First Course

Okay so we know Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg is swarming with good food and lots of people. Not to mention Smorgasburg on Saturdays, which is one of our favorite places to go; but there is also so much to try beyond where the huge crowds are. We decided to route a foodie adventure for you and we recommend renting some bicycles for some light biking in between so you can burn a few calories and really enjoy the day. You can rent bikes for $35 per day, including the helmet, at Bike Peddler near the Lorimer stop on the L train.

Black Tree Sandwich Shop (131 Orchard Street)

Black Tree bills itself as a “next generation” sandwich shop using “ingredients and techniques more closely associated with a top restaurant kitchen—not a modest sandwich shop,” explains Sandy Hall who runs Black Tree with friend Macnair Sillick, a political reporter for NY1. Their new location on Orchard Street is the sandwich shop's first outpost in Manhattan after finding great success in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Black Tree on Orchard will offer seasonally inspired American sandwiches with ingredients sourced exclusively from local farmers and farmers markets. The spring menu includes a Spring Pig Sandwich made with house smoked ham, Prairie View cheddar, Mona sheep milk cheese, and house made spicy pickles, spicy aioli, and mustard or the Spring Mushroom Sandwich prepared with white wine and herb marinated cremini mushrooms with sautéed kale, onion, garlic, and Landaff cheese. With a hyper-local theme, the Black Tree cocktail assortment is made up of mostly New York-based spirits. With wine mainly from Long Island wineries and beers brewed right in Brooklyn, and house made bitters. Black Tree may be the most locally sourced sandwich shop in the city.

Rick Bayless is a highly acclaimed chef of Mexican cuisine, especially in the Chicago area. He has over five restaurants and catering companies in Illinois, and he is widely known for his television show, Mexico One Plate At a Time on PBS. Bayless has made multiple appearances on the Food Network, so it is not surprising that the channel has praised many of his restaurants, including Topolobampo. Located on North Clark Street in downtown Chicago, the restaurant is right in the middle of all the action. “Topolo,” as the frequent visitors call the restaurant, is known for being the quieter, possibly classier version of its sister site Frontera Grill, also owned by Bayless. Rick’s goal is to enhance the typical reputation that Mexican cuisine has by putting an upscale twist on the food, while maintaining the authentic flavors and techniques.

The city can be an unforgiving and unfriendly place to work and live. Since we all have our own agendas and jam packed calendars, our manners oftentimes fall by the wayside. We’re all guilty of it. You’ve held the close door button in the elevator to skip over floors and you’ve hopped in a cab someone else hailed. We’ve all done things that aren’t so sweet to our fellow New Yorkers. Austin-based Sweet Leaf Tea has set up an interactive campaign on the High Line under the Chelsea Market Passage (16th Street and Tenth Avenue) to help change that. Sweet Leaf Tea is on a mission to encourage Big Apple residents to spread kindness throughout our community.

Whether we eat meat or not, we can still appreciate a good vegan or vegetarian dish. In fact, a lot of times we find ourselves completely satisfied with a vegan meal if it’s done right. This week Joonbug hit up a ton of vegan restaurants around NYC in search of our favorites. Lets take a look at our top 3...

Loving Hut (348 Seventh Avenue)

Gin is the spirit of the moment with a rising popularity in jazz nights happening at venues around the city and the huge success of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby in theaters now. What better time than when gin-based cocktails are making a comeback in a huge way than to introduce Geranium London Dry Gin? Gin is hugely popular across the pond but many drinkers here in the states tend to gravitate toward vodka and rums. Henrik Hammer, a Danish gin expert and founder of Geranium Gin is hoping to change that with his craft spirit.

Enter a world of lavish parties, glamorous women, and the most powerful and influential men in existence. The fictional life lived by Jay Gatsby is the thing of literary legend. With the success of the recent reboot of The Great Gatsby, which premiered with an opening box office earnings of $50.1 million, has been one of the most talked about films of the summer. From the flapper fashion to the unnecessary 3-D effects and the fabulous soundtrack, The Great Gatsby has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue since the film encountered some issues prerelease. Thanks to the success of the film, and the fact that everyone was assigned the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel at one time or another, people get enough to Jay Gatsby and the grand parties thrown at his West Egg, Long Island home, and restaurants around NYC have stepped up to the plate, literally, to other diner’s the a glimpse into the luxurious libations and meals savored by the socialites of the Gold Coast in the 1920s.

The name of this newly opened West Village brasserie, Charlemagne, may ring a bell if you were paying any attention in History class in high school. Back in the Eighth Century, King Charlemagne reigned over most of Europe and united the region as the Holy Roman Empire. Just like Charlemagne did for Europe, Executive Chef Jodi Bernhard, along with owner and veteran restaurateur Vanessa Repice (Sel et Gras), have set out to unite the culinary traditions of Europe and America under one roof. Nestled in a gorgeous corner space between Greenwich and Christopher Streets in the West Village, Charlemagne offers diners a new take on French-American cuisine with both American and Spanish influences. The unique corner space allows for plenty of natural light and encapsulates the Greenwich Village Historic District that Charlemagne lies on the cusp of.

Wine lovers from around the world flooded into the Hudson Hotel last night to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the wino bible, Wine Enthusiast Magazine. The bi-level celebration’s was a belle époque meets carnival themed event, designed by Adam Aleksander, with a fitting red and white color scheme that was simply breathtaking. No detail of Wine Enthusiast’s Red and White Bash was overlooked from the activities for guests to experience to the live entertainment enjoyed by all. While tasting over ninety varieties of the world’s best wines, guests snacked on a charcuterie plate and anti-pasti salad offerings all of which were paired perfectly to the large wine selection.

In most households moms are masters of the kitchen—always knowing the perfect meal to prepare for when you’re feeling down or sick, to celebrate an accomplishment or special occasion, or just a favorite dish that brings everyone to the table no matter their busy schedules. Show your mom how much she means to you and how much you appreciate all she’s done, and cooked, over the years by treating her to a delicious dinner on Sunday, May 12th. Enjoy each other's company at one of these delicious NYC restaurants that are sure to get mom’s coveted seal of approval at first bite of their Mother’s Day prix fixe menus and specials.