This is Best of New York, a monthly recap of the city’s very best restaurants, bars, arts, culture, shopping, etc. etc. It’s not necessarily the latest, greatest, newest, hottest (but those spots find their way in, too); it’s simply the places that made the city sing every month that I think you might like, too.
Food & Drink
Monsieur
Did you know there’s a newish cocktail bar/lounge in the East Village created by Baz Luhrmann and his Academy Award-winning designer wife Catherine Martin (in collaboration with Golden Age Hospitality, i.e., The Nines, Le Dive, etc.)? It’s called Monsieur (above) and, of course, it’s a theatrically over-the-top boîte, designed to feel like a Medieval lair with a cheeky backstory.
I found myself there on a recent Saturday night amidst a crowd that looked like they could all be villains or extras in Moulin Rouge or The Great Gatsby—but no Leos! While it bills itself as a cocktail lounge, there was no menu to speak of that evening, so I ordered Champagne. Everyone in the crowd was very tall and I assumed they were all from Australia—they weren’t. The DJ amped up as the night went on and, at one point, I even thought Baz, himself, was dancing amongst the revelers—he wasn’t.
I like a little theater and fantasy in a night out, so I had fun.
Ambassador’s Clubhouse – new fancy pants Indian by way of London inside a sumptuously decked out dining room near Herald Square, if that’s your thing. I especially liked the lychee martini, a potent little potion made with Belvedere, clarified lychee, rose water and lime oil.
Cafe Mulberry – new all day cafe above and by trendy subterranean lounge The Mulberry for fancy jambon sandwiches & Champagne shopping breaks in Nolita
‘I Regret Almost Everything’
What’s more decadent than an early spring, mid-week solo lunch at Café Luxembourg on the Upper West Side, over onion soup gratinee and a frisee salad with poached egg and lardons, while reading restaurateur Keith McNally’s compulsively readable memoir I Regret Almost Everything, after meeting with your financial advisor? And where else would I go for one last drink in Soho (a kir royale at the bar) at twilight on the first glorious Sunday after daylight savings with temperatures above 60 degrees than Balthazar? Merci Keith!
Cervo’s – for sipping vermouth and sherry and snacking on oysters, croquettas and prawns a la plancha on the Lower East Side while pretending you’re in a hip little bar in Spain
Le Crocodile (Williamsburg) – because sometimes Monday nights call for steak tartare, frites, a martini and sparkling water at the bar
Tarallucci e Vino – When craving struck on a recent Sunday morning, I was pleasantly reminded that my neighborhood all day Italian cafe (w/ add’l locations in Union Square, Nomad, etc.) serves one of my favorite quiches in the city: satisfying, silky, and indulgent, made with bacon, spinach and onion.
Sorate – for a Zen matcha shopping break in Union Square
Books & Drama
Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Who knew the merging of Black culture, gay culture, Broadway musical nerd culture, Andrew Lloyd Webber super fans and André de Shields stans could create one singular sensation? As it turns out, Webber’s bonkers 1981 smash musical, based on a book of T.S. Eliot cat poems, where people dressed like cats dance around singing about how each cat got his name, is the perfect template for a drag ballroom dance competition.
De Shields, who is 80 years old, delivers an iconic performance as Old Deuteronomy, decked out in a curly lions mane of a wig and an extra sparkly purple suit. The talent of the entire cast is astounding and the theater radiated pure joy. It was the most fun I’ve had on Broadway in a long time. Already a sensation Off Broadway, it promises to be a hot ticket, but I managed to snag a $45 rush ticket at the box office a few hours before curtain on a Saturday night during previews. Meow!
The Times Square EDITION’s 10th floor lobby/bar and/or restaurant is the perfect oasis when you need to kill time and escape the chaos. Also, the current price of a Times Square hotdog is $10.
The Drama Book Shop
I’ve been meaning to check out The Drama Book Shop ever since learning of its existence—surprise, surprise, it’s been around since 1917, although, in 2020, Lin-Manuel Miranda and co. became the new custodian opening the shop in a new location on W. 39th Street. A book shop dedicated to plays, the new space was designed by Hamilton scenic designer David Korins in the style of a 20th century European cafe and reading room. It’s deeply sumptuous with beautiful wooden floors and bookshelves and a theatrically sculptural whirlwind of books to greet you. But what struck me immediately upon opening the door on a chilly afternoon was the comforting aroma of freshly roasted coffee.
Home to a cafe and seating area with tufted leather banquettes and nooks throughout with leather armchairs, it’s a thoroughly inviting and buzzing space to read or write or study or conspire with a creative collaborator. In addition to plays, there’s also screenplays, Broadway/Hollywood biographies, craft and business books. I picked up a copy of Terrence McNally’s Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune (I’d never read/seen it!). I especially loved that every other book on the shelf seemed to have something to do with Sondheim and the feeling that every single person there was either an actor or writer of varying repute, a drama major, a theater nerd or a Hamilton super fan.
Books Are Magic
There’s perhaps no more idyllic setting for an indie bookstore in New York than Books Are Magic on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights mere paces from the promenade. I was there recently for the launch of my friend Joanna Margaret’s second book The Daughters. Afterwards, we repaired to nearby Café Brume, a transporting, cozy restaurant with wood beam ceilings specializing in Alpine cuisine.
When Bob & Judy come to town…
… you’re going to catch Jonathan Groff in his final week performing as Bobby Darin in Just in Time on Broadway…
… head to the Blue Note and get seated next to Alvin Bragg, Manhattan DA and modern day folk hero (the man responsible for our current president’s 34-count felony conviction), for Savion Glover tapping his heart out alongside jazz drummer Chris Dave and pianist Jason Moran in a performance so radical you’re inspired to take tap dancing lessons, yourself…
… catch your very first Knicks game amongst a who’s who of very New York celebrities, starting with Spike Lee, Martha Stewart, Fat Joe, Tracy Morgan, Edie Falco, my neighbor Steve Schirippa, Susie Essman and Susan Sarandon. Although, my first sighting was former LA Lakers champion Anthony Davis looking handsome and fly in a blinged out Louis Vuitton Lovers varsity jacket by Pharrell. I wondered why a Laker would be sitting courtside at a Knicks game, but as it turns out, Davis plays for the Washington Wizards now (who knew?) and was benched due to an injury. Anyway, the Knicks won, the game was super fun and I’m ready to jump on the bandwagon!
We also made a pilgrimage to Barney Greengrass on the Upper West Side, which I count as my favorite Jewish delicatessen (NYT tends to agree). It’s been around since 1908 and it’s still family run. While known as the sturgeon king, I’m not one for all that kippered fish. My go-to order: latkes, matzoh ball soup, corned beef sandwich on rye, extra lean with Swiss cheese, coleslaw and deli mustard, a Dr. Brown’s soda—and a pickle!
The Lucerne on Amsterdam Avenue holds the distinction of Bob and Judy’s hotel of choice when visiting NYC.
