Gustorganics
519 Avenue of the Americas
212-242-5800
gustorganics.com

There is so much to say about this restaurant and most of it is not about the menu. Now this is not to say that the food is not delicious. In fact, the food offered at America’s first and only 100% certified organic restaurant is wonderful. It’s a full menu (breakfast, lunch and dinner) with a latin-flavor that ranges from grilled organic pizzas and empanadas to risotto and filet mignon. But really the most impressive part of the restaurant is its undeviating focus on “green” and sustainable.

Yes, we know these have become catch-all phrases used by many a marketers to pull at our ethical side in order to sell!, sell! sell! But Gustorganics may be what many of us imagine as (hopefully!) the future of restaurants. Founded in 2008 by Argentinean-born businessman, Alberto Gonzalez, who was struck by the lack of fresh food when he traveled to NYC, Gustorganics abides by a mission that consists of serving natural food to its customers, respecting our health and treading lightly upon the planet. Here are a few of the qualities reaching towards there prominently displayed mission on the restaurants windows : Truth, Integrity, Sharing, Respect, Sustainability, Fair Trade, Healthy:

1. Gustorganics is the first and only certified organic restaurant in New York.
2. America’s first restaurant to use 100% USDA certified organic ingredients.
3. One of the greenest restaurants in the world.
4. The first and only USDA certified organic bar on the planet.
5. Uses only wind energy.
6. Use of solar lighting.
7. Energy-efficient kitchen equipment.
8. Water conservation equipment.
9. 100% recycled paper, bags, and boxes.
10. Restaurant built with recycled woods and eco-friendly materials.

It goes without saying that those of us without a massively huge budget know the importance of working with small spaces. Most of us live in apartments that many of our relatives think would be impossible to reside in. “You live in that tiny space and pay how much?” I have encountered this baffled statement so many times that I now have a series of ready-made responses. The overall gist is this, “It works perfectly well for me, I know how to work and live in smaller spaces.” This of course is a process learned over many struggles from the “how to fit that vacuum in my room sans closet,” to the “how to store anything and somehow make it accessible without needing to undo the entire intricately laid puzzle of things you have so achingly placed in their not-so perfect place.” “A process of give and take,” I say, “You give things away in order to take new things.”

Evergreen's 500 Ideas for Small Spaces is a brilliant collection of design principles, ideas, and photographs to help you attempt the creation of your perfect small space. Separated into a series of different categories, each with fifty or more tips, it is clear that today’s budding architects have not left the question of size behind. As the introduction states, “the big issue today is how to take the maximum advantage of space.”  This book achieves this through two different forms; either the use of commercial design ideas transplanted into the domestic setting or, if “altering the form of a home are limited, it is necessary to draw on a wide range of tactics derived from the art of decoration.” The startling and ingenious photographs showcase the transformation of the tiniest of spaces into marvelous sitting rooms or bedrooms, offices and kitchens.

The chapter headings lead insight into all that this book has to offer: wall coverings and ceilings, floors, dividing and unifying elements, lightening, colors, furniture (from corridors and shelves to mirrors and electrical equipment). In essence, everything is here, laid out in principles that can be applied to many a home. Here are a quick few for the New Yorker who may not have the expendable income to, for example, add a polished or marble floor to their apartment in order to increase the overall light:

332 A large mirror with a thick wooden frame standing on the floor in a spotlight is sufficient to make an entrance look bigger.

420 Shoe holders are narrow and therefore perfectly suited to storing papers without taking up much space.

304 Spaces entirely painted in warm colors tend to look small, so its important to leave one surface white.

290 Yellow or soft orange ceilings make spaces covered in wood appear larger.

Let it be known, I love design books, especially those that can bring exciting and innovative ideas to our New York apartments. Even more I love the challenge of turning a small room into a space with both auspicious function and as much comfort as possible. Those of us who have moved from apartment to apartment searching for raw materials in which to make this dream come true (i.e. the right lighting, layout, noise level) know this to be far from easy.

Yet books like the Small + Modern + Urban= Home (SMUH) can help us get that creative imagination moving and well…designing.  This book is perfect for the single person, couple, or small family looking to bring new design ideas to their small homes. Focused mostly on new construction of interiors rather than decoration, SMUH provides 28 examples of interior transformations from all over the world. What is so fascinating about the range of ideas and stunning photography presented in this book is how it speaks to the recent design emphasis on small spaces; and in these small spaces, we see design principles reflecting the changing of the family model.

As many parts of the world have increasing populations living or moving to the city, and in these cities, a greater number of people are having children later, the usual requirements for design have changed. Since fewer people respectively are living under the same roof, this has increased the demand for more but smaller homes. And this leaves cities with two options, increase its city limits or take advantage of its already existing spaces. So more and more we see the desire for lofts, studios, and one or two-bedroom apartments to accommodate all of one’s needs in a much smaller space.

But how to increase functionality without giving up aesthetics? This is the question that SMUH helps to respond to. Whether it’s clever distribution of space, increasing natural light flows, or creating new storage solutions, all of it is here as you work your way through beautifully photographed lofts in New York and apartments in Paris, Brussels, or Andora.

Small + Modern + Urban= Home, Collins Design and Loft publications, 2008, $29.95

MoMA Store
http://www.momastore.org

Did you know that the MoMA store regularly showcases new objects and gifts drawn from all different parts of the art world? Next time, you are wandering through the museum you may want to stop by and view the current MoMA store feature: Destination Seoul. This new product collection contains objects only to be found in the bustling and burgeoning South Korean design scene.

