Ovelia stands out against a street riddled with restaurants and shops with its very modern and sleek color scheme and decorations. With both indoor and outdoor seating, I couldn’t help but notice the attention to detail throughout the restaurant: I couldn’t help but stare and take in everything from the bathroom to the bar. The music also went along with the calm and relaxed vibe that Ovelia gave off. The owners, Chris and Peter, are brothers that left their jobs in law and science (respectively) to open a restaurant that features their parents’ recipes. Both their mother and father currently contribute to the menu, and I have to say, their recipes are amazing. Chris explained that none of the ingredients are commercial and that they make everything in the kitchen to give the meals an authentically Greek home-cooked taste. Read the complete post »
In Bytes:Food for the Cyborg Palate, dining editor Katheryn Thayer asks how life online and food in NYC play with each other.
Every month, Good.is blogs “30 days of good”. It’s an online daily reminder/inspiration/idea shared to help readers to sleep better in May, unplug at 8 in July, and, this June, to cook more meals at home.
Good sees that solitary self-improvement is tough– we need examples and encouragement. That’s why they’ve invited Evan George, writer, journalist, and former line cook, to blog readers through healthy, home-cooked meals all June.
Yeah, online experts and cheerleaders are great, but only because they can reach a large, wide-spread audience. Ideally, we would all have a best-friend chef in our kitchen telling us to put down the take-out menu and fire up the grill. But why not be an idealist? With so much online fervor for self-improvement and self-education, more New York City restauranteurs are doing what bloggers can’t: providing real-life, personal guidance towards healthier and more ethical eating.
The Astor Room, located at 35th avenue and 36th street on the Kaufman Astoria Studios campus, was once a Paramount Pictures cafeteria serving the likes of Rudolph Valentino. You can easily walk by without realizing this—nothing more than a sign above the entrance indicates its presence. There are no tables outside and no front window. From the street, The Astor Room isn’t so much a room as it is a door. But open that door at 8:30 on a Friday night, and before your eyes adjust from the summer twilight to the dark of Astor’s movie star staircase, before you see the lovely tiled walls, dark wooden tables and well-stocked bar, before you try a cocktail called The Gatsby (complete with egg white), you’re blasted with a flood of live jazz so sudden and sonorous that none of what follows surprises you in the least.
Matthew Katakis loves a good barbecue. But after watching the documentary “Food, Inc.”, he began to wonder what ‘good’ really means. So he did some homework, toured the barbeque and butcher shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and arrived at three words: local, natural, organic.
Katakis saw that restaurants in Queens weren’t approaching meat in a truly sustainable, moral, or healthy way. So he decided to do it himself. Katakis, Kathy Castro, and chef Orlando Sanchez opened Butcher Bar, bringing their borough high-quality, high-flavor authentic barbeque.
A stark white facade, windowless, lit from below by blue lights. The door tiny by comparison, framed by a band of moving digital words, like a movie title. The lobby lit with the glare of a giant projection / installation of close-up shots of human faces caught mid-expression, copied over and over in a giant blinking panorama. Welcome to the Museum of the Moving Image: a perfect blend of postmodern cinematic aesthetics, that familiar American pop cultural vibe of all movie theatres, and the thoughtful somberness of a museum. Read the complete post »
Wandering around in Astoria, Queens, I was delighted to find Cafe Triskell: a small interior dimly lit with a string of Christmas lights, low-key music with matching quirky décor, and a full house. There was a five minute wait, which we spent in the tiny foyer to stay warm. When the group before us left, one of them couldn’t resist telling us that we were about to eat some “really, really good food, guys”–that, plus seeing the mouth-watering crêpes on the other tables, made me very eager for the menu. Read the complete post »
Steinway Street should be known for having a little of everything. It has an impressive array of stores, from familiar chains to 99-cent emporiums, and restaurants of all ethnicities. It also has its fair share of fitness centers, including a new one that just opened about a year and a half ago. No machines or weights here; The Art of Fitness instead offers classes that are fun, so you won’t even realize you’re exercising. Really.
After watching one too many infomercials touting Zumba workout DVDs, I needed to try it for myself, which is how I found myself in Astoria on a Monday evening after work. As soon as I walked in, the atmosphere was friendly. Our instructor, Ashley, seemed energetic and put everyone at ease. Looking around the room, I noticed that there were people of varying ages- from teens to those in their thirties-eager to try the class. Read the complete post »
Judah Friedlander Watch Judah Friedlander perform through July 17 at Caroline’s! Tickets are $27.50! Friedlander may be best known for his work on 30 Rock, but he is also a stand up comedian and a published author.
Caroline’s on Broadway (1626 Broadway, Midtown West) 10 pm
GUMBO
This fabulous dance party and live music event hosted at the sleek and intimate Canal Room, will feature DJ Keo Nozari along with performer Shontelle. Gumbo NYC is an LGBT events group, which hosts a party every first Friday of the month at Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO, Brooklyn. GUMBO was a Paper Magazine nominee for “Best Gay Party 2010,” a Time Out New York “Critics’ pick,” and was declared “one of the hottest new parties in NYC” by OUT.com.
