New York City based hair stylist Janet Waddell’s new product line gives exactly what the names of the products suggest. With names like “Gorgeous” shampoo and “Flawless” conditioner these are the new must have products for your hair. Using Emu oil, which has been used by Australian Aborigines for over 2000 years and 100% all natural and botanical ingredients this line will give you that shine and bounce in your hair that we all want. Check out www.JanetWaddell.com for more information
If you have ever dreamed of having a little cottage in the woods as I have then this is the place for you!! Catskill Farms is a builder of brand new homes in Sullivan county New York. Unlike other new homes though these are one of a kind.
Using early American architecture Catskill Farms makes these houses feel like homes. Clapboard siding. Wide Plank Floors. Fireplaces. Salvaged handhewn beams. Painted wood ceilings. Beadboard wainscotting. Clawfoot tubs. Country kitchens…all without the expense or stress of trying to do a “This Old House” type renovation on an older home. For more information check out www.CatskillFarms.com
Check out this great deal through Amtrak. Roundtrip from New York City to Montreal for a weekend getaway ONLY $85 ROUNDTRIP!!! Travel on the Adirondack, named by National Geographic as one of the top ten most scenic train rides in the world, from New York City to Montreal between now and April 26th. Tickets must be purchased by April 19th. The Adirondack offers spectacular views as it travels along the Hudson River north to Albany, New York, heading into the Adirondack Mountains where it hugs the shores of Lake Champlain offering breathtaking views across Vermont’s Green Mountains. For more information check out www.Amtrak.com
For anyone who wants to donate to a charity but isn’t sure if they have the money to do so this is the site for you!!! Kiva.org is a micro loan charity. This means that for as little as $25 you can “loan” money to someone in mostly 3rd world countries that really is trying to lift themselves up by the boot straps. The charity part comes in because you will not recieve any interest on your loan but you will recieve the money back. You can either ask for a check or move the money on to someone else who needs it. NYCandBeyond has helped over 20 different small business owners in countries such as Togo, Uganda, and Peru. President Clinton is a big supporter of this charity and even spoke on The Oprah Winfrey Show about it a few years ago. Check out www.Kiva.org for more info
Check out the below answer from the Kiva website on “What is Kiva?”
Kiva’s mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty.
Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending.
Kiva was born of the following beliefs:
People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.
The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.
Kiva promotes:
Dignity: Kiva encourages partnership relationships as opposed to benefactor relationships. Partnership relationships are characterized by mutual dignity and respect.
Accountability: Loans encourage more accountability than donations where repayment is not expected.
Transparency: The Kiva website is an open platform where communication can flow freely around the world.
As of November 2009, Kiva has facilitated over $100 million in loans.
If you have been looking for a dog walker for your very important family member look no further. Broadway Bitches is THE best dog walking company in the city. Started by owner Rose Nivales a few years ago, Broadway Bitches has become the go to service for all your doggie walking needs. Rose herself walks many of her clients dogs but she also employs many of her on tour actor friends when they are in NYC in between touring companies. Having been a lover of all things canine for years, Rose saw a need in her neighborhood for quality dog walkers. Trustworthy and totally into all your canine’s needs this is the walkers you really want. Check out their website at www.BroadwayBitches.com
This is a great chance to see one of the world’s best orchestras for a great price without taking up your whole evening. The rush hour series is a shortened version of a full philharmonic evening. Shows start at 6:45 and are over in about an hour. The next two dates in the series are March 3rd and April 7th. NYCandBeyond attended the first in the series of three on January 6th which was Rachmaninoff’s 2nd symphony and was very happy with the evening. This time slot gives you the chance to either have dinner after or if you live outside of the city it gives you a chance to miss all the rush hour traffic!! Due to the shortened time the ticket prices are much lower and it’s great for people who are not sure if they would enjoy the New York Philharmonic. For more info and tickets check out www.nyphil.org This is also a great way to see the brand new music director of the philharmonic, Alan Gilbert, who is getting rave reviews.
Next time you find yourself in London check out this fashionable high tea at the Berkeley Hotel. Using inspiration from the current fashion collections Pret-a-Portea is a fashion follower’s dream. The cakes and biscuits are all made to resemble different items from the runway.
Burberry trench coat, Roger Vivier knee high boot
Starting off with a cinnamon biscuit shaped like the iconic Burberry Prorsum trench coat and ending with a cake modeled after a Matthew Williamson dress it is a veritable fashion show of desserts. The entire tea service is Paul Smith stripes and the location at the Berkelely hotel is gorgeous. There is also a wonderful savory part to the tea as well including finger sandwiches and small bite sized canapes.
Be sure to make a reservation before you go since it does book up quickly.
