The Other Four (actually Five - Baller!)

Hi Sweet Friends!

I hope that you had a beautiful Thanksgiving!  Mine was very fun!  I made a foccacia appetizer, and then wouldn't stop telling everyone that I saw, or spoke to, that I had made the bread, by myself, with my own two hands.  I am sure that it was super adorable of me, and not the least bit annoying to my family or friends.  

Because I am a couple days late in my post (turkey hangover!) I need to reward you all with the other five, count them FIVE places that I went last week!  Bringing my grand total for November 15th through the 22nd to six.  I just high fived myself - which is awkward because it was really just more like a clap...but the sentiment was there :)


Zirzamin 
90 W Housten St, Greenwich Village
I came here on Friday, and the performance space was really awesome, there were a lot of seats and also room to stand.  They have waitress service at your tables, which is great!  The acoustics were wonderful, and it was intimate enough to really have a nice back and forth with the band.  Afterwards my friends and I hung out in the bar and that was also a good scene.  They've done a good job so separating the bar from the stage, so you can hang out there if you want to chat.  The lighting was n ice and low (my fave) the scene was fun and energetic and the drinks were reasonably priced.  Totally a good spot for a group, or as a fun and different spot for a 2nd or 3rd date!

Antica Pesa 
115 Berry St
(btwn N. 7th and N. 8th)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn 

I went there on Tuesday, and the decor is awesome.  They have a working fireplace surrounded by leather couches, really high ceilings, dark wood and soft lighting - a totally sexy vibe.  The service was great, but I was bummed, because the food wasn't that great - with so many other options in the neighborhood I don't think that I'll be going back for dinner.  But I would totally recommend going there for drinks on a chilly night to cuddle up around that fireplace with a nice glass of Chianti from the bar.

Wythe Hotel
80 Wythe St
(Btwn N.12th and N.13th)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

After dinner I went for drinks at the rooftop bar at the Wythe Hotel.  It was amazing!!  The views of the city were phenomenal, and because it was a Tuesday in the fall it wasn't too busy - which was lovely.  We were able to get seats at the bar, and take in the views of all of Manhattan!  The bartender was lovely, the prices for cocktails weren't too expensive - I had a total crush on the bar and I would love to go back again soon!  This would be a great place to take a first date - there are tables if you want to have some alone time, and the scene would definitely impress!

Vittoria Cafe 
166 Bedford Ave
(Btwn N.8th and N.7th)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn 

The reason why this five new places a week is so fun, because this is a super cute coffee shop that walk by all the time, but have never been into!  It is a really lovely cafe - marble counter top, tons of light - very sweet service, and the coffee is fantastic!  Big crush.

Smoochie Baby
110 Berry St.
(Btwn N. 8th and N.7th)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Many of my beautiful friends have begun to procreate, and I now have the pleasure of buying them adorable clothing that I wish fit me.  I had never been in this store, but they have the cutest stuff for very hip babies!  The prices are steep, so I don't know that I will be a regular there but I know where to go when I need something Brooklyn themed for my friends new little nuggets!

5 New Places a Week

So, in case you were wondering - right now I'm that guy.  You know the one who starts a blog and is all "I'm going to write a blog and it is going to be amazo, and I'm going to be really aggressive and awesome about it!" and then bupkis!  I just quit.  Like a jerk.

I'm sorry.

I mean it this time.

For realisies.

Now to the matter at hand, why I'm back - I'm thinking of changing this whole thing up a little.  The reason why I became the go-to person for dates, was because I went out a lot...a lot a lot.  It started when I moved to the city, and I wanted to basically hug the whole place, but I felt like I couldn't get my arms around it - so I was left in this weird arms extended in a circle thing with no ability to have my two hands meet.  Which is not only awkward, but it is also uncomfortable.  I wanted to change that, so I challenged myself to go to 5 new places every week.  It didn't matter what kind of establishment it was, it could have been a nail salon, a hotel, a bar, a park you name it - it counted.  I would go to each place, and write a little summary of what I thought of it for my own reference in a book I carried with me, and I'd be on my merry way.  It made me feel like New York was getting smaller - 5 places at a time.

Over the last few years I've stopped doing that, and I've been thinking about how much I miss it!  So i'm bringing it back, but now on a more public forum in hopes of making myself do it, educating others on fun places to go (or not go...) and *hopefully* being able to create some dates for you beautiful people from the places that I've been visiting!

Waddaya say?

You're in!  Awesome sauce!

Haas
202 Leonard St
Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11206

I went there and picked up some tacos for dinner  Its a cute place, small, but has really big windows, low lighting.  I ordered tacos, and I did a little sampling and the fish taco was by far the best!  I feel like this would be a great place in the summer for margs and some time spent in their awesome back garden which i peeked at through the back door while bundled up in my giant jacket :)  Ok, one place down - four to go!  I can feel my hands getting closer to each other all ready..

