My Night at the Museum

Remember when the most fun you had at a museum was when you visited a Children's Museum? (the one at Navy Pier in Chicago was my spot). With all their interactive or DIY exhibits, you could run, play, build, scream and shout without getting a nasty glance from a security guard or being kicked out.

Well last night I got as close to those nostalgic feelings of being young again when I visited the New Museum on the Lower East Side. I always have trouble describing the type of art displayed at the New Museum so for lack of a better word I always use the term 'weird' art. Their official description is "a leading destination for new art and new ideas. It is Manhattan's only dedicated contemporary art museum and is respected internationally for the adventurousness and global scope of its curatorial program" (basically what I said).

Floor by Floor Map

WEEEEEE!!!!

I frequent the museum every so often but was overly excited to check out their latest exhibit by Carsten Höller titled "Experience." The main attraction of this exhibit was a two-story tubular slide with clear plexi windows twisting and turning from floor to floor. My roommate Shana and I sped up to the top and were the first in line for a ride. We loved the five seconds of childhood exhilaration so much that we rushed back up to get a second ride before the massive lines started to form.

The Mirrored Carousel

The 2nd attraction was none other than every little kid's favorite: the swings. The kid in me thought the ride would go higher and/or faster, but the adult in me didn't mind that it moved slower than molasses. It was nice to hop on and off and just rotate slowly. It was rather relaxing—especially after the thrills and spills on the slide.

Like the Dead Sea in the USA

The final attraction was said to be an 'out of body' experience. Unfortunately it was out of service during my visit, but that didn't stop me from playing 20 questions with the security guard to find out more about the piece titled Psycho Tank. Apparently visitors could "experience" the Dead Sea in 15 minute increments by float weightlessly in the water of a sensory deprivation pool.

Do Not Disturb the Animals

Bright Light White Walls

Other highlights (no pun intended on this one) included the visual sensory wall titled Double Light Corner with flashing strobe lights meant to create a hallucinatory experience. Taking inspiration from the zoo, as the artist often does, animal sculptures were created of polyurethane and scattered across the floor in relaxing or sleepy positions amongst the flashing lights.

Wondering what the best part of this whole night was? It was FREE. Every Thursday night from 7PM to 9PM the museum offers free admission. I can finally agree with those that say, "Money can't buy you happiness."

Places of Interest:
New Museum, 235 Bowery (at Prince St.), 212-219-1222
http://www.newmuseum.org
Exhibit runs through January 15th, 2012

New York Pit Stop

Follow All Signs & Directional Markings

Absence really does makes the heart grow fonder. I was longing for the one that got away—and no, I'm not talking about a boyfriend. I'm talking about my old neighborhood the Lower East Side where I resided for two years. As soon as I moved out of the area in September, I noticed new restaurants were popping up one by one steps away from my old apartment. Where was all this ambition and economic boom when I was part of the neighborhood watch? Okay, they have both been present in the LES for quite some time, but I happened to noticed it more so once I left.

Time for Brunch

Right before I left (I talk as if I moved to another planet), I made a note in my phone: explore Orchard St. below Delancey St. One of my pit stops on this new exploration trail was the recently opened Interstate Food and Liquor restaurant. Initially the newness factor was what brought me to this venue, but it was the $19.95 brunch deal (3 cocktails plus an entree) that made me pull over. When we walked in, we were greeted with a narrow entrance with high ceilings that opened up to a dining room and a frosted glass covered balcony. The decor was raw looking with worn-in wood that can only be described as sophisticated grit. The bar was covered in dark ironclad lights and the walls were painted with typical "trucker" and "pit stop" air brushed icons. I thought even if the food was okay, at least the decor could speak for itself.

Well the decor had some competition as the food was surprisingly good. I have finally learned to share, especially when it comes to brunch as I can never decide between sweet and savory, so my roommate and I split the omelette and the french toast. The omelette made of spinach, Gruyere, caramelized onions, chipotle aioli and cotija cheese was a tasty typical combination but with a aioli cheese twist. The french toast all fluffy and warm came with toasted peanuts, blueberries and strawberries. Let me say that both dishes went faster than a trucker going 65 on Route 80. In fact the other dishes I tried—the burger with Vermont cheddar cheese and dijon aioli and the mac & cheese with Gruyere and white truffle oil—were just as delish too. I could not stop raving about the appetizing entrees and afternoon buzz for just one Andrew Jackson. Then I couldn't stop pouting about the fact that they opened a delicious treat for the eyes and the stomach in my neighborhood after I was gone. Then another thought crossed my mind—maybe it's time to move back.