Last night NYCandBeyond was taken to dinner by none other than The Avant Guardian. We were treated to a wonderful evening at Les Halles. This french brasserie is the home base of chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain where he is the contributing “Chef-at-Large”. After seeing chef Bourdain on numerous TV shows travelling the world in search of some the the best meals on offer and also as a highly critical judge on Bravo’s Top Chef it was quite interesting to be in his restaurant. This is one of those seminal New York restaurants where the food takes center stage. The restarant is relaxed and also very resonably priced for fare of this quality. As one diner noted, “It seems to be the type of place were people that work in restaurants would go on a day off”. One of the other great things about this place are the hours. 7 days a week from 7:30am till Midnight with no stop in service.
photo credit leshalles.net
We started our meal with the Croûtons de Coulommiers rôtis au miel et poivre (brie topped with honey & cracked black pepper, roasted
and served on croutons). The sweetness of the honey combined with the spice of the black pepper was a perfect compliment to the warm brie. Deciding on a main course proved to be very difficult. So many things on the menu jumped out to be eaten. It was finally decided to have two starters as a main and there was no disappointment. The Feuilleté d’écrevisse, Créole (Crawfish with mustard sauce in puff pastry) was fantastic, with the most incredibly flavorful sauce. Next was the starter of the day, a wonderful mushroom in cream sauce pastry that had all the woodsy, silky umami flavors one could want in a dish. I was also able to taste one of my fellow diners entree of Noix de St. Jacques Poêlées au Champagne (pan seared scallops, champagne sauce). The scallops were perfectly cooked, brown and crispy on the outside and tender and sweet inside.
photo credit mightymac.org
The service was also wonderful. The waitress was able to answer all out foodie questions and was very friendly without being too forward. This is definitely an NYCandBeyond favorite meal and restaurant. We will be eating there often and can’t wait to try all the other dishes they have to offer.
From now until February 28, 2010 get this AMAZING rate at Wynn Las Vegas. Sunday through Thursday $119 and Friday and Saturday $189 including a $25 resort credit for a resort room. Log on to www.visitwynn.com/redcardinvite or call (877)770-7940 and use code RCWV.
Kiva Cafe is a quaint cafe during the week and now on Thursday and Friday nights it transforms into a wine bar/event space. This past Thursday was a fab poetry reading and it was a packed house. The space comfortably accomodates 25-30 people. The cafe also displays and sells artwork and jewelry on consignment. It’s a quiet and charming atmosphere. It’s great for poetry readings, private parties/events, art shows, jewelry shows, or any freelance artist looking to promote their work, social meet ups, book clubs, after work drinks, and more. Currently they serve wine, coffee, espresso, cappuccino, and a variety of teas. Check out www.kivacafe.com for future events.
This past weekend was the NY Wine & Food Festival. There were hundreds of events and almost all were sold out. NYCandBeyond attended both the NY Times Talk with Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa and also the Grand Tasting on Saturday.
Ina’s interview with NY Times food writer Alex Witchel was full of great anecdotes of her life with food. From starting off as a budget analyst for the White House in the 80’s to owning a small specialty food store in West Hampton to eventually her empire of TV, cookbooks, and her own product line, it has been a great story. She had the audience in stitches with her clever wit and disarming personality. As one person during the question and answer said “Loving Ina is like a religion”!!
The Grand Tasting was held at Pier 54. Under the huge tent you are able to taste wine from around the world, food from amazing New York restaurants and even alcohol. This is an event for the senses.
Chef Fabio Viviani of Top Chef
Many of the great television chefs were on hand giving demos and handing out samples of yummy goodness. The tasting is a full three hours and you need the time to make it to all the different booths.
Chalk Hill Winery
Make sure to set a date for next years event or if you are planning on being in Miami at the end of February check out The South Beach Wine & Food Festival here.
Cooking demo by The Next Iron Chef contestant Chef Brad Farmerie
The newly renovated and newly named Dupont Hotel opened in March of this year. The almost $40 million renovation budget was definitely worth it. Being the only hotel actually located on Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. the views from both the rooms and restaurant are fantastic. Completely modern but still relaxed the hotel has it all. Extremely comfortable beds and bedding and a very cool white marble bathroom.
photo credit: hotel dupont
Both the Cafe Dupont and Bar Dupont boast some of the best people watching in the city. Beeing the only hotel actually on Dupont Circle they both are great places to sit back and relax, while the world walks by. Check out Dupont Hotel for more info.
For years French Bistros Pastis and Balthazar were the go to places for brunch in New York City. That has all changed. Cookshop, located on 10th Ave and 20th street and it’s newer sister restaurant Hundred Acres located at 38 MacDougal street are now it.
photo credit: cookshop
Cookshop, which opened in 2005 is named after the “cookshops” of the 1800’s, where cooks would make simply prepared dishes from ingredients often harvested by the cooks themselves. All the ingredients at both Cookshop and Hundred Acres are seasonal which ensures the freshest and best tasting dishes.
photo credit: hundredacres
Hundred Acres opened in July of 2008. The space has a butcher-shop-meets-farmhouse feel, with farming photographs in the dining room, a buzzing bar lined with subway tiles and an enclosed garden with a retractable roof for dining under the stars. Check out either of these great restaurants at www.cookshopny.com
On October 17th from 7pm to 10 pm Splashlight Studios will host the 2009 Best of Show Award Party. This is a great chance to see some of the most exciting and beautiful photography of 2009. Check out www.photoawards.com for more info and don’t forget to RSVP soon. Splashlight Studios is located at 75 Varick Street on the 3rd floor.
Is this the future of Manhattan??? Well if Alive Structures has anything to say about it the answer is a resounding YES! Alive Structures is a Brooklyn based company that installs, designs and educates about green walls, roofs and practically anything else you can think of. Check out their site at www.alivestructures.com You can also see their work this weekend at the Wild Project Theater in the East Village. The address is 195 East 3rd Street between Ave A and B. They will be giving tours all day from 10AM to 5PM.