Manhattan: The Island

Hi Friends,  I’ve missed you.  A lot.  Have I mentioned that you are pretty?  Like really really pretty?  Its true.  Ask anyone.  (PS sorry I’ve been missing in action)

A little known fact – Manhattan is an island.  Not just an island in the sense that New Yorkers are unlike any other group of people in the world, but also in the sense that it is almost impossible to get any of my friends to cross the east river to come to Brooklyn.  That being said, I think that the East River is one of the most underutilized date destinations in New York City, and its pretty inexpensive! 

This would be more of a weekend date and the length of it really depends up on how you feel about your date.  If you are really into them then this could be an amazing day long adventure – if you are still getting to know the other person take the bits that you think would be the most fun for you two!

Start your date by getting on the East River Ferry, http://www.nywaterway.com/ERF-Home.aspx it departs from Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn – find the terminal that works best for you and your date to depart from and hop on!  Take the ferry for the low price of 4 bucks to Governors Island.  Where depending up on how much time you have you can rent bikes http://govisland.com/html/visit/biking.shtml

Or play miniature golf http://newyork.figmentproject.org/long-term-exhibitions/2011figment-minigolf/

Or just relax with a drink and take in the amazing view http://www.watertaxibeach.com/governors_island

When you are finished taking in all of the sites that Governors Island has to offer (the grounds honestly looks like an East Coast liberal arts college!)  You can hop back onto the East River Ferry and either go back to where you began your date, enjoying the beautiful views of Manhattan Island on your way there, or you could extend your date by stopping at the Fulton Ferry Pier and have dinner there. 

Grimaldi’s is the classic choice, for incredible New York pizza that “made the Brooklyn Bridge famous.”  The pizza is fantastic, but the lines are usually really long.  If you are like me and become hangry after waiting for more than 15 minutes to be seated, let me recommend another option Ignazio’s Pizza http://ignaziospizza.com/.  The pizza is wonderful, and the service is great and the restaurant is right on the water.

After a day of island adventure, delish dinner and summer awesomeness – go share a milk shake from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory http://www.brooklynicecreamfactory.com/home.html  (with two straws, obvi) and while looking out at the Brooklyn Bridge, know that you have just let your date know how wonderful it is to be an islander.

Lets All Go to the Movies

First of all, sorry its been so long friends, I know that you all have been sitting around during this long cold snowy winter wanting to date, but not being able to because I have selfishly not been posting dates for you to go on!  I hope that you can forgive me.

What was that?

You already have!

Wow, you are a gem!

Okay, now that we are back in love let me tell you about the next date that you should go on.  As we all know it is Oscar season, and suddenly everyone standing around the water cooler wants to talk about stuttering monarchs and skinny dancing bird people, and you have nothing to offer to the conversation except how happy you are that Sammi Sweetheart and JWoww are friends again on the Jersey Shore. 

Even if you missed all of the award nominated movies when they first came out, the good news is that they have all been re-released in theaters.  So you can go on a date AND be the most knowledgeable person at the water cooler – double win!

My favorite place to see movies is at the Union Square movie theater (850 Broadway, New York, NY 10003).  It is great place to meet, because it is near so many subways, and there are great restaurants and bars in the area for after or before.  A little thoughtfulness goes a long way, so buy your tickets in advance right here http://www.fandango.com/regalunionsquarestadium14_aajnk/theaterpage and avoid the lines at the theater and that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach that the film is going to be sold out.  

A great place to meet for dinner before the movie is Piola (48 E 12^th St, New York, NY 10003 http://www.piola.it/mondo2.php?id=6).  It is a quality pizza place with good prices, super tasty pizza and amazo salads.  If you are looking to stretch your date dollar they also have specials, like a happy hour where you order a drink at the bar and they serve you free appetizers from 5-7.  You can basically eat the equivalent of a meal for the price of a drink.  It is awesome.

After dinner you have a couple of options:

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            - If you are a lover of movie beverages and breaking rules I would recommend going to Union    Square Liquors (140 Fourth Ave @13^th Street New York, NY 10003) and picking up a little something to mix with your movie beverage – I am personally a fan of a fountain diet coke and a little whiskey – but you pick your poison.

-    

        - Or if you are classy and like rules unbroken, go in pick up your already purchased tickets, and buy your date some classic movie drinks and snacks.  (Go for the Rasinets and the popcorn, its true you don’t need them both but you do deserve them) 

A   After the film, head over to Irving Vintage (118 East 15^th St at Irving Place, New York, NY) http://www.vintageirving.com/ to drink wine and try out lines you are going to use on your co-workers tomorrow, for example:

“That film was completely haunting, I can never look at ballet the same way again”

“Do you think that Christian Bale is so method that he actually tried crack?”

