Wikipages Blog

We had a big night out in the East Village. After dinner at the Yaffa Cafe, we pondered where to go. For drinks, I suggested Simone’s, a chic wine bar type place. But this was turned down by those in favor of a rowdier night. We opted for Grassroots.

With a similar feel to the Peculier Pub, Grassroots is a bar bar. It’s dirty, it’s loud, and it’s a good time. It’s not the sort of place I’d order a Cosmo (not that their cosmos are particularly bad; it just doesn’t seem to fit). I ordered a vodka tonic and found seats for our crowd at one of the wooden tables.

I’d had my share of drinks at the Yaffa Cafe. So I was feeling good. Some more friends met up with us and the party got even more merry.

Ben, who isn’t much of a drinker, opted for a chemistry experiment with a couple of his friends. They gathered various discarded beverages (and a cake) from nearby tables and combined them into one super drink. The result was a strange-looking, layered substance. A frat-rat type girl who’d been flirting with the three boys wandered over and asked, “Are you going to drink that?” To which they laughed in response. We probably could have convinced her to drink it, in her state, but resisted the temptation.

The night proved a good time. So if you’re nostalgic for sticky beer floors and a good old bar, Grassroots is your spot.

No, I’m not talking about A Christmas Story, which my sister insists on watching during its Christmas Eve marathon showing every year, despite the fact that it always makes me feel a little bit sad since he nearly does shoot his eye out. I’m talking about our work holiday party, which for the past three years has taken place at the same restaurant: Dim Sum Go Go.

Located in Chinatown, Dim Sum Go Go was the first dim sum I ever had. It’s definitely tasty (though maybe not tasty enough to warrant 3 consecutive years of holiday business parties). And they appear to have less vegetarian options than most Chinese restaurants. But the dumplings are good and so is the service.

At the holiday party, everyone enjoyed eating dumplings, drinking wine, and getting to know each other a little bit better. It’s always nice to let loose with co-workers and let them see a different side of you. When they found out that I have a small match-making hobby, I got three requests for set-ups. I’m thinking I’ll just throw one big party and invite all my single friends (a number that’s fast dwindling)!

After dinner was finished and the annual speech by the CEO given, people began to disperse and I wished good holidays to all. I’m off till after Christmas, so time to celebrate and deck the halls! Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra! Happy Holidays!

Ben and I attended a gathering for web designers at Mannahatta, a chic bar in the West Village. We planned to spread the word about Wikipages to the internet community.

We arrived early to the gathering with hopes to chat with a few folks and then go home to sleep. When we got there, not many people had yet arrived. I ordered a vodka tonic, always a good standard drink, and we explored the interior. Good lighting, ample seating on these sleek couch type benches, and interesting map art on the walls.

Then we noticed a nice spread of food, out for the gathering. Hummus, pita, veggies, bruschetta, all sorts of delicious foods that nut-allergic vegetarians can eat! Having just come from work, we were starving. We helped ourselves to hummus-coated pita as people began filling up the bar. By the time our appetites were sated, the bar was packed with web designers, bloggers, and internet entrepreneurs like ourselves.

We had planned to mingle with everyone, all of whom seemed very interesting. But, as occasionally happens on work nights, my energy just felt drained. It seemed more useful to use what little I had left to go home and add Mannahatta into Wikipages. Ben was of a like mind. So having had a good drink and tasty food, we thanked the hosts of the event and headed home.

I wandered the West Village with some friends looking for a good place for an after dinner drink. Of course, ten million such places exist in the area. But they are often 1. completely packed (sometimes with a studenty or tourist crowd) 2. extremely loud 3. don’t give seating to anyone not eating. But right near Meskerem, a tasty Ethiopian restaurant, we spotted a sub-level tiny place whose name caught my eye, the Bourgeois Pig.

The interior is dimly lit, with plush couches and fringe lamps. The menu includes fondus, chocolates, cheeses, and a long wine list. Very tasty stuff! The place is tiny, but crammed with couches which allow a surprising amount of seating.

The wine and food was delicious and the atmosphere lush. I felt the need to sit on a piano and belt La Vie En Rose. It’s a nice, hidden place for a quiet drink.

The Financial District does not consist solely of skyscrapers. There’s an oasis of beautiful old buildings, including those on and around Stone Street. George Washington spoke to his troops at one of these, and you can still get a hard drink or a tasty meal there today: The Fraunces Tavern.

The Fraunces Tavern was started by Samual Fraunces, probably one of the first middle-class African Americans, in 1762. Built in the Federalist style, the tavern is brick and simple. A friend of Samuel Fraunces, George Washington and other famous revolutionaries frequented this tavern. Legend has it that their ghosts still linger there.

Now also a museum, this place is one of the oldest operating taverns in the city. A few of us decided to have a meal there after work. We had hopes to see something supernatural occur.

The interior is split into two sections: tavern and restaurant. The restaurant requires a bit of splurging. It also lacks vegetarian entrees. But the salads and soups are plenty tasty (and cheaper than the entrees, anyway!). The decor is colonial elegance, with a warm vibe.

We saw no ghosts, unfortunately. But with the tasty food and the chatter from the tavern, the restaurant radiates a cosy vibe. Perhaps it’s the presence of the ghosts, protecting their favorite drinking hole from the chaos of the outside world.

Astoria is an awesome neighborhood to live in. I love just walking through the streets and finding new places to go. Just a couple weeks ago, Ben and I discovered this little gem: The Waltz-Astoria.

A wine bar/ coffeehouse, the Waltz-Astoria is chilled out place with an artsy vibe. It reminds me of the coffeeshops I used to frequent in the 90’s, when Starbucks was the new thing. My nostalgia for those places made this one feel familiar and friendly.

With outdoor seating, a wide beverage selection, and a cosy interior, this cafe is a great hangout. The interior has a piano, shelves of books, and paintings by a local artist. It’s perfect for Ben and I, since we’re more and more often in the mood for a quiet evening. Plus, he doesn’t drink and I really do, so the cafe has something for us both!

The cafe hosts many different events. We went there on “Board Game Night”, where they have many available games to play. We settled down to some drinks (a flavored coffee for Ben and a nice red wine for me) and a game of scrabble. Ben beat me, unfortunately. It was a wonderful way to spend a peaceful evening, just steps away from our home.

We met up with some friends after work on Friday at a bar on the Lower East Side called Sweet and Vicious. One recently ex-coworker had invited people to celebrate her moving on to another company. She explained that she’d chose the spot for its happy hour, its courtyard, and its dancing.

The bar’s entrance is a large wooden door, with only a small sign. The dimly-lit interior radiates a nice vibe with a warm feel and ample seating. The courtyard is a fairly good size (nothing like the Beer Garden, of course; this is Manhattan). The whole place is great for a party gathering.

The night proved a success. A mixture of current and ex-coworkers, everyone enjoyed venting the stress of the work week. I think of it as an end-of-week purging, which stops those thoughts from invading the rest of the weekend. After three glasses of wine on a dinnerless stomach, I felt indeed very stressfree. Weekday stress purged, fun had, I went home knowing I’ll return to that Sweet and Vicious spot.

Last night, I went to the Cinewoman Festival at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater. A combination of independent video store, movie theater, and pizza parlor, Two Boots is a pretty cool place. Located in the Lower East Side (which I love), its name refers to the blending of Italian and Louisiana cuisine. Two Boots! (It took me a while to get it.)

The theater hosts frequent events featuring independent films. At the Cinewoman, we watched two films directed by women which discussed Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge. The first was an awesome short by Rain Breaw about a Cambodian immigrant family, which showed animated flashbacks to horrors of their experiences with the Khmer Rouge. Very interesting stuff. The second was a documentary about Cambodian landmine victims directed by Alison McMahan. Pretty intense, but also very hopeful for the future. Not exactly merry movies, but both very well-done and thought-provoking.

After watching these heavy films, we headed downstairs to “Den of Cin” for the free pizza and beer that comes with the movie ticket. The place lived up to its name, serving a saucy pizza with a cajun spice twist. Delicious! I plan to return for more thought-provoking films in the future. And more pizza.

I was exploring the East Village with a friend from out of town. I love this part of the city. Awesome vintage shops, some great jazz venues, fun bars. After trying on a wide selection of hats at one shop, and purchasing some beautiful vintage threads at another, we decided to look for a place to eat. As my friends know, when I get hungry, it’s not a pretty sight. And I got hungry. So we went to the first place we saw, a tiny place that we had no clue about, but the door was open and there was an empty table.

The place was one simple room, tinted in red. As soon as we entered, the owner approached us with a wide, friendly smile. He was a beautiful black young man who charmingly informed us in a Caribbean accent that we were in a vegan, Haitian restaurant. I didn’t even know such a thing existed. There was no menu, only items listed on a blackboard on the wall. But all the items on the wall seemed delicious. I chose advocado roasted with mushroom mousse inside.

The owner took our orders, with his dashing smile, and introduced us to his partner, his beautiful red-haired American wife. The two of them made such a stunning couple, I kept thinking how gorgeous their children would be. Both in their twenties, they told us that they had started this restaurant a couple years ago and had also started a similar place up in Harlem which had a music venue. The place was BYO, but as we had brought none, the owners offered a bottle that had been unfinished by former customers and we accepted.

The food was amazingly delicious. Unlike anything I have had before or since. Such an amazing combination of advocado and mushroom! We left the restaurant with our appetites sated and a feeling that we had made friends with this fascinating couple.

Unfortunately, we did not leave with the name of the restaurant, nor the address. I have searched for this place since and failed. It is an utter tragedy. Please, if you know this establishment, tell me! And I’ll add it to Wikipages so others can find it.

I’m always on the look out for more great Little Italian Restaurants. Here’s one that makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Located on the Upper East Side, The Luca Restaurant is a small place with delicious food. Decorated with rather suprising, large paper vegetable sculptures, this restaurant never bores you. It’s Italian, but with a little kick. One of the best things about this restaurant is the tasty fried olives that they bring out as soon as you sit down. I don’t even like olives usually, but these are insanely good. The menu has a good range of options, including many vegetarian selections like Pumpkin Ravioli and Mushroom Risotto.

When you’ve finished your yummy meal, walk just a couple of blocks over to Cavatappo for an after dinner drink. This wine bar, owned by the same people as the Luca Restaurant, has a cosy brick interior with a wide selection of wines and some munchies. A visit to both places makes for a perfect evening.