It’s the day after Christmas.
You can stay in bed and read this.
It’s the day after Christmas my friends, and most of us, let’s be honest, are not ready to deal with the real world yet. We are still in our PJs…or is it just me?
We have just given gifts that our kids have already gotten bored of; we have tolerated relatives who believe democracy is best preserved in the hands of the fewest number of white men; we have have inched through standstill traffic and endured frigid tarmacs through endless flight delays to the tunes of ARE WE THERE YET, and HOW MUCH LONGER; we have eaten bad airport food and held the small bodies of screaming toddlers. We are catatonic.
Yes, I am sure there were also bright and shiny moments of joy and togetherness; of good wine decanted early, and lovely long conversations into the late hours of the afternoon approaching dusk.
But still, we are done.
As for me, I had a lovely week with my brother and his kids and my kids and we had the Big Apple Circus, and Broadway, and so many latkes, and delicious dinners, and board games, and ice skating and all of it. And now I am taking a few days in the North Fork where I have been drinking white wine in winter like a stereotypical Brooklyn mom, running short distances in the cold, and reading Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. (It’s a page turner. It’s a come back story. It’s what you need the day after Xmas.)
Oh, and also sharing some food news. Just a bit. And one amazing story from the NY Times at the end of this post.
Here’s to a luxuriously slow week.
Chef’s on the Move
Chef Raffaele Ronca is no longer the chef/partner at Rafele, which opened in 2012 in the West Village. He continues as chef/partner at Rafele Rye in Westchester and Bianca in Greenwich, CT. In 2023 he will be opening a tapas bar, El Gordito, adjacent to Rafele Rye. He is also currently looking for spaces to open a new spot in Greenwich Village. Got a space you think he might like? Contact me!
Drink for Ukraine at the City Winery x Veseklka Fundraiser
City Winery and Velselka have joined forces to support Ukraine this winter with a painted barrel serving wine on tap and donating 100% of proceeds to World Central Kitchen, a not-for-profit non-governmental organization founded by José Andrés devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters.
The painted wine barrel is currently in Veselka’s East Village restaurant in what has been coined as “Ukranian Village.” Each glass of wine costs $10 and all proceeds will be going directly to the people of Ukraine to help keep them fed.
“We recognize that winter is going to be brutal for the Ukrainian people and want to do everything we can to help those in need during this time of crisis,” says Founder and CEO of City Winery, Michael Dorf.
When: Sunday - Thursday 8am - 11pm
Friday - Saturday 8am - 12am
Where: Veselka
144 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10003
All About Pancakes
A new pancake-focused restaurant will open in Carroll Gardens next week. It will be located across from Carroll Park in the space that was the clothing store Lee Lee’s Valise, at 368 Court Street, corner of President Street. Breakfast all day. Nothing better.
Urbanspace Union Square Opens
I love a good food hall – as do my children — and I am happy to announce that Urbanspace has opened a new food hall, Urbanspace Union Square, located just east of Union Square Park at 124 E 14th Street. The 10,000 sq foot space features 13 amazing food entrepreneurs including:
Summer Salt (Baja tacos and burritos)
Twenty One Grains (gluten-free grain bowls)
Kid Brother Pizza (market-driven pizza by Chef Michael Davis)
Pita Yeero (Greek gyros and salads)
Plant Junkie (plant-based comfort food)
Goat Cafe (specialty coffee and pastries)
Bao by Kaya (bao buns and noodles)
Bobwhite Counter (tasty fried chicken and sandwiches)
Playa Bowls (fresh smoothies and juices)
Wafels & Dinges (Belgian waffles)
Top Hops (craft beer and cocktail bar)
Casa Toscana (Italian focaccia sandwiches)
GoFish (sushi boxes)
Check it out and let me know what you like best!
They Traveled From South Korea. They Got Stranded Near Buffalo.
If you have a chance, check out this story in the New York Times about a group of nine South Korean tourists whose van became stuck in the snow outside a house in Williamsville, N.Y. The stranded tourists were welcomed inside, and spent the weekend at the couple’s home. He’s a dentist and she’s a nurse practitioner and they happen to love Korean food and had a kitchen stocked with all the necessities for a Korean feast: mirin, soy sauce, gochuchung, sesame oil and chili flakes. There was also kimchi and a rice cooker.
And so the tourists and the couple spent the weekend swapping stories, watching the Buffalo Bills defeat the Chicago Bears on Christmas Eve and sharing delicious Korean home-cooked meals prepared by the guests, like jeyuk bokkeum, a spicy stir-fried pork dish, and dakdori tang, a chicken stew laced with fiery red pepper.
This is a wonderful story — and I love that food brings everyone together at the Longer Table that is life.
Lots of love coming your way,
xx Andrea