The In Crowd

Bread Boi - Raw Wraps from Language Artz on Vimeo. Bred Boi's Raw Rap Shit: The Menu album drops July 31st.

Part of the very chic, new and buzzing West Harlem Piers development. I had a meal here about three weeks ago. I wouldn't have intuitively guessed that Latin & Thai cuisine would go together so well and the 'Talay Foo Dogs' out front at the spot (see above) were a bit cheesy, but the food was amazing and decently priced. Talay is highly recommended.

Click here for more info on Talay and the West Harlem Piers.

Online:

Talay Restaurant - website

From the NY Daily News:

"Now that 70-degree days have us craving pints on the patio and brunch in a bistro garden, anyplace with even a few inches outdoors is perpetually slammed. So when everyone else queues up for the same stretch of SoHo sidewalk, head to one of these great city spaces to skip the crowds."

Click here for the full list. How'd they miss 230 Fifth though?? I swear I have never seen a bar, especially an outdoor one, this big.

For more details click the Goliath blog. (h/t: Boogie Tonight)

Tom Laroc is my long-time dude from back in the day who use to cook it up on the 1 and 2's in NYC before moving to Miami to do the same - he was Mark Ronson before there was a Mark Ronson (without the millionaire rock n roll step dad and prep school coinnections). Who knew he could do the same in an actual kitchen?! From his YouTube channel:

"Gaining popularity for his healthy floribbean cuisine, Tom Laroc keeps Hip-Hop dignataries, top models & Hollywood's elite fed with his healthy culinary delights."

For more:

- Tom Laroc YouTube channel

- Tom Laroc - MySpace 

Brilliant! Buy them here. 

I've long been a fan of the Asian fusion cuisine at the DUMBO location of Rice Restaurant even throwing parties at Low, the very underappreciated bar in the basement last spring and summer.

Now that they're opening a new location in my old hood, the Black Boho/Buppie haven of Fort Greene Brooklyn, maybe it's time to get back in that mode yet again.

TONIGHT is the official jumpoff so come out and support Peter and the crew.

For more details, click here for the Rice website.

Only in New York would a restaurant that sells its house merlot by the glass for $14 be described as "Moderate to Expensive." Luckily I'm making some money and have a corporate card now which eased the pain of checking out 66 in Tribeca last night.

With wasabi-coated peanuts as the free bar snacks and potato scallion pancakes and foie-gras & shrimp dumplings (both excellent) the cheapest (and apparently the most popular) items on the appetizer and dim sum menu at around $6-8, this chic looking lounge-restaurant is being heavily slept on by the typical yuppie Tribeca crowds who flock to this part of town for their nights out. Perhaps it's the slow-ish service?

I was pretty stuffed after a couple birthday cup cakes and the aforementioned pancakes and dumplings, whose servings were both larger than I expected, so I didn't taste the full dinner menu which is nominally Chinese-inspired but basically Pan Asian. Most everything else appetizer-wise on it was $10 and up and entrees didn't get much cheaper than $20. Nevertheless, I'd give this place a recommend rating anyway. What it lacks in buzzing crowds is more than made up for in quality food and cool atmosphere.

It might also make for a good casual first date or meeting spot. Besides being not so crowded that you can actually carry on a conversation without screaming, you'll also look like you have taste but without having to get played by snooty maitre d's or hosts making you wait endlessly for a table at whatever's the current hot spot in town.

66 is located at 241 Church Street (between Leonard and Worth) in Tribeca, New York City. Call (212) 925-0202 for details or reservations.

Click here (and then on the "restaurants" tab) for more info on 66.

For those who want to go beyond Pier 1 or Crate & Barrel when trying to get their home furnishings looking fly:

"It may come as a surprise to some that Simon Pearce is an actual person and not just a well-known custom trademark for high quality glassware and pottery. Raised in County Cork Ireland, Simon Pearce began his career in glass at the Royal College of Art in London and worked in some of Europe's most renowned glass houses.

With workshop factories in Maryland, Vermont and Pennsylvania and stores nationwide, the Simon Pearce line has expanded beyond hand-blown glassware and pottery to now include woodenware, throws and tablemats, flatware, baskets and candles."

Click here to learn more.