Favored by the perpetually broke NGO workers, NYU students and locals alike, Hi-Fi is a notable East Village attraction because of its generous happy hour, its large and goofy space, and its good selection of draft beers. I would be lying if I said that the always-friendly bartender mixes a good drink. Any vodka or whiskey order should always be put on the rocks with juice/pop omitted for the sake of preserving the original purpose of drinking – i.e. enjoying it, and the original purpose of a liquor drink – i.e. having a taste of the relevant liquor. Read more…
Now that the Open has finally come to a close, I can speak freely about the anxiety and other chaotic feelings that I experienced a week or so ago. I never thought of myself as much of a sports’ fan with an exception of soccer and occasionally gymnastics and figure skating. Of course during the Olympics I show my national pride by rooting exceptionally for the Motherland and resorting to heavy vodka drinking when the Russian hockey team doesn’t get into the finals. While the biannual celebrations of sports are in session, I also love to send obnoxious emails to my international friends and say things like “Did you see how we totally kicked your ass in that last race?” So I guess I do get into it. And tennis, due to the recent Russian invasion of the sport, has been my obsession.
ChipShop has been on my list of neighborhood places to visit for quite some time. So when the infamous Myer Lemon graced me with an after-work drink offer, I took her there eager to impress.
The size of the crowds lurking by the ChipShop at night made me convinced that the place was entirely a drinking establishment with an occasional takeout. Apparently not – the ChipShop, long and narrow, is a pub-restaurant, adorned with an old wooden bar, cool Brit posters, and two TV sets. Read more…
I was introduced to KGB by a fellow Eastern European when I first began investigating NYC alcoholics’ scene. Last weekend I decided to take my new Russian friend there. It turned out that Andrei – who recently moved here from Berkley and went to my high school in the motherland – heard of the place from a New York acquaintance of his. We went mostly to sample imported Baltika – aside from fine porcelain and equally fine views, the best thing to ever come out of our beloved Saint Petersburg. KGB is about the only place in Manhattan that serves it, which is exciting enough for me. Also exciting was the theory that Andrei’s friend had about the bar’s name Read more…
The Tent’s Mint Tea Recipe: put fresh mint leaves and green tea into a cup, pour boiling water and let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar or indulge in honey cake chasers (preferred).
To celebrate Myer Lemon’s approaching borough hop, I volunteered to introduce her to the Atlantic Avenue and Smith Street area of beloved Brooklyn. We started our adventure at the boarded and labyrinth-like Atlantic Terminal. We headed west on Atlantic passing construction, Northern African incense stores and the many boutiques that seem to pop up every weekend or so. At the corner of Nevins, we stopped at the Ace Liquor store. Read more…
Comforting and delicious, Kati Roll Indian wraps are as good as ethnic fast-food can get. Presenting a menu of 8 well-spiced Indian dishes wrapped into warm naan, favorites such as Chicken Tikka, Aloo Masala and Paneer included, Kati Roll strives for simplicity in choice.
The eatery doesn’t overwhelm the gringo pallet; on the contrary, friendly employees of the downtown location are always eager to lessen the heat on my Paneer and Unda wraps. Though sometimes I have issues with eggs – Unda, aka the egg wrap, tastes nothing of an egg, instead it’s a fluffy mass of deliciousness and sauce. I usually get one wrap, but bigger eaters will be happier with two. I think 3 is an overshot – the food is rather heavy. The entries at the uptown location, similarly tasty, have a bit more grease to them. Both locations are open into the early hours of the morning catering to drunken-munchies crowds.
Address:
Downtown:
99 Macdougal St.
Map
OR Midtown:
140 W. 46th St.
Map
So the infamous Myer Lemon and I finally made it to Central Park on the day when the symphony actually did perform. What joy. This time we decided to forgo the cheese and purchased chips and salsa. Of course wine was present as well. Equipped with a fleece, camping-style blanket we situated ourselves under a tree, slightly further from the crowds. Our location proved to be reasonable as it provided protection from light rain that befell on heads of lees thoughtful listeners. The down side of our situation was the unidentifiable proximity of the symphony – only about twenty minutes into the concert did we realize that the far away meowing sounds we heard were indeed a work of musical art performed by an orchestra. Despite this slight mishap and the grueling heat, an outstanding time was had by all.
This tiny place obscured by the midtown misery is amazing. Kashkaval takes its name from a yellow cheese produced in Bulgaria and Romania, sometimes apparently referred to as the “cheddar of the Balkans.” The store fronts mostly as a cheese market and though I’ve walked in here before to purchase cheese, I never suspected that the small, dark backroom holds a sit-down eatery. Upon entry, it’s hard to pass up an opportunity to sniff at delicious cheese selections, olives and other snackables. Aside from staff and customers, an ever-changing cast of kitties permanently resides at Kashkaval. Strangely they show no interest in the customers or the cheese and laze about the store or sit by the door looking on to 9th Avenue. Read more…