The MoMA describes the collection as “a selection that reflects Korea's cultural interest in color and nature and puts a modern spin on traditional Korean design and crafting.” Soft, gently curving lines and subtle features run through many of the products in this collection highlighted with bursting colors on stark white backgrounds. From the beautifully organic egg salt and pepper shakers to the gorgeous handle-less tea mug (containing a very tiny groove to place the string from your tea bag), there is bound to be something interesting to add a little flavor to your apartment.

Some highlights include the mini I.dear speakers, made of wood or faux-marble, the porcelain bird and cloud salt and pepper shakers, and the quirky Spooner bottle opener, inspired by the designer’s observation of the assortment of things people use to open bottles.

In addition the collection contains a good variety of precisely designed t-shirts, scarves, tote bags and other accessories that could make a perfect gift for you or a friend. Whatever you find that satisfies your fancy, you will walk away with the cultural exclusivity that comes from knowing these objects can be found nowhere but the MoMA…and well…South Korea.

Piada
3 Clinton Street
(btw Houston and Stanton)
212-677-5415    
www.piadanyc.com

One of the qualities that separates great Italian food from other cultures is its elegant simplicity. Once when traveling though the smalls towns in the north of Italy, I remember the sensation of impossibility I experienced when I tasted for the first time, a pasta marinara, impossible because it contained only five ingredients and was the best tasting pasta I had ever eaten. The contents of the meal: pasta, tomato, basil, olive oil, and salt. It was as if some hidden alchemy long forgotten was used to draw all the flavors together into a simple taste-explosion, no fillers needed.

Piada, the small Italian sandwich shop in the Lower East Side contains some of this same alchemical quality. Serving a range of sandwiches, wraps, and salads, this tiny stop is a great place to pick up a healthy and quick meal as you venture to your favorite LES bar, gallery, or vintage clothing store. The shop aims for a sleek modernist feel, white and grey clean lines and minimalist simplicity but ends up more with a flatness that you wish was a bit more welcoming. Yet, the saving grace is the wonderful assortment of 60’s Italian cinema posters that line the wall; a little Fellini (who also inspired the names of the sandwhiches) always adds a little cultured flare to a more sober surrounding.

The shops specialties are its two types of breads:

Piada (or Piadina) “is a very popular Italian flat bread made with wheat and extra virgin olive oil served folder or wrapped. It is a speciality of the Emilia-Romagna region.”

Ciabatta is a traditional Italian bread that is formed into a rounded rectangular shape loaf. Baked with a hard crust, it contains a soft-textured open to dense crumb.”

Give a try to the delicious Giulietta Degli Spiriti a special warm piada made of simple grilled veggies and mozzarella or the La Strada, filled with salame, Pecorino cheese and balsamic vinegar. Both are excellent with the no-filler simplicity of the best Italian food.
What is surprising is the care in detail in which the shop seems to reside, a rare addition to the “fast food” world. On the back of the menu you’ll find a wonderful description of the ingredients many of which are organic. Its feels like a guided tour through the Italian landscape. Here’s a quick look:

Pecorino Toscano Fresh “is a cheese made by sheep’s milk and aged a minimum of 20 days. Pecorino is quite mild and rather creamy though it does have some nutty oak leaf overtones that keep it from being insipid.”

Prosciutto di Parma “is aged 16 months and marks one of the high points of the Italian culinary tradition. It goes far back in time to 2,000 years ago.”
With reasonable prices, speedy service, and quality fare, add this to your stop and go list (and grab one of their oatmeal cookies).

Raoul’s
180 Prince Street
212-966-3581

Perhaps you have been dreaming of studying in France because you love the accent and those dirty French novels of the 19th century or you've always wanted to become a budding poet like Rimbaud or a celebrity philosopher like Sartre. Well, if those dreams haven’t yet come to pass, you can still experience the excitement of an authentic French bistro right in the heart of Soho.

Are you looking for more ways to bring life to your apartment? BoConcept
Urban Design offers a piece of simple yet efficient furniture just
perfect for the city dwellers. This black-stained oak veneer room
divider, also available in white, is 41 ½” tall, 67” wide, and 18 ¾” in
depth.

Fat Cat Bar
75 Christopher St.
(at 7th Avenue)
212-675-6056

http://www.fatcatmusic.org/

It’s Sunday afternoon in Manhattan and your reveling in the quiet calm of the city. Couples walk through the boroughs, looking in shop windows, drinking coffee, taking in a movie. You meet with friends and are looking for something a little bit different to do but with none of the social pressure of having to look overly elegant.

Famed gaming center, Fat Cat may just be exactly what you need. Named the best pool hall in NYC by New York Magazine, Fat Cat provides the relaxed atmosphere to practice your pool and table tennis skills, while luxuriating in the constant melody of live jazz music.

Chess and scrabble tables line the walls while big comfy couches sprawl themselves out in the center of the large room. The venue is dark peppered with bright lights hanging over the assorted gaming tables. Let’s be clear, this is not a bar with simply one old pool table in the back for kicks. Fat Cat houses at least ten pool tables and a handful of ping pong tables, as well as foosball, chess, scrabble, checkers, backgammon, Othello, go, shuffle board, late night jam sessions, and live music acts (mostly jazz and latin). In fact there is so much to do here, you may end up staying the afternoon and late into the night! We did!

We were impressed by the bar/café as well. Fat Cat offers “an eclectic line of domestic and imported beer on tap, hard cider, and saveur’s selection of wines from the U.S. and abroad.” In addition, the health conscious may just want to try the organic juices!

So after a series of magnificent ping pong matches in which I, not surprisingly, claimed victory for all who witnessed the spectacle, and then hours of heated conversation over chess and scrabble while googling our favorite words (it has wi-fi), we imagined our bill would be staggering. Yet, Fat club is the recession survivors delight. Pool, table tennis, and shuffleboard are $5/person/hour while chess and checkers, get this, $1/person.