Co.

When I first moved to New York in August 2006, I remember hearing about the Roman-inspired pizza slices available in Hell's Kitchen, at the Sullivan Street Bakery. I was told by a co-worker that they had some of the best pizza in the city, but it tended to always fly under the radar.

Little did I know that Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street also owns a local Chelsea eatery: Co., an intimate pizzeria, serving Lahey's newest creation: round, thin-crusted, Nepolitanesque pies with standard, yet delicious toppings.

One key difference between the pies at Sullivan Street and Co. would be the temperature. At Sullivan they're served at room temperature, while at Co., they are baked in at around 700 degrees in a wood-burning oven imported from Modena. And the result is quite appetizing, providing a light, fluffy crust with a slightly charred flavor.

Since the pies are relatively small (4 slices per pie), we decided to order two. First was the Ham and Cheese ($14) which was topped with prosciutto and caraway, and then covered with a 3-cheese mixture of pecorino, gruyère, and buffalo mozzarella. I must say, the prosciutto was outstanding; I would have willingly ordered a second pie simply to devour the ham on top! Our second pizza was the Flambé ($16) which a mixture of parmesan and buffalo mozzarella, with caramelized onions and lardons, covered in a béchamel sauce. At first I was concerned the the sauce was too heavy for the pizza, but I was certainly wrong once I bit into the pizza; the flavors blended together perfectly, creating a truly delicious piece of pizza. I was recommend cutting back on the lardons though, I thought it made the pizza a little too salty at times.

We also ordered an Escarole Salad ($7 – topped with bread crumbs, capers, and anchovies in a lemon and olive oil dressing) which was, well, fine. If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I would have picked something else.

Overall? Co. was a really enjoyable experience, with a friendly staff and excellent food. I would highly recommend giving it a try, but I must say that it was definitely overpriced for pizza. Between the two pies, one salad, and a bottle of wine (with tax and tip), the bill was almost $100!



CO.
230 Ninth Avenue
(at 24th Street)
(212) 243-1105 Read More!

The Park

Last weekend, I took my mom to The Park for brunch...

While the food was fairly standard, I must say that the space is phenomenal. At a time when so many restaurants are opting for minimal and modern, The Park is wild and exciting. The main dining room is spacious and organic, filled with a National Geographic decor and a vibrant bar. And then of course there is the Garden, which is more than just your average garden. It is an enclosed jungle, covered in twinkle lights. It's obvious that The Park is a late night hot spot.

That being said: the food. I had a bowl of Gazpacho ($6) and a Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken ($10). I know, boring choices. My apologies. The Gazpacho was quite good, although it was quite wet and lacked enough raw vegetables to make it exciting. And the salad was your standard run of the mill Caesar. My mom on the other hand had the Crab Cake Benedict ($14) which looked quite good.

While I will not be going back to The Park anytime soon for food, I will certainly make a point to return in the near future for a fun night of debauchery.


THE PARK
118 Tenth Avenue
(near 17th Street)
(212) 352-3313 Read More!

Momoya - Chelsea

Another date, another enjoyable restaurant. This time, Japanese in the heart Chelsea: Momoya.

We started off simple: edamame and sake. The edamame ($5) was typical. Baby soybeans that had been boiled and were served with salt. A little too much salt in my opinion. The sake was delicious however. We ended up splitting two bottles of Tokimeki ($26 -- 300ml). In the past, I have never really enjoyed sake. I find it to be too bitter. That being said, I'm certainly not an expert when it comes to sake, but the Tokimeki was outstanding. First of all, it was a sparkling sake, which was something that I had never had before, but it was crisp and refreshing. On top of that, the Tokimeki was fruity, which made it a very pleasant drink.

Next, we moved on to the meal. Our first appetizer was Beef Tataki ($11), thin slices of beef, lightly seared and placed in soy-based au jus. Very enjoyable plate. Topped with a kaiware salad (sprouted daikon radish seeds), it reminded me of a perfect, slightly chilled summertime meal. After we had finished our plate, we sampled a dish of raw Yellowtail amberjack in a citrus-soy sauce which was topped with sliced jalapenos ($10). The fish was fresh and delicious, but I felt that there were too many jalapenos, which overpowered the flavor of the fish and sauce. By simply pushing them to the side however, the problem was easily fixed.

Our sushi then arrived. First, we sampled the Salmon Crunch roll ($10), which had spicy salmon paired with mango and avocado, as well as crunchy rice. While the salmon was very fresh and the roll had a lovely assortment of flavors, we both agreed that the Salmon Crunch seemed to be too heavy.

