long have you been acting/teaching?

Fifty years. I have this dim memory from summer stock of writing the words “Konstantin Stanislavsky” in front of really bored apprentices.

How has the industry changed?

[Laughing] You really want me to answer that? Alright, on an obvious level, technology has transformed everything.

DIGITAL EDITION

Whether it’s what the consumers consume or how, with the advent of smartphones, the audition process is now increasingly self-tape. Now, how it’s changed in a non-technological way is that there is, I believe, an increased repetition – why is there another Batman being cast right now? There is also an increase in the non-germane aspects of casting. For example, what I think a germane aspect of casting would be is “talent.” Now the scales are weighted a little bit more towards how many Twitter followers you have, or are you a YouTube sensation, or are you hot – and a combination of all three. Or, as someone once said to me in LA: “Anthony, if they have talent, we’ll put up with it.”

Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming book?

I hope that it will make a contribution towards reversing that trend I just alluded to. And concomitantly, that it will remind actors of who and what they are and how special that is. It’s very hard to be intimidated or trivialized or seen as merely a YouTube sensation or hot when you know yourself that you are a son or a daughter of magicians and shamans and sorcerers.

Do you have an HK secret? You can trust us...we won’t tell a soul That tree [pointing outside his apartment window] was almost cut down and at that time, a neighbor of mine and I yelled and screamed and we stopped it. It was inconceivable to me that people would just cut down a tree. The reason they gave was that it made a mess in the fall when the leaves fell. What the hell?! If you look, you can see a scar where they started to chop it down and we saved it.

BIO

Anthony Abeson is a native New Yorker who has traveled and trained with acting legends from around the world. He has conducted group acting classes and private coaching in Hell’s Kitchen for over 25 years. Many of his students have gone on to successful careers on Broadway, film, and television, most notably, Jennifer Aniston.

His book, Acting 2.0: Doing Work that Gets Work in a High-Tech World, is out on May 16. www.anthony abeson.com Anthony’s HK

RESTAURANTS Pam’s Real Thai, W49th St - 9th Ave Westway Diner, 9th Ave 43rd/44th St Ageha Sushi, 9th Ave - 51st/52nd St

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COMMUNITY

OUT & ABOUT

If it’s happening in Hell’s Kitchen, we’ve got it covered W42ST APRIL LAUNCH

Clockwise from far left: Time for a selfie with Rosalina Pong and Gino Hawley, Leslie Riddle with star of the show, Puccini; Keith Hurd; Belle Sansone, Audrey Froggatt, and Kate Black.

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o mark the launch of our April issue, we threw a greenthemed party at Yotel NYC’s cool new dining space, Green Fig and Social Food and Drink – on the largest hotel terrace in the city.

SIMPLYRIDES

Clockwise from left: Kim Dillinger inside the BMW i8; Feliciano Garcia, Katie Kokkinos and Kevin Williams, head of multicultural marketing for BMW North America; Douglas Laveist and Jamila Holifield; Harriette Cole, Sekou Writes and Sil Lai Abrams, founder of the notfor-profit Truth In Reality.

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IMAGES: RYAN MONROE

he New York Auto Show was cue for the annual SimplyRides.com mixer, at BMW of Manhattan on 11th Avenue. The event was hosted by the website’s Sekou Writes and columnist and founder of DreamLeapers, Harriette Cole.

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DIGITAL EDITION

COMMUNITY THE NEW 42ND STREET GALA

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he New 42nd Street celebrated its 25th birthday last month with a glittering event at the New Victory Theatre, honoring Douglas Durst, Bruce C. Ratner, Daniel R. Tishman, and Mortimer B. Zuckerman for their roles in transforming 42nd Street into what it is today. Also receiving an award was The New 42nd Street president Cora Cahan, whose New Victory Arts Award was presented

by Sarah Jessica Parker.

DIGITAL EDITION

IMAGES: PHIL O’BRIEN

Clockwise from top: A harpist entertains partygoers; Fiona Rudin, Cora Cahan, Marian Heiskell, Daniel Tishman, and Mortimer Zuckerman; Courtney Boddie, The New 42nd Street director of education/school engagement, with one of the party entertainers; a balletic aerial artist; Sarah Jessica Parker chats with Mortimer Zuckerman; impressive prizes on offer.

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COMMUNITY

THE OUTSIDERS Don’t judge her by her age – this month’s cover artist, Ana Krutchinsky, is making a stand for young creatives

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rodigious creative talent can be a gift … and a curse. Because, with the ability to do this incredible thing comes both isolation and torment.

This month’s cover artist felt so strongly about the overwhelming talent surrounding her here in Hell’s Kitchen that she felt compelled to do something about it. That was just a year ago. Since then, she’s established the online community Ex Locum, to provide a home for young artists who feel “out of place.”

“I couldn’t help noticing that it’s really hard to be taken seriously when you’re a teenage artist, actor, writer or filmmaker without any ‘adult’ representation,” says Ana Krutchinsky. “So, I decided to build a website to showcase young artists talking about their craft.”

A Drama major at the Professional

“A lot of the young artists I’ve met have spent so much time perfecting their craft that they sometimes feel cut off from the rest of the world.”

Performing Arts School, she adds: “A lot of the young artists I’ve met have spent so much time perfecting their craft that they sometimes feel cut off from the rest of the world. I also feel that people my age are constantly putting up walls – trying to protect and hide the things they love because they are unsure or embarrassed and don’t know what people would think about them. I want to celebrate young people sharing their artistic passions, whether it be writing or singing or acting or hip hop.”

Above: Ana, and some of her deadly sins friends.

Aged just 17, she’s fueled by coffee and creativity. “I’ve been drawing ever since I could hold a pencil, acting since I was seven, started writing songs back in middle school, because the ability to create something out of nothing has always enthralled me.”

And her Ex Locum artists are similarly intimidating. “Our members range from a multi-talented rapper and producer who just performed at SXSW, to a writer/ creative director and model who walked in the latest NYFW and just launched his own clothing line. The network stretches from

DIGITAL EDITION

London to Venezuela, with members who constantly contribute their art even though they are half a world away.”

A year on, her dream is to see the Ex Locum community grow worldwide.

“What I want most is to be able to say that we have connected, say, a singer from Nigeria and a producer from Germany, a dancer from Russia and a filmmaker from Hungary. Our goal is to make these connections happen so that young artists can collaborate on work that will astound the rest of the world .” www.exlocum.com

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COMMUNITY

DINNER delivered From the moment you order to the moment you eat, that Seamless delivery just got a whole lot more efficient

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How it works* 1 14

GRAPHIC: ALISA KRUTOVSKY

rdering take out can be a bit hit or miss. Half the time your food arrives late and less than fresh-out-of-the-oven-hot (miss), the other half it’s been tossed about on the back of a bike so bad it’s ceased to resemble whatever it was you originally ordered (whoops – miss again). Yet our addiction to Seamless shows no sign of going cold turkey (unlike those damned deliveries).

A happier eating experience wasn’t Adam Price’s sole intention when he set up Homer in Hell’s Kitchen just over a year ago. He just wanted to make the whole thing more efficient. But full-bellied New Yorkers turns out to be a nice little side dish (hit).

His background isn’t even in food.

Or bikes. Or even logistics of any kind.

The aerospace engineer (aerospace engineer?!) moved to the city from San Diego with ambitions to establish a tech start-up, and our passion for take-out proved to be his inspiration.

“I’d walk around the city and I’d always see the guys on the bikes –often times there’d be two or three or four of them waiting in line or going in the same general direction.”

His problem-solving brain went into

Customer makes their order through GrubHub, Seamless, or by calling the restaurant.

DIGITAL EDITION

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The restaurant takes an average of 16 minutes 31 seconds to prepare the order.

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The restaurant notifies Homer that the order is ready to be picked up.

COMMUNITY overdrive. How could he do all these deliveries with significantly fewer people?

How could he optimize the system so that, instead of each restaurant hiring and managing their own delivery staff, all orders going from restaurants next door to each other or across the street from each other and headed in the same direction could just, like, double up? A kind of Uber Pool for take out.

“I thought I could make this much more efficient if they all shared a delivery infrastructure,” said Adam.

“Restaurants couldn’t care less about the efficiency, to be honest. They just don’t like managing delivery. They’re great at controlling and hiring the staff that greet you and cook the food and prepare the food; they’re really bad at hiring and managing the staff that run delivery.

Because when the person leaves the restaurant, they’re out of sight, there’s no technology behind it, so they don’t know where the person’s at.”

He was still developing the unique software that is central to the business running like clockwork when 9th Avenue favorite Ariba Ariba agreed to be the guinea pig (with Adam himself as delivery boy). The system was tried, tested, refined (“at one stage we went back to the drawing board”) in those early months. And the key (as any hungry Hell’s Kitchener will tell you) is in the timing. Every second, from the moment the order is called in to the moment the food is handed over, is accounted for.

Crucially, the bike doesn’t even appear at the restaurant until the food is ready to go, cutting down on wasted hanging around time.

As more restaurants came on board (Crispin’s and Bar Bacon were among the first), they began to see steady growth.

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Homer arrives in an average of 3 minutes 18 seconds.

The handover takes an additional 1 minute 24 seconds.

“Every second, from the moment the order is called in to the moment the food is handed over, is accounted for.”

Nothing to throw a party about yet. But they were making around 20 deliveries a day, 200 a month, with four cyclists working Monday through Friday (Adam was still one of them).

By the beginning of 2015, Adam felt the time was right to bring in the big money.

So, backed by venture capitalists and local restaurants (Chop’t, Melt Shop, and Poulette are all investors), they took on more staff and more restaurants. By June

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Homer heads for the customer location. Average transit time is 5 minutes 35 seconds.

DIGITAL EDITION

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Top: The Homer army hits the road.

Above: Adam Price.

Homer arrives at the customer. Customer eats food. Happy customer. * Times based on Bar Bacon average.

they had grown to 7,000 deliveries a month and 40 staff. Now that figure is closer to 25,000 orders and 200 cyclists. In the aftermath of January’s blizzard, as many as 75 people were out there at one time.

Ninety per cent of their business is still based in and around Hell’s Kitchen.

And, as Adam explains, it’s not only the customer and the restaurants who benefit.

“The delivery personnel’s tips are driven by how many deliveries they do. If it’s slow, they’re not making wages. So if we create this UPS-style service, we also control that aspect. And we can put regulations in place. Once you’re monitoring and controlling the workforce, you can be much more rigid about how Department for Transportation rules are followed. We have their GPS so we can run their coordinates through a computer program to make sure they’re not going up the wrong way on avenues or anything like that.”

In fact, the recruitment process is so rigorous, it’s almost as if they don’t want people to get the job. Prospective employees go through something like five stages, from personality test, to cognitive skills, to a full day’s on-the-job training, including going out on calls with a supervisor, before they’re told they can stay. They have to REALLY want it.

“We throw up barriers the whole way, actually trying to convince people NOT to take the job,” says Adam. “We say this is not an easy job, you’re out there in the elements, but here are the true wages.

And because we’ve made it more efficient, the wages are about $15 to $20 an hour, whereas oftentimes elsewhere it’s a lot closer to $9 or $10.”

And if that extra TLC means we actually get our dinner on time and the right way up, we’re happy. www.homerlogistics.com

Total average time from order being placed to delivery: 26 minutes 48 seconds 15

MAY

what’s going on in

Every day’s a play day with our guide to the month’s events in and around Hell’s Kitchen.

Ends May 1 Queer Cinema Lincoln Center

This groundbreaking season offers an insight into gay and lesbian filmmaking from the late 19th century to the time of Stonewall. www.filmlinc.org

Previews begin May 3 Incognito May 1 Broadway Acts for Women 54 Below

Pier 94

www.broadwayactsforwomen.com

www.artnyfair.com

A benefit karaoke show where you bid for your favorite Broadway stars to sing the karaoke hit of your choice.

Opens May 4 Barbara Cook New World Stages

From Broadway ingenue to legendary performer, Barbara Cook shares her story in music and memories.

May 6-15 The Pied Piper New Victory Theatre

The town of Hamelin is overrun with rodents. Sound familiar? The classic tale is told by hundreds of marionettes (and puppet rats). www.newvictory.org

May 14 and 15 9th Avenue Food Festival

May 19 Signature cocktail hour

The oldest, largest continuing food festival in NYC is back with world food and entertainment

IMAGES: DAVY MACK

A key part of Frieze Week, this show represents an opportunity to buy for both seasoned collectors and newbies to the scene.

www.BarbaraCookThenandNow.com

9th Ave - 42nd St/57th St

www.ninthavenuefoodfestival.com

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May 3-8 Art New York

Manhattan Theatre Club A pathologist steals the brain of Einstein; a neuropsychologist embarks on her first romance with another woman; a seizure patient forgets everything but how much he loves his girlfriend. Incognito weaves these stories into one, with a stellar cast that includes Charlie Cox (Daredevil), and Heather Lind. www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com

May 8 A Very Broadway Mother’s Day 54 Below

Leading Broadway ladies and cabaret stars share the stage with their children and moms. www.54below.com

Signature Theatre

An exclusive chance to sample Signature’s new seasonal cocktails. Try all three, or stick with your favorite all night. $15 in advance or $20 on the day. www.signaturetheatre.org

DIGITAL EDITION

May 12-15 Miles And ‘Trane Festival Jazz at Lincoln Center

Honoring the artistry and 90th birthdays of Miles Davis and John Coltrane with new arrangements and revisiting the classics. www.jazz.org

Previews begin May 13 Indian Summer Playwrights Horizons

Abandoned by his wayward mom, Daniel is packed off to granddad in Rhode Island, where the locals don’t look kindly on city kids. www.PHnyc.org

Sundays Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Birdland

The Grammy Award winning pianist, composer and educator makes every Sunday special. www.birdlandjazz.com

Not Mondays Tuck Everlasting

Not Mondays Bright Star

May 22 Barkfest

Cort Theatre

Pier 97

Broadhurst Theatre

www.brightstarmusical.com

www.barkshop.com/barkfest

www.tuckeverlastingmusical.com

Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s story of love and redemption against the backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and 40s.

Where else will you find a “dogwalk” to strut down, the latest in doggy technology, pup food trucks, a golf course and adoptable hounds?

Ends May 22 Dear Evan Hansen

May 25 Next W42ST out

Second Stage

All around Hell’s Kitchen

Evan Hansen is a nobody, until he starts a lie that grows and grows.

How long can he keep his secret?

And at what cost? www.2st.com

We’re talking travel next month – weekend breaks to escape the city and spread your wings. If you’d like to be featured in the magazine, contact us on news@w42st.com.

May 28 Horror Film Club

All month Antony Gormley

Columbus Library

Sean Kelly Gallery

www.columbuslibrary.org

www.skny.com

The Conjuring tells the true story of paranormal investigators called in to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse.

Not Mondays Daphne’s Dive Signature Theatre

Set in a cheap corner bar in Philly, an unconventional family is forced to confront who’s an insider and who’s not. Now extended through June 12. www.signaturetheatre.org

A young girl looking for adventure meets a family with a fabulous secret, and the chance encounter changes them all forever.

May 25-31 Fleet Week

May 21 Craic LGBT Festival Irish Arts Center

An opportunity to enjoy some of the best LGBT short films, with some of the filmmakers in attendance. www.irishartscenter.org

May 27-29 Jackie Beat

Anywhere there’s a sailor

Laurie Beeckman Theatre

www.fleetweeknewyork.com

www.westbankcafe.com

Now in its 28th year, the citizens of New York greet sailors, marines and coast guardsmen for a week of – um – rejuvenation.

Big, bawdy, bold and ballsy, the politically incorrect drag act returns with her twisted song parodies and biting comedy.

A solo show by the artist known for his sculptures, that investigate the relationship of the human body to space.

May 30 Memorial Day All around the US of A

Today is the day we traditionally honor those who have died while in military service, and officially marks the start of the summer vacation season.

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BROADWAY

Who cares about

AIDS?

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ARTS Broadway does, that’s who. Matt d’Silva reports on nearly 30 years of fighting the disease with song, dance, and the removal of clothing

T

here was a time in the 1980s when being gay was considered synonymous with AIDS. Worse, to actually have HIV was a death sentence, and it seemed that everyone was turning a blind eye. Everyone, that is, except for the Broadway community.

Back then, the world was still coming to terms with the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and there was little traction from government bodies offering support to the victims of the hideous disease. It was left to private organizations to provide funding for research and treatment.

A group of theater producers got together in 1988 to found Broadway Cares. Their mission: to raise funds in the theater community and make grants available to AIDS organizations across the country. Broadway was hit hard by the AIDS outbreak, as a lot of the gay community worked in the industry. There was a tremendous loss and something needed to be done about it.

Four years later, it merged with Equity Fights Aids to create a new, powerful notfor-profit organization and, together, they have raised over $150 million dollars.

We’ve all seen the brigade of red buckets as we exit the theater. The actors announce their presence and ask us to donate generously. This is all a volunteerbased workforce collecting, and it’s unbelievable that it has been doing its good work for almost 30 years.

“I was involved from the beginning,” says Tom Viola, executive director. “I was asked to help set it up and staff it and I’ve never left.

“Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS brings together the community for a common good. The industry is inclusive and diverse and creates a feeling of good will.”

Living through the 1980s as a gay man was a bleak time. AIDS was a mysterious disease with no known cure and there was a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation flowing in society.

Fast forward almost 30 years and HIV/ AIDS is no longer a death sentence, while the idea of a “gay disease” has almost vanished, thanks to continual education

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Left: Laverne Cox shakes things up at Broadway Bares; the cast of Matilda at the annual Broadway Flea; Chita Rivera performs AlI I Care About is Love at Broadway Backwards.

“Broadway was hit hard by the AIDS outbreak, as a lot of the gay community worked in the industry.” and research. Much of this can be attributed to the work of Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. “My drive to get involved was to help facilitate and create a place to respond to this crisis,” says Tom. AIDS funding remained BC/EFA’s sole focus until 1996, when it was determined by its board of trustees that it should provide support for The Actors Fund’s newly created Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative.

Today, it supports all the essential social service programs at The Actors Fund, which also includes the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic, the Actors Work Program, and The Dancers’ Resource, as well as other projects such as The New York Stage Managers Unofficial Health Directory.

“My favorite fundraising activity is the annual Broadway Flea Market in September,” says Tom. “It is astounding, and it brings the community together with Broadway fans. The energy and excitement on the day is amazing.”

HIV and AIDS may no longer be taboo, but there is still a lot that needs to be done to eradicate the disease and its devastating effects. If you want to become involved, next time you see that red bucket brigade, consider donating your spare change. Or attend one of the many charity performances including Broadway Backwards, the Easter Bonnet Parade or next month’s Broadway Bares. The annual striptease returns to the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 19 for its 26th year of an always spectacular, always sold-out evening of dance, burlesque and beautiful Broadway bodies. www.broadwaycares.org

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ARTS

Too close

FOR COMFORT? New York real estate forces us to live in each other’s pockets – but what happens when those invisible lines are crossed? Matt d’Silva reports Photographs Rick Stockwell

I

t is really quite poignant that, when meeting the team behind a play about New York’s obsession with stunning architecture and apartment living, we meet in the beautiful old Paramount Building in Times Square.

A Better Place, a new play by Wendy Beckett, is a voyeuristic approach to apartment living and how, in the 21st century, the obsession for every New Yorker has become property and the perfect apartment.

“On the weekend people are looking at the real estate section of the paper, salivating, it is almost pornographic,” says Wendy, “all in the lust for the perfect property.”

A successful Australian playwright and theater director, Wendy opened her first New York production in 2006, Anais Nin: One Of Her Lives at the Beckett Theater and has been continuing to live and write in the city ever since.

“I have an obsession with New York,” she says.

Living in Manhattan is a cultural experience, but also an adjustment.

You learn to live in close proximity to other people, sharing your personal space. At any given moment you can look out of your apartment window and see the lives of numerous people around you, on the street, in their offices and, more often than not, going about their everyday lives in their apartments. It’s worthwhile spending a little time each day looking out your window to take in the world … and the worlds of others around you.

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In the play, a male couple takes things to extremes, becoming so transfixed by their neighbors, they can’t tear themselves away from the window. The lifestyle over there is sumptuous, and they have a quirky daughter whose tastes run to exhibitionism.

“I started out writing at an early age and gained some practical experience working at the Australian Broadcasting

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Above: The ingenious set design for A Better Place. Right: Evan Bergman, the director.

Corporations, before moving into theater,” says Wendy.

“I like real estate. I love looking up as I walk through this city, and this is what drew me to this production,” says Evan Bergman, director of A Better Place.

“Forty years ago people defined themselves by saying they wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer. Then in the 1980s everyone wanted to be rich.

ARTS

Review CAGNEY THE MUSICAL

“Forty years ago people defined themselves by saying they wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer. Now it has become real estate that people use to define themselves.”

Then you get to the 21st century and people just want to be famous.

“Now it has become real estate that people use to define themselves.

It is an interesting progression and I think Wendy tapped into that at the right time.”

Set to open at the Duke on 42nd Street, the scenic designs are by

David Arsenault, who has recreated the multi-level lifestyle that people live in Manhattan, and they draw you right into that intense New York living, whether you want it or not.

“I knew of Wendy’s work and thought it would be a fantastic opportunity, reading a play about architecture and New York City, a place I have made my home, and to work at the Duke, it was a no brainer,” says David.

Real estate is on the tip of everyone’s tongue when talking to people in this city. Everyone has a story, and no one living here ever seems to mind that, at any time, when you are in your own home, you could be watched by any number of people around you. Are we becoming a little more open to voyeurism and exhibitionism as the 21st century evolves?

Discuss …

A Better Place opens at the Duke on 42nd Street May 4.

DIGITAL EDITION

THE WESTSIDE THEATER James Cagney, remember him? The old Hollywood actor who only ever seemed to play mobsters and gangsters in the Warner Bros films of the 1930s and 1940s.

Turns out he was a true New Yorker with a fascinating background that involved vaudeville and a love of dance. Growing up and working in Hell’s Kitchen, one day he thought he’d audition for a show as a dancer…

Cagney (played by Robert Creighton) received no formal training. He didn’t decide at an early age to become an actor. He simply lost his job as a wharf worker and needed to make money to support his family. After an evening of searching for jobs, his mother, Ma Cagney (Danette Holden), and brother, Bill (Josh Walden), saw an ad asking for people who can dance. Ma Cagney thought James was a “splendid” dancer. So he applied.

Directed by Bill Castellino, this story is beautifully created. Based on a book by Peter Colley, it’s a tale that at first you think can’t be true. Such a huge star who received no formal training and learned his craft on the job? Surely not.

The choreography by Jashua Bergasse recreates the magic of old Hollywood musicals. The style mirrors Cagney’s and is astounding to watch.

Bruce Sabath plays Jack Warner as a hard, moneydriven ego of a studio boss, capturing everything I’ve read about him perfectly.

Ellen Zolezzi as Willie, Cagney’s wife, is warm, loving and one tough nut who is endearing and adorable to watch.

Robert Creighton as Cagney is unbelievable. There’s not a moment in the entire production that you aren’t enthralled by his performance. He’s mesmerizing, and you truly believe you’re watching James Cagney perform in front of you. @MATTDSILVA

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PREVIEWS

Let’s face

THE MUSIC

A musical about the aftermath of suicide leads this month’s previews Words Michael Portantiere DEAR EVAN HANSEN

intriguing program of three one-act plays that were all produced during their authors’ original Playwrightsin-Residence series at Signature.

Edward Albee’s The Sandbox, Maria Irene Fornés’ Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy’s Funnyhouse of a Negro are all directed by Lila Neugebauer. www.signaturetheatre.org

Opens May 1 Second Stage Theatre This new musical, which tells a story about what happens in the aftermath of a teenager’s suicide, has a cast headed by Ben Platt (Ricki and the Flash, Pitch Perfect 2), Laura Dreyfuss (Glee), Mike Faist (Newsies on Broadway), and Rachel Bay Jones (who was so great as Catherine in the 2013 revival of Pippin). Directed by Michael Greif (Rent, Next to Normal), the show has a book by Steven Levenson, music and lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul (A Christmas Story: The Musical). www.2st.com

DAPHNE’S DIVE

Opens May 15 Signature Theatre This new play by Quiara Alegría Hudes, co-author of In the Heights, is set in a cheap corner bar in North Philadelphia, where the owner and an eclectic group of regulars raise their glasses to art, politics, and life.

Signature Theatre’s world premiere production is directed by Thomas Kail, who helmed both In the Heights and Hamilton. The cast includes Vanessa Aspillaga, Matthew Saldivar, KK Moggie, and Daphne Rubin-Vega (the original Mimi in Rent). www.signaturetheatre.org

ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY

May 3-7 Birdland Best known to the masses as the singer-songwriter of the theme for The Nanny, Ann Hampton Callaway returns to Birdland with her latest show, But Beautiful, a collection of romantic jazz standards. Hailed by The New York Times as “a blues and jazz powerhouse” with “a phenomenal, multi-range voice,” Callaway puts her unique stamp on classics by Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, George Gershwin, Cy Coleman, and other greats, accompanied by Ted Rosenthal on piano, Martin Wind on bass, and Tim Horner on drums. www.birdlandjazz.com

TURN ME LOOSE Clockwise from top: Turn Me Loose is co-produced

by John Legend; Dear Evan Hansen tackles suicide; Daphne’s Dive is part of Signature’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

SIGNATURE PLAYS

May 3-June 12 Signature Theatre Signature Theatre presents an

DIGITAL EDITION

Previews begin May 3; opens May 19 The Westside Theatre Joe Morton (Scandal, The Brother From Another Planet, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) plays the groundbreaking comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory in this new comedic drama by Gretchen Law. Directed by John Gould Rubin, the production also features actor John Carlin, as well as an original song by co-producer John Legend. www.turnmelooseplay.com

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PHOTO

ESSAY

The Old

Guard For all the talk of gentrification, there are still some businesses with a colorful history in Hell’s Kitchen Photographs Christian Miles

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DIGITAL EDITION

PHOTO

ESSAY

INTERNATIONAL GROCERY 9th Ave - 40th/41st St Barrels of spices, bowls of juicy olives and pickles, cheeses, meats – walking into this 9th Avenue store is a delicious assault on the senses. It’s been on the same spot for 40 years, run by its Greek owners. Oh, and look out for the grocery cat … www.internationalgrocerynyc.com

continued over

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PHOTO

ESSAY

RUDY’S 9th Ave - 44th/45th St Surely New York’s most famous dive bar, it dates back, so rumor has it, to 1919, when it was a speakeasy frequented by none other than Al Capone. The bar got one of New York’s first liquor licenses when Prohibition ended in 1933, but little else has changed. The original wood door is still carved down the center with the name of the first owners, the Rudy family. Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner cuddled up in its famous red booths back in the late 1940s while they were still trying to keep their relationship on the down low. And an underage Drew Barrymore used to slip in quietly – until news of her 20th birthday hit the papers and she had to be barred. www.rudysbarnyc.com

LEON BAKERY 9th Ave - 47th/48th St Opened in 1995, this family business specializes in authentic Mexican dishes – tamales, tacos, tortas, sopes, enchiladas, as well as ethnic groceries. Son Jake Leon fought taking over – his ambitions were originally to work in the fashion industry. But after studying business administration, he’s preparing to take the helm and continues to take pride in Leon’s cooked-from scratch specialties.

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ESSAY

ESPOSITO MEAT MARKET 9th Ave - 38th St Families come from all over Manhattan to visit this 100-year-old family business. Need several pounds of blood to make your own morcilla? No problem madam. In the market for pig’s feet or buffalo burgers? Coming right up. The current location became its home when it was opened by Giovanni Esposito in 1932, who ran the business with his sons Teddy, Armando and Anthony. It’s been a mecca for meat lovers ever since. Celebrities such as Harrison Ford have visited, and it’s a regular contributor to the Food Network and the Rachael Ray Show. Today it’s run by Teddy’s son Robert. And these days there’s more or a market for filet mignon than pig’s feet. www.espositomeatmarket.com

LITTLE PIE COMPANY W43rd St - 9th/10th Ave Actor Arnold Wilkerson was performing in theaters and making pies in his spare time from his apartment on W43rd Street when things just kind of grew.

The more popular his pies became, the more neighbors’ ovens he had to commandeer. He had burned out so many, the building was delighted when he was eventually offered the backing to open his own place – on the same block.

That was 31 years ago, and the Little Pie Company still makes its all-American desserts in-house. The lines curl around the block at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and its pumpkin pie has even appeared on the cover of Time magazine. If that’s not a stamp of approval, we don’t know what is. www.littlepiecompany.com

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PHOTO

ESSAY

TOBACCO ROAD W41st St - 8th/9th Ave There can be few dive bars left that boast a hippo’s head on the wall and a music venue that once played host to Thelonius Monk and Etta James. But Tobacco Road is a place with character in spades.

Once the Savoy, and Port 41, it still hosts regular live gigs, but the main attraction is the bartenders.

Let’s just say it wasn’t called the Bikini Bar for nothing.

POSEIDON 9th Ave - 44th/45th St When Demetrios Anagnostou landed at the docks on 12th Avenue in 1923, fresh from the island of Corfu, he spotted a small storefront in Port Authority and determined to open his own bakery there. He named it after the god of the sea, because it was close to the Hudson River.

The family business thrived, until the building of the Lincoln Tunnel forced them out. Angry but unbowed, Demetrios bought a building on 9th Avenue – where the business still thrives today, now run by his daughter in law Lili Fable and her son Adam. They’re famed for their traditional Greek savories and sweets – flaky spanokopita, strudels and golden baklava.

Ninety three years in the neighborhood, the fifth generation – Lili’s grandchildren – are now helping in the store. You don’t get more mom and pop than that.

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ESSAY

LALI RESTAURANT 10th Ave - 44th/45th St Lali Lara had been working in this Dominican diner, once called the Capitol, since arriving in the city in the mid1980s. She took over nearly 16 years ago and has never looked back. The menu is a strictly family affair: stewed chicken over rice, eggs with mashed plantains, barbecue ribs. Fresh drinks are flavored with tamarind and passion fruit

TAVOLA 9th Ave - 37th/38th St When the Manganaro family finally packed up their Grosseria Italia business on 9th Avenue after 127 years (amid a feud with their Hero Boy sandwichmaking neighbors), it was feared the character of the old store would die. So much history! The family was one of the first importers of olive oil in New York, and a scene in the Godfather was even based on the store.

So when Nick Accardi, Sicilian New Yorker, chef and businessman, bought the building, he was determined to preserve what he could. The shelves and most of the storefront are originals, along with that famous neon sign, which has featured in coffee table books alongside the likes of Katz Deli and Russ and Daughters as iconic New York landmarks.

What is new, however, are the two gigantic wood-burning ovens, the largest in the city, which required a reinforced floor to support the weight. www.tavolahellskitchen.com

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EATING & DRINKING

A good day to

DINER HARD We’ve lost some of our favorite diners, it’s true, but, hey, we’ve still gotta eat! Chris Penwarden checks out the best brunches for miles

W

ith some of the neighborhood’s most beloved diners closing down, Hell’s Kitchen residents are having to look elsewhere for their favorite diner classics. These cravings are being sated by a rise in brunch offerings, with bottomless mimosas replacing a mug or two of joe. Brunch is also no longer that not-quitebreakfast-not-quite-lunch meal confined to a hungover weekend – it can be found all day long, any day of the week, in pure NYC fashion.

Brunch by candlelight t? Had Fancy your brunch a little later than mos sleeping a particularly heavy night that requires not, you r all day and waking around 5pm? Fea one of can still order a classic brunch dish at gouts, han Hell’s Kitchen’s most popular foodie collard 44&X. Their buttermilk fried chicken, maple greens, chive waffle, black pepper and pm so syrup jus is served every night from 5.30 the all n you can now get your waffle fix whe night to other brunchers have settled in for the ey.

Abb watch their box sets of Downton 622 10th Ave - 44th St (212) 977-1170

One of the best Sunday brunch spo ts in Hell’s Kitchen has got to be Tab oon.

Their “Middletarranean” cuisine – a fusion of Mediterranean and Middle Eas tern flavors – is spot on for setting you up for the morning after the night before.

The Middle Eastern-spiced Bloody Mar y is exceptionally moreish (perhaps Moo r-ish?) or you could just mainline the mim osas.

For their Turkish shakshooka, two eggs are cooked in a fresh tomato ragout with spicy ground lamb, swiss chard and chic kpeas, then served in a skillet. You’ll find yourself whisked away to an imaginary sou k somewhere in Istanbul, yet a sho rt Uber ride from your studio off 9th.

773 10th Ave - 52nd Street (212) 713-0271

www.taboononline.com

www.44andx.com 30

Eggs with a Turkish twist

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EATING & DRINKING

Back to the old school e homely Sometimes you just can’t beat thos provides classics, and Georgio’s Country Grill from is ch brun all that and more. Official but, being 8.30am til 4.30pm on the weekend Georgios an old-school diner-style restaurant, ch toast can whip up waffles, pancakes, Fren re’s and eggs all day and all week long. The no booze but you can overdose on the fantastic bottomless coffee or try one of their e to home Oreo shakes. To add a touch of spic illa on fries, eggs and bacon, go for a soft tort ce, or the side and add a splash of hot sau t burrito simply dive straight in to their breakfas weekend with guac and salsa. To cater for the r waffle, brunch crowd, Georgio’s pimps thei as well pancake and French toast offerings to their t edic Ben e as adding a fluffy crab cak will not enormous choice of egg dishes. You leave hungry!

Eggs, souk side up, at Taboon

801 9th Ave - 53rd St (212) 977-1150

Red carpet diner

www.georgioscountrygrill.com

Tortilla on the side at Georgio’s

When money is no object and brun ch is all about glamour, look no further than Norma’s at Le Parker Meridien. OK, so it’s a hop and a stumble outside the neighborhood, but every day from 7:30am until 3pm you can have breakfast for lunch, or lunch for brea kfast.

Try the “zillion dollar lobster frittata” with 10oz Sevruga caviar for $1,000, or perhaps something more in budget like the foie gras brioche French toast at $43. All the diner classics are here too – waffles, pan cakes and eggs Benedict – served alongside breakfast quesadillas and burritos. After 12p m they add a few more lunch-style dishes, or you could just upgrade to the Presidential Suite for a mere $5,000. I’m sure you’d get your brunch served bed-side.

119 W 56th St - 6th/7th Ave (212) 708-7460

www.parkermeridien.com DIGITAL EDITION

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FINE ITALIAN DINING AND WOOD-FIRED PIZZA

LA VELA DINING & BAR 558 11TH AVENUE (BETWEEN 42 AND 43 STREET) NEW YORK, NY 10036 (212) 695-2112 WWW.VELADININGNY.COM

EATING & DRINKING COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH

IMAGE: ROBIN RILEY (WWW.ROBINRILEYPHOTOGRAPHY.COM)

THE SMOKIN’ COCONUT

True, it’s a drink with more than 500 years of history, yet mezcal’s “moment” shows no sign of slowing down. There is no booze more buzzed about in cocktail circles right now.

Smoky-flavored, this is a bighitting bad boy, weighing in at 44-54 percent ABV, so it’s not for the meek. But those complex flavors are what makes it so beloved by mixologists.

Ingredients 2½ oz mezcal 1 oz cream of coconut ½ oz green Chartreuse 1 oz lime juice 1 oz Cointreau Sprite, to top off Method In a shaker filled with ice, combine all the ingredients except for the Sprite and shake vigorously for 12 seconds.

Strain the ingredients into a collins glass with fresh ice and top off with Sprite.

Garnish with a lime wedge and toasted coconut.

WHITE OAK 10th Ave - 54th/55th St www.whiteoaknyc.com

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EATING & DRINKING WAR OF

THE RAMENS

New Yorkers can’t get enough of their traditional Japanese noodles.

Chris Penwarden starts slurping

H

ell’s Kitchen is now home to New York’s biggest names in ramen, and die-hard fans have strong opinions about who serves the finest noodle soup in the neighborhood. We’ve whittled down the contenders to five exciting ramen joints for you to try, from the classics to the controversial.

THE BIG BOYS

Ippudo It’s hard to beat Ippudo for authentic, traditional-style ramen. Chef and founder Shigemi Kawahara shot to fame as winner of TBS channel’s 2005 Ramen King Championship and now owns more than 60 Ippudo restaurants worldwide.

The regal title has stuck, with Kawahara’s broth and noodle concoctions heralded as benchmarks for aficionados around the globe. However, Kawahara says there is no “authentic” or “traditional” version of ramen: with over 40,000 ramen shops in Japan alone, each has its own unique take on the dish.

Beat the queues by arriving for an early lunch at 12pm and tuck into a steaming bowl of karaka-men, Ippudo’s spicy take on its original tonkotsu pork broth. This rich, hot, satisfying soup is perfectly balanced with fragrant green scallions, a drizzle of garlic oil, slices of soft pork chashu and kikurage mushrooms.

The clean lines of Ippudo’s decor may be less gritty than Totto Ramen a block

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EATING & DRINKING away, but the food is served with hyperefficiency and a welcoming smile.

W51ST ST - 8TH/9TH AVE, WWW.IPPUDONY.COM Totto Ramen The queues for Totto Ramen are on a par with neighbor Ippudo, only more visible from the roadside, with salivating addicts snaking down the steps of the adjacent properties. The crowds are sometimes divided into three separate queues to avoid street congestion, but don’t worry; as long as your name is on the list you will be seated. Once inside, you’ll feel like you’re in a back street ramen joint in Tokyo, with a booming soundtrack of rap and soul to accompany your exquisite noodle soup.

Purists turn their noses up at Totto’s use of chicken rather than pork broth,

“Once inside, you’ll feel like you’re in a back street ramen joint in Tokyo, with a booming soundtrack of rap and soul to accompany your exquisite noodle soup.” but their creamy paitan ramen stock is a dead ringer for Hakata-style tonkotsu.

Owner Bobby Munekata brought in Hideto Kawahara, a chef from Hakata, to consult on the opening of Totto a few years ago, which led to the perfection of the tasty broth. Try the extra spicy miso paitan with ground pork, boiled egg, bean sprouts and scorched slices of char siu pork – an absolute classic.

W52ND - 8TH/9TH AVE, WWW.TOTTORAMEN.COM Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop Ivan, a “Jewish kid from Long Island” with a degree in Japanese, is the American chef who won the hearts of the noodleslurping citizens of Tokyo before returning to his native New York to open Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop in Gotham West Market. His cult, new wave creations now include a rich breakfast ramen soup with egg and

Clockwise from left: Noodle deliciousness from Terakawa, Mentoku, Ivan Ramen.

bacon. Of course, there are those who don’t take kindly to Ivan’s westernized interpretations, but there’s no doubting the man’s dedication to what he calls “the art of slurping.”

His spicy red chili ramen is a fiery mix of spice-laden chicken broth and minced pork, topped with a “smashed egg.” It is big and bold, full of smoky miso and chili heat – not for the faint hearted. It is a drier style ramen that is less about the creaminess of the broth and more about the red chili whack which slowly builds to a soaring crescendo – and a runny nose.

Luckily the Slurp Shop is situated a few feet away from an ice-cream stand, which may come in handy to bring down your body temperature, post-ramen.

11TH AVE - 44TH/45TH ST, WWW.IVANRAMEN.COM

THE UNDERDOGS

Terakawa This tiny hole-in-the wall ramen place has around 10 to 12 seats set in a U-shape arrangement. No awards or world-famous chefs here, just brilliant home-style cooking with fresh, vibrant flavors.

DIGITAL EDITION

For your chili fix, try their Kara Terakawa with home-made chili oil, tonkotsu pork broth and braised belly pork, or the delicious tan-tan style ramen made with chicken broth. The tan-tan is a great Saturday pick-me-up with warm chili heat, hints of fermented chili bean, fragrant pork mince and a drop of nutty sesame oil.

9TH AVE - 57TH/58TH ST, WWW.TERAKAWARAMENNY.COM Mentoku This bustling little hideaway on 9th Avenue is pure Hakata style, serving a compelling twist on spicy ramen. The silky pork stock is exotically creamy, surrounded by wafers of Japanese seaweed and topped with scallion and roasted pork. The surprise here is the deep, citrusy yuzu and chili kick, which helps to make this dish a knockout. The upbeat staff give the room a relaxed, homely feel and the choice of tables to the front, and bar seats to the back, mean you can linger a little longer over your ramen.

But not too long – you don’t want those noodles to lose their bite!

9TH AVE - 50TH/51ST ST, WWW.MENTOKU-NY.COM

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EATING & DRINKING

MIX THINGS UP a little

If your kitchen hasn’t seen much action lately, perhaps it’s time you learned a few tricks of the trade. Hillary Reeves ties on her apron …

ILLUSTRATIONS: FREEPIK.COM

T

hough we live in one of New York City’s most vibrant neighborhoods, filled with restaurants and take-out spots that offer every possible food we could crave, there are some days where we consider cooking. Because what are we humans but a bundle of paradoxes?

And what are New Yorkers but this to the max? We hop in a cab because we’re running late, knowing full well that the subway EVERY TIME would be faster.

So for our food issue, we figured we’d indulge your cooking fantasies and bring you a selection of our favorite cooking classes. In fact, we went all investigative journalist and actually attended one so that we could report back.

On a sunny Saturday in April, we moseyed on over to Sur La Table on 57th Street and 8th Avenue, on the first floor of the Hearst building. At the kitchen, 25 or so chairs were arranged facing a set of stoves and work stations. Mise en place (that’s all the things we’ll need to get started) were organized tidily, and guests were offered lemon water and madeleines as we were told to tie on our aprons.

After a few minutes, our instructor, a sprightly, smiley, no-nonsense chef, explained the menu. The theme of the class was “Girls Night Out.” We’d be making pea souffle, lavender mini bundt cakes, a salmon Nicoise salad and “risotto,” made with grated cauliflower instead of rice.

Prepped and divided into groups, we got cooking.

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“We started with the cakes, taking turns in our groups of four as we cracked eggs, zested lemons, and learned the ins and outs of the fancy stand mixer.”

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EATING & DRINKING Cooks were of varying skill levels and, though I’d call myself a pretty seasoned cook, I picked up a few new tricks and, regardless, enjoyed cooking alongside my new friends: a group of eight enjoying a tame bachelorette party, a quartet of friends looking for a fun weekend outing, and three new-to-New-York transplants from France and Australia, hoping to meet a few friendly faces.

We started with the cakes, taking turns in our groups of four as we cracked eggs, zested lemons, and learned the ins and outs of the fancy stand mixer. It’s clear that classes are designed, in some ways, to showcase the merchandise you can get on the premises. But unlike the super sales-y experience you might know from something like a Pampered Chef party, Sur La Table’s feels more organic.

Less “here’s all the things you should do with a mini bundt pan, so you should definitely get one” and more “this is a fun idea you maybe never thought of before, but there are also alternatives.”

Next, we whipped up (literally) our souffles. We took away tips like when whipping egg whites, you ultimately want them to have the consistency of shaving cream.

We then moved on to our salmon salad. Pre-heated salt blocks were

pulled from the oven. We seasoned our filets and set them down, skin sizzling.

As they cooked, we competed to create the prettiest salad. The winner was promised a prize. Spoiler alert: though a winner was chosen, we all won prizes.

Finally, we made our “risotto.” Grated cauliflower and a white bean puree got cooked down with mushrooms, onions, and white wine in order to create a positively Pinterest-y side dish.

By this time, we’d passed about an hour and 45 minutes. With a promise that we’d be eating soon, we removed our aprons while the kitchen team tidied up and made our plates.

At between $70 and $90 per two-hour class, this is one of the best cooking class experiences I’ve had at one of the most reasonable price points. Plus, my belly was very full, so it’s easy to chalk it up to the price of a great dinner. The class topics vary and change seasonally, so there’s always something fresh on the menu.

So, if you’re thinking of having a dinner party and aren’t feeling inspired by your usual sampler platter of Mama’s Empanadas, consider learning how to wow your pals with a four-course meal. Careful, though; they’ll leave you wanting to come back for more I’m already booked for my second: Flavors of Sicily, here I come! www.surlatable.com

Cook’s tour

Looking for a few other classes to try out? Hell’s Kitchen favorites have lots to offer.

Co-Co Mat, $125/class Led by Hell’s Kitchen resident Maria Benardis, Co-Co’s recent selections offer a deep dive into Greek cuisine.

Learn about delicacies of Santorini or Mykonos, how to cook with your senses (like the Greeks do), or how to create a beautiful Greek vegetarian feast. The classes are held at 49 Mercer Street in SoHo and are the perfect fit for those with dietary restrictions. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan adjustments are all catered for. www.greekalicious.nyc

Cooking A Cappella, $70-$95/class What more Hell’s Kitchen “juice” could you get than a chef whose cooking school borrows its name from a favorite pastime of the theater elite? Classes vary from cheese courses to Thai. If you’re looking to broaden your repertoire with like-minded pals and would prefer for the party to be run out of your own kitchen, book a session with chef Lawrence Rush. www.foodielovefood.com

DIGITAL EDITION

Banchan Story, $95/class Shin Kim, a native Korean now living in NYC, offers regular classes out of Basement Kitchen Studio on W51st Street.

With all five-star reviews on Yelp, we’re already convinced that these classes are totally worth the price point. Learn to make kimchi, Korean side dishes (called “banchan” – get it?), dumplings and lots more. www.banchanstory.com

A few more…

Love nearby Momofuku Milk Bar? You can learn to assemble those famous cakes at their Williamsburg Brooklyn location, $95.

Miss Brooklyn Kitchen in Gotham West Market? Visit their original location in Brooklyn for a variety of excellent classes and events, $75-$95.

Got a chef in the making? Check out Williams Sonoma’s calendar for cooking demos, technique classes, book signings, and classes for kids, free-$40.

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EATING & DRINKING

What’s for

SUPPER? Shh, it’s a secret …

H

idden in a floor-through apartment a block west of Restaurant Row, Table For Six is a dinner club founded by architect Nicky Chang and like-minded friends who share her love for art, design and food.

Don’t expect to call up and make a reservation. This is a strictly referral-only affair. Twice a month, and always on a Saturday, Nicky puts away her design problems and turns into a suppertime host. Only six seats are available at each event, and tickets are in high demand.

r Duck & pistachio butte 38

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EATING & DRINKING Why? Isn’t this just like another job?

“It has to do with unhappiness,” says Nicky. “About two years ago, I was working late every day on design competitions and was surviving only via Seamless. I ate alone at my desk, staring deep into the screen, one hand with a plastic fork and the other clicking my mouse away. I was not spending time with my friends, did not take good care of myself, and my apartment was neglected to an extent that it had stopped feeling like home. I realized my misery coincided with the time when I stopped cooking.

“People are seeking something more intimate, more special, perhaps something that reminds them of home.”

“I grew up in a family where the dinner table is the most important gathering place. Most of my family’s oral history is recorded in the kitchen.

So I started to make it my mission to cook dinner on Saturdays, and invited five close friends to share. That was the first Table For Six. After a couple of Saturdays, people started to bring their friends, new friends I have never met. Some of these friends’ friends are professional chefs, and they asked me if they could use my dinners to experiment. The project grew very organically very quickly from there.”

Who are the privileged six?

“People come from all walks of life, but I realize the table attracts mostly creative types: lots of artists, architects, musicians, fashion designers, art directors, copywriters and media people. We’ve also connected some start-up people

Scallop Benedicct with investors. Some people met their creative partners at the table and went off to do some really cool projects.

Some people found love – I’m wondering if the couple who met at our table a year ago are still together.”

And your dream six?

“Alive or dead? Let’s say live.

Kara Walker. Michelle Obama. Elon Musk. Bjarke Ingels. Michael Bierut.

Michael Pollan.”

It’s a fairly unpredictable formula in some ways – any unscripted disasters? Awful guest? Souffle that refuses to rise? Diner going into anaphylactic shock? Spill the beans.

(Spill the beans?)

“The dynamic of each table is always very different from one another, but all of our guests have been wonderful.

Food-related disasters, we’ve certainly had some. I remember when I was cooking with Chef Jean-Baptiste, I would experiment a lot while he was almost religiously traditional. I insisted on changing the wild strawberries in the mille-feuille to raspberries, and discovered that the pastry wouldn’t stack. We laughed a lot and learned: you don’t mess with a traditional French recipe. With Chef Bryan, there’s less drama because we are equally experimental and rigorous. But somehow Bryan’s kitchen linens keep on catching fire. Thank God no one has to call an ambulance at our dinner table (knock on wood). Even though we run

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John Dory with fe nnel a dinner party not a restaurant, food safety and city regulation is actually something I think about a lot – I have a speech prepared if my dinner party is raided by the Health Department.”

Why are New Yorkers so hooked on the supper club concept?

“New Yorkers are innately courageous and extremely adaptive. I’m not surprised that people are always on the hunt for the next discovery.

With new restaurants at every corner and amazing chefs from all over the world, New Yorkers are exposed to an incredible range of palate. But people are seeking something more intimate, more special, perhaps something that reminds them of home.”

Have you checked out the competition?

“In fact I didn’t know much about the secret supper club scene until recently. Everyone keeps on telling me about these ‘speakeasy’ type dinner clubs as soon as they hear about

Opposite page: Smoked duck breast with pistachio butter..

Above page: Scallop quail egg Benedict with radish leaf and edamame puree; John Dory with fennel madarin and black garlic on scallion puree.

continued over

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EATING & DRINKING

Butternut squash soup Table For Six. But, honestly, I haven’t had a chance to try any. Maybe it is because I prefer to host, or maybe it’s because when I’m not in the kitchen, I’m always walking around the market, a gallery or at the cinema.”

Above: Butternut squash soup with chive oil and pepitas.

What’s the secret to a great event?

“Preparation.

Preparation.

Preparation. And on the event day, stay calm, and allow mistakes to happen.

It’s the ‘oops, I dropped the lemon tart’ kind of stories that we love the most.

Home-made meals should have this wabisabi quality to them.

My grandmother always gave the most perfect dumplings to house guests and neighbors, and saved the slightly messedup dumplings for me.

I remember hovering by the kitchen counter waiting, hoping for her to mess up.”

What’s the next course?

“Between doing pop-ups at different apartments and eventually moving into a bigger space, we are working with friends at Akron Street to develop a dining set that consists of a dining

“Allow mistakes to happen. It’s the ‘oops, I dropped the lemon tart’ kind of stories that we love the most. Homemade meals should have this wabi-sabi quality to them.”

table, chairs and a bench. The chairs are already available to purchase and the table is going to be available in the summer.

“My multi-talented friend Marti Gottsch (OMG Flowers) is designing flower arrangements for our spring and summer gatherings.

“I’m also talking to local artists from Mud, Sweat and Tears to design handmade ceramics and tableware. It’s going to be a very exciting (and very busy) year for us.” www.tableforsix.co

HEY NEW YORK, THIS THING’S A TREND! Eating in a restaurant is so passé, people. The supper club is officially A Thing

10 Chairs

Run by Patricia Williams of Harlem’s Smoke Jazz and Supper Club, the former dancer’s recent menus have included such dishes as seared striped bass with herb coconut broth and bok choy, and navarin of lamb in a saffron lemon sauce. www.10chairsnyc.com

PlaceInvaders

Other people have such fun, interesting homes – wouldn’t it be so much more better to eat in them than your own? Herein lies the concept. PlaceInvaders hosts dining experiences in quirky residences across the country

(with unlimited cocktails and wine – boom!). Locations are never revealed in advance, but previous invasions have included an abandoned 1950s-era New York penthouse, a tiny graffiticovered studio, and a Shanghai opium den-inspired condo that once hosted a Notorious B.I.G video shoot. www.placeinvaders.co

Dinner Lab

If the idea of eating on a helipad doesn’t appeal, first of all, what’s wrong with you? Second of all, you probably won’t enjoy the off-the-wall pairing of top-notch chefs who tell stories with their

DIGITAL EDITION

food in unusual surroundings that only exist for 24 hours before they’re dismantled. www.dinnerlab.com

Gastronauts

Now 10 years old (doesn’t time fly?) Gastronauts is all about getting diners to overcome their fear of food. So expect certain “ew” moments when served up with dishes such as agave worm, ants, bat snails, and bear. www.gastronauts.net/new-york

Vizeat

The founders are travelers, who realized you only truly get under the skin of a destination when you dine

with people who live there. Vizeat is all about discovery – of people, places, and flavors. Sign up to enjoy the food, or to become a host. www.vizeat.com

Eatwith

Wherever you are in the world, Eatwith claims to be able to connect you with the underground food scene, as well as with some creative, open-minded and interesting people. Dine in homes as far afield as Hong Kong and Haifa. Recent New York dinners include a Rock the Kasbah Moroccan feast in Williamsburg and going Balkan in Harlem. www.eatwith.com

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STAFF SURVEY

“There are few things scarier than a group of confined New Yorkers without their caffeine, except when they don’t like the caffeine you’ve given them!”

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DIGITAL EDITION

STAFF SURVEY

Know anyone who works in Hell’s Kitchen who’d be great for the Staff Survey? Don’t keep them a secret, share the love with news@w42st.com

All about

THE BEANS

Coffee. Official fuel of New York. Erol Zeren keeps the motor running Photograph Nacho Guevara First of all, what is it about New Yorkers and their coffee?

New Yorkers are crazy about their coffee! With the rapid growth of independent coffee shops popping up in the city, we’re constantly looking for the next best thing. Keeping up with coffee trends has definitely been what has kept us so popular, so basically, good coffee, with trendy cool drinks, will keep New Yorkers happy.

However, not all coffees are created equal – what makes a great cup?

A great cup of coffee is created in several ways. First of all, the most important and fundamental thing is the bean (roast) you use. Without a good roast, you might as well not even bother.

What’s your perfect coffee moment?

That would have to be when my business partner, Alex, and I were flying to LA together. We were just about to land when the flight attendant asked if I would like an espresso or cappuccino.

Fully knowing that airplanes have the WORST coffee in the world, I quickly responded: “No, thank you!” until she offered to bring me to the galley to set my perception straight.

As it turned out, the plane was not only equipped with a high-end roast, but a full barista-quality espresso machine.

I was impressed that the airline had put so much thought into the quality of beverage they were offering, and had caught on to the demand for something better than instant coffee. I mean, there are few things scarier than a group of confined New Yorkers without their

caffeine, except when they don’t like the caffeine you’ve given them!

You also cater for tea-drinkers but, be honest, are you secretly judging them?

Though we take pride in our coffee as a forerunner for our business, I make a point never to judge the tea drinkers.

They oftentimes know exactly what they want and are pleased to see we are able to accommodate them with an almost overwhelming selection. I do, however, judge the juice and lemonade drinkers ever so slightly … but maybe they just need caffeine less than the rest of us.

Let’s talk famous customers – you’ve had one or two?

We’ve have had a bunch of them! I try not to get too excited when one comes in (I’d like it if they actually come back). However, we’ve had people such as Christian Bale, Stephen Colbert, Chase Crawford, Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson, Fran Drescher, Rebecca Rittenhouse from Blood and Oil (she’s gorgeous, by the way) and my ALL TIME favorite, Susan Iucci, just to name a few.

(Susan’s daughter-in-law lives in the neighborhood, and has promised to bring her by again, though I’ll probably flip out when she arrives.)

Oh, and of course, being on the edge of the theater district, we have several stars from many Broadway shows frequent us daily.

What’s the most common request from customers?

The most common request is for almond milk, and one of our top sellers

DIGITAL EDITION

Left: Take your time, savor the flavor ... and try not to judge those juice drinkers, Erol.

is our almond chai. We make it with a specially blended masala chai, which includes several herbs and spices, as opposed to a chai syrup or sauce, which many other places use.

When you’re not in one of other of your coffee stores, where else do you hang out in Hell’s Kitchen?

I live, work, and play in Hell’s Kitchen.

I LOVE to frequent the mom and pop shops and restaurants to show my support. Often times, I’ll introduce myself, since we all kind of have a certain camaraderie between small business owners. If need be, we are able to help one another out since there’s an unspoken support among all of us in the community. My favorite places would have to be any number of the hidden wine bars – there are so many now, it’s hard to keep track, but on a Friday or Saturday night, you can definitely find me in one of them!

And man cannot live by coffee alone.

What’s your nighttime drink of choice?

I love myself a good glass of malbec at the end of the day. However, if I’m going out to play, my drink of choice is Casamigos (the George Clooney tequila) with soda. You can never go wrong with this classic drink. I could go for one right about now, as a matter of fact!

KAHVE (212) 256-0207 774 9TH AVE - 51ST/52ND ST (646) 649-4503 667 10TH AVE - 46TH/47TH ST www.kahvenyc.com

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EATING & DRINKING

MAKE A MEAL OF IT Messing around with beer/food pairing is such a waste of time … so Ciera Coyan suggests skipping the food part

A

s a beer enthusiast I have a love/ hate relationship with “foodie” culture. On the one hand, the foodie revolution that’s taken over America has paved the way for our current craft beer explosion. People know (and care!) what the word mouthfeel means now. On the other hand, food and wine are in a pretty exclusive relationship. A nice meal and a wine pairing are obvious. I once went to an omakase restaurant that was BYOB. Everyone else at the bar had white wine or sake.

My boyfriend and I whipped out a peach sour that was delicious and the perfect complement to the sushi, but drew plenty of scornful looks from the other customers and chefs. Beer events often feature cheese or charcuterie, but rarely a full-course meal. Instead of trying to hedge in on wine’s turf, I have a new suggestion: make beer your meal! Grab a slice to line your stomach then fill up with this gourmet line up.

IMAGE: ADRIEN POTIER

THE AMUSE BOUCHE To get your palate excited for the night of drinking ahead, start off with a light, tart Berliner Weisse.

This style’s low ABV and bright, crisp flavors will wake up your tastebuds. For something a little more fruit forward, try Perennial Peach Berliner Weisse or Dogfish Head’s Festina Peche.

These beers taste like spring and, like spring, will get you excited for what’s to come.

THE APPETIZER Before you blow out your tastebuds on something huge, take time to appreciate an American Pale Ale or a session IPA. If there’s a difference between these two styles it’s lost on me. Both should be light, low alcohol (although some APAs can

44

sneak up there) with plenty of hops and little to no malt presence. If you can find it, Maine Beer Co Tiny Beautiful Something really lives up to the name. For something even more local, Carton (out of New Jersey) Boat Beer manages to bring big hop flavor while staying light and clean. It’s delicious enough that it might make you regret moving on to the next course.

Right: Seriously, why complicate things? Grab a slice and start the drinking, says Ciera.

“My boyfriend and I whipped out a peach sour that was delicious and the perfect complement to the sushi, but drew plenty of scornful looks from the other customers and chefs.”

DIGITAL EDITION

THE ENTRÉE Comfort is key for an entrée. Appetizers can be funky and exciting, but the main course should have an element of familiarity. IPAs are to breweries what steak is to restaurants: the gold standard by which the whole establishment is judged. IPAs are so dependent on freshness that it’s tricky to list the best ones. My only advice is to stay local. Other Half, Threes, Grimm, Peekskill ... there are so many New York breweries slaying the IPA game right now.

Definitely go back for seconds.

THE DESSERT This one is an obvious choice. Nothing caps off a decadent meal or a night of drinking better than an imperial stout.

These beers are the closers of the beer world. If you have a sweet tooth, Southern Tier Choklat won’t steer you wrong.

If you’re the espresso-for-dessert type, try to get your hands on a Great Divide Espresso Oak Aged Yeti. Strong coffee flavors and plenty booze to back it up.

After that, just for symmetry, maybe grab another slice on the way home.

EATING & DRINKING

You fill up

MY SENSES...

Use your eyes, nose and mouth to understand better the wine in your glass

I

n America, we drink more wine than any other country in the world, but if you asked 100 drinkers what kind they they like, I bet 95 out of 100 would say “red” or “white.” We might blurt out malbec or pinot grigio at the drop of a hat. We’ll say rosé is too sweet, or screw caps are cheap – but what do we really know?

If you care about the wine in your glass, take a little time and let your senses tell you something about what you’re drinking.

SIGHT Pour a nice, generous glass, and use a clean goblet. Soapy or dirty glasses can impart flavors and aromas not associated with the wine. Look closely. In the case of white wine, is it clear or cloudy? Is it pale straw colored, or is it golden yellow? With red, is it translucent or opaque? And what sort of red is it? Bright garnet, deep red, or copper colored?

In the case of whites, color is a good indication of grape varietal and age. If it’s pale yellow-green like straw, it could be pinot grigio or albarino. Rich yellow-ochre golden, chardonnay or semillon. If the wine is bright and clear, it is likely young. Darker and more muted, older. If it’s is cloudy, you could be drinking an “orange” wine, made with skin contact.

Further, when you swirl the wine in the glass there are what’s known as “legs” or “tears.” Observe the legs as they make their way back down the sides of the glass. This can tell us the relative level of alcohol in the wine and/or the presence of residual sugar. Thin, quickly moving legs will tell of a wine light-to-medium in body with relatively low alcohol or without residual sugar. If the legs are thick, stained in color and slow to move, one can expect a full-bodied red wine with considerable concentration and relatively high alcohol content – or considerable residual sugar.

Or both. Next ...

smell of caramel, apples, dried fruit and, of course, poop. Reds are not much different.

Younger reds smell of berries, plums and, in some cases, flowers. Older wines can smell of dark chocolate, tobacco, raisins, moss and wood.

Of course, smell is your first line of defense if a wine is spoiled. If it smells of sherry or stewed fruit, it might be oxidized.

(Though some wines are made this way on purpose.) Rotten eggs? Overuse of sulfur. Vinegar? Bacteria. And the infamous “corked” wine smells like old, wet newspaper or a musty basement.

This comes from a bad cork tainted with TCA. And while drinking these wines won’t hurt you, best you drink something that provides pleasure, not pain.

Above: Let your eyes, nose, and sense of taste guide you.

“Experts talk about exotic fruits and spices, leather, earth, flowers and even goose poop when describing what a wine’s aroma reminds them of.”

SMELL This is probably the most important sense for wine, in that you can accurately smell over 300 aromas, whereas you can taste really only six. This is where people start getting scared. They hear experts talk about exotic fruits and spices, leather, earth, flowers and even goose poop when describing what a wine’s aroma reminds them of. When a wine is younger, the aroma should be clean and bright. A younger white wine will smell of flowers, citrus and grass. An older white could

DIGITAL EDITION

TASTE Finally, what we have been waiting for.

Take a nice, generous mouthful and really coat your mouth. Let the wine hang out a little before you swallow. Here, we’re talking more sensation than taste. If the wine is acidic (this applies to both reds and whites), with bright flavors, it may be from a cool part of the world like Austria or northern Italy. Rich, heavier and almost sweet – somewhere warmer; maybe Sicily, or California. Is the wine especially dry and perhaps a bit woody? Maybe it was barrel aged in oak. How heavy is it in your mouth? Heavier wines may have more sugar, which points to the New World. The presence of tannins, the dry, sometimes mouth-puckering agent usually found in reds, points to a wine that has experienced long skin contact or barrel aging.

In the end, don’t feel bad if you don’t always get it right. You only need 60% correct answers on the blind tasting section of the Court of Master Sommeliers exam.

Jeremy Kaplan, Veritas Studio Wines (www.facebook.com/veritasstudiowines)

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EATING & DRINKING This page: City Harvest’s Alexandra Fleischman.

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DIGITAL EDITION

EATING & DRINKING

Rescue me In this city of excess, what happens to all the leftovers?

W

e live in the most sophisticated city on the planet. So good they named it twice. And it’s true, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. But “making it” is getting to be a tougher call every year for some of us. Nearly 1.4 million New Yorkers are staring hunger in the face – and that includes around one in four children.

At the same time, we toss out more food than ever, as individuals and collectively – from restaurants, grocery stores and businesses. In this city, we have access to copious amounts of every kind of food, yet a growing number of soup kitchen are popping up just across the street.

IMAGES: CHRISTIAN MILES

“The economy may have improved, but New York’s poverty and unemployment rates remain higher than the national and state averages.”

Closing this gap are groups like City Harvest, which “rescues” unused, unsold food from restaurants and stores so that, instead of going to waste, it goes to feeding those in real need.

“The soup kitchens and food pantries where we deliver food serve the homeless,” says City Harvest’s Meg Davidson, “but hunger is not limited to this group of people. The people we help feed may be seniors whose fixed incomes haven’t kept up with the rising cost of living in the city, and parents choosing between school uniforms,

DIGITAL EDITION

utilities and rent, let alone groceries.

It could be the working mom who has trouble making ends meet by month’s end.”

The group was founded in 1982 by a group of volunteers who noticed food going to waste at restaurants in their neighborhood, and who began picking up the leftovers and dropping them off at nearby soup kitchens.

Fast forward three decades, and they’ll rescue and deliver 55 million pounds of food this year. “Our Food Rescue Facility in Long Island City, Queens, has allowed us to achieve incredible growth in the last five years,” says Meg, “and we now have 22 trucks on the road.

“Recognizing that emergency food is only part of the solution, our Healthy Neighborhoods programs take a long-term approach to hunger in communities with high rates of dietrelated diseases and limited access

Above: Joe Perdue, food justice coordinator and pastoral resident at Metro Baptist Church, takes delivery.

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EATING & DRINKING to healthy, affordable food. Working alongside these communities, these programs aim to increase access to affordable, nutritious food and inspire healthy choices with nutrition education and other programs.”

The need has never been greater.

Between 2008 and 2014, the network of community food programs — the soup kitchens and food pantries across the city where they deliver the rescued food — saw visits increase by 30%.

“The economy may have improved,” says Meg, “but New York’s poverty and unemployment rates remain higher than the national and state averages.

For many, income hasn’t kept up with the rising cost of living: 42% of New York City households – 2.7 million men, women and children – lack the income needed to cover basic necessities like food, shelter, transportation, and healthcare.”

On a routine pick-up with the City Harvest truck, we visit neighborhood bakeries like Amy’s Bread and Sullivan

Below: Driver Donte Moore picks up donations from Sullivan Street Bakery.

“The economy may have improved, but New York’s poverty and unemployment rates remain higher than the national and state averages.”

Street to collect huge bags of bread that wasn’t sold the previous day. And they’re not alone.

“In 2015, we rescued food from thousands of donors,” says Meg. “All kinds of businesses donate food — from neighborhood bakeries, corporate cafeterias, Michelin-starred restaurants, grocery stores, greenmarkets, highend hotels, quick service restaurants, food delivery services like Blue Apron, caterers, religious institutions, to large

scale events, wholesalers, and farmers around the state.”

The recipients, in turn, work miracles to create wholesome, balanced meals for the city’s hungry.

But before you start packing up those on-the-turn tomatoes from your refrigerator, you should know they can’t accept donations from individuals.

What you CAN do, however, is donate financially to the cause. It costs City Harvest just 26 cents to rescue and deliver a pound of food, and 93 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to support its programs.

What about donating your time? There are opportunities for people to collect and distribute food, join nutritional advice programs, administrative roles and more.

Demand still far outweighs supply, but if we all play our part, we can make a real difference to ordinary New Yorkers’ lives. www.cityharvest.org

GOING, GOING...

“While this is by no means a complete list (we receive food from thousands of generous donors across the city, state and country),” says Meg, “here’s a sampling from this past week.”

Le Bernardin W51st St - 6th/7th Ave Sullivan Street Bakery W47th St - 10th/11th Ave Amy’s Bread 9th Ave - 46th/47th St Café Duke W51st St - 6th/7th Ave The Capital Grille W51st St - 6th/7th St D’Agostino Supermarket 10th Ave - 54th/55th St Intercontinental Hotel W44th St - 8th/9th Ave Virgil’s Real Barbecue W44th St - 6th/7th Ave Morgan Stanley 5th Ave - 43rd/44th St Crowne Plaza Broadway, 48th/49th St The Today Show Rockefeller Center Millennium Broadway Hotel W44th St - 6th/7th Ave

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REAL ESTATE

To

AIRBNB,

or not to

AIRBNB

One of the most divisive subjects to hit New York real estate in years, the battle over short-term rentals continues to rage.

Matthew Lehrer plays referee …

ILLUSTRATION: RUTH REID

L

et’s face it, as New Yorkers, we live in a very expensive city. As we’ve watched residential real estate prices skyrocket, it’s no wonder many residents have decided to rent out their apartments to earn some extra cash.

Just as we’ve become accustomed to sharing our cab ride with a stranger (Uber, Via, Lyft, etc), New Yorkers have taken to Airbnb to share or defray our living costs. Some see the advent of Airbnb as a great way for travelers to experience a city in a less expensive and more intimate way while allowing homeowners to capitalize on the value of their real estate.

Below: Illegally renting out that spare room could lead to a hefty fine.

“Just as we’ve become accustomed to sharing our cab ride with a stranger (Uber, Via, Lyft, etc), New Yorkers have taken to Airbnb to share or defray our living costs.”

On the other side, numerous arguments have been raised for prohibiting Airbnb rentals, mostly focusing on safety issues and a severe housing shortage.

Opponents (and New York City officials) argue that holding thousands of rental units off the market for short-term rental purposes effectively skews the real estate market by reducing housing supply. This, in the face of an unlimited demand for rental housing, serves to increase rents for New York residents.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your position) there are specific City and State laws prohibiting or severely restricting one’s ability to earn money by offering up his or her apartment for a short-term rental.

IS AIRBNB EVEN LEGAL IN NEW YORK?

Before you jump on the bandwagon and become a hotelier, you should carefully take a look at the applicable laws as they relate to short-term rentals. The New York State Multiple Dwelling Law (amended in 2010) states that one cannot rent out an apartment in a Class A multiple dwelling for less than 30 days, unless a permanent resident is present during the rental period.

Even if your property is not a Class A multiple dwelling, you are not necessarily off the hook, as the New York City Administrative Code would make such short-term rentals illegal unless the building’s certificate of occupancy expressly authorizes this type of use.

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DIGITAL EDITION

REAL ESTATE WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

IMAGE: STEPHANIE CARTER

Unless the property you seek to rent out is a one or two family home (which are both exempt from this law), it is illegal to rent your entire apartment for a period of less than 30 days. So those of you looking to make a quick buck by renting out your one-bedroom apartment for a holiday weekend would be in clear violation of the law.

However, you may be able to rent out a spare room in your apartment for a shorter period, so long as you are there during the entire duration of your guest’s stay.

Therefore, if you want to share your apartment with a stranger for a holiday weekend, you may be safe; but remember, you must still comply with the terms of your own lease or with the rules of your co-op or condo.

APARTMENT LEASES

Almost every residential lease has a provision that prohibits you from subletting your apartment without the prior written consent of your landlord.

Doing so would be a breach of your lease and ultimately might lead to your eviction. While your landlord cannot unreasonably deny your request to sublet, unless your lease grants you the right to do so, any such request would need to comply with the strict guidelines of Real Property Law 226-b. And any request to sublet for less than 30 days would hardly be deemed reasonable. In short, if you are a renter, your lease likely prohibits you from using Airbnb to rent out your apartment.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR AIRBNB AND NYC?

There is no question that short-term rentals are rampant in the city. As a result, government officials, including the New York City Council and the New York State Attorney General, have been paying a lot of attention. In October 2014, the attorney general put out a report, indicating that during the period January 1, 2010 through June 2, 2014, Airbnb short-term bookings experienced a ten-fold increase in revenue. In 2014, revenue was approximately $282 million (rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods such as Hell’s Kitchen and Chelsea accounted for much of that revenue).

By all accounts, these numbers are likely conservative estimates.

Furthermore, according to the report, 72% of the units being offered on Airbnb for private short-term rentals were in violation of applicable New York State and New York City laws.

In light of this, the city is cracking down on Airbnb. In an effort to eradicate illegal sublets, Mayor de Blasio has committed $10 million to strengthen enforcement efforts. While these have been largely focused on multi-family building owners who hold many rental units off the market (essentially turning rental buildings into illegal hotels), the

CO-OP AND CONDOS

You are similarly restricted. Almost every co-op in New York strictly limits or prohibits subletting. Even if the co-op rules allow it, most will not allow sublets for less than a year. Likewise, while condos typically don’t restrict an owner from leasing a unit (which is one of the benefits of owning a condo), rules almost always prohibit anything less than a year. In either case, before the proposed tenant is allowed to occupy the apartment, both owner and tenant must submit an application for approval. Thus, renting out your apartment without the appropriate consent can have significant legal and financial consequences.

DIGITAL EDITION

Above: Matthew Lehrer takes the weight off.

Left: The controversy over Airbnb shows no sign of going away anytime soon.

continued over

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REAL ESTATE

mayor has made it clear that he plans to go after individuals who violate the law as well. Those found to be in violation of these laws are already subject to a fine of $1,000 for a first time offense; and beware, the City Council has recently proposed legislation that would increase the fines to $10,000 for a first offense with a maximum fine of $50,000.

Apartment building owners are also cracking down. Last year, Related Companies evicted a rent stabilized tenant from its MiMA apartment tower in Hell’s Kitchen after it was discovered that the tenant was renting his twobedroom apartment on Airbnb.

As you might expect, there is a cottage industry popping up to capitalize on the trend. Companies such as Guesty, Flatbook, Onefinestay and Properly provide platforms to support short-term rentals and to assist those who wish to rent out their apartments.

These companies might mark a turning point for co-ops and condos looking to loosen their restrictive subletting

52

Above: News reports on the rights and wrongs (mainly wrongs) or short-term rentals.

“The city is cracking down on Airbnb. In an effort to eradicate illegal sublets, Mayor de Blasio has committed $10 million to strengthen enforcement efforts.� policies. According to a 2015 New York Times article, Onefinestay has begun contracting with co-ops and condos to act as their exclusive home sharing partner. These agreements would mean the co-op or condo would receive a portion of the rental proceeds. In theory, such an arrangement could be beneficial for small co-op and condo buildings as it would allow the building to profit, and

DIGITAL EDITION

perhaps result in lower monthly carrying charges for unit owners.

Given the current state of the law, two things are crystal clear: first, except for a few limited circumstances, short-term rentals are illegal in New York; and second, it is unlikely that the law will change anytime soon.

That said, the fight for Airbnb legitimacy in New York is far from over. In November of 2015, San Fransisco residents defeated a ballot measure which, if approved, would have further restricted short-term rentals.

It is reported that Airbnb spent $8 million to defeat that measure.

Similarly, the company has pledged enormous financial resources towards a grass roots effort to challenge applicable New York law. With so much at stake on both sides of the argument, this battle is sure to rage on.

Matthew Lehrer is an attorney NYC specializing in real estate transactions.

Contact him at Matt@Gitterlaw.com; (212) 826-1948

REAL ESTATE

The five things a new renter

SHOULD KNOW Ready to sign? Ian TD Smith has a final check list before you commit

C

ongrats. You just put in an app on the place you think will be the perfect home – at least for the next few years. The prospect of shelling out an exorbitant broker’s fee is a bummer, but there are lots of amazing things about getting a fresh start somewhere new. Before you sign the lease, though, here are five things that you should do to make sure it is the right place for you.

like them to so, before you plant down your fee, walk around the immediate area: two blocks up and two blocks down then one avenue over. That essential organic produce shop or fair trade coffee place you have heard about being close by will increase your excitement about moving to your new pad.

4. IS YOUR PLACE BUMPIN’ AT NIGHT? A question commonly asked by clients, especially those who are not from “around here” is how safe is the area? If you have that very reasonable question about a neighborhood you’re unfamiliar with, go back to the building after dark.

Walk around. Is there a speakeasy in the basement you didn’t know about? Do bums sleep outside the doorway? Judge for yourself how the area feels when fewer people are around. The most important thing in your new place is that you feel safe and secure.

IMAGE: NACHO GUEVARA

1. MEET THE SUPER Often under-paid and over-worked, the building superintendent has the potential to make your life heaven or hell. So start the relationship off right.

Meet him and get to know the building through him. He can answer a lot of the questions the broker can’t. Supers control moving in and out, complaints from neighbors, and control access to things like the roof. The more he likes you, the more latitude you will get, so don’t be cheap! Bring along a few bucks and give it to him once you know the place is yours.

2. CHECK OUT THE NEIGHBORS We all have that nascent curiosity about those we share space with.

Your broker can’t legally tell you about the demographics of your neighbors for good reasons. If you really have that burning question, do what I suggest all my clients do: stand outside the building for 20 or 30 minutes and see who comes in and out. Whatever you are looking for, you should get your answer. I suggest the best times are between 6pm and 7pm, when most people will be coming in and out.

“Is there a speakeasy you didn’t know about? Do bums sleep outside the doorway?”

3. TWO UP AND ONE AROUND Unfortunately most agents don’t know the neighborhood as well as you would

Above: Ian always advises clients to do a little research of their own.

5. IS IT A ROACH MOTEL? This is always hard to assess since most buildings in NYC have some sort of pest issues, but be diligent in checking for any mouse traps (they’re usually small white pads with sticky material on them).

Apartments are turned over and cleaned before being put on the market but they usually miss a few spots. Inspect the closets closely, and check under the kitchen sink and the bathroom vanity for any telltale black droppings or (yuk!) roach carcasses.

Hopefully you’ll soon be on your way to locking down a place that you will not just live in but love.

Ian TD Smith is a licensed real estate broker. Contact him at ian@adomee.com

DIGITAL EDITION

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REAL ESTATE

? g n i k o o c s ’ t a h W eresting

Food just got a whole lot more int

KEYBOARD WAFFLE IRON

Chris Dimino was a student at the School of Visual Arts when he invented this baby, using the actual parts from a grubby old Smith Corona typewriter. The years went by, he became art director for The Late Show with David Letterman, but the typewriter waffle iron just refused to go away. And when Letterman ended, Dimino made his concept a real, commercial reality. And brunch just got a whole lot more fun. $85, www.thekeyboardwaffleiron.com

HELL’S KITCHEN HOT SAUCE

In honor of our rich, colorful, spicy past, the makers have created a range of sauces with attitude to spare. Ranging from mild to hot, each one is a true taste of Hell’s Kitchen. You heard it here first (we talked about them way back in issue 3).

From $7, www.hellskitchenhotsauce.com

DANNY MACAROONS

Delicious coconutty goodness made in East Harlem and including salted caramel, chocolate almond, chocolate dipped, and plain coconut flavors. Direct Eats is a new discovery for us – a kind of Etsy for specialty diets. You can search dairy free, fair trade, gluten free, GMO free, kosher, lactose free, low carb, low fat, nut free, paleo, etc. The downside? That’s your reputation for being difficult blown. $54 for 12, www.directeats.com

SELFIE COOKIE CUTTER

When we found this item, we actually squealed. Out loud. Just send your selfie to the makers and they’ll create an ingenious cookie cutter that looks just like you, thanks to the genius of 3D printing #love $51.80, www.etsy.com

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DIGITAL EDITION

REAL ESTATE FOODIE DICE

Shake up dinnertime by letting the dice decide. There are five primary dice (protein, cooking method, grain/carb, herb, plus bonus ingredient) and four seasonal veggie dice, so a balanced meal is always a given. Unless you cheat, of course. But you wouldn’t do that, would you? (And, no, there aren’t five WINE dice.) $24, www.foodiedice.com

LEMON STRAW HANDBAG

It’s a lemon. And a purse. There is nothing not to like here. $39.99, www.milanblocks.com

LIOR’S SPICE BOX

Meet Lior Lev Sercarz, chef, spice blender, and owner of La Boîte, the delicious-smelling biscuits and spice shop on 11th Avenue. A Bon Appétit “Tastemaker,” this former sergeant of the Israeli army learned his craft under Daniel Boulud.

This beautiful collector’s set includes The Art Of Blending cookbook and 12 different spices, personally chosen by you, or let Lior do the picking … $275, www.shop.laboiteny.com

OBSESSIVE CHEF CUTTING BOARD

For the anally retentive chef in your life (or you, if that’s you!), this board ensures every slice is perfectly precise. $28.95, www.delphiniumhome.com

FOOD BOX

Before your fingers reach for the Seamless app, do the grown-up thing and – yes – actually MAKE your dinner. Marley Spoon lets you pick your recipes, then they deliver the ingredients to your door, pre-measured, and ready to cook. Choose the number of people you want to feed (a couple or family of four), how many meals a week you think you can eat (two, three, or four), then sit back and wait for the chilled box to arrive. Oh, and did we tell you this company is based in Hell’s Kitchen?

Two-person, two-meal box, $48, www.marleyspoon.com

MOUTH EVERY MONTH

An essential for foodies who simply MUST know what’s going down on the scene. Subscribe for three months and Mouth will send you a sample of all that’s hot in indie food. It could be popcorn tossed with toasty nori seaweed and roasted sesame seeds; sriracha mayonnaise made with cage-free eggs; soft yet crunchy pickled cauliflower florets; velvety Vermont goat milk caramel pumped up with cold brew coffee; or a PB&J-inspired candy bar you won’t want to share.

From $60 a month, www.mouth.com

DIGITAL EDITION

55

GALLERY

#W42ST Hashtag your Instagram pics and they could star in the mag!

Hello blue skies. Hello blossom.

There’s nothing like a New York spring – and thanks to our Instagram army for bringing some color (and humor) into our lives. Just don’t ask what that blow-up doll is doing! Remember, anyone can get involved -just tag your pics #W42ST and you might be the one whose photograph ends up in the next issue.

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DIGITAL EDITION

GALLERY

DIGITAL EDITION

57

LIFESTYLE

The

LIFT ELEMENT Body building has never been bigger – Brooke Blocker gets ready to hit the weights

“You can always make improvements, but to get to a top level in bodybuilding, you have to have superior genetics.”

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DIGITAL EDITION

LIFESTYLE

I

IMAGES: RICK STOCKWELL

Left: Serious weight training takes immense dedication but, says Vince Consalvo (center), it’s the ideal exercise for pretty much anyone.

n the heart of Manhattan, men and women are flocking to hit the weights, and hit them heavy. These aren’t just your trendy Crossfit lifters; we’re talking about an extraordinary breed of athletes – hard-core bodybuilders. And they’re swarming to a Hell’s Kitchen staple, Mid City Gym. An iron-laden cave tucked beneath the lights and towers lining W42nd Street, Mid City is the oldest running independent gym in the country and has been frequented by the real big, real major, real deal bodybuilders. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno (the Incredible Hulk), Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Do you smell what I’m cookin’?

It’s a serious gym. And the bodies there demonstrate the degree of seriousness.

Sure, people still stop and pose in the mirror for an Instagram picture, but they’re only human. Or maybe they’re superhuman.

Bodybuilding tends to have a cyclical nature, says Vince Consalvo, the owner of Mid City Gym. It changes with standards in the industry and in fashion. From bulky mass to leanly chiseled, what was favorable yesterday may not be today.

But the sport has survived and adapted.

In the early 1900s, the desired build was reflective of Greek and Roman sculptures (think da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man). The “father of modern bodybuilding”, Eugen Sandow, embodied and perfected these proportions. During this time, bodybuilders performed physical displays of power.

Crowds ooh’d and ahh’d at vaudevilleesque acts of brute strength. In 1904, the first bodybuilding competition in the U.S. was held at Madison Square Garden.

As trends changed, muscles began to swell and, by the 1950s and 60s, the emergence of burly comic book superheroes inspired the newly desired physique. Men began weight training and Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia contests were formed. Things only got bigger and leaner from there.

Today’s version may boast different terminology, but the commitment of bodybuilders has not wavered. Vince explains that it’s not just the time spent in the gym, but the time spent out of the gym that will push a bodybuilder to that next level; time used wisely eating, sleeping, and working on cardio fitness.

That’s not to say these men and women don’t train vigorously. Their commitment involves somewhere between one and three hours of heavy lifting five to six times

DIGITAL EDITION

a week. Meal times come five or six times a day, and eating is all part of the training process. Professionals have their diets mapped out and backed up by science. It’s all about the paleo.

But bodybuilders and weightlifters have even found a way to use “cheat meals” to their advantage. When the body is depleted then all of a sudden takes in carbohydrates, water gets sucked into the muscle, causing it to bloat. This can provide a dramatic (albeit temporary) appearance of bulk.

OK, so that’s impressive, but what’s a REAL cheat? Professional bodybuilder Doug Dolphin says he enjoys indulging in the occasional pizza. However, to put things into perspective, during his stricter training days he considers sushi to be a cheat meal.

Doug has been in the game for nearly 30 years. That itself implies immense dedication. But how do bodybuilders stay motivated? For Doug it’s become a lifestyle. “I’ll squeeze and feel the muscle contract ... it’s always a work in progress,” he says. But he likes the challenge and seeing results.

Most people get into and stay in bodybuilding because it either makes them look good or feel good, says Vince.

However, motivation and commitment can only drive you so far. A fascinating factor that contributes immensely to bodybuilding success is genetics.

“You can always make improvements, but to get to a top level in bodybuilding, you have to have superior genetics,” says Vince. “It’s the body frame.” Specifically, wide shoulders, narrow hips, small joints, vascularity. Picture it: a body with bulging muscles and veins, with an exaggerated V-shaped torso, but small-framed at all the connection points (small wrists/ankles). It makes sense ... and further validates that superhuman hypothesis.

For the rest of us mere mortals, Vince says weight training is one of the best exercises for anyone, “the fountain of youth.” It’s especially beneficial for busy New Yorkers because you only need half an hour of weight training to start burning calories and building muscle, which also boosts metabolism.

Research further backs it up, saying that strength training not only builds muscle mass, it increases bone strength and lowers bad cholesterol. So where do we sign up? www.midcitygym.com

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NUTRITION

According to the EWG’s 2015 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, the foods with the highest amount of pesticides are:

Strawberries Apples Nectarines Peaches Celery Grapes Cherries Spinach Tomatoes Bell peppers

WORDS: SAMINA KALLOO

Cherry tomatoes Cucumbers (Additions to the list: hot pepper, kale/collard greens)

Dirty Dozen T

VS CLEAN 15

ake a walk down the aisles of a grocery store and you’ll find an organic counterpart to just about everything – from pre-packaged foods to fruits and vegetables. Food makers and retailers have all jumped on the bandwagon, thanks to an increasing demand by consumers. Yet most of us still don’t know whether spending the extra cash is really worth it. Is organic really better for us? And does everything we eat need to be organic? The truth is, foods marketed as organic may not always be worth their higher price tag.

Organic – that means no pesticides, right?

OK, let’s face it, most of us want to be healthy, and going organic conveys an aura of good health. But how many of us know what it actually means? Plants and animals termed organic have not been treated with antibiotics, growth hormones, ionizing radiation, pesticides, fertilizers from synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge or herbicides. Bonus: all organic foods are non-GMO (genetically modified). GMOs are plants and animals that have been grown by combining DNA of different species in a way that could not occur by nature. Labels for organic foods should state “USDA Certified 100% organic”. Otherwise foods labeled as “organic” or “made with organic ingredients” may still contain some non-organic ingredients.

Is it really worth the extra $?

Many of us, myself included, make weekly if not daily trips to our local store that typically sells conventional produce. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about buying conventional. But how do we know when to make the organic investment? If you’re not familiar with the EWG (Environmental Working Group), you’re about to learn why it is so important to our health. A non-profit, it has done groundbreaking research on environmental health concerns, and created the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce which identifies foods with the highest and lowest residues. The Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists are updated annually and for 2016, ranks strawberries as having the highest amount of pesticides (stealing the crown from apples which held the title for the past five years) and avocados the least. The EWG recommends buying organic whenever possible.

DIGITAL EDITION

“The health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure.”

Yes, but is there a nutritional edge?

Studies have flip-flopped on this. Some have shown there to be higher levels of Vitamin C and beneficial phytochemicals in organically grown produce. One recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that organic meat and milk contain about 50% more healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Organic milk was also found to have slightly higher levels of Vitamin E, iron and some carotenoids, while organic meat had slightly lower levels of two saturated fats. On the flipside, conventional milk had more of the essential mineral iodine and selenium. From a nutritional perspective, research appears to be more in favor of organic foods, but the jury is still out in terms of conclusive scientific evidence.

You do you Opting to go organic is a personal preference and, of course, depends on your budget. Although I recommend choosing organic for some produce, I encourage consumers to eat more fruits and vegetables in any way they are able to afford and incorporate them – organic or conventional – in their daily diet.

The health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure.

If you go for conventional produce, be sure to rinse it well with water and use a vegetable brush when necessary. Also, if you want to incorporate more organic foods on a budget, start with produce you eat most often and refer to the dirty dozen and clean 15 lists for guidance. Choose foods in season and check out a local farmer’s market where you may find some foods that are grown organically but without certification.

Samina Kalloo is a registered and certified dietitian, freelance nutrition consultant, and mom. Connect with her on Twitter (@SaminaKallooRD).

AND THE CLEAN FIFTEEN – those with the least amount of pesticides: Avocados Sweet corn* Pineapples Cabbage Sweet peas (frozen) Onions Asparagus Mangoes Papayas* Kiwi Eggplant Honeydew melon Grapefruit Cantaloupe Cauliflower

*A small amount of sweet corn, papaya and summer squash sold in the US is produced from GE seedstock. Buy organic varieties of these crops if you want to avoid GE produce (www.ewg.org).

The Dirty Dozen

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PETS

Wagging

Biggie Smalls Human’s name: Sacha.

Breed: Yorkie.

Age: Four.

What makes me bark: Well, I’m not a big fan of bulldogs. They definitely rub me the wrong way. Being alone isn’t my favorite, so sometimes when dad says it’s time to go to bed I like to tell him what’s on my mind.

Three words that describe me best: Sassy, handsome, cuddly.

Confession: I’m pretty naughty.

Sometimes I steal underwear. I also have an excessive collection of outerwear like my dad.

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Moxie Human’s name: Marjorie.

Breed: Mutt (some say I’m a Tibetan spaniel but I can’t afford DNA testing).

Age: I’m around 11.

What makes me bark: I bark when it’s time to eat.

Three words that describe me best: Tough, sweet, courageous.

Confession: There are no confessions because I’m perfect.

DIGITAL EDITION

Princess Leia Human’s name: Frances.

Breed: Shih tzu.

Age: I’m nine months old.

What makes me bark: Pigeons make me bark like crazy!

Three words that describe me best: Sweet, loving and spunky.

Confession: I have a hidden stash of my human’s socks and underwear behind my bed.

tales

PETS These camera-happy canines took a time out from the morning stroll for a quick Q&A with W42ST

Take a

bow-wow

S Monte Human’s name: George Breed: I’m a rescue, most likely a schnauzer/poodle terrier mix.

Age: I think I’m three.

What makes me bark: When I know it’s time for my outdoor walks.

Three words that describe me best: Energetic – I love walking the streets more than the dog park; sensitive – garbage day is my favorite with all the trash bag odors; and photogenic – I was in a photographic exhibition titled ‘It’s A Dog’s World’ in December.

Confession: My favorite place to poo is on the white shag carpet in the living room. I dream of a poo shag carpet all my own.

Instadog: @montemutt

a EllaCate and Erm Human’s name: Kerri.

Breed: (Itty bitty) Malteses.

Age: 12 (EllaCate) and 11 (Erma).

What makes us bark: Nearly everything, but especially Central Park carriage horses and food delivery guys.

Three words that describe us best: Feisty, globetrotting sisters.

Confessions: EllaCate: I’m the queen bee and I never let Erma look better than I do. Erma: I always try to eat my sister’s food.

DIGITAL EDITION

o many of you have contacted us, asking how your own happy hound can be included in Wagging Tales. Well, we’ve heard your pleas, duly considered them, and thought, hey, what the heck, why not? (We must have been barking mad not to have thought of it sooner!)

This all means, of course, that you can now send us the finest photograph you can find of your furry best friend, answer the questions below, then cross your paws you’ll be included in our monthly column of local canine celebrities.

Your name: Dog’s name: Breed: How old?

What makes your dog bark?

Three words that describe them best: Naughty confessions (dish the dirt – not literally, of course!): And are you an Instadog?

Send it to waggingtales@w42st.com and we’ll do the rest.

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LAST WORD

IMAGE: GEORGE HAHN

PHOTO FINISH

Film Center Cafe, 9th Ave - 44th/45th St

T

he Film Center Cafe was a misunderstood jewel of Hell’s Kitchen. It opened in 1933 (the year Prohibition was repealed) at 635 9th Avenue, directly across the street from the Film Center building.

It made its reputation as a reliable neighborhood joint that served simple but good food and generous drinks, and it attracted a wide range of people, including everyone from neighborhood regulars to film/theater/music industry people to celebrities. Everyone who behaved – or even slightly misbehaved – was welcome. It had a gritty, grounded sophistication.

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Over its long lifetime, it only had three different owners. When I moved to Hell’s Kitchen in 1995 and started going there as a customer, it was the end of the line for owner #2, whom I never met (but I remember hearing the names Diego and “Trigger” a lot). At the time, it still had its original “diner noir” design, complete with dark green vinyl booths, slate blue walls with fabulous Hollywood studio murals painted on them, ceiling tiles in muted primary colors, ceiling fans, a beautiful bar, an absolutely fabulous phone booth, a real cash register behind the bar that went “ka-ching” and other art deco touches.

I started working there in the summer of

DIGITAL EDITION

Above: The Film Center cafe was an art deco gem, but it finally closed in 2011, after 78 years in business.

1997, just after new owners took over.

Over my three years as a manager, bartender and waiter, they initiated a series of unfortunate changes that gradually diluted its character and alienated a lot of loyal regulars.The cafe eventually closed for good in 2011 after 78 years in business.

I ate a lot of good food, drank a LOT of good drinks, had a lot of laughs and made great friends at Film Center Cafe. It was one of Hell’s Kitchen’s only destination spots before Hell’s Kitchen became a destination spot. It was a well-worn neighborhood icon, and I miss it.

George Hahn (www.georgehahn.com)

Party in the park Here comes summer.

Join W42ST and Hudson Boulevard Park 5-8pm Wednesday May 25 100% FREE - just like W42ST Magazine

Co-hosted by Follow @w42st on social media for more details

Art, Music, Play, Games, Create, Fun, Freebies, Wine, Food

w42 st + TCHEN • I K S HE ’ L L LL E H

EN • HEL H C L T I ’S K K HELL’ K I T EN • C H CH E IT

’S

MAY 2016 FREE

THE GUIDE N

NEW YORK

K ELL’S ITCHEN •H •

Fold-out illustrated map; guide to all the best bars, restaurants, sights, and shopping, plus essential local businesses and services

© JEANINE HENDERSON/W42ST

GUIDE LISTINGS

STYLE

w42 st +

The essential guide to Hell’s Kitchen, from working out to eating out (and in) – It’s the business!

Metro Bicycles - Hell’s Kitchen

B&H Cameras

W42nd St - 8th/9th Ave

EAT

STYLE SHOP IT OUT

10th Ave - 46th/47th St

Mid City Gym

9th Ave - 34th St

NYC VELO W45th St - 10th/11th Ave

W

Rolates Pilates

Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market

Cyc Fitness

W39th St - 9th/10th Ave

8th Ave - 44th/45th St Cyc Fitness is a high-energy, music-

the city’s oldest flea markets. Year

Couture du Jour

stylists, costumers & girls about town.

www.CoutureduJourNYC.com (646) 595-6351

Thrift & New Shop

9th Ave - 37th/38th St 450 9th Ave - 35th/36th Ave

9th Ave - 43rd/44th St

Universal Gear 9th Ave - 48th/49th St

W

Best Barber

W

David Ryan Salon

10th Ave - 48th/49th St W46th St - 9th/10th Ave

Dramatics NYC

FIT FOR ANYTHING

JCohen Chiropractic W52nd St - 8th/9th Ave

Al’s Cycle Solutions 10th Ave - 47th/48th St

Erik’s Barbershop 10th Ave - 46th/47th St

plan goes beyond adjustments,

Hair 2 Stay

stretching and re-positioning, cryotherapy - even exercise.

W44th St - 8th/9th Ave

Hell’s Kitchen Barbers W56th St - 9th/10th Ave

PETS

www.jcohenchiropractic.com (646) 657-0032

Domus Unaffected Living

W57th St - 8th/9th Ave

Jonathan Cohen’s treatment incorporating massage, careful

W

9th Ave - 41st/42nd St

9th Avenue Barbershop

LIVING

W47th St - 8th/9th Ave

42nd Nails & Spa

Albano Salon

TAGG 9th Ave - 48th/49th St

Delphinium Home

(212) 256-1347 www.cycfitness.com

info@hellskitchenfleamarket.com www.annexmarkets.com

A well-curated collection of mint accessories is a favorite haunt for

offers a unique, whole-body workout.

vintage clothes, collectibles & more!

W44th St - 8th/9th Ave condition vintage clothing and

driven, indoor cycling experience that

round, each weekend. Antiques,

HELLO GORGEOUS

OUT

An authentic NY experience, one of

8th Ave - 55th/56th St

W44th St - 9th/10th Ave Owners Luisa and Nicki work

Blocker Yoga

with artisans around globe to

www.blockeryoga.com

source unique home decor items,

Get your zen on with private or

gifts and jewelry. Candles and

group yoga classes led by certified

cards make it a one-stop shop.

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retreats. (912) 313-9911

Manhattan Kayak Company

blockeryoga@gmail.com

Pier 84 - Hudson River Visit us daily for New York kayaking

Ties, handkerchiefs, suspenders, socks, hats,

Enoch’s Bike Shop

jewelry, flasks, cards, books, gifts & more.

10th Ave - 36th/37th Ave

www.fineanddandyshop.com

Glitz & Glory 9th Ave - 52nd/53rd St

Housing Works Thrift Shop 9th Ave - 49th/50th St

W51st St - 8th/9th Ave

offering worldwide yoga + wellness

Fine And Dandy W49th St - 9th/10th Ave

Hell’s Kitchen Rolfing

instructor, Brooke Blocker. Also

www.domusnewyork.com.com (212) 581-8099

and stand-up paddleboard tours, group and 1-on-1 how-to training and SUP Yoga. A hop, skip and

Liberty Bicycles

jump from Hell’s Kitchen.

9th Ave - 55th/56th St

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Manhattan Plaza Health Club

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Mark Fisher Fitness

www.manhattankayak.com (212) 924-1788

W43rd St - 9th/10th Ave W39th St - 9th/10th Ave

Proven hands-on healing art for athletes, dancers & anyone experiencing physical pain.

Enjoy a new level of well-being and physical freedom.

(212) 307-5367 www.rolfingnyc.nyc

Jeunesse Hair Salon Jeunesse Hair Salon

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Mercedes Club

Kolorbar

W54th St - 10th/11th Ave

W39th St - 8th/9th Ave

3

DIGITAL EDITION

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Kahve 9th Avenue

Massage Envy

9th Ave - 51st/52nd St

W42nd St - 10th/11th Ave

National brand provider of professional

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massage and Murad facial services.

(212) 473-3689

W39th St - 8th/9th Ave

W38th St - 9th/10th Ave

Alisa Krutovsky Graphic Design

West Vibe Hair Salon W46th St - 9th/10th Ave

READY FOR YOUR CLOSE-UP

www.alisakrutovsky.com

Ortal Mizrahi Photography

Graphic Design, Web Design,

ortalmzrhi@gmail.com www.bitly.com/ortalmizrahi (347) 592-7107

Print & Editorial, Illustration, Informational Design.

lisusha@yahoo.com

VROOM

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54th Street Auto Center W54th St - 9th/10th Ave

Cybert Tire and Car Care Elodie Saracco Photographic www.bitly.com/elodiesaracco

11th Ave - 51st/52nd St

Nacho Guevara Photography www.nachoguevara.com

Elodie Saracco’s authentic lifestyle

I’m a professional portrait and

photography captures the colorful

fashion photographer committed

and energetic moments of the natural

to producing highly creative

beauty she finds in all her subjects.

pictures with a unique look.

elodie.saracco@gmail.com

iguedur@gmail.com (773) 441-9455

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Westside Highway Car Wash W47th St - 12th Ave

EAT TIME FOR BRUNCH

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Cosmic Diner

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Friedman’s

8th Ave - 52nd/53rd St 10th Ave - 35th St

Gotham West Market 11th Ave - 44th/45th St

Ilona Lieberman Photography

Hourglass Tavern W46th St - 8th/9th Ave

www.ilonalieberman.com Ilona Lieberman Photography is based in New York. She shoots editorial portraits, photojournalist weddings and relaxed modern

Stockwell Photography

family portraiture. (917) 566-6900

www.stockwellphotography.com

ilona@ilonalieberman.com

Specializing in actors’ headshot, fitness models, events and weddings.

(212) 465-0942 rickstockwell22@gmail.com

Jay Cleaners M2 Organic Cleaners

subjects--dogs and children.

www.behance.net/MauraLynch

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W34th St - 9th/10th Ave

Theatre Row Diner W42nd St - 9th/10th Ave

Tick Tock Diner 8th Ave - 34th St

COFFEE & COOKIES

Environmental portraits, editorial,

Center, Piers 92 & 94. Favorite

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Skylight Diner

W42nd St - 10th/11th Ave

Balloon Bouquets

9th Ave - 43rd/44th St

Madison Square Garden, Javits

Rustic Table

Westway Diner

molynchphoto@gmail.com features. Specialty--events at

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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES W43rd St - 9th/10th Ave

Mo Lynch Photography

W42nd St - 9th/10th Ave

Kee’s Chocolates

Pura Dermatology

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Kava Cafe

9th Ave - 54th/55th St

Schwartz Luggage Storage W37th St - 8th/9th Ave

9th Ave - 43rd/44th St

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Amy’s Bread

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Frisson Espresso

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Green Nature Coffee House

9th Ave - 46th/47th St W47th St - 8th/9th Ave

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Little Pie Company

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Poseidon Greek Bakery

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REX Coffee

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Schmackary’s Cookies

W43rd St - 9th/10th Ave 9th Ave - 44th/45th St 10th Ave - 56th/57th St W45th St - 8th/9th Ave

Snax Spot 9th Ave - 39th/40th St

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The Cafe Grind

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The Jolly Goat Coffee Bar

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Think Coffee

10th Ave - 36th/37th St W47th St - 10th/11th Ave W42nd St - 11th/12th Ave

Underwest Donuts 12th Ave - 46th/47th St

LUNCH BREAK Atomic Wings 9th Ave - 39th/40th St

Azuri Cafe W51st - 9th/10th Ave

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Better Being 940 9th Ave - 39th/40th St

Bombay Grill House 9th Ave - 51st/52nd St

China Xiang W42nd St - 8th/9th Ave

Chirping Chicken 9th Ave - 42nd/43rd St

City Kitchen at Row NYC 8th Ave - 44th/45th St

Curry Hut 9th Ave - 39th/40th St

El Rancho Burritos W45th St - 8th/9th Ave

Gazala Place 9th Ave - 48th/49th St

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Fresh From Hell W47th St - 8th/9th Ave

Fresh, delicious food and juices, prepared in a friendly, neighborly way.

(212) 956-4355

W42nd St - 10th/11th St

Vera’s Shoe Repair

Kahve 10th Avenue

Hell’s Chicken

9th Ave - 45th/46th St

10th Ave 46th/47th St

10th Ave - 45th/46th St

4

DIGITAL EDITION

Hell’s Kitchen

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

FLEA MARKET There’s a FLEA in your kitchen? What the devil...?

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“The market offers a unique NYC experience: a pedestrianfriendly treasurehunting adventure with a special feel of history and neighborhood.”

ell’s Kitchen Flea Market, a NYC landmark where you could find or sell your next treasure. Attracting New Yorkers and tourists alike, up to 140 vendors of vintage clothing, antiques, collectibles, retro and unique furniture and jewelry gather on a once desolate, unpopulated street in Hell’s Kitchen.

As a pioneer to help revitalize the neighborhood in 2003, the market takes its legacy from the historical Paddy’s Market of the late 1800s that operated for decades in the same location.

Paddy’s brought together a diverse community to buy, sell, gather, connect and thrive. Push cart vendors would roll into the market selling anything from the local catch of the day to produce to household items. The bustling market existed as a major place of commerce to the neighborhood predominately inhabited by immigrants.

Although the surroundings have changed, the mission behind the market remains the same: to create a community asset providing livelihoods

while also harkening back to the days of open-air markets as community gathering places.

Flea markets are essential to the make-up of any city and NYC is no exception. Much like the city of New York, the markets are constantly evolving based on the changes in the community that surrounds it and the interests of the people. For every HKFM shopper, the market offers a unique NYC experience: a pedestrian-friendly treasure-hunting adventure with a special feel of history and neighborhood.

So next time you visit a flea market, look for the city within the market and open your mind to an insider’s view.

WHAT’S HAPPENING OUR HEART’S IN THE ARTS: HK Foundation awards grants to visual artists in Hell’s Kitchen, including those needing help with living expenses. If you’re an artist in Hell’s Kitchen APPLY NOW! Visit hellskitchenfoundation. org for more info or e-mail hellskitchenfoundation@gmail.com.

Find us on www.facebook.com/hellskitchenfleamarket

RESIDENT RUMMAGE: What’s in your closet? Gotta move? Come sell! Join us every third Saturday of the month for the new RESIDENT RUMMAGE events. First-time rummager gets a FREE 3’ table, community resident tent, help setting up. For reservations or questions call 212-220-0239 x219.

And be sure to tell us you saw us in W42ST. OPEN TO CHELSEA AND HELL’S KITCHEN RESIDENTS ONLY.

@annexmarkets

@annexmarkets 5

Manganaro’s Hero Boy

Uncle Mario’s Brick Oven Pizza

Landmark Tavern

9th Ave - 35th/36th St

9th Ave - 49th/50th St

11th Ave - 45th/46th St

Paradigm Cafe

HERE FOR THE BEER

9th Ave - 37th/38th St

McGee’s Pub W55th St - 7th/8th Ave

Sergimmo Salumeria

AS IS

Molloy’s Irish Pub

9th Ave - 35th/36th St

10th Ave - 50th St

9th Ave - 49th/50th St

Craft beers & cocktails, speciality foods

Sushi Star

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9th Ave - 35th/36th St

Taqueria Tehuitzingo

with happy hour weekdays 3-6pm.

Kiabacca 10th Ave - 45th/46th St

Featuring 20 specialty brick oven

9th Ave - 42nd/43rd St

pizzas and a high quality selection of rotating crafts at fantastic prices.

Tehuitzingo Deli & Grocery

www.asisnyc.com

Beer Authority W40th St - 8th Ave

Beer Culture

10th Ave - 47th/48th St

Always interesting draft cocktails

Vintner Wine Market

and wine on tap. Comfortable vibe.

W45th St - 8th/9th Ave

www.kiabaccabar.com (212) 649-4675

Brickyard Gastropub

9th Ave - 46th/47th St

Zoob Zib 9th Ave - 35th/36th St

BURGERS AND PIZZA 42nd Street Pizza W42nd St - 11th/12th Ave Original brownstone “mom & pop” restaurant with a menu of pizza & more.

(212) 594-4312

Capizzi Pizzeria & Wine Bar 9th Ave - 40th/41st St

9th Ave - 52nd/53rd St

10th Ave - 43rd St

New York Beer Company W44th St - 8th/9th Ave

Rattle ‘N Hum W39th St - 8th/9th Ave

Rudy’s Bar & Grill 9th Ave - 44th/45th St

Dalton’s Bar & Grill 9th Ave - 43rd/44th St

Dave’s Tavern

Clyde Frazier’s 10th Ave - 37th/38th St

9th Ave - 41st/42nd St

Daisy May’s BBQ

steps away from Times Square.

Authentic, 40 year-old Irish dive bar,

11th Ave - 46th St

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Mr. Biggs Bar & Grill

(917) 475-1473

Lucky’s Famous Burgers W52nd St - 8th/9th Ave

TO GET YOUR HELL’S KITCHEN BUSINESS LISTING IN OUR DIRECTORY

Heartland Brewery

Scallywag’s Irish Bar & Restaurant 9th Ave - 38th/39th St

8th Ave - 40th/41st St

The best Irish hospitality in Hell’s

Holland Bar

live music every night, happy hour,

9th Ave - 39th/40th St

Houndstooth Pub 8th Ave - 36th/37th St

Kitchen. We offer delicious food, great sport - it’s all here for you.

www.scallywagsnyc.com (646) 490-4803

House of Brews W51st St - 8th/9th Ave

Iron Bar 8th Ave - 44th/45th St

Ivy 8th Ave - 55th/56th St

Juniper Bar W35th St - 7th/8th Ave

The Brazen Tavern W44th St - 8th/9th Ave A beautiful and well appointed Classic American Tavern & Bar located in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen.

One of the coziest places in town with two floors & gorgeous bars.

