Cafe Gitane serving up Nolita Hipsters

Do you ever find yourself dreaming about a certain dish? Please, say yes. Let me keep my sanity, because I constantly dream about Cafe Gitane's couscous.

This Nolita hipster hangout serves French-Moroccan food in a small cozy space. If weather permits, try to snag a table outside and watch the fashion show. My personal favorites are the Cucumber, Yogurt and Mint Salad with hummus and pita bread or the Carrot salad with Cilantro and Orange Blossom. But that's just to start. You have to make room for their Moroccan Couscous with red peppers, raisins, toasted pine nuts, hummus and eggplant. It's off the charts. Ask for the spicy sauce to drizzle on top. If you enjoy spicy foods, try the meatballs in spicy tomato sauce, with hard-boiled eggs, cucumber, and a dab of yogurt. You will thank me.

Cafe Gitane
242 Mott St., at Prince St.
212-334-9552

Sorry guys, I dream about this dish. So as far is couscous is concerned, I'm not searching. It's found!

New Developments on the Skyline

In New York real estate, each new development tries to one up the next. With the recent unveiling of 23 East 22nd Street and 56 Leonard, other buildings pale in comparison.

Architect Rem Koolhaas, of One Madison Park fame, has released renderings of its sister building, directly behind its brother. 23 East 22nd Street reminds me of my two favorite childhood games, Legos and peek-a-boo. The stepped design is reminiscent of the Lego buildings I made as a kid. While mine toppled over, this one is sure to stand the test of time. Koolhaas cantilevered the building 30 feet over its neighbor so that residents can peek-a-boo around One Madison Park to see the park. The 18 residences will have amenities such as the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Screening Room, pool, gym and a Charlie Trotter restaurant. Projected completion is late 2010 with prices starting at $3.5 million for a 2 bedroom. Or you can drop $45 million for the 6 bedroom penthouse. If they take Monopoly money, I'll take it.

In Tribeca, Herzog & de Meuron revealed their masterpiece, 56 Leonard. The "houses stacked in the sky" are comprised of 145 residences, each with its own unique floor plan and private outdoor space, blending indoors and outdoors seamlessly together. The units all cantilever over each other in a profusion of balconies and glass. Since there are no tall building around, residents will enjoy views from downtown Manhattan to as far as the Atlantic Ocean. Units range from 1,430 square feet to 6,380 square feet, and will include two- to five-bedroom residences and 10 penthouses. Prices start at $3.5 million, up to $33 million.

If you would like to view these properties or have any other real estate needs, please contact me at jireland@coregroupnyc.com. These are two cool new properties, but I am still searching...

Hottest Rental

Do you always find yourself in the Meatpacking District? Shopping at DVF and Jeffrey's, brunching at Pastis, eating dinner on the SoHo House roof, and dancing at Bijoux... Be steps from it all, at the Caledonia.

The Caledonia is a new Related building on 17th Street between 9th and 10th Avenue. The building is comprised mostly of condos, but there are an exclusive set of rentals available from studios to 3 bedrooms. Since the building is condo, the finishes are better than the typical luxury rental in NYC. With fabulous gourmet kitchens and spa-like bathrooms, you will never want to leave. The building also has its own Equinox (membership comes with the rental!), landscaped roof terrace overlooking the Hudson River, and direct access to the High Line. In addition to the building’s fantastic amenities, its location among NYC’s best shopping and restaurants can’t be beat.

Contact me before they are rented. For more information…
jireland@coregroupnyc.com

This is the ideal rental location for many, but I am still searching...

Flatiron Pedestrian Mall

Love, love, love. That's how I feel about the new pedestrian area around the Flatiron building. Before the mall was conceived, tourists had to dodge traffic to get the perfect photo of the famous landmark. It was like a sick and twisted game of Frogger. Now, they can comfortably sit in front of it while enjoying a Shake Shack burger. Surrounded by big planters of foliage to block out the traffic and shaded by bright blue umbrellas, the tables are a convenient place to relax and take in the sight.

Additionally, traffic is less congested because signs clearly direct drivers which way to go. Fifth Avenue or Broadway? It's not the former free for all where truckers crossed 3 lanes of traffic to make a turn. Bikers are happy too with their own well marked bike lane.

So on the next gorgeous day, enjoy the way NYC spent our tax dollars. Take a seat and look up. The Fuller building may be better known as the Flatiron building, but it is still magnificent. As for the perfect structure, I am still searching...