While we were consistently satisfied with our meal, I must say that a particular dish stuck out for me. I had never eaten eel before, and had no interest in ever trying eel. But there it was, sitting in front of me. A slice of eel, held on top of a bed of rice by a piece of seaweed, and then lightly drizzled with teriyaki. And I must say, I was pleasantly surprised.

With Momoya, the dishes aren't wildly innovative, but being innovative isn't Momoya's goal. Their goal is to make a pleasant and enjoyable meal. They offer a comfortable and familiar menu, with your standard appetizers, sushi and sashimi as well as conventional main courses.

Overall, a very enjoyable experience and seeing that it's only a few blocks from my apartment, I will certainly return in the future.


Momoya
185 Seventh Avenue
(at 21st Street)
(212) 989-4466 Read More!

Hot Children in the City

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” said one recent post by $eeking Generou$. “I'm a young professional, recently laid-off, and really would love to keep living in Manhattan. I am looking for ONE, very very very discreet man who’s attracted to the notion of taking care of a guy from an economic standpoint.”

This is just one of the gay personals on Craigslist that recently turned up during a simple search on the Manhattan “men seeking men” personals section on Craigslist last week. It was one of over 300 posts advertising sex-for-money, despite reaching an agreement with 40 state attorney generals in Nov. 2008 which stated that Craigslist would closely monitor the erotic services available online.

“While violent crime is exceedingly rare on Craigslist, with only a handful of cases known out of billions of face-to-face human interactions facilitated through the site, sadly, there is a risk whenever meeting a stranger for the first time,” said Craigslist co-founder Jim Buckmaster, who also condemned illegal use of the site.

However, the risks are still there. On March 24, 2009, radio journalist George Weber was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment, his ankles bound with duct tape and his body stabbed 50 times. Two days later, a 16-year-old boy who had agreed to have a sex romp with Weber in exchange for money, confessed to his murder.

But Weber’s murder did not stop countless men from posting their ads on Craigslist, including the man who posted $eeking Generou$: Gavin Davenport, 26, who asked to use an alias for privacy issues.

On the outside, Davenport appears to be your typical businessman. He is dressed from top to bottom in Ralph Lauren as he saunters into his $3,000 per month apartment, in one of the Chelsea’s trendiest buildings. He just got home and needs some relaxation after a job interview, so he slips off his Gucci loafers and plops down on the couch. After responding to a few messages on his iPhone, he turns his attention to his brand new 50-inch plasma TV.

“Initially I answered an ad on Craigslist for male escorts and masseurs,” said Davenport. “I met with a guy named Max, who became my pimp, and he gave me a beeper and told me that I was too accept $300 in cash; I would take $115 and he would take $85.”

“My first client rejected me but then they started liking me, and I found a few regulars,” added Davenport. “I remember one guy who had this thing about armpit hair. It was crucial that I kept my arms up, hands behind head, so that he could see my armpit hair while he blew me.”

Davenport claims that he felt uncomfortable at first, but since he enjoyed sex and making money, he soon eased into his role as a male prostitute.

“No, I am not surprised that men have turned to prostitution as a means of replacing lost income,” said Simon Bowmaker, a professor at N.Y.U.’s Stern School of Business, who’s book “Economics Uncut” features a chapter on the economics of prostitution. “Of course, one can argue that several other factors that need to be taken into account when considering the decision to become a prostitute, but in recent years, there has been evidence of well-educated people entering the prostitution profession and talking openly about their experiences.”

“This perhaps suggests a softening of attitudes towards commercial sex,” added Bowmaker. “For some, then, the decision of men to offer sexual services during a recession is not a shocking one.”

Despite his Ivy League background, Davenport said he felt no shame in turning to prostitution to help him make it through the recession. While he admits disliking some of his clients, he said for the most part, he found their company intellectually stimulating.

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet many different men, in many different fields,” he said. “Bankers, lawyers, doctors, men in the arts.”

P.R. was one of Davenport’s early clients. (Like other clients who were interviewed, he would not allow his full names to be published, but agreed to use his initials.) He is married and has three children, who live in Fairfield, Conn. Without fail, he is home every weekend to see them, but from Monday to Thursday, he lives in his apartment near his office in the Financial District, where he works as a lawyer. And when he is in New York, he sees Davenport anywhere from two to four times a week, sometimes paying $300 for an hour or $1,500 for an overnight visit.