Places of Interest:

Interstate Food and Liquor, 74 Orchard St., 212-804-6237

http://interstatenyc.com/

Move Over Barneys, There is a New CO-OP in Town

Co-op, noun: a cooperative store, dwelling, etc.  

The etc. I am referring to is the new Japanese/American restaurant CO-OP in the Rivington Hotel on the Lower East Side—once again my hood breeds a hot spot. Another work dinner put me in charge of picking a fun, hip place and CO-OP immediately came to mind as a place I wanted to try. Since I have not reached the financial means to shop or live in a co-op, I settled for the next best thing.

The Cheat Sheet

Entering through the hotel, we made our way past the lounge and bar areas through the first dining room to the ultimate dinning mecca. I had especially requested to sit in the grander of the two rooms for one reason and one reason only—the portraits by famed photographer EJ Camp (the long dining room table and 30 ft high ceilings with a massive skylight came in second). On the wall hung 50 or so portraits of people of all genders, ethnicities, styles and looks. This decor lead to a game of "Guess Who," which turned into a drinking game for every person one guessed incorrectly. Little did we know that not everyone who was lucky enough to grace the wall was indeed famous. The owner had put pictures of friends, neighbors and loved ones (his girlfriend included) on the wall as well.

The Tray of Goodies

So enthralled in the game we almost forgot our whole purpose of visiting CO-OP—to eat! Small buckets of truffle popcorn a.k.a crack in a can (my words, not theirs) were passed around as appetizers as we studied the drink menu. Once again, I faced a tough decision and narrowed my choices down to the Pink Boozka, a Grey Goose, watermelon, hibiscus cocktail and the Light, a Belvedere, passion fruit, red peppercorn dust concoction. The Light came out victorious on the account of my love for passion fruit.

Gotta Think Pink

CO-OP's concept is small plates to share as their menu reads "Share. Your life depends on it." Putting our waiter to the test, we asked for recommendations as the menu was too much to stomach (pun intended). His long list of recommendations turned out to be our long list of orders. One by one our selections came and one by one they were gone. For starters, the whole table, minus me, took lobster shots (as if—I only do shots of liquor but apparently they are very popular) followed by Watermelon Salad and Papercut Salad. The latter was delicious with hearts of palm, asparagus, salsify (whatever that is) and jalapeno dressing (not wanting to be left out, the Watermelon Salad also included hints of jalapenos—olé!).

Tokyo Lobster Roll

Moving on to our taste of Japan, we ordered the raw Hamachi Crunch with—you guessed it—jalapeno, a Tokyo Lobster Roll and a CO-OP Roll which was comprised of spicy tuna topped with rock shrimp tempura. (How do you say delicious in Japanese?)

Lollipops & Buns

America's turn came next with chicken lollipops (surprisingly not bad despite the odd name), beef sliders (disappointing) and truffle mac & cheese. The m&c was one of the best dishes, and I don't even really like cheese. I suspect the truffle lured me in, but then again you can add truffle to almost anything and I'll eat it.

On a different note, I wanted to comment on the music. Not sure why I am compelled to mention it this time as I rarely comment on this matter (maybe it's the rock n' roll feeling this place gives off), but the roster of music was fantastic. Classic rock and oldies like Jim Morrison, The Beatles, & U2 blasted over the loud speakers with everyone feeling it. When Tom Petty's "Learning to Fly" came on it took all the common decency I possess not to jump on the table and start busting a move—please recall that I was with my boss and a major account. If I was with friends, said action above would have most likely occurred in a heartbeat.

So who needs a fancy store or fancy building to say they've been to a co-op? I have the best kind in town right in my backyard. After all, I'm gunning for a spot on the wall so I need to devote all my time to this co-op.

Places of Interest:

CO-OP, 107 Rivington St, 212-796-8040

http://co-oprestaurant.com/

No Peeing in the Champagne Room

Beauty and No Beast

I know I'm late to the table on this review (better late than never right?). I knew I would love Beauty & Essex the minute I read about it back in December 2010. Shortly after it opened, I paid a visit to the pawn shop/hip lounge/restaurant for drinks. Barely five feet into the place, and I was already mesmerized.