“The arm cutting part made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.  What about you?”

And just like that you are a date master, a film guru and are back in the water cooler cool kids club.     

Dating for a Cause

‘Tis the season to give back to your fellow man, why not do it while you are on a date? (And not in the way that you are thinking…naughty - Santa’s going to hear about that one).  Here are a few date destinations where your dollar goes back to helping other people, and then you can feel great as you date J

Housing Works Bookstore and Café ( 126 Crosby Street, 10012)

http://www.housingworks.org/social-enterprise/bookstore-cafe/

This is a really great used bookstore that has a huge selection of books, and also has a café in the back that serves the normal café fare as well as beer and wine.  My recommendation for a date there would be to have a competition with your date to see who can find the coolest book in 15 minutes.  Buy the books and whoever has the lamer book gets the first round.   All of the profits from this date will go to helping homeless New Yorkers who have HIV and AIDS. 

Dixon Place (161A Crystie St btwn. Rivington & Delancy 10002)

http://dixonplace.org/index2.html 

The space is really dynamic, in the front it is a bar/lounge where you can see live music, and drink pretty inexpensive drinks, in the back there is a huge theater space where you can see readings, plays, artist, and singers.  The theater/bar is run by a non-profit organization that is dedicated to giving emerging New York City artist a space to put on their shows.  Most of their revenue comes from the bar, so every drink that you have helps to support art in New York City!  Your date will think that you are a regular Rockefeller when you order that 3^rd round.

Don’t you feel good about yourself?  I thought that you would!  

Sunday Funday

Sunday Blues.  I hate them.  You hate them.  We all hate them.  They are that feeling that you get when you have that realization after a fun weekend full of laughing, adult sodas and late nights, that tomorrow you have to go back to work.  It is an awful feeling, with only one cure – Sunday Funday.  Call up that person that you have been wanting to ask out and have them meet you for brunch at Regional (2607 Broadway Between 98^th and 99^th)http://www.regionalnyc.com/.  They have incredible Italian food, and the best brunch drink special – you buy one drink, a mimosa or a bloody mary, and you get unlimited refills!  The wait staff is so friendly, and they are awesome about coming around with more of your favorite brunch beverage, and they never try to rush you out.  You and your date can relax, enjoy your brunch and giggle about the fact that you are pretty tipsy and it is completely light out.

Then there are two options:

-          If you and your date are sports fans, and want to stay on the booze bus, take the 1 train to Blondie’s (212 West 79^th St between Broadway and Amsterdam) http://blondiessports.com/ which is great place to watch football.  It is a really fun environment, there are so many people and the energy is so high, that it feels like a Saturday night (and Monday morning just might feel like Sunday morning, but that is another worry for another day)

-       Or If you and your date are more outdoorsy, and want to get off the booze bus, head over to the Green Flea Market (Columbus Ave btwn 77^th and 76^th) http://www.greenfleamarkets.com/ for some outdoor market shopping.  They have really interesting stalls, with vintage clothes, pieces of art, jewelry and a farmers market.  If you want to score some major points, buy a little something for your date while they aren’t looking – even an apple will do the trick – and I am willing to bet that in return you will get a high five, and maybe more.

Happy Hour Romance

Happy Hour Romance

With the days getting shorter and shorter we need more reasons to look forward to the night time – one thing that gets me through these cold winter weekdays are happy hour.  I love that bars in the city give me the high five of less expensive drinks just for getting there right after work, and they are a perfect casual way to take someone out without the pressure of having to plan a full evening.

Start at Barbounia,(250 Park Ave South New York, NY 10003) they have a great happy hour, $4 for beers, $5 for a nice glass of red or white, $6 for champagne cocktails and the space is very fancy – arched ceilings, marble bar and an all around classy atmosphere.  They also have great appetizers that you can get at the bar for only about $3 the hummus and fresh baked bread is my favorite.

If things are going well enough that you don’t want for the evening to end, head over to the tapas restaurant Sala One Nine (35 West 19th Street, NYC 10011 http://www.salaonenine.com/).  The dining room is really cozy, tin ceilings, low romantic lighting and exposed brick – it does really make you feel like you are in a restaurant in Spain.  The food is really tasty, the chorizo is awesome and I have a giant crush on the sangria (go for the pitcher, you deserve it).

If you want to take it to a whole new level of being the most romantic person your date knows- head over a couple of blocks to Madison Square Park where they are having an art installation called “Scattered Light” through February (https://www.madisonsquarepark.org/programs/madsqart.aspx) which looks really beautiful against the backdrop of the Chrysler and the Empire State Building. 

Then if all goes well hopefully you’ll be enjoying another one of my favorite winter pastimes: making out.