Artichoke Basille

Artichoke Basille

The lack of decent pizza slice joints in the East Village has been a long-standing gripe of mine. I’ve been eyeing Artichoke Basille, and the line snaking out its door, since it opened about a month ago. Although I usually…

Death and Company

Death and Company

Since the church-like doors first parted last winter, Death & Company has been the place for worship-worthy cocktails in the East Village. Personally, I love how the electric candlelight glows off the wood-planked ceilings, the way the charmingly-vested bartenders do…

Alligator Lounge equals Free Pizza

Alligator Lounge equals Free Pizza

The pizza at Alligator Lounge is a strange phenomenon of budget snacking. I can’t quite figure out how it’s free. Well, not exactly free–you must purchase one drink, at about $5 a pop, to get a free pizza ticket. If…

Pommes Frites Poutine

It’s winter for another month or two, so there’s no better time to partake in the finest of heart-attack snacks, and curl up in front of the TV holding your engorged tummy. I’m talking about poutine. If there’s a reason…

Employees Only

A few months ago wormwood absinthe was legalized for sale in the US. Now instead of trekking to Europe, we can openly sip the green fairy in a few reputable New York City lounges. Employees Only (fear not the psychic in…

Abraco Espresso

It’s actually Abraço, and I think it’s destined to be my favorite neighborhood coffee spot. I wandered in this morning, thinking I was on my way to Dunkin’ Donuts, and instantly my day started looking up. The barista, a cheerful,…

Beware the Muffin Man

I’m well into my morning commute by the time I breeze through the Union Square Greenmarket, but I don’t become conscious until then. Revived by a new landscape of radish-end hills, jam jar pyramids, and arugula forests, I start scanning…

Caracas Arepa Bar

Tonight, when I called Caracas Arepa Bar for takeout, there was no hello. Instead the receiver hovered within hearing-range of vague, delighted sounds–people enjoying buttery, cheesey arepas and beers. The second and third times: busy signal. This was not the…

Peeler Man

Today while wandering through Soho I happened upon my favorite New York street performer/salesperson, Peeler Man. I call this a performance because his impassioned schtick is a notch or two beyond your average QVC spokesman. I mean, not just anybody…

PDT Please Don’t Tell

The next time you’re pub crawling in the East Village with someone you really want to impress and they say “where to next,” here’s what you do. Head over to Crif Dogs on St. Mark’s Place, a high-traffic dugout peddling…