“My wife knows about my lifestyle, but a divorce is out of the question for the sake of our children,” he said. “She and I live in a don’t ask, don’t tell world.

“And frankly, I am not ashamed of the fact that I hire a prostitute to service my needs,” he added. “I pay for my wife, and she is just as much as prostitute as Gavin.

“Year after year, she only continues to put on this charade everyday because she knows that she will be taken care of if she does,” said P.R. “Who pays for her big house? Her new Mercedes? Her country club membership? Her Barney’s charge card? I do. A prostitute, just as much as Gavin.”

Davenport is just one of the city’s male prostitutes. Out of seven men interviewed, five of them were Caucasian, one was Hispanic, and one was African-American. Two identified themselves as homosexuals, while five identified them as heterosexuals. Only one man – Davenport, a homosexual – identified himself as strictly interested in male sexual partners. While the remaining six said they would involve themselves with the highest bidder, either men or women. All seven were in perfect physical shape. All seven were well dressed. Five of them were under 28 years old, while the remaining two were under 35. And six of them agreed that they had not regrets.

Only one of the seven men regretted his decision.

Ricardo Alvarez, 31, has been a full-time erotic massage and escort for the past 10 months, and receives almost 70 percent of his clients from his ads on Craigslist. Alvarez said that he first started advertising on Craigslist after his 17-year-old sister moved in with him while she was attending a summer program for high school students at N.Y.U.

“I thought it would be okay because I was working and making decent money,” he said. “But I didn’t have enough, and I could never let me sister go hungry.”

Initially, Alvarez started by allowing gay men to perform oral sex on him in return for cash. But as he became accustomed to having extra cash, he started offering more and more of his body, and even began offering erotic massages and full-scale escort services. Despite his frequent sexual encounters with other men, he still identifies himself as a heterosexual.

Alvarez’s need to refer to himself as straight is not unusual, according to Michael Kimmel, a leading researcher and writer on men and masculinity in the world today.

“There is a dramatic difference between male and female prostitution," said Kimmel. “Females protect their femininity by not allowing their customers to kiss them, while males will be the inserter, and not the inserted in order to protect their masculinity. What I am trying to say, is the male prostitutes will do the fucking.”

“For years, young male hustlers, who have been having sex with older gay men, identified themselves as heterosexual and would have wives or girlfriends,” added Kimmel. “Because in their eyes, they were in charge, they had not lost their masculinity.”

While Alvarez admitted that he has started performing oral sex in order to make more money, he said that he does not intend “to bottom” during anal sex, despite the fact that one man offered him $800 to give a try.

“My ass is off limits,” said Alvarez. “I’ve never let a guy have it, and I still bring in anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 per week.”

Despite his steady income, his time as a prostitute has not always been a happy one.

“Weber wasn’t the only man who liked kinky violence, some guys like to get rough, and sometimes they take their anger and frustration out on you,” said Alvarez. “I’ve never been beaten up, but I have needed a few stitches.”

In Feb. 2008, a client told Alvarez that he enjoyed biting. Initially Alvarez thought nothing of it since quite a few of his clients enjoyed using their teeth. He said his client started biting harder, and ended up biting Alvarez’s nipple so hard that he needed to go to the emergency room.

“I was in so much pain and I was bleeding, but I kept going,” he said as he lifted his shirt to reveal the scars. “But I desperately needed the money.”

Alvarez never reported the violence. He said he was afraid that the police would ask too many questions. But despite the fact that prostitution is illegal in New York, it appears that little is being done to prevent its spread.

The chief police spokesman, Paul J. Browne, said that in 2008, there were 1,650 female and 233 male prostitution arrests citywide. Browne also confirmed that the NYPD shut down its Vice Squad operations on Craigslist because a new commanding officer of the squad thought it was “a waste of resources,” despite being highly successful in targeting sex-for-money ads, which led to arrests throughout New York City.

Davenport and Alvarez have eluded the police so far, but both agree that the fear of arrest and exposure is constantly lurking in the back of their minds.

“Getting arrested scares me,” said Davenport. “But I’m terrified that one day my friends and family will figure out what I’ve been doing.

“If they ever learned what I’ve been doing, I honestly don’t know what I would do,” he added.
Read More!

