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.
Art
MoMA
Went for Helen Frankenthaler’s “Grand Sweep” of five monumental paintings (closed Feb. 8), stayed for the illuminating Wilfredo Lam retrospective (through April 11) and the “1980s-Present Collection,” which includes works that felt weirder (in the most wonderful way) than what I’m used to viewing at MoMA, especially the installations, like Lutz Bacher’s menacing Empire, riffing on an old Andy Warhol film, that captures how scary I think the city feels at night sometimes.
On the Town
In finally cool news, my Galentine’s throuple dined out at Lucien where the vibe and hospitality was spot on and every dish exceeded my expectations (I went with the outrageous lapin à la moutarde pappardelle because bunny rabbit felt like the most romantic thing to eat on Valentine’s Day). Afterwards, we popped into Le Dive (le yawn). And then Clandestino, which remains one of NYC’a great bars for weirdos and normies of all stripes to collide. To keep our cool dreams alive, we went to Raoul’s the very next weekend for an auspicious tarot card reading upstairs and, of course, steak au poivre downstairs.
To welcome in the Chinese New Year—shedding the last of the Snake’s skin and breaking the Fire Horse out of its stable—two Cocks made their way to Doyers Street in Chinatown (at top) for dim sum at Nom Wah and elixir-like cocktails at Apotheke and Chinese Tuxedo. The Cocks reached such a mystical state, crowing and cackling and cockadoodledooing about life, love and hopes for the New Year that they missed their alert for Lei twice.
Cuerno – Buzzy new high-end Mexican/steakhouse near Rockefeller Center by chef Oriol Mendivil for ooey-gooey queso-encrusted ribeye tacos, tequila and mezcal cocktails and all manner of Mexican gustatory delights.
Dolly’s – Cute Hell’s Kitchen cocktail bar/gastropub to keep in your back pocket for pre-/post-theater
Shopping
Clic
Set on a corner of the Soho corridor known as Little Paris, Clic is a chic home goods store by a French stylist where I nearly ascended to heaven cradling the softest alpaca fur-covered hot water bottle in my arms (so French!). I was briefly transported to a happy memory in the French Alps many moons ago, one of the only other times I’ve encountered the simple pleasures of a hot water bottle for comfort and warmth.
