Box of Awesome: Roast

Each month, my "Box of Awesome" arrives from BespokePost.com.  I love looking for it. I love it when it comes. I am happy to share this one with you.... coffee. Life breath in the morning. Enjoy.

September 2012 Box of Awesome: ROAST

This month, awkward morning-afters just became a bit smoother. 

AeroPress Coffee Maker, Aerobie
This innovative coffee maker is hailed by experts as one of the best and intuitive ways to brew. The Aeropress uses total bean immersion for uniform flavor extraction. Its gentle air pressure reduces acidity and bitterness, and a micro filter produces grit-free coffee. Easy to make, easier to clean. Experiment to your heart's content to make Americanos, lattes, espresso-like drinks, iced coffee, and more.

Santa Isabel Coffee, 8oz Reserva Exclusiva, Café Integral
Leave the Starbucks to mid-afternoon work breaks. Café Integral is the new kid on the block that's turning heads. Their small-batch Nicaraguan coffee is hand-roasted in NYC. Complex and smooth, these beans were prepared exclusively for Bespoke.

Adjustable Burr Grinder
Freshly ground coffee holds its character and flavor more so than its pre-ground cousin. Common blade grinders create uneven grounds and artificially heat the beans, creating a lifeless and imperfect product. Burr grinders overcome these issues. Adjust to your desired size and create a beautifully consistent grind. 

We leave you with the tools and the knowledge. The conversation is up to you.

Stay Here: Sofitel, NY

This week I stayed for the night at the Sofitