Tag Archives: now closed

Food and Drink, Lifestyle

Honest Vegetarian Indian Restaurant is Love at First Bite!

1 Comment

honest indian store front photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

In NYC right now, it’s exciting to see  favorite neighborhoods making a post-pandemic comeback. New stores and restaurants are opening everywhere, revitalizing the local economy, and getting us all pumped-up for a fun summer in the city. Being a downtown girl, I love seeing what’s new in places like Bleecker Street, in the heart of Greenwich Village, where there’s always something  interesting to discover — especially when it comes to good eats. If you love Indian food as much as I do, please allow me to put Honest, a recently-opened fast casual Indian Vegetarian Restaurant, on your radar.

Honest has a fascinating history: a journey that’s taken this family business from its genesis as a street cart in India to an international chain with over 31 locations in the US, all serving delicious, healthy Indian specialties. Now, Honest has arrived on Bleecker Street, and that’s definitely worth getting excited about.
Continue reading Honest Vegetarian Indian Restaurant is Love at First Bite! →

Food and Drink, Lifestyle

Restaurant Review: Sapphire Cuisines of India Sparkles On the Upper West Side

Leave a comment

sapphire restaurant Interior detail photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

Fans of Indian cuisine here in Manhattan are often fiercely loyal to restaurants located in neighborhoods like 6th Street in the East Village or the stretch of lower Lexington Avenue known as Curry Hill. But I like to explore neighborhoods that are maybe not known for having the highest number of Indian restaurants per-block, and see what options there are for dining outside my immediate stomping grounds. This past week, I discovered a true hidden gem (pun intended) on my first visit to Sapphire Cuisines of India on the Upper West Side, and feel like it is already a favorite destination owing to gracious service, lovely décor, and fresh, innovative dishes. Let me tell you about the experience I had dining with my favorite Foodie friend, Anne, at Sapphire.
Continue reading Restaurant Review: Sapphire Cuisines of India Sparkles On the Upper West Side →

Food and Drink, Lifestyle

Restaurant Review: Red Peony Chinese Cuisine

Leave a comment

Red Peony Menu Logo
All Photos By Gail

In a city that loves to eat, Chinese is among the most popular cuisines in Manhattan. From Chinatown to Midtown, I frequent a handful of Chinese restaurants that consistently serve my favorite dishes with no disappointments, but there is always room to add one more to that list. Open since late August 2019, Red Peony, located in the heart of midtown’s upscale shopping district, is an elegant Chinese restaurant that feels like a secret oasis within the congested urban landscape. Specializing in both Cantonese and Szechuan-style dishes, Red Peony aims to be fully inclusive of every palate; with an extensive menu featuring both familiar favorites and exotic-sounding, visually tempting dishes I’ve not seen on other menus. Judging by the number of Chinese families gathered at its large round tables on the night of my visit, Red Peony offers a truly authentic dining experience.

Continue reading Restaurant Review: Red Peony Chinese Cuisine →

Food and Drink, Lifestyle

Copper Branch Brings Delicious Plant-Based Cuisine To NYC’s Greenwich Village

1 Comment

Copper Branch Store Exterior
Above Image Courtesy of Scout 22 PR. All Other Photos By Gail, Except Where Noted 

New York City knows how to do food. No matter what type of cuisine you’re craving, finding a great restaurant is easy. But when you’re vegan or vegetarian, you might end up settling for a place that offers just a few meatless choices, rather than walking into a restaurant where you can enjoy every dish on the menu. And while there’s a Sweet Green or Chop’t on nearly every block, it’s challenging to find a healthy, quick lunch alternative when you are tired of eating salad. This is why the NYC arrival of vegan restaurant chain Copper Branch is cause for genuine excitement!

Continue reading Copper Branch Brings Delicious Plant-Based Cuisine To NYC’s Greenwich Village →

Pop Culture

Gem Spa Bodega Transforms Into a schitibank

Leave a comment

Gem Spa Schitibank
All Photos By Gail

If you’ve passed by Gem Spa, the legendary East Village bodega that is home to the city’s Best Egg Cream (#BestEggCream) at any point since September 11th of this year, you may have done a double, or even a triple take. We know that St. Mark’s Place has become increasingly gentrified, but is Gem Spa now a bank, or wait, what is going on here, exactly?

Gem Spa Schitibank

While it has been rumored that a citibank is slated to take over the corner lot which has been home to  Gem Spa since 1957, fear not: this an art installation meant to draw attention to, but also satirize, the phenomenon known as “Disappearing New York.” It isn’t very pretty.

Disclaimer text running across the bottom of the sign above reads:

schitibank has kept the historical appeal to this building to absorb their customer base. This schiti location is not affiliated with any other schiti locations. We don’t mean to gentrify, as schitibank is co-opting this space with Gem Spa to bring you an authentic banking, egg cream and vaping experience. Every customer is on surveillance cameras. Smile, you’re on camera.

Schitibank Storefront

The Gem Spa Schitibank installation is the work of Tommy Noonan and Doug Cameron of boutique marketing firm DCX Growth Accelerator, who are known for their ‘Artisanal’ publicity stunts (Google them and be very impressed).

Gem Spa Schitibank
Click Image to Enlarge So You Can Read the Fine Print!

God is definitely in the details here. Promotional posters for the ‘bank’s’ various perks and services include artwork by Robert Mapplethorpe as well as the likenesses of The New York Dolls, Patti Smith, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac.

Gem Spa Schitibank
Click Image to Enlarge for Detail

Gem Spa Schitibank

Schiti Identity Theft Madonna

More posters and props can be found inside the bodega!

Schitibank ATM
Schiti ATM!

Gem Spa Schitibank Exterior

We clearly do not need another bank in the village (or anywhere in NYC, for that matter) but we do need a cool bodega that’s been around forever, and we need our delicious egg creams! Gem Spa is located at the southwest corner of 2nd Avenue and St. Mark’s Place. Drop in and drop some cash next time you’re in the hood. Better yet, make a special trip to visit, so you can see the schitibank installation before they take it down!

Gem Spa Schitibank

Update, May 8th, 2020: Sadly, Gem Spa has fallen victim to the Coronavirus Outbreak. Read the Press Release After The Jump

Continue reading Gem Spa Bodega Transforms Into a schitibank →