May 2011

Last seasons pants

May 10, 2011

Prune – The Waiting (is not) the Hardest Part

buttons bursting open

54 East 1st St., btw 1st and 2nd Ave.
(212) 677-6221
www.prunerestaurant.com

The highest Pants praise! You'll head home to stretchy-pants bliss.

prune

pants at a glance

  • scene: Survival of the fittest... or hungriest. Find small groups and weekend couples galore!
  • sip: Did I mention the Bloody Mary menu with 10 variations?
  • savor: Not one thing, even the macerated fruit with mint, sounds bad to me. The Monte Cristo can change your life, and they hand old Alka Seltzer at the door for a reason...
  • sit: Apparently there's a downstairs room with a communal table, but the group that went down there right before had the highest pitched voices ever. The upstairs room is tiny, and the seats at the front are key on a nice day.
  • stilettos: Roll out of bed after a rager and slip on your most comfortable shoes - You don't want the rats I always happen to see on 1st Street to trip you in a pair of heels! Besides, it's brunch anyway...
  • spend: $$

pants picks

brunch, casual, cozy, good in the hood, Prune, Sunday Funday

Tom Petty once said that “the waiting is the hardest part.” When it comes to brunch at Prune, I beg to differ. On a beautiful May Saturday, I was up way too early (thanks to a food event where I blacked out early the night before) and BF and I decided to head somewhere for [...]

fully unzipped

May 4, 2011

Crispo- All Good in the Hood

buttons open

240 West 14th Street, between 7th and 8th
212-229-1818
www.crisporestaurant.com

Excellent. You'll consume more than your skinny jeans will allow.

crispo

pants at a glance

  • scene: Cozy front room with private nooks for larger tables; larger back room with retractable roof for al fresco dining in the summer and fireplace dining in the colder months; tables in the bar area get a little loud and a decent amount of traffic walking by
  • sip: mainly italian wine list; don't expect much help from the waitstaff with the vino, but each wine has some descriptive wording below for you to better figure out what you want
  • savor: hot stuffed peppers; trofie al proscuitto; Dora's meatballs; chicken
  • sit: this is a great date place, and also good for large groups
  • stilettos: nah, more food than fashion
  • spend: $$

pants picks

Crispo, good in the hood, Groups, Ital

Crispo is like a song that you forgot how much you like until you hear it randomly on the radio.  Often times you settle on the song because  there is nothing else that you want to listen to on the other stations, and then part way through you find yourself smiling and giving a full [...]

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May 4, 2011

Dame Dame Mas(farmhouse)

buttons bursting open

39 Downing St. (near Bedford)
(212) 255-1790
masfarmhouse.com

The highest Pants praise! You'll head home to stretchy-pants bliss.

mas farmhouse

pants at a glance

  • scene: Downtown cool - local foodies who are both fashionable and in the know mixed with some special occassion diners
  • sip: Enticing cocktail list (Mas Champagne, please), and an extensive wine list hitting all sorts of budgets
  • savor: Not too many misses... Fresh seasonal offerings, Yellowfin Tuna l’Occidental, Steamed Zucchini Blossoms, Pan Roasted Salmon
  • sit: The main dining room is where you want to be above the roof off to the side. Bring a date, parents, or your significant other for an impressive birthday/anniversary
  • stilettos: Could go either way, but some stacked Choos can never do you any harm...
  • spend: $$$

pants picks

cozy, Go-To, good in the hood, Mas(farmhouse), special occassion

When we were in Spain, Britney’s song Gimme Gimme More was inundating the radio in the states, and A decided to use her expertise in Spanish to create a similarly contagious tune in the native tongue of the country we were traveling -  “Dame Dame Mas, Dame Mas, Dame Dame Mas…” So over a year [...]

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May 4, 2011

The Essex… All You Can Brunch for $18

button undone

120 Essex Street (at Rivington)
(212) 533-9616
www.essexnyc.com

Good. But you'll still be able to go dancing after your meal.

essex logo

pants at a glance

  • scene: Mixed groups of students, downtown wannabe hipsters, and out-of-towners
  • sip: There is a full service bar; brunch comes with 3 bloody mary's, mimosas, or screwdrivers
  • savor: Baked Eggs w/ crispy ham, mushrooms, roasted peppers, and jack cheese; The Aristocrat; Mexican Matzoh Brei
  • sit: With the your sunday funday crew, a girls brunch to discuss the night before, a big birthday group
  • stilettos: This far on the LES, you are better off in cowboy boots than heels, but some of the decked out girls with big groups can be found in high heels
  • spend: $

pants picks

brunch, casual, Essex, Groups, Sunday Funday

I have heard plenty about brunch at The Essex – mainly because brunch is its thing, as it is MY thing, and they have a deal where you can have 3 breakfast drinks (Bloody Marys, Mimosas, Screwdrivers) along with any brunch item for $18. I tried to plan my own boozy birthday brunch there a [...]

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