Top Chef, Low Cost (pt. 2)

Way back in February, I posted an article that I wrote about "Halfsteak": Tom Colicchio's recession version of his trendy steakhouse, Craftsteak. Well, the piece has been revised over and over again thanks to my professor Betty, and I am now posting the final piece which I am quite proud of. Enjoy!


HALFSTEAK: Half the Price, Half as Filling

At last, I made it to Craftsteak, one of the trendiest steakhouses in Manhattan. Normally my roommate and I would never consider a restaurant as expensive as this one, but tonight was different. We were here for “Halfsteak,” the scaled-down, recession version of celebrity chef Tom Colicchio’s Chelsea restaurant.

And unfortunately, “Halfsteak” left us half-full.

Last month, Colicchio turned his popular and pricey restaurant into a casual dining experience with a cute name. It’s cute in size too, seating only 44 with 12 additional spots at the bar. The most expensive entrée on the menu is the $15, 6-ounce New York strip steak. It’s cute too. Cute – and way too little.

You can get the “Halfstreak” treatment each Wednesday, in the front section of this two-star eatery at 10th Avenue and 15th Street, while the high ceilinged main dining room with enormous windows overlooking the West Side Highway is still full price. On the particular night that I was there, “Halfsteak” was jammed while the big room was well, slightly more than half full.

That should be no surprise, given the economy. In fact, the city’s top restaurants are all in a panic. It’s gotten so bad that New York magazine’s “Grub Street” dining blog has gained attention with a game they play called “Two for Eight” – calling the most exclusive restaurants at 4 p.m. to see which ones can squeeze in a last-minute reservation. Guess what – almost all of them can.

With “Halfsteak,” Colicchio joins a host of other celebrated chef s who are going discount. First, it was Jean-Georges Vongerichten; six of his Manhattan restaurants now have both a $24 three-course lunch menu and a $35 three-course dinner. Then came Mario Batali, offering a “bargain” nine-course tasting menu at $125 a head (formerly $175.) Next, Colicchio stepped in – Craft, his flagship, cut its $185-a-head, eight-course dinner to $150, and added a Friday night, $10-a-plate tapas menu.

And as of last month, there was “Halfsteak.” Like the regular menu, Chef de Cuisine Shane McBride stays close to his Southern roots with everything from smoked chicken wings in a white BBQ sauce ($6.50), to chicken fried cod with hash browns ($9.50), and a brisket sandwich topped with sauerkraut and provolone ($11.50). Appetizers and salads all cost between $6.50 and $9.50, while sandwiches and entrées costing $11.50 to $13.50. While each dish was beautifully presented, I felt like I had just sat down for a meal with the Keebler elves.

Now what about that halfsteak? I had the same cut as Craftsteak’s $50,12-ounce high quality, dry-aged strip of perfection. But at half the size, it was merely a high-class McDonald’s Kids Meal – and even with the signature hand-cut fries thrown in I started drooling the leftovers at the table next to mine.

But there was still the hope of filling up over dessert. At $4 apiece, the red velvet cupcakes and an ice cream sandwich of the day are a third of the cost of a normal Craftsteak dessert, but they resemble the sweets my niece adorns her doll tea party with.

The half-size, half-price concept also extends to cocktails which all cost less than $9, and half-pints of small, artisanal beers which all cost less than $4. But who want to pay $4 for a half-pint of beer when a full pint only costs $7?

While on the outside this appears to be a good deal, it is just another gimmick from the Craft restaurant family. With Colicchio’s restaurants, the quality of the food is never an issue – it is always solid, delicious New American cuisine. The issue with “Halfsteak” is whether or not it is actually worth it. My visit cost around $80 with tax and tip for the two of us, which is not bad for a steakhouse. But the rumbling in my stomach was a clear sign that I would need to pick up a slice of pizza on the way home. Craftsteak on the other hand is more expensive. The price limits customers on a budget from trying a wide variety of food, but at least they leave without a lingering hunger.

In the end, the choice is yours: would you rather a wide variety or full belly? It’s up to you to make the decision (but I would personally recommend hitting up Craftsteak).


Read More!

Food Truck Q & A

Amish Chatterjee, 38, a native of Calcutta, India who now resides in Bushwick, arrived in New York City 10 years ago, with a duffel bag filled with clothes and his mother’s spatula. His dream: to become a chef. After working as a waiter for four years in a Midtown diner, Chatterjee finally saved enough money to open his restaurant, a food truck located on the corner of 18th Street and Sixth Avenue, where he serves traditional Indian and Bengali cuisine, including his mother’s favorite, kati rolls.

