Mark Stern’s Prandial is comforting in all of its richesse. Plush banquettes, dark wood, and an angular, modern feel about…
So Yong Kim’s Portrait of An Absent Father, ‘For Ellen’
“Please stop. You’re going to make me sad.” The pivotal moment in So Yong Kim’s heartbreaking portrait of paternal irresponsibility is when the…
KTCHN: Now Open on West 42nd Street
KTCHN, located at The Out NYC (and sister to the Hell’s Kitchen hotspot Eatery), is a delicious new fixture on West 42nd Street. Smooth…
New Italian Restaurant, Galli, Now Open on Mercer Street
Steve Gallo and Michael Forrest’s Galli of SoHo specializes in Italian comfort food, but actually offers much more. There’s something for…
Foodswings: Vegan Food Can Be Comfort Food
It seems that everyone loves Foodswings, one of the most classic vegan staples in Williamsburg. Bikers, hipsters, everyone in between…
Depanneur of Williamsburg
A little market on a random block in Williamsburg has been thriving for years, now. The place was a dream…
RedFarm Continues West Village Dominance
RedFarm turns away hundreds of hungry would-be diners every night. Many of these people return, not only because that which is…
Farm to Plate at Amali in Midtown East
Herbs are not nearly as appreciated in North American cooking as they should be. Basil, mint, sage, and cilantro are…
‘The Artist’ Was…Quiet
Oh, so quiet- and beautiful to watch. As a viewer, I am still not sure what lines I was supposed…
Homestyle Vietnamese Cooking at An Nhau
Williamsburg, Brooklyn contains its fair share of eccentricity and style: little oddball shops and cafes, full blocks of beautiful murals,…
I Loved ‘Bridesmaids’
No configuration of words can express how deeply happy Bridesmaids made me, but I am still going to blog about…
Go Wild at Empanada Mama!
“You came at the perfect time! Empanada Mama- this is the real feeling of the place. Enjoy!” Indeed- Empanada Mama…
‘The Iron Lady’
The film opens with the most fragile, soft-spoken, elderly woman buying milk at a corner deli. She is shocked by the…
Classy Beer & Peruvian Fare at La Cerveceria
Owning a restaurant in Manhattan is, to say the least, a precarious business. Starting a restaurant off a blank page…
‘J. Edgar’: Making History With History
John Edgar Hoover founded the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which, among other things led the United States into a new…
‘Beginners’ Confront The End in Fear / Stall Death With Love
Ewan McGregor plays things so gentle, that it is nearly impossible not to empathize with his characters. In Beginners, he…
The Brilliant Star: Michelle Williams in ‘My Week With Marilyn’
Michelle Williams stars in a movie where she is sidelined by the plot- how did that happen? No one involved…
‘Albert Nobbs’: “A Woman Passing…” or Succeeding in a Cruel World
ALBERT NOBBS is the story of a man. Is it? Is that what matters? The film is summarized as follows…
Oh, Look! There Are White Heteronormative People Starring in A Woody Allen Film And It Has Been Nominated For An Oscar
‘Midnight in Paris’ is a beautiful, delicious, sexy film with a sweet cast. The plot is led straight from beginning…
The Clothes Come On: Documenting Butt Naked’s Redemption
Re·demp·tion (noun) 1.an act of redeeming or the state of being redeemed. 2. 3. 4.atonement for guilt. General Butt Naked Murderer, sadist, cannibal, Liberian tribal leader, devil worshipper, religious advisor,…
‘Natural Selection’is a Feminist Feat
NATURAL SELECTION is a feminist film: there’s a lady protagonist on a mission that involves quite a lot more than…
Hunger at The Leopard
Stepping into The Leopard at des Artistes from the chilly, quiet sidewalk is a serious New York experience. The lively scents, the…
‘The Dynamiter’ & Childhood
The concept of children as smaller versions of adults persisted in history up until the early 20th Century. The purpose…
Maryam Keshavarz’s ‘Circumstance’
CIRCUMSTANCE is the story of two young women who try to live the lives they desire under an increasingly brutal…
‘Another Earth’ & Earthly Redemption
The elements of science fiction in ANOTHER EARTH accentuate the most important human elements of the story: forgiveness, alienation, victimization,…
RAMPART: Notes on “Date Rape Dave”
When an admittedly racist, controlling, sexist LAPD officer named Dave Brown is caught on camera nearly beating a man to…
Mother America: ‘Think of Me’
By the time Angela Jerome, played sans sentimentality by Lauren Ambrose, says the title line, most viewers will probably have…
Thoughts on ‘Margin Call’
MARGIN CALL deals with a group of corporate risk analysts struggling to survive a particularly nasty awakening in the face…
‘Take Shelter’: A Storm Is Coming
The film begins with a man watching this extraordinary storm approach along a vast stretch of farmland. A thick, slimy…
Bright Night: Cafe du Soleil
Crème brûlée with a hint of lavender, cornmeal-crusted calamari, moules frites with garlic aplenty- what says sun like the fruits of…
IL Tesoro: Gustatory Treasures
I haven’t had a real reason to go to the East Side from the West Side more than occasionally for…
Like Project Continua on Facebook
Project Continua will be accessible and contributable by everyone. The core of Project Continua is the “female biography” archive, searchable…
The Chocolate Room is Heaven & You Should Go There