Canal Room (285 W Broadway) 10:30 pm
JULY 16
Barneys New York: FREE Facials
FREE facials at Barney’s this Saturday! Treatments include, but are not limited to, UV damage correction and wrinkle depletion. All services are done by world renown Sunday Riley Modern Skincare professionals.
660 Madison Ave 10 am – 5 pm
Robot Film Festival
After collecting around 70 short films that revolve around robots, the Robot Film Festival is showing off the flicks. Buy tickets to the movies and make sure attend the festival’s awards ceremony, called the “Botskers.” The Three Legged Dog (3LD) Theater (80 Greenwich St) through July 17
Field Day!
Come Out and Play is hosting a field day this Saturday on Governors Island! Join in on “the day of new and exciting outdoor games, from wild new field sports to large social games.” Every year, Come Out & Play features the best in experimental new real-world games. Listing of games is available online. 11am, 5pm, Governors Island
4 Knots Music Festival
Presented by The Village Voice, this indie-rock music festival includes groups like the Black Angels, Oberhofer, Davila 666, Titus Andronicus, and Eleanor Friedberger.
South Street Seaport’s Pier 17 1 – 12 pm
Opening of Jim Henson’s Fantastic World
Fifteen of Jim Henson’s famed puppets, including Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, will be on display at the Museum of the Moving Image along with over 120 other artifacts from Henson’s long career. Guided tours of Jim Henson’s Fantastic World will run every Saturday and Sunday at 3pm. Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Avenue, Astoria) July 16–January 16, 2012
Midsummer Night Swing
Take a trip to Lincoln Center for the last day of this popular series. The Harlem Renaissance Orchestra will be playing fantastic music that will be sure to inspire plenty of crazy dance moves for the third annual dance contest.
Damrosch Park (62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam) 7:30 pm
Lesbo Disco
Head to Crown Heights for a lady party like no other! $15 entrance fee.
893 Bergen St (between Classon and Franklin Aves) 10 pm
JULY 17
Mister Sunday with Eamon, Justin and Todd Terje
(388-400 Carroll St., nr. Bond St; Gowanus Grove, Brooklyn)
Spend your Sunday dancing outdoors at this Brooklyn summer dance party. Bring your dog (on a leash), kids (who get in for free!), and enough sunscreen to last a couple of hours of dancing! 3 pm
Matt Timms Present’s “The Ice Cream Take Down”
Your chance to taste over 20 flavors of ice cream all for $15. Cast your vote for your favorite flavor! The Bell House (149 7th St, Brooklyn) 4 pm
The Yoga Room embodies the core ideal of this stylish and homey place, as everything is designed just up to the point: your health and well- being. With a friendly green and glass front against the mosaic wall, the small room welcomed me warmly. As I stepped inside and looked around, I sensed a philosophy of “vinyasa” in the decor—“vi”, in a special way, “nyasa”, to place— everything is placed in a special way; in one corner, a wooden table chest held a copper brown hand wash, with a large wooden Buddist embossment hanging over it, inviting a deep breath in the special ambiance of religious tranquility. This small world made me feel like I was in an exotic and authentic Indian lounge. I was asked to take off my shoes at the entrance, because everyone should have the right to enjoy themselves without any binding from the outside—both physical and psychological.
From start to finish, the Gigi experience is hip. Located in Astoria, it has all of the style of a high-end Manhattan salon with a fraction of the pretension. This Aveda Concept studio was opened in 2005, bringing to Astoria both its first high-end and environmentally-friendly haircare destination. All of the sleek interior decor is made from recycled materials, and, in addition to practicing energy-saving techniques and using “green” products, the hair that is cut at Gigi’s is collected and sent off to be used for oil spill clean up efforts.
Customer care is as much a priority here as the green initiative. From the first step in the door, one is offered a choice of beverages, including lemon water, coffee, tea, and wine. After an initial consultation with a hairstylist, one is directed to the washing station, at which point the client receives a complimentary hand massage. The services run the gamut, available to both men and women, and include cuts, coloring, styling–and prices are determined according to hair length. Appointments can be made by phone or online.
34-17 30 Ave. (Astoria). 718-777-7755. Tue-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12pm-6pm, Mon 12pm-8pm. N to 30th Ave.
Inside New York has been turning newcomers into New Yorkers since 1978! With over 600 new reviews of the hottest lifestyle, dining, and nightlife venues in our new book, INY 2013 is conscious of your time and budget so you can make the most of NYC!
Ovelia stands out against a street riddled with restaurants and shops with its very modern and sleek color scheme and decorations. With both indoor and outdoor seating, I couldn’t help but notice the attention to detail throughout the restaurant: I couldn’t help but stare and take in everything from the bathroom to the bar. The music also went along with the calm and relaxed vibe that Ovelia gave off. The owners, Chris and Peter, are brothers that left their jobs in law and science (respectively) to open a restaurant that features their parents’ recipes. Both their mother and father currently contribute to the menu, and I have to say, their recipes are amazing. Chris explained that none of the ingredients are commercial and that they make everything in the kitchen to give the meals an authentically Greek home-cooked taste. Read the complete post »
