Eat.Here.Now: Mayanoki Sushi Supper Club

One of the things I love most about New York is discovering a hidden gem.  A new restaurant, a quaint neighborhood bar, an underground dance party.  There is so much to do in this city that it never gets old because you always find something new to do. 

This is how I felt when I was invited to the Mayanoki Sushi Supper Club at the Brooklyn Oenology.  But then, we had to try three tmes to get a seat at this small intimate tasting event because it would get sold out immediately.  But I thought this was still unknown?! *Sigh* As every New Yorker knows, anything cool spreads like wildfire and, in no time, something modest turns exclusive in 3,2,1... ANYHOW, we ended up scoring a seat, and like they say, great things come to those who wait.

The story about how this club even exist is delightfully serendipitous.  Two friends always used to go to the same sushi place in Tribeca and they loved the chef, Chef Albert.  When the sushi place shut down they made it a mission to find him.  Long story short, they did and private dinner parties followed.  The parties got so popular that it ultimately became a business and found its new home at the Brooklyn Oenology, a gorgeous space in Williamsburg with New York state wines.  It was fate, clearly. 

The sushi and the wine pairings were perfection and although it took a bit to get my seat, it was well worth the wait.

One piece of advice: Come hungry; and sober...ok, that's two.

Be sure to grab a few bottles of wine after dinner.  You'll get a discount and, trust me, you don't want to miss out. Every white wine we tasted was refreshing and smooth.  So, stock up! 

Perfect summer night. Thanks Chef Albert.

Williamsburg Brunch via The James Hotel

Thinking of heading to Williamsburg for Sunday brunch.  Noted down four options that looked like it would hit the right spot.  Now if only I could get out of the comfy bed at The James Hotel...

 

pictures by me

Brunch spots in Williamsburg:
Le Barricou
Pates Et Traditions
Five Leaves
Jimmy's Diner

Bits of My Weekend

The sun was out all weekend long which meant I was outside all weekend long :)

Off to Coney Island for the Annual Mermaid Parade.  I was too busy staring at painted boobs of all shapes, sizes and ages that I forgot to take pictures.  It is a very weird parade but worth experiencing.

Love everything about this building, especially the girls on the top in the fire escape. 

Sidewalk art. 

Brunch at L'Express.  Open 24 hrs.

Fyah Fyah

Yesterday was one of those hectic days that although tiring, it was completely reviving.  I had a meeting in VT so I traveled all day and then literally got home, changed, and ran to the Music Hall of Williamsburg to see Selah Sue.  She was opening for the fabulous Emile Sande (do check her out, she is a force ).  The crowd was small so I was able to get up close and listen to this beautiful girl in a very personal way.  It was just her and her guitar and wow, what an amazing, unique voice.

For the ones who don't know her, you are missing it.  Hailing from Belgium, Selah sounds like a more spunky Erykah Badoo.  She somehow developed an island vibe to her.  Most of the songs have a touch of reggae to it.  Completely refreshing.  The best part of all is that my friend and I got to meet her outside by pure coincidence.  She caught our attention because she was sitting on the sidewalk squeezing a rubber duckie.  We did a double take to say the least.  How random is that? Nevertheless, she was the sweetest!  Really wish her lots of success on this side of the world.  She is on (insert cheesy reference to her song now) Fyah. 

 

 

Check out Ragamuffin to get a sense of her vibe.  

Eu Nao Falo Portugues...Miss Favela

But I do like Miss Favela and Samba dancing.  Day drinking doesn't get more fun than this.

Miss Favela
57 South 5th St
Booklyn, NY 11211
781-230-4040  

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Non-stop Weekdays

Busy but sometimes worth the sleep deprivation.

 DIY Deadmau5 on Halloween

Entrancing music coming from the platform.  Such a unique instrument.

A yummy New York landmark...really.

The Sounds @ The Music Hall of Williamsburg.  Killed it.

The Creators Project

Spent my day in Dumbo, Brooklyn checking out the Creators Project, a global arts and technology initiative put together by Intel and Vice.  The exhibit supports artists, musicians and filmmakers who merge art and technology into their work.  Definitely worth the field trip, especially on a beautiful fall day.

Meditation

the ripples react to your movement

Strata #4

classical Flemish paintings deconstruct into geographical shapes

 Origin

Cube with beams of light and sound created by UVA.  This would have been awesome to see at night.

Female Urbanus

Closed...

 

Opened.

A Physical Manifestation of Ladies and Gentleman, We are Floating in Space

Dark room. Natural light.  Curious people.

Abandoned warehouse were used to house some of the installations. 

This is what I mean when I say it was a beautiful day.

Ice cream at Jaques Torres.  No guilt.

Slow Mo

8 Hours in Brooklyn from Next Level Pictures on Vimeo.

One Stop to Brooklyn

If you are a fan of day drinking (like myself and %99.9% of 20 year-olds) then read on.

Last Saturday I hopped on the L to Williamsburg to meet about 30 friends in the Brooklyn Brewery. The place is cheap (6 beer tokens for $20 bucks) and it is easy to have fun, play drinking games and just enjoy good beer. They have around 6 different beers to choose from and if you are looking to get drunk fast order the Blast, which has a 8.5% alcohol content.

Address: 79 North 11th StreetBrooklyn, NY 11211-1913(718) 486-7422

The night wouldn't have been complete without going to Radegast Hall & Biergarten. Now that place is legit and the bratwurst was so good. With the frigid cold outside and the huge beer mugs inside you really feel like you are in Germany.

Address: 113 North 3rd StreetBrooklyn, NY 11211-3923(718) 963-3973

If the past weekend is a taste of what 2010 will offer then it looks like it'll be a very good year.

BK Brewery pics taken by Ryan Hall (check out his other pics. Amazing.)

Rock Royalty in Brooklyn

Last night a friend called me that he had an "extra ticket" to the sold out The Dead Weather gig (aka paid bouncer $20 to let me in!). So i put on my boots and raced to the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

To be honest, I had heard of Jack White's new band but really hadn't checked out their music. I was definitely in for a surprise. The band was insanely good. The lead singer, Alison Mosshart from The Kills, was HARDCORE! Her voice was amazing and although she looked like she was possessed (seriously) she still managed to look gorgeous.

The other band members include Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age) and Jack Lawrence (of The Raconteurs). Overall, an awesome night. Those $20 to the bouncer were well spent...yeah, I don't how that got me in either.

Wish I took better pics. But cut me some slack. I'm 5'4 with a point and shoot!