Best store for men - Seize sur Vingt

Seize sur Vingt is French for 16 to 20 and is hands down the coolest store for men. You will never see yourself coming and going because the styles are all one of a kind. Have them make a custom shirt with one of their fashion forward seasonal shirting options. Once they have your pattern, you will find yourself wanting more. The Nolita sales staff ooze cool and will point you in the right direction. And with in-house labels like Troglodyte Homunculus, Wolf-Rayet, and UBNY, you can't go wrong.

Additionally, they recently updated their website with a state-of-the-art “custom” section, where existing custom and special order customers can browse luxury shirting swatches and order a whole season’s worth of shirts without ever leaving home. Amazing!

Head down the street to their other store, Groupe. Groupe 16sur20 is a multi-brand showroom that conceptualizes, designs, produces and wholesales ready-to-wear lines for both men and women. The store also plays host to a variety of artworks, automobile installations, screenings and festivities.

Since it mostly caters to men, I am still searching...

Seize sur Vingt

243 Elizabeth Street

Between Houston and Prince

Groupe 16sur20

267 Elizabeth Street

between Houston and Prince

Need a ressie in the Meatpacking District?

The Meatpacking District has turned into a meat market. Although there are so many places to go out down there, it is hard to say no. I always have a hard time finding a restaurant that can take last minute reservations. Pastis laughs in my face, Merkato 55 is booked, and Spotted Pig would prefer me to stand for 5 hours before I get a table. Can't a girl and her friend have a nice civilized dinner before they tear up the town. Enter, Fig and Olive.Located on 13th Street between 9th Avenue and Washington Street, this Mediterranean eatery revolves around olive oil (please don't say EVOO). The 5,000 square foot space has white walls covered in candles. The space is large, meaning you will get a table, but the candles add warmth and intimacy. Enough about the decor, let's get to the good stuff, FOOD! Start with some tapas for the table. Olives, cheeses, charcuterie, crostini, or any of their 4 carpaccio dishes. My two favorites are the yellow fin tuna carpaccio (with 18 year balsamic vinegar, sesame oil cilantro arugula, lemon, and marcona almonds) and the jamon serrano carpaccio (with figs, warm goat cheese, sherry vinegar, and Aguibal Arbequina Olive Oil). Grilled meats and fishes top off this healthy menu. A little wine and you are ready for a night on the town. It's the perfect meal, but I am still searching...

Fig & Olive

420 West 13th Street

Between Ninth Ave. & Washington St.

(212) 924-1200

For reservations, check out http://www.opentable.com/

Nolita New Developments

I don't need to tell you what a great neighborhood Nolita is. Just walk around and you will find yourself in an area with yummy restaurants, cool boutiques and with all the landmarked buildings no more than 6 stories, the streets are flooded with light. If you have ever wanted to live her but not deal with an old, outdated apartment, two new developments might be right for you. 290 Mulberry and 211 Elizabeth.

290 Mulberry is on the corner of Houston and features a curved brick exterior. The nine full-floor homes have private key-locked elevators, radiant heat walnut flooring, Italian Schiffini kitchens and a shared second floor terrace. Although many units have their own private terrace. The 3 Bedroom/3 Bath units start at $2.5 million with an average price per square foot at $1600.

211 Elizabeth mixes new construction with Old World finishes. The 15 residences have wood-burning fireplaces, 9' glass doors that divide the living and dining rooms, walnut herringbone parquet floors, and the baseboards, casings, windows and doors are trimmed in Roman & Williams’ favorite high gloss black oil paint. A full time superintendent, landscaped roof terrace, private storage, fitness center and bike room fulfill the amenities requirements. The 1 and 2 Bedroom units start at $1.5 million. However that is just one unit. The rest are above $3 million and average over $2000/square foot.

If you are interested in seeing these buildings or any other apartments in the area, please contact me at jireland@coregroupnyc.com. This area is exploding, but I am still searching...

Big Onion Walking Tours

I am a big dork. I admit this fact. I love to learn, especially about New York. We live in a fascinating city filled with beautiful architecture and an interesting history. Walking tours are my favorite daytime activity. Big Onion leads 2 hour tours of various neighborhoods. History students getting their masters, walk around historic districts and tell you the who, what, why, and where that make up the area. Not only do you learn about your neighborhood, but you can impress you friends as you casually mention that the building to your right was the former home of Aaron Burr.