Why New York?
Why not?

But why not London? Sydney? Why here?
My first time seeing a motion picture, I saw Woody Allen’s “Manhattan.” I was 8 years old, and I knew that one day I must be here in New York.

Despite your success, why do you refuse to open a restaurant?
Too expensive. And I like to be alone when I work. No one can bother me.

What inspired you to become a chef?
When I was younger, my mother told me I must go find a job, and so I started working at a small restaurant in the Bidhannagar district of Calcutta. I wanted to work there because the chef would let me eat all day. I was a fat boy back then. I would go into the kitchen and make myself different dishes, throwing different meats and vegetables and sauces together. After three years, the chef brought me into the kitchen and told me to sit down. He looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘You Amish, you must grow up to be a chef.’

Favorite dish?
Aloo Gobi. It’s simple. And I am a simple man.

(For those of you who do not know what Aloo Gobi is, it is a dry dish made with cauliflower and potatoes.)

Happiest day since you arrived in New York?
The 15th of September 2001, because my truck opened in the morning and my daughters Kalpita and Pusti were born that night.

Only four days after 9/11?
Yes. In terms of my business, my cart was on 50th and Sixth Avenue at that time, so it was not so bad. But I had no customers for quite a few days. I would go to work everyday for a week and no one would buy anything.

How is business now?
Booming. I make just as much as my family needs.

(Which he says with a wink)

And how was 9/11 for your family? Must have been traumatic…
The birth of my daughters was just what me and my wife needed. Not traumatic at all. When the city saw so much death, I witnessed birth and life. And overtime, America has witnessed a rebirth. It has life again.

(Which he says as he points to his Obama pin)

Favorite thing about America?
I can curse without my mother hearing me.

Favorite curse word?
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. See, doesn’t it sound nice? Read More!

Getting Published!

Hey y'all,

Just wanted to let you know that an article that I posted on my blog is getting published!

It's all about the Chelsea Market and it's appearing in the Chelsea-Clinton News!

AHHH! Read More!

Hot Child in the City (cliché, I know)

When I landed on the tarmac at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Dec. 19, 2008 after having spent 4 months living in Prague, I had become accustomed to male – and specifically homosexual – prostitution. It was normal, nothing shocking at all.

I still remember the first time that I ever met a prostitute. After downing half a bottle of vodka, I left my apartment with my roommate and a friend, and we headed to Escape, what we assumed was simply a gay club. Wrong! As soon as we arrived, we learned that it was what the Czechs called a gay rent bar (a place where men go if they are specifically looking to find a prostitute). And on that night I met my first prostitute. He looked no different that any other student at N.Y.U. in Prague. He was 19 years old and a high school drop out, who made almost $300 per encounter.

After that, I began to see prostitutes more and more often. By simply walking down a certain street, I would have to struggle to avoid eye contact in order to prevent a hoard of teenage boys from running towards me, offering everything from oral sex to their virginity. On one occasion, I was actually mistaken for a prostitute and offered $400, because the man thought that I seemed purer than the rest. At that moment, I lost interest in Prague.

But upon my return to New York, I thought that was all behind me. That is until I downed yet another bottle of vodka – I should seriously consider switching to gin or rum – and headed off to a notorious, local gay bar (if you're really curious and want to know which one, send me an e-mail).

After getting my groove on to a handful of classics – Britney, Madonna, etc. – I wandered away from the dance floor and over to the bar. Standing there, looking right at me, was a god: a 6-foot-5-inch god. Persian. Wavy, brown hair. Blue eyes. Fantastic body. He ordered me a drink – Vodka again, ugh – and we talked for the next hour, about politics, restaurants, the Yankees, even the latest Kelly Clarkson song. Anything and everything.

When I finally got up the nerve to ask him if he was – and let's pray that my mother won't be reading this – interested in, uh, joining me for the remainder of the evening at my apartment, he moved closer, and whispered something in my ear.

"I'd love to," he said. "For $200."

I pulled away with a confused look on my face.

"Are you a..."

"Yes," he said. "Yes, I am."

I politely declined, and instead of admitting my disappointment, I simply blamed the economy and N.Y.U.'s hefty bill. He smiled, and was kind enough to buy me another drink (Rum! Praise the Lord!). And that was when I heard his story. He was 28 years old, a graduate of the University of Chicago and Columbia Business School, and a former employee of Lehman Brothers. After months of being unemployed, he wanted to return to his financial stability and used the only asset he had left: his body. After a few more drinks, I left the bar (with a dinner date I might add – bad choice?) and I went home to go to bed.

