Ace Hotel Review, Part 2:: Stumptown

Also in the Ace hotel is a great midtown pit stop or hang out for a hot drink: Stumptown. Stop for a gourmet cup of coffee, or as with The Breslin, your dose of all things hipster. This light filled storefront has busy bee workers in bow ties and glasses filling espresso shots and steaming milk. We love the white, cream and brown palette and the grandness of the coffee bar. Grab a latte on your walk by or stop and enjoy it in their awesome lobby with their mismatched furniture, board games, library desks with hard-at-work apple laptops, and the best finishing touch : a gargantuan American Flag as the backdrop. Oh, and another bonus, Stumptown is camera friendly.

If You Build It, They Will Come :: The Breslin

Without sounding snooty, we think it’s fair to say that any side street lining Broadway from about 25th to 34th is somewhat of a taste wasteland. Bordered top and bottom by Madison Square Park and the Garment district, there isn’t much here except perfume and Hanes T-shirt shops—a sort of final frontier for Manhattan. Enter stage West (20 W 29th Street) : The Breslin in The Ace Hotel. We walked through the label-less door, hidden behind endless pumpkins and cabbage plants, and found ourselves in a pretty cool bar. Black painted wood, mirrors and taxidermy made us feel like we’d walked out of the wasteland and into…well…Hipster Brooklyn. How this demographic finds themselves in this oasis everyday we’re not sure. But we like it—a refreshing view of hipsters when we’re used to them in their usual haunts. What wasn’t so refreshing was their photography policy. Just a few snaps and we were reprimanded for taking out a camera. We tried reason, but got nowhere. So where these pictures could have continued into a beautiful lunch, we were cut off. We had to go about our way, grumbling tummies and all, since we were there to review. It’s a tough job keeping up the too cool for school attitude, but somebody’s got to do it !

Lunch at Market Table

It’s bitter outside. We've been working on a few big features (coming soon!). Between running in and out of stores for styling props, holiday gifts, and cooking supplies we got a bit hungry. Market table was a beacon of cozy on Carmine Street in freezing Manhattan. We sat down to a warm lunch of delicious garlic and olive oil charred broccoli and White Bean Escarole soup. These and crusty French bread filled our bellies and thawed our limbs. The tender beans and greens were just what we needed— And our neighbors vegetarian chili? It gave us food envy and had us drooling over their shoulders. We'll be back for more.

Five Leaves, Greenpoint

Photography by Karen Mordechai

Work has been pretty hectic around here, so we've decided to treat ourselves to more midweek lunches. We'll be posting our faves with a review and some photos once or twice a week, so let us know what you think. This week we tried Five Leaves, one of our neighborhood spots. Five Leaves sits on Bedford and Lorimer, caddy corner to McCarren Park in Greenpoint. The corner location allows for lots of sidewalk seats and lots of natural light. Vintage light fixtures hang out of a wood plank ceiling, and the bar feels Art Deco and Parisian. The bartender poured Campari and soda, and we poured over our menus.

We had a tough time choosing between, well, everything. After much deliberation we decide to split a radicchio and watercress salad with roasted acorn squash, feta and onion and a warm roast chicken sandwich—on toasted baguette with roasted tomato, chipotle mayonnaise, shaved parmesan and anchovies. And wait; let’s not forget one of the most important parts here—truffled french fries. French fries in all their glory, carefully rolled in truffle oil, so infused you’d think the potatoes were grown in it. The salt of the feta was the perfect complement to the honeyed squash—sweetened. Pungent raw onions gave a crisp kick, and the tangy greens dressed in vinaigrette married the whole bowl together. Our roast chicken was indulgent in its toppings and strong in flavor. Chipotle mayo oozed out the side, and anchovies broke the simplicity.

Our waitress, in her shrunken Fair Isle cardigan was sweet as can be, and the experience was so pleasant we’ll definitely be back. Clearly a neighborhood staple, they even had a takeout coffee window for those too busy to linger—no one should have to miss out.

Five Leaves:
18 Bedford Ave
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY 11222
(646) 510-6467






All Photos by Karen Mordechai

We Heart :: Saltie

Sunday Suppers popped into the new sandwich shop Saltie recently to check out Caroline Fidanza’s latest undertaking (and first proprietorship), having worked for the Andrew Tarlow and Mark Firth local Williamsburg empire (needs no introduction, but just in case – Diner, Marlow & Sons, Marlow & Daughters). I have to say, we were impressed! Or better yet, hungry. One look at the pastries and sandwiches and the 4pm busy-bee stomach let me know it was empty. I read in an interview with seriouseats.com that one of Caroline’s “over-the-kitchen-sink” go-to meals was Salvatore ricotta with sea salt and olive oil either on Finn Crisp or fresh Italian bread. Clearly her style shows on this menu. These interesting combos, so carefully curated for the taste buds are heaven. I opted for the Spanish Armada – a potato tortilla with Russian-ish aioli, and a leek, chicken, prune stew (the name has slipped my mind). I climbed my starving little self into the car with the beauty you see here and every last bite, every last slurp, was a party in my mouth. Divine. And the décor speaks for itself. I loved walking in off Metropolitan Ave to these blue boards and block letters. I felt like I had walked into a little New England seafood shack with picnic tables and red-and-white checked cardboard containers. I will be back there for lunch sooner than later. I think next on my list is the “clean slate”: Wheatberries, chickpeas, miso, and pickled vegetables. Mmmmm….. You can visit Caroline in all her quaintness too – at 378 Metropolitan Ave, here in Brooklyn for lunch or dinner.





Photography by Karen Mordechai