Big Onion refers to the fact that New York is like an onion. You have to peel back the layers. They are not building any more land (We are an island, duh!), so many famous buildings have been torn down for newer, sleeker structures. My favorite example is Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. The Astor brothers built two fabulous mansions next to each other on this block. You may have heard of Caroline Astor's famous 400. It was a list of 400 elite New Yorkers, and the same number of people she could fit in her ballroom. Everyone was dying to be on the list! Her ballroom was located in her mansion on 5th and 34th. However, as the area became more commercial, people moved uptown. Thus, the glorious mansions were torn down to make way for the first Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Yep, the one we know today was not the original! But time moved on and this building also met its fate with the wrecking ball. Only to make way for, The Empire State building. It's amazing that this one block has had such a colorful history.

Learn more facts like these on a Big Onion Walking Tour.

http://www.bigonion.com/

Figure out your favorite neighborhood, because I am still searching...

Gracious Home in Chelsea

Every New Yorker knows about Gracious Home. As their moniker attests, "The Best of Everything For Your Home." People living on the Upper East Side have enjoyed it for decades. And us downtown hipsters either had to trek uptown or live without. But no more, Gracious Home is coming to Chelsea.

With all the new developments around Chelsea, the Flatiron, Madison Square Park and the Meatpacking District, there are a lot of new homeowners in the area. Everyone in the downtown area will soon be flocking to the new Gracious Home outpost. Imagine Bed, Bath and Beyond on steroids with better customer service. Need special tiles from Portugal, done! Baskets from Bora Bora, no problem! Reproductions of antique finials, hand-finished by Italian monks. They can handle that!

http://www.gracioushome.com/gh/

Sixth Avenue between 25th and 26th Street

Opens Fall 2008

Until then, I am still searching...

Best Lunch in Tribeca

Columbine, is not only the state flower of Colorado, it is home to the BEST lunch spot in Tribeca. Lines that wrap around the corner only prove that locals agree.


Fresh bread delivered every morning and local produce are staples to this Tribeca take out joint. The menu is inventive with daily specials to keep you from getting bored. But trust me, once you find a favorite, you will dream about it at night. I wake up craving Donald's Famous Smoked Chicken Salad with Lettuce and Tomato on Ciabatta. Or maybe you would prefer Columbine's Jerk Chicken Sandwich with Grilled Red Onions, Mango-Cilantro Relish and Jamaican Hot Sauce or the Tuscan Vegetarian: Italian White Bean Puree with Garlic and Cracked Black Pepper, Red Onions, Oven Dried Tomatoes, Arugula, Shaved Parmesan (or not) on Pizza Bianca. Are you salivating yet? Don't eat your keyboard.

For lighter options, they offer 3 daily soup specials like Sweet Red and Yellow Pepper Puree (veg) or Portuguese Chick Pea with Pancetta, Escarole and Parmesan Garnish. Their salads are packed with veggies and flavor, like the Romaine with Toasted Hazelnuts, Asparagus, Asiago and Champagne-shallot Vinaigrette.

Okay, I think I have tortured you enough. You can thank me after your first bite.

Columbine
229 West Broadway (cross White St.)
212-965-0909
http://www.columbine229.com/index.html
Open for breakfast and lunch.
Delivery and catering available

If you disagree, don't worry. I am still searching...

My Perfect Place

The perfect place is one that makes you feel comfortable. Some place that speaks to some part of your personality. This blog is an attempt to find the perfect place in NYC to live, eat, shop and play. Since the perfect place is subjective, I will keep searching. However, there is one place that I can say with certainty, is perfect for me. My home.

I am one of those lucky New Yorkers who LOVES their apartment. The views and light are amazing. When I walked in for the first time, I just knew it was home. I am on a high floor in a Chelsea building. With corner windows in the living room, kitchen and bedroom, I have northern , eastern, and southern exposures. From my sofa, my current location, I stare at the Empire State building. I love to cook, and my large kitchen satisfies my need for space. I scramble eggs in the morning looking at the Empire State building and Madison Square Park. From my bedroom, I can stare at the Madison Clock Tower (the former Met Life building) and all of downtown. It is comforting at night, when the Madison Clock is lit up, to fall asleep. It feels like it is watching over me. Check out the pics and see for yourself.

I love it! And I am luckily to be in a profession in which I can help others find their dream apartment. Contact me and let me assist in your quest for "the perfect place."

Because as always, I am still searching...