The Chocolate Room in Cobble Hill Brooklyn is the kind of cafe you can enter comfortably in a group of ten,…
Piola For Pizza Magic
Not a fan of tomatoey things, myself, I know that most of the United States is obsessed with pizza. Piola, which…
Cozy Gray Days at The Grey Dog Cafe
During one very rough finals season in college, The Grey Dog cafe gave me memorable tummy comfort. After spending a wholly sleepless…
Dessert Haven: Citrus Bar & Grill
There is no shortage of sugar in the city. Walking down any avenue, one will most-likely come into contact with…
Refreshingly Fresh “Fast Food”: Chirping Chicken
The pro-sides of this food stop are many, including the simple facts that follow: it’s inexpensive, fast, and never tastes…
Max Brenner Presents Chocolates with Loopy Presentations
Down around Union Square, there is a restaurant with a waiting area, full of chocolate. The idea is that you…
Taim: ‘Delicious’ is right
While Taim is super tiny and you usually can’t get a seat at peak hours (which is most likely when you will…
Mama Mexico Raises Delicious Food in Manhattan
Mama Mexico is consistently fun and full of good eats. It is now common to order guacamole and have someone come…
Serenity in Brooklyn at Tazza Cafe
I ran into Tazza when I got lost in Brooklyn Heights on a cold, rainy day. It seems that many of the…
American Comfort Food That’s ‘Good Enough To Eat’
The food at Good Enough To Eat is well-proportioned, “All-American,” and satisfying to all senses. There’s a little extra something to each…
Sarabeth’s West Offers Rural Fare in an Urban Setting
Sarabeth’s Kitchen on the Westside of Manhattan is a place of extremes. For weekend brunch, it is packed to the brim…
Brooklyn’s Finest: Palmyra of Atlantic Avenue
*** Sadly, Palmyra closed for good in 2011. Over the summer, I happened upon a little cafe called Palmyra whilst…
Mandangsui: My Intro to Korean BBQ Delight
ONE: There are supposed to be as many plates on the table as possible. Start stacking. TWO: “It doesn’t really…
Top Picks at Magnolia Bakery
Magnolia Bakery is known for its cupcakes. The little cakes are beautiful, with plentiful, colorful frosting. The cake itself is quite…
Afghan Food on St. Mark’s at Khyber Pass
Khyber Pass is fun because you can sit in the window seats cross-legged and watch people walk down the street…
Ice Cream & Bliss at Rosa Mexicano
Rosa Mexicano has three locations in Manhattan- Lincoln Center, Union Square, and Midtown east. The Lincoln Center location has this…
Up All Night, Uptown: French Roast
I do not think that people go to French Roast for the food, though it is quite a delight- day…
Top 3: Tea for Tea Lovers
For tea, you need time. There should be a process of inhaling, sipping, tasting and breathing out that informs the…
Le Monde of Manhattan
There are three things about Le Monde of Morningside Heights, Manhattan, that draw crowds: cream, liquor, and meat. Everything else is an…
The Top 3 Cupcake Shops in NYC
I love cupcakes so much that a couple years back, my coworkers started calling me Cupcake. It stuck (I allowed…
Elena Beloff’s Zaritsas: Russian Women in New York
Zaritsas: Russian Women in New York Elena Beloff is a Russian woman who loves living in New York. She came to…
‘The Help’ Cast Shed Light on New Film
The first time I saw “The Help,” I had a sticky feeling I would see it again, not because I…
A Better Life: Discussion with Demian Bichir & Chris Weitz
KS: Was there any moment that you shot, but then removed from the film with deep regret? If yes, what…
Lose Yourself (a Little Itty Bite): Brunch at Alice’s Tea Cup Chapter I
Upon entering the magical sugar-filled world that is Alice’s Tea Cup (specifically Chapter I) one should feel quite warm and…
Classy & Sweet Harney & Sons, Soho
Going to tea and drinking tea is not just about tea. There is this all-to-common misperception about tea: that it…
My Top 3: Italian Eateries on the UWS
Most of the American population indulges in the saucy, cheesy, doughy, often meatiness of pizza dishes and hero sandwiches. Separating…
The Ever Always Lovely Cafe Lalo
Lalo is probably the most reviewed and viewed cafe on the Upper West Side. It is packed on weekends and…
The Coziest Nook: Popover Cafe
*** Very sadly, Popover Cafe close earlier this year, 2014. You’ll forever be in my heart! Popover Cafe is an…
Interview with Wally Lamb
Interview with Author Wally Lamb I met author Wally Lamb after his reading at Central Park SummerStage in 2008. During…
Discussion After the Amazing Women in Film Panel with Thelma Adams
Thanks to Thelma Adams, the moderator of this years Amazing Women in Film panel at the Woodstock Film Festival, I…
An excerpt from “Imagining a Cinematic World without Rape”
The problem with cinematic gendering is that when it comes in the form of fantasized characters made for the…
Interview with Peter Pamela Rose, the Chiropractor for the Mind
This is a piece I recently constructed using audio from an interview I did with Master Life Coach Peter Pamela…
Filmmaker Elena Rossini writes about the state of women in film
I really recommend this link and the blog that hosted the piece – The Beheld. Also take a look at…
R.I.P: The Original Edgar’s Cafe
NOTE: this article was written a month and a half before Edgar’s closed their main location on West 84th Street.…