Westport 54

DA MO DA MERRIER

Where the Gettin’s Good by Simone

BECAUSE I’VE ALWAYS WANTED SOMEONE TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO AND WHERE TO GO TO GET EXACTLY WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR: Tribeca Skin Center 315 Church Street, NYC Tribeca www.tribecaskincenter.com I love my visits to Tribeca Skin Center. I see Rowena Woo, the facial specialist, (who has por- celain, ageless skin, so I will therefore listen to any- thing she says) monthly, and after three months, I had new skin; significantly clearer, brighter, and more smooth. I’m also a huge fan of the Joseof Soap sulfur face soap, the CeraVe day and night moisturizers, and Dr. Alkaitis organic herbal toner, which gives my clean face a fresh lavender scent. These products are sold in the office for far less than my previous Sephora regimen, and the facials are almost half the price of many spas. Using a prescription Retinol product (vita- min A) for acne is ACE for lifelong skin hap- piness, because Retinol treats acne by encourag- ing cell turn over, which is also a treatment for wrinkles! #thingsmydermatologisttoldme.

This European style bread bakery in the heart of Tribeca may be responsible for the bread at your favorite NYC restaurants. When I discovered that Grandaisy Bakery is the source of my favorite crusty bread topped with smashed avocado and a fried egg at Dudley’s in the LES, I went to inves- tigate. It turns out they have a super cute café and retail bakery in the front of their commercial op- eration. The bread I’ve mentioned above is called Sette Grani. It’s loaded with 7 grains like whole roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds, the crust is thick and crunchy, and the center is dense and grainy, neither hollow nor too soft.

tender, Jen, who I met while she was working in Paris a few winters ago. Contra only offers a daily tasting menu. The fresh baked bread and cheese option can and should be added. At $55 a per- son, our meal outshone several Michelin-starred restaurants I’ve visited recently. For the third or fourth course I had a small portion of simple sliced steak; salty crust, tender, and oh so rare. I had obviously already eaten a lot by this point but it was so good my hunger was renewed and I was as excited at what was still to come as I was when I first sat down.

Norman’s Cay 74 Orchard Street, NYC Lower East Side www.normanscaynyc.com

Adel Atelier 96 Orchard Street, NYC

Lower East Side 917-257-9080

Norman’s Cay is dope. Great Jamaican food, boozy cocktails; multiple varieties of rum punch, and a reggae-centric playlist that had me out of my chair and shaking my ass in a restaurant… at dinner time. Ideal for festive occasions.

Cafeteria 119 7 th Ave, NYC Chelsea www.cafeteriagroup.com

Grandaisy Bakery 250 West Broadway, NYC Tribeca 212/334-9435

Cafeteria is a Meat Packing institution and a late night dining dream. This place runs around the clock, 24/7 . They have been open for 16 years and still need bouncers on the weekends to man-

Adel is a beautiful French man and a master of his craft. Our relationship began outside of Castle Fitzjohn’s Gallery next door in the LES, when I had just returned from Colombia with a head full of dreadlocks, braids, and beads, and had a black tie event to go to that evening. Now I findmyself in his chair once a week, sipping wine and espressos as he works some kind of magic, taming my unconven- tional and exasperatingly unruly hair. Besides my luxurious blowouts, the other highlight of my visits to him is eyeing the steady flow of handsome men that pop in for hair cuts who all leave looking like male models. (image by Virginia Carey) CONTRA 138 Orchard Street, NYC Lower East Side contranyc.com Contra was recommended to me by their bar-

age the lines. Cafeteria fa- vorites include the Hand Pulled Burrata Cheese with Broccoli Rabe Pesto, a Roasted Cauliflower side order which is pureed and baked almost like a potato gratin, and both the ever popular Fried Oreos and Mac Attack;

CAFETERIA

Mac & Cheese 3 ways: cheddar and fontina, smoked gouda and bacon, and truffled. The menu is packed full of even more seriously awe- some takes on contemporary American comfort foods. Ask for the spiked cosmo sorbet topped with Prosecco!

148 WESTONMAGAZINEGROUP.COM

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