Lansdowne Road 10th Ave - 43rd/44th St

Get one of these in your window

This neighborhood sports bar is a great place to gather for tasty pub

Social Bar, Grill & Lounge

food, wings and a wide selection of

8th Ave - 48th/49th St

beers while watching your favorite

Stitch Bar & Lounge

team. Back bar available for parties.

www.lansdowneroadnyc.com (212) 239-8020

Email us at sticker@w42st.com

(212) 445-0135 www.thebrazentavern.com

W37th St - 7th/8th Ave

The Jolly Monk 9th Ave - 48th/49th St

TO SEE YOUR YOUR BUSINESS LISTED IN THIS SECTION, EMAIL BOB@W42ST.COM

6

DIGITAL EDITION

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PICK UP YOUR W42ST HERE

El Azteca

The Marshal

Esanation Thai Street Food

9th Ave - 52nd/53rd St

10th Ave - 44th/45th Ave

The Pony Bar

9th Ave - 50th/51st St

10th Ave - 45th St

The newest and unique Thai

Il Forno

Tulcingo Del Valle

Neighborhood bar serving fantastic

restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen featuring

8th Ave - 44th/45th St

10th Ave - 46th/47th St

American craft beer. Our 20 “world

Thai street food and specializing in

Kodama Sushi & Japanese

class” drafts are always rotating &

Northeastern Thai dishes.

W45th St - 8th/9th Ave

SOMETHING SPECIAL

(212) 315-0555 www.esanation.com

Noodies

our food is tasty and inexpensive.

www.theponybar.com (212) 586-2707

9th Ave - 54th/55th St

Bricco Ristorante W56th St - 8th/9th Ave

Oovina 9th Ave - 37th/38th St

The Waylon

Route 66 Cafe

10th Ave - 50th/51st St

9th Ave - 55th/56th St

Ti Na Nog

Siri Thai

W39th St - 8th/9th Ave

10th Ave - 45th/46th St

Valhalla 9th Ave - 53rd/54th St

West End Bar & Grill 8th Ave - 48th/49th St

BOYS & BARS 9th Avenue Saloon 9th Ave - 45th/46th St

Flaming Saddles Saloon 9th Ave - 52nd/53rd St

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Chez Josephine

Ñaño Ecuadorian Kitchen

W42nd St - 9th/10th Ave Return to the joie de vivre of 1920s

10th Ave - 47th/48th St

Paris, with a blue tin ceiling, red

Ecuadorable! Quaint, Ecuadorian

velvet walls and chandeliers lighting

eatery serving traditional dishes with some modern flair. Family recipes make Ñaño a special experience.

www.nannobarnyc.com (646) 649-4678

CHILL DINNER 9th Ave - 42nd/43rd St

www.chezjosephine.com (212) 594-1925

9th Ave - 48th/49th St Contemporary interior with classic Thai and traditional Northern Thai dishes. Everyday

Cara Mia

happy hours with drink specials.

9th Ave - 45th/46th St

Truly fun and Vibrant place to be.

Chimichurri Grill

(212) 581-5999 www.vivthainyc.com

At Nine Restaurant

up Josephine Baker portraits.

v{iv} Thai Restaurant & Bar

9th Ave - 43rd/44th St

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Esca W43rd St - 9th/10th Ave

North River Lobster Pier 81, W41st St - 12th Ave North River Lobster Co. is NY’s 1st floating lobster shack. Dine & unwind on 1 of 3 decks while taking short cruises on the

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Bourbon Street Bar W46th St - 8th/9th Ave

Feel like you stepped into New Orleans’ French Quarter with gas

Hudson up to 7 times per day.

(212) 630-8831 www.northriverlobsterco.com

lamps, wrought iron balconies,

Bar Bacon

hurricanes and delicious Cajun fare.

9th Ave - 54th/55th St

(212) 245-2030 www.bourbonny.com

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White Oak 10th Ave - 54th/55th St

W42 St - 8th/9th Ave

Pier 81, W41st St - 12th Ave

It’s worth the effort to walk a few

Fish Bar at North River Landing, a

more blocks! Home of the ALL DAY

3-story seafood restaurant & lounge

Happy Hour + $1 Oysters. Craft

on a 160 ft. yacht, sails along the

cocktails - Elevated “Pub Grub”

Hudson and is home to a vibrant

- Raw Bar - Daily Specials.

bar scene.

www.WhiteOakNYC.com (646) 692-9247

Dafni Greek Taverna

Fish Bar

(212) 630-8840 www.northriverfishbar.com

TO SEE YOUR YOUR BUSINESS LISTED IN THIS SECTION, EMAIL BOB@W42ST.COM

7

DIGITAL EDITION

Green Fig

Tartina

Yotel, 10th Ave - 41st/42nd St

9th Ave - 45th/46th St

Shared dishes, locally sourced ingredients,

EATING IN

perfectly crafted wine list.

(646) 449-7790

Hakkasan W43rd St - 8th/9th Ave

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34th Street Wine & Spirits

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42nd Street Wine Loft W42nd St - 10th/11th Ave

La Vela Dining & Bar 11th Ave - 42nd/43rd St

Pio Pio 10th Ave - 43rd/44th

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PRINT Restaurant 11th Ave - 47th/48th Ave

Ninth Avenue Vintner

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Odyssey Wine & Spirits

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Ray & Frank Liquor Store

9th Ave - 46th/47th St 10th Ave - 37th/38th St 9th Ave - 48th/49th St

9th Ave - 40th/41st St

W46th St - 8th/9th Ave

Big Apple Market

Staghorn Steakhouse

9th Ave - 39th/40th St

W36th St - 8th/9th Ave

A true Hell’s Kitchen institution

Taboon

poultry and groceries at super

serving USDA choice meats,

10th Ave - 52nd/53rd St

low prices. Serving the neighborhood since 1991.

Trattoria Casa Di Isacco

(212) 563-2555

9th Ave - 39th/40th St

Uncle Vanya Cafe W54th St - 8th/9th Ave

COCKTAIL HOUR Barcelona Bar 8th Ave - 54th/55th St

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Brooklyn Fare

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Empire Coffee & Tea Company

W37th St - 9th/10th Ave 9th Ave - 41st/42nd St

Esposito Meat Market

Press Lounge

9th Ave - 37th/38th St

11th Ave - 47th/48th St

Social Drink And Food Yotel, 10th Ave - 41st/42nd St “Middleterranean” inspired dishes, perfectly crafted wine list.

(646) 449-7790

WINE O’CLOCK Adella W43rd St - 9th/10th Ave

Ardesia Wine Bar W52nd St - 10th/11th Ave

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Grace Wine & Spirits

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Grand Cru Wine & Spirits

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Gristedes

W48th St - 9th/10th Ave It may be little, but this wine bar packs a powerful punch

11th Ave - 43rd St 8th Ave - 53rd/54th St

Healthy Market Deli 10th Ave - 45th St

Hell’s Kitchen Brewtique 9th Ave - 39th/40th St

www.pocketbarnyc.com

W43rd St - 9th/10th Ave

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Stiles Farmers Market W52nd St - 8th/9th Ave

Sullivan Street Bakery W47th St - 10th/11th Ave

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SUNAC Natural Market

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The MKT @ Mercedes House

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Veritas Studio Wines

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Westerly Natural Market

W42nd St - 11th Ave W54th St - 10th/11th Ave W45th St - 10th/11th Ave 8th Ave - 54th St

OUT BROADWAY BABY

W42nd St - 9th/10th Ave

The New Group W42nd St - 9th/10th Ave

MUSICAL INTERLUDE Birdland W44th St - 8th/9th Ave

Jazz at Lincoln Center 10 Columbus Circle

SEE THE SIGHTS Circle Line W42nd St - 12th Ave

Hudson River Park 12th Ave - 34th/59th St

Intrepid Museum W46th St - 12th Ave

Javits Center W34th St - 11th Ave

NY Waterway Ferry 12th Ave - 39th/40th St

The Daily Show 11th Ave - 51st/52nd St

Tom Otterness Playground W42st - 11th/12th Ave

VIA 57WEST

W54th St - 10th/11th Ave

W57th St - 12th Ave

Davenport Theater

Orchestra of St. Luke’s

W45th St - 8th/9th Ave

W37th St - 9th/10th Ave

Ensemble Studio Theatre New Dramatists

Manhattan Plaza Winery

Signature Theatre

Ars Nova Theater

W52nd St - 10th/11th Ave

International Grocery

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Simply Natural

10th Ave - 43rd/44th St

9th Ave - 40th/41st St

Pocket Bar NYC

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Sea Breeze Fish Market

Sangria 46

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W34th St - 9th/10th Ave

PICK UP YOUR W42ST HERE

W44th St - 9th/10th Ave

LET’S DANCE Alvin Ailey Theater W55th St - 9th Ave

9th Ave - 42nd/43rd St

BUILDING MANAGERS AND CONCIERGES

Mazzella’s Market 9th Ave - 47th/48th St

PICK UP YOUR W42ST HERE

Would you like your residents to get copies of W42ST Magazine every month?

Contact Bob Bruno bob@w42st.com or (929) 428-0767 and we’ll deliver!

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Pick up your copy of W42ST at these residences and hotels.

TO SEE YOUR YOUR BUSINESS LISTED IN THIS SECTION, EMAIL BOB@W42ST.COM

8

DIGITAL EDITION

Baryshnikov Arts Center W37th St - 9th/10th Ave

TIME TO PLAY Frames Bowling Lounge 9th Ave - 40th/41st St

Lucky Strike W42nd St - 12th Ave

Mud Sweat & Tears 10th Ave - 46th St

Space Ibiza W50th St - 11th/12th Ave

GET YOUR ART ON

STAYCATION

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414 Hotel

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Belvedere Hotel

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Candlewood Suites Times Square

W46th St - 9th/10th Ave W48th St - 8th/9th Ave

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Homewood Suites New York

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Ink 48 Hotel, a Kimpton Hotel

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Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites

W37th St - 8th/9th Ave 11th Ave - 47th/48th Ave W40th St - 8th/9th Ave

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Cassa Times Square Hotel 9th Ave - 38th/39th St

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New York Marriott Marquis

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Comfort Inn & Suites Times Square South

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Quality Inn Convention Center

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Residence Inn New York

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Row NYC Hotel

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Skyline Hotel

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Staybridge Suites Times Square

W39th St - 8th/9th Ave

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Comfort Inn Midtown West W48th St - 10th/11th Ave

Comfort Inn Times Square West W44th St - 8th/9th Ave

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Courtyard Marriott

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DoubleTree by Hilton

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W37th St - 8th/9th Ave W36th St - 8th/9th Ave

Econo Lodge Times Square W47th St - 8th/9th Ave

The OUT NYC

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The Time Hotel

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Travel Inn

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Washington Jefferson Hotel

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Wyndham New Yorker

W42nd St - 10th/11th Ave W49th St - 7th/8th Ave W42nd St - 10th/11th Ave W51st St - 8th/9th Ave 8th Ave - 34th/35th St

Broadway - 45th/46th St W36th St - 9th/10th Ave 16th Ave - 38th/39th St 8th Ave - 44th/45th St 10th Ave - 49th/50th St

W40th St - 8th/9th Ave

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The Knickerbocker

LIVING RENT OR BUY

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360 W43rd St

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420W42

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432W52

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Crystal Green

W43rd St - 8th/9th Ave W42nd St - 9th/10th Ave W52nd St - 9th/10th Ave

Addison Hall

W57th St - 9th/10th Ave W39th St - 8th/9th Ave

W42nd St - Broadway

Fountain House Gallery

www.fountaingallerynyc.com ariel@fountaingallerynyc.com

W39th St - 8th/9th Ave

Natural light, open spaces & healthy options. Restore balance in the Big Apple.

www.elementtimessquare.com

Four Points by Sheraton

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French Quarters Apartments

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Hampton Inn - Times Square North

W40th St - 8th/9th St W46th St - 8th/9th Ave

8th Ave - 51st/52nd St

Lanyon 36 Gallery W36th St - 9th/10th Ave

Full Service Gallery: Artwork, Art Consulting Services, Framing, Installation. Original Fine Art, giclees, photography, prints, etc...

Public and Trade.

www.lanyon36.com (212) 971-0100

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Hampton Inn - Times Square South

W39th St - 8th/9th Ave

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Hilton Garden Inn Times Square

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Hilton Times Square

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Holiday Inn - Times Square South

10th Ave - 36th/37th St

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K

THE GUIDE NEW YORK

Fold-out illustrated map; guide to all the best bars, restaurants, sights, and shopping, plus essential local businesses and services

8th Ave - 48th/49th Ave W42nd St - 7th/8th Ave

8th Ave - 38th/39th St

Sean Kelly Gallery

’S

MAY 2016 FREE

CHEN • HELL’S KIT

HELL’ KI TC EN • HE CH IT

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TO GET YOUR BUSINESS IN OUR LISTINGS, TAKE OUT AN ADVERT, OR SPONSOR ANY OF THE PAGES IN W42ST+, WE HAVE A PACKAGE TO SUIT YOUR BUSINESS PROFILE AND BUDGET. w42 st + TCHEN • S KI HE LL’ LL HE

artists living with mental illness.

Element Times Square West

K ELL’S ITCHEN •H •

original, affordable art made by local

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9th Ave - 48th St

Our original exhibits and sells

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Holiday Inn Express - Times Square

W39th St - 8th/9th Ave

W39th St - 8th/9th Ave

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Holiday Inn Express - Midtown West

Email bob@w42st.com or t: (929) 428-0767

W48th St - 10th/11th Ave

TO SEE YOUR YOUR BUSINESS LISTED IN THIS SECTION, EMAIL BOB@W42ST.COM

9

DIGITAL EDITION

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Emerald Green

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Gotham West

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Instrata at Mercedes House

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Manhattan Plaza

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Mercedes House

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Midwest Court

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One MiMa Tower

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One River Place W42nd St - 11th/12th Ave

FIX IT UP

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Parc Vendome

Adam 99 Cents & Up

W57th St - 8th/9th Ave

10th Ave - 51st/52nd St

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Riverbank West

W38th St - 8th/9th Ave W45th St - 10th/11th Ave W54th St - 10th/11th Ave W43rd St - 9th/10th Ave W54th St - 10th/11th Ave W53rd St - 9th/10th Ave W42nd St - 9th/10th Ave

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The Helux

Framing on 9th

W43rd St - 10th/11th Ave

9th Ave - 51st/52nd St

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The Link

Fresh Cut Flowers

W52nd St - 8th/9th Ave

W43rd St - 9th/10th Ave

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The Orion Condominium

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The Park Clinton

Jadite Custom Picture Framing

W52nd St - 10th/11th Ave

10th Ave - 46th/47th St

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The Westport

Prudence Design & Events

W56th St - 10th/11th Ave

W36th St - 8th/9th Ave

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The Whitby

GO FOR BROKER

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Two Worldwide Plaza

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W43rd St - 10th/11th Ave

W42nd St - 8th/9th Ave

W45th St - 8th/9th Ave

W

Gotham Mini Storage 10th Ave - 38th/39th St

Isaac Halpern Halstead Property I live in Hell’s Kitchen and I specialize in sales and rentals in the neighborhood. Contact me to find the perfect home for you!.

(646) 641-0145 ihalpern@halstead.com

W50th St - 8th/9th Ave

PETS

Coco and Toto 11th Ave - 51st/52nd St

American Home Hardware 9th Ave - 42nd/43rd St

W

Silver Towers

Clinton Glass & Mirrors

W42nd St - 11th/12th Ave

9th Ave - 46th/47th St

W

The Armory

Columbus Hardware

W42nd St - 10th/11th Ave

9th Ave - 55th/56th St

W

The Helena

Epstein’s Paint Center

W57th St - 11th/12th Ave

W52nd St - 10th/11th Ave

Ian TD Smith TD Realty Corp As a native and long term resident of Hell’s Kitchen, Ian provides extensive real estate services to his neighbors in and out of the The Kitchen.

(917) 216-2771 ian@pocketbroker.co

W42ST

Petland Discounts 9th Ave - 49th/50th St

Pets NYC 9th Ave - 42nd/43rd St

W

The Spot Experience W42nd St - 11th/12th Ave

Westside Animal Hospital W46th St - 9th/10th Ave

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