There was a time in New York when good espresso-based drinks were nearly impossible to find. And while this is still true in vast swaths of the city, we’re delighted that incredibly decent places have started to pop up in recent years (such as our preferred Ninth Street Expresso and the lesser, yet still perfectly fine Joe’s).
The latest entry in the coffee race? Stumptown Coffee Roasters of Oregon has just opened a branch in the Ace Hotel. Our midtown correspondent reports that the experience “is like going on the set of a movie about hipsters in Portland, with really excellent espresso.”
» Stumptown Coffee Roasters
We love all things effervescent and seltzer is certainly no exception. Whether it be to mix with vodka, add the sparkle to a sloe gin fizz, or just drink straight with a twist of lime, few things are as refreshing. And in an effort to go green and reduce the number of plastic bottles we consume, we’ve been delighted with the incredibly well-crafted Mr. Fizz Senior seltzer siphon.
Designed in Tokyo in the 1970s by the Chief Design Engineer of the Nippon Tansan Gas Company, the body of this siphon is made from stainless steel and the top charging mechanism is chrome plated brass. (Inferior brands, such as iSi, are made with plastic and aluminum.) It also comes with a lifetime warranty, for the overzealous among you.
For optimal fizz, start with refrigerator-cold water before charging.
» Mr. Fizz Senior Seltzer
Our correspondent in Europe just sent in this dispatch from Germany:
Greetings as we make our way on the final leg of our rail journeys for today from Belgium and across tracts of Germany. We both paused to compare the German rail network with that in Japan – their exceptional organisation, beautifully maintained carriages, helpful staff, well organised stations, platform numbers pre-printed on tickets purchased weeks in advance so you knew exactly what to do – and on-time running that allows for 8 minute connections between complementary services. We both mused wistfully about how fabulous it would be were such services plying the railways lines of Australia; we winced at what it cost to ride on UK rail services only to have to stand like a pack of sheep under the departure board as they made up their minds only a few minutes before departure which platform the train would run from (and then quite often changing their minds) – and for fares roughly double those offered here.
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Although it’s a given that we love the Park Hyatt’s New York Bar, when we need Tokyo city views with our cocktails in Shinjuku, we often head to Polestar, a bar that sits atop the Keio Plaza Hotel.
Helmed by noted mixologist Takahiro Watanabe, entering Polestar takes you back to 1970s (with a splash of 1980s) jet-set tokyo, with low leather chairs that swivel and dapper bartenders who take their craft incredibly seriously. And then there’s the stunning view.
Even their signature cocktails, the Polestar and the Polestar No. 2, are throwbacks to an earlier, high-calorie age of indulgence. We suggest you try both:
POLESTAR COCKTAIL
Fresh Cream 30ml
Bailey’s Irish Cream 30ml
Banana Liqueur 15ml
Grand Marnier 15ml
Mint Liqueur 3ml
POLESTAR COCKTAIL NO 2
Fresh Cream 40ml
Strawberry Liqueur 30ml
Banana Liqueur 10ml
Vanila Liqueur 10ml
Grenadine Syrup 4ml
For both cocktails, vigorously mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and then pour into chilled glasses. Next, take a plastic stencil with a “P” cut out of it and place over the glass. Sprinkle cinnamon over the stencil, such that a letter “P” forms on top of the cocktail. Finally, place an orange rind (cut into the shape of a star) inside the loop of the cinnamon letter.
Gentle reader:
We find we spend an inordinate amount of time at cocktail parties with those who don’t work (either because they don’t have to or because their employer has made this decision for them). For this reason, we always resist the urge to ask the increasingly gauche, “What do you do for a living?” Instead, we prefer the more polite, “How do you spend your days?”
Judith Martin would approve.
Just as we’re always searching for the Perfect White, so too are we always on the hunt for the Perfect Grey.
Recently at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, we were struck by an amazing shade of grey paint used in the “Artist’s Choice: Vik Muniz, Rebus” exhibit. MoMA reports that this is Benjamin Moore “Stone” in a satin finish (#2112-40).
Just in time for the economic meltdown, two of our favorite designers are offering affordable options: Paul Smith Sale Shop has opened in Williamsburg at 280 Grand Street (thankfully much more convenient than the Avery Row outpost in London) and, on November 13, H&M Comme des Garçons hits selected H&M stores. Somehow deconstructed fashion seems more relevant than ever.
While the Colette x Gap pop-up shop proved to be far less than the sum of its parts (Target’s Bullseye Bodega won the guerrilla store battle during Fashion Week), we did enjoy easy access to Pierre Hermé’s range of candles (yes, yet another expensive line of French candles that we’ve fallen for).
We especially like Herbe D’Amandes, a pairing of Mexican tonka beans and green maté, rich with “herbaceous and tonic accents.” We’re curious, though, if Hermé would ever consider creating a candle scented like Ispahan (his signature combination of rose, lychee, and raspberry).
As anyone who makes espresso at home can attest, the right tamp makes all the difference in the world. How else can you get exactly 30 pounds of pressure on those 14 grams of grinds to create 2 to 2.5 ounces of gorgeous espresso in about 20 to 25 seconds? (Yes, precision matters.) For our tamping needs, we turn to Reg Barber of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. His hand-made tamps are luxurious and have just the right amount of heft to make the perfect cup, time after time.
» Reg Barber Coffee Tampers
We love a good hors d’œuvre and we often go weeks (especially in September) where it’s all we eat for dinner most nights.
This summer, we’ve been particularly fond of the the prevalence of miniature lobster rolls. The best of the bunch are served on brioche, light on the mayonnaise and herbs, and heavy on the fresh lobster.
