We started off the morning with breakfast and coffee at Le Pain Quotidien at 33rd & Park. This cafe brings back great memories of going to their SOHO location back in 2001. At the time, the style of the interior introduced the idea of having 1 long farm table for communal seating, which seemed so revolutionary! At our breakfast we sampled pastries, quiche, & cappuccino and overall, the food was just OK.... not as super tasty as I remember, but the service was great. Couple of details to note, the exterior of the building is going through some construction and the interior space is not as interesting or full of character as what I remember from the Downtown locale.
This is not the 33rd & Park location, but notice the signature long wood communal table that is incorporated into the design of every Le Pain Quotidien.
We jumped into a taxi and headed for MoMA.... The museum opened for Holiday hours at 9:30am, we were there around 11:00am and it was busy! But, the staff did a incredible job of keeping lines moving and we got our tickets and were into the gallery within 10/15 minutes. The big attraction was Edvard Munch's The Scream, which is being exhibited through April 2013. This piece is on a loan by its anonymous owner who recently purchased the painting at auction last spring paying a record sum of about $120 million. We also toured various floors of classic & contemporary painting, furniture, film, and photography. A highlight is the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden.... A serene outdoor space defined by glass walls, marble accents, reflecting pool, and selected plantings with Bertoia side chairs scattered about for seating.
Edvard Munch's The Scream
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden
Images are mine
We cabbed it back to my brother's apartment to gather our luggage and make our way down to the East Village. The schedule called for checking into The Standard (for one night's stay), then meeting my parents for a late lunch at Prune. My brother suggested that we walk up a block from the hotel to try Au Breve Espresso. This teeny tiny space located next door to Preschool of the Arts, is in a building owned by Cooper Union. Our cappuccino was fabulous, and the woman crafting our coffees (whose name escapes me) couldn't have been nicer!
The Standard ~ the East Village location was perfect for us to walk & explore the neighborhood. The lobby/ground floor is currently undergoing a redesign and an addition of a new restaurant space.
Au Breve Espresso (above) is located in the ground floor of Cooper Union's new academic building (below)
Making our way to Prune, we got a chance to stop into John Derian and some window shopping (they were closed) at Lobel Modern.... So, Prune for lunch was lovely. A neighborhood spot opened in 1999, it is a cozy small restaurant, where when you open the door, the bistro size tables are right at your sides (there are 4 seats at the bar as well). The menu offered a nice selection of dishes (I started with the Cream of Chicken Soup; the Croque Mademoiselle for my entree; and bite size Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches & Cappuccino for dessert) that featured in-season ingredients. The price points were reasonable and the staff, warm, friendly, and accommodating. We had reservations, but I had only called the day before and had no problem securing our preferred time. Prune has been on my list of restaurants to try ever since reading about chef/owner Gabrielle Hamilton in the Wall Street Journal, plus she writes a monthly food column in House Beautiful magazine.
Prune
Following our leisurely lunch, but trying to keep on a tight schedule, we hightailed it over to Haven's Kitchen.... Another spot that has been on my list ever since reading about their Cooking School/Kitchen Supplies/Coffee Bar in New York Magazine (and talked about in a post here). Haven's Kitchen is a treat for the foodie senses & the cooking soul! The carriage house design provides a mixed use space for all things Culinary. An assortment of cooking classes are held in a completely outfitted commercial kitchen (the night were stopped in the chef was prepping for Beef Bourguinon class), an upstairs event space allows for larger parties, and a roof top garden provides savory ingredients. Plus, the coffee bar and pantry staples invite you in as you make your way off the bustling Chelsea street.
I'll be writing a separate post to include more of the interior photos I shot on our visit....
Haven's Kitchen
Our main reason for staying in NYC was to attend the premiere of Allegiance.... It's a film that I've discussed here, and that I have a personal connection to. Our tickets were for the 7:30pm show at Cinema Village, which turned out to be sold out! Following the film, the writer/director Michael Connors and a couple of the producers hosted a Q&A with audience members. Plus various cast and crew were also on hand. We thoroughly enjoyed the movie, honestly much more than we expected. Allegiance is open in NYC, opens tomorrow in LA, and is currently available through On Demand.... Watch the trailer attached below....