I was restless for nearly two hours however. In the wake of the economic recession, had prostitution crossed the Atlantic? I sat there wondering about prostitution in New York. This may sound naive, but while I was living in Prague, I had this image that New York was above Prague, and far too cosmopolitan for prostitution. I eventually decide to wake up my roommate and tell him my story. He chuckled.

"Haven't you ever looked at Craigslist? Loads of 'escorts' advertise on there all the time," he said. "And check out Rentboy too."

I spent the next hour realizing that prostitution had been surrounding me for longer than I had cared to imagine. In the deep corners of my mind I am sure that I knew that petty prostitution existed, but it was not until I had my first, one-on-one experience with a prostitute in America that I realized that it was indeed everywhere.

The next morning I headed off to brunch with several fellow "Chelsea Boys." It was eerily similar to a "Sex and the City" moment. We were all at Cafeteria, sitting around sipping mimosas and talking about life. When I brought up my night, I was surprised by the responses that my story received. My friends were not concerned with the fact that a smart, intelligent young man was selling his body so that he could simply get by. They were in fact more concerned with whether or not I would attempt to sleep with him after our date. It was in that moment that I finally realized Chelsea's biggest flaw.

For them, living in Chelsea is about the excitement and the glamor, the cheap thrills. If only they could finally take a step back, and see all of the flaws of the community that they have come to cherish and love so dearly.

(And for your information, the answer is no, I did not.) Read More!

Am I an Artist?

Last Saturday, I was walking down West 24th Street in Chelsea, on my way to brunch with some friends. As I walked down the street, with music from my iPod drowning out the world around me, I passed by the Danziger Project, an art gallery that focuses primarily on photography.

Normally I would have walked past the gallery without a second thought. It was just another Chelsea art gallery. Nothing new. Nothing different. But I decided to stop this time. I had time to kill, and after all, the gallery had been receiving quite a lot of attention in the past month, especially after The New York Times reported that artist Shepard Fairey had filed a lawsuit against The Associated Press over the use of his now iconic poster of President Barack Obama.

Currently, the Danziger Project is displaying both the Shepard Fairey poster and a copy of the original photograph that it is based on, one taken by photographer Mannie Garcia for The Associated Press in April 2006, when Obama spoke at the National Press Club with George Clooney after he returned from Darfur.

Due to the success of Fairey's poster, James Danziger, the gallery owner and a former editor for Vanity Fair, helped to lead the effort which discovered the original photo that Fairey based his posted on. Now that it has been discovered, Danziger is selling reproductions – some autographed! – developed by Garcia. A limited number that is. Only 200. Each going fro $1,200!

Twelve hundred dollars for a reproduced photograph!?! Sounds crazy, right? Well, apparently people in the art world do not seem to think it is that crazy. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, for example, just purchased a copy of the photo, and will display it alongside a copy of the Fairey poster.

The commotion surrounding Garcia's photo and the Danziger Project again prompted an article from The New York Times, just two days after my initial visit to the gallery. Noam Cohen's article was titled, "Viewing Journalism as a Work of Art," yet he himself never answered a very important question: is journalism art?

As a student of journalism, I began to think about this question, and it was not until I heard a lecture given by one of my former professors, which addressed both "In Cold Blood" and "All the President's Men." Truman Capote transformed his notes and interviews with convict Perry Smith, into what is now often regarded as a pioneering work of true crime. While Bernstein and Woodward's novel is now one of the best-selling novels of all-time and is read by historians and thrill-seekers alike. Both are journalism. And both are art. If these are art, then wouldn't Mannie Garcia's photograph of Obama be considered art as well? Of course. Garcia is making art every single time he picks up a camera. Despite the fact that his art traditionally appears in USA Today and not MoMA does not change the fact that he is indeed an artist.

But the notoriously humble Garcia refuses to call himself an artist.

“I want to avoid calling myself an artistic photographer," he said. "Wire guy, I am comfortable with that."


Danziger Project:
534 W. 24th St.
New York, New York 10011
(212) 629-6778

info@danzigerprojects.com

Hours:
Wednesday - Friday: 11am to 6pm
Saturday: noon to 6pm
Monday - Tuesday: by appointment only Read More!

Hey Chelsea, did you know…?

When I signed my lease for my apartment back in November, I really did not know anything about Chelsea. In fact, all that I knew was that Dorothy and all of her friends would be there to greet me, with arms wide open. Besides that? Not much at all.

Well, all of that changed when I decided to explore my new neighborhood, with my friend Alfred, a professional tour guide with 19 years experience, who allowed me to follow him on one of his walking tours through Chelsea. Despite the fact that it took place over three hours, during one of the worst rainstorms that I can remember, I truly did learn a lot.

For example, did you know that before it became New York’s rainbow capital, Chelsea was once the capital of red America? Located on 23rd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues, was the headquarters of the Communist Party of the United States of America. What is it today? A pet supply store.

And just across the street was the infamous Hotel Chelsea, where Sir Arthur C. Clarke wrote my favorite novel, “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

What else happened in Chelsea?

Did you know that French singer Edith Piaf was married in 1952 at the Saint Vincent de Paul Church on 23rd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues. And who was her matron of honor?

“Piaf asked her best friend, Marlene Dietrich, to be the matron,” said my guide Alfred.

I was also informed that the original headquarters of my mecca was located at 17th Street and Seventh Avenue:
“In 1923, Barney Pressman pawned his wife’s engagement ring for $500 in order to lease a small store on 17th and Seventh Avenue,” said Alfred. “He built that into the 200,000 square foot flagship store of Barneys New York.”

Which unfortunately closed in 1996 when the company filed for bankruptcy, and is now home to the Rubin Museum of Art.

At first, I was not sure if I would get anything out of the tour, but was I ever wrong! Yes, it was long. Yes, it was raining, and yes, by the end, I was soaked. But, yes, it was worth it.

For more information, please call (212) 979-2388. Read More!

Trip to the Market

As stock market prices continue to plummet, the current recession has had one benefit: notoriously expensive food is suddenly inexpensive. Including lobster, which recently sold for a mere $7.95 at the Lobster Place, located at the popular Chelsea Market.

“We’re selling just as much lobster,” said Ian MacGregor, president of the Lobster Place, New York City’s largest purveyor of live lobster. “Prices are down, and suddenly people are willing to buy lobster.”

The Lobster Place is just one of many tenants at the popular Chelsea Market, located on Ninth Avenue between 15th and 16th streets, which has come to symbolize the transformation of a gritty neighborhood into a vibrant culinary hub.

Despite the recent economic crisis, the upscale Market appears to be unaffected, as its stores are filled with locals and tourists alike who have come for the opportunity to buy fresh foods directly from wholesalers.

“Believe it or not, our wholesale operation has outgrown the space here, and the original vision for this market is definitely evolving,” he said. “If you take a walk around here, you’ll find no less than 15 luxury high-rise buildings going up, and now we view our tenancy here as a tremendous opportunity for retail expansion.”

“It has more than any food store that I’ve ever seen,” said Charlotte Garvey, a Maryland native who is spending the week in New York City with her husband. “And I’m surprised how inexpensive everything is. The produce here is some of the cheapest I’ve ever seen, but it all looks so fresh, and delicious.”

The present-day Chelsea Market is a product of investor Irwin B. Cohen, who in the 1990s purchased a handful of buildings that had once made up the headquarters of the National Biscuit Company, commonly known as NABISCO.

Completed in 1898 as the company’s bakery, the ovens were notorious for baking some of the world’s most famous biscuit and cookie brands, including Premium Saltines, Vanilla Wafers, Fig Newtons, Barnum’s Animal Crackers, and Mallomars. The building is however probably most famous for being the birthplace of the Oreo.

“When I was little girl, we used to buy Oreo cookies that came straight out of the oven, in fact they were still warm,” said longtime Chelsea resident, Marissa Shapiro. “Then we’d get a nice, cold bottle of milk on the way home, and sit on the front steps eating them.”

“A package was only a nickel back then,” added Shapiro. “With the way that the economy is now, I can’t afford to buy all of the extravagant products at the Chelsea Market. No sweets for me. Just my produce.”

In 1959, when NABISCO moved its operations to Fair Lawn, N.J., the complex was sold to investor Louis J. Glickman. With few tenants, the buildings slipped into disrepair throughout the 1970s and 1980s. When it finally reopened in the 1990s, the Market helped to gentrify not only west Chelsea but also the nearby Meatpacking District. Today, the Market is as a masterpiece of Chelsea, and despite the rough times, is as crowded as ever.

“I love it here,” said Eloise Parks, a longtime resident of Manhattan. “You can buy anything you want here. If you want wine, you can go to Chelsea Wine Vault. If you want the freshest produce, go to the Manhattan Fruit Exchange. It’s all here.”

When she first opened her bakery at the Chelsea Market in 1997, Eleni Gianopulos had never imagined that how successful the Market would become.

“I had no idea how much our retail business would take off,” said Gianopulos, whose bakery is called Eleni’s New York.

In August 2005, Gianopulos moved her bakery operations to a new 20,000-square-foot space in a warehouse building in Long Island City, and has decided to transform her Chelsea Market store into a full retail location, and now uses the entire ground-floor portion of her space at the Market for her retail business.

“Am I worried about the economy?” said Eleni Gianopulos, the owner of the popular Eleni’s New York bakery. “Of course not.”

“Everyone needs to eat,” she added. “As long as they continue to eat, we will continue to serve.” Read More!

Top Chef, Low Cost

Watch out New York City: restaurateur and “Top Chef” judge Tom Colicchio has come up with a new, low-cost option for those who looking to save some bucks.

Every Wednesday, Colicchio will turn the front section of his popular and pricey Chelsea restaurant Craftsteak, on 10th Avenue and 15th Street, into “Halfsteak,” which will provide diners with a casual dining experience, with smaller plates and much lower prices.

The new weekly menu was devised by chef de cuisine Shane McBride, who was inspired by his southern upbringing, and offers everything from smoked chicken wings in a white BBQ sauce, to chicken fried cod with hash browns, and a brisket sandwich topped with sauerkraut and provolone. The menu would obviously not be complete without the Halfsteak: a half-portion of Craftsteak’s high-quality, dry-aged strip steak, served with hand-cut fries, all for less than $15. Just remember, it normally costs $50. Pastry chef Erica Leahy has also created new individually sized desserts, including red velvet cupcakes and an ice cream sandwich of the day.

The half-size, half-price concept also extends to cocktails which all cost less than $9, and half-pints of small, artisanal beers which all cost less than $4. Even the notoriously overpriced wine list has been dialed down, with glasses costing around $10 and about 20 bottles for under $50.

A warning: beware of the “Half Naked,” a blend of tequila, Cointreau, jalapeno and fresh lime juice, served in a miniature mason jar.

It just so happens that opening night coincided with part one of the “Top Chef” season finale. Crowds flocked to the restaurant, where Tom Colicchio and his fellow judges Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons, as well as the final four contestants, were gathered around the flat-screen televisions situated above the bar.

“Halfsteak” came as no surprise, given the recent economic recession. In fact, restaurants all over New York have been hurt by the dramatic drop in customers, along with the increase in operational expenses.

A simple phone call can prove that restaurants are desperate. On “Grub Street,” the dining blog for New York magazine, bloggers play Two for Eight, a game that involves calling some of the cities most exclusive restaurants at 4 p.m. to see which ones can squeeze a couple in for dinner. Some recent restaurants that topped the list: Danny Meyer’s Eleven Madison Park and Gramercy Tavern, Chanterelle and The Harrison in TriBeCa, as well as Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Matsugen and his Michelin three-star flagship restaurant, Jean Georges.

Celebrated chef Vongerichten led the recent recession trend last October, when his Greenwich Village restaurant Perry St. began offering a $35 three-course dinner menu. The trend quickly spread through his organization, and today six of his restaurants offer the dinner menu, in addition to a $24 three-course lunch menu.

Next was Mario Batali, when the price of the extravagant 20-course meal at Del Posto was reduced from $250 to $175, and the price of his nine-course tasting menu dropped from $175 to $125.

Tom Colicchio followed shortly after when he made some changes to the menu at his trendy flagship restaurant, Craft. Every Tuesday, Colicchio offers, TOM: Tuesday Dinner. Instead of the usual $185 per person menu, an eight-course meal served is in the private dining room for $150. Craft executive chef Damon Wise has since created Damon: Frugal Friday, a weekly tapas style meal with everything costing less than $10 per plate. Now, he has “Halfsteak.”

When Craftseak first opened in 2006, it received mainly negative reviews. In an effort to save his restaurant, last year Colicchio revamped the menu, and even replaced the restaurant’s initial chef de cuisine, Chris Albrecht. But based on the attendance and the excitement surrounding “Halfsteak,” it is obvious that Colicchio and his restaurants will not be going anywhere anytime soon.
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