Fast forward eight months and still no second visit. I kept raving about the restaurant, the decor, the vibe, and most of all the free champagne in the lady's restroom (yes, ladies you read that correctly) but had yet to taste a single morsel of food.  I was seriously putting my street cred at risk every time I made the recommendation.  So when my boss invited me to dinner and asked me to pick the place, the next destination in my NY food exploration had to be Beauty & Essex.

The Trendiest Pawn Shop South of Houston St.

How NY Does Garage Sales

Music to My Ears

Once again, I was intrigued by Beauty & Essex the minute I set foot in the first half of the restaurant-the pawn shop.  The whole idea of having a pawn shop act as the entrance with a bustling restaurant tucked behind its doors is fascinating to me.  I also learned that the pawn shop is an actual functioning business and not just for show. Nice touch.

Opening the door, we were immediately greeted by the 1950's with sensual decor, delicate mood lighting, stunning chandeliers, and a grand staircase. The upstairs is just as lavish with walls covered in display frames with antique jewels-a girl's dream jewelry box so to speak. Our table was in the large seating area on the first floor featuring a round skylight to let light into the dark and majestic dining room.

My Camera Started to Get Drunk Eyes

We'll Take The Entire Right Left Side

Deciding on a drink proved harder than solving the national debt crisis.  Luckily I'm not too picky when it comes to interesting cocktails. With our waiters recommendation and the fact that it was 100 degrees outside, I opted for a refreshing Ruby Mojito. Then the decision making only became harder when we paged through the menu.  The menu, taking a cue from the decor, is broken into kitschy categories like Jewels on Toast (crostinis) and Accessories (sides).  The concept is small plates to share with nothing-not even the entrees-being excluded.

 

For our Jewels, we ordered the Whipped Ricotta with nectarines, honey, basil and chile.  We. were. whipped. Continuing with our summer theme, we ordered the Watermelon and Feta Salad and the Roasted Tomato Pizzetta. The watermelon salad was refreshing but the pizzetta was another head over heels moment.

 

 

As an accessory, we ordered the Skillet Roasted Corn. Being in fashion I naturally get excited when I see that word and was excited when the Mexican style corn reached our table of colorful bites. As if all of this wasn't enough, we desperately wanted to try the burger.  Each word in the description made my mouth water and when the waiter told us it was juicy, like butter, we were sold. Out came this burger with beefsteak tomato, goat feat cheese, and spicy roasted garlic aioli with an accessory of herb dusted fries. I wanted to kiss the waiter for giving us a spot on recommendation.

Antique Perfume Bottles Jazz Up the Ladies Lounge

Bubbly in the Bathroom

Thoroughly pleased with our grand finale, we ordered one last thing-Champagne...in the women's restroom. One of the highlights, if not the cherry on top to this fine establishment, is serving champagne in the spacious, well decorated women's bathroom. It makes the restroom one of the best hangouts-and that's hard for a bathroom to do. So now I can stand behind my recommendation the next time someone asks me where to go out.  If it hadn't gone so well, I'd be toast.

Places of Interest:

Beauty & Essex, 146 Essex St., 212-614-0146

http://www.beautyandessex.com/

No Pain, No Gain

Welcome to Paradise

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much pain are you in? Well paying a visit to Painkiller, a tiki bar by design yet a dive bar by nature, is far from your average cure.  Located deep in the LES, my friend and I noticed its baby blue doors amongst the nitty gritty storefronts downtown and decided this was the perfect little getaway for the remainder of the evening.

A Zoo of Animal Toppers

Sir Mix a Lot...well Lady Mix a Lot

A quick lap around the narrow island lead us back to where everyone was congregating.  The bar was overflowing with blenders, fruits, mixes, and the thing that stole most of our attention-the animal toppers.  The flamingos, crocodiles, and penguins were the bees knees and a must-have souvenir.  After the bartender brought us back to reality, we refocused our attention to the real reason we came to Painkiller.  Looking at the interesting menu caused a minor headache so we let the bartender work her magic and come up with a concoction to ease our pain. 

Put Me Under Arrest

Then the NYPD showed up.  No, not the cops but Painkiller's take on a Miami Vice, a yellow and blue sweet drink topped with coconut shavings. The drink was as big as the entire force and the perfect drink to share with my partner in crime.  Sweet yet strong the drink was one of the many culprits on their menu that might make you answer the original question with a 10.

Places of Interest:

Painkiller, 49 Essex St., 212-777-TIKI

http://www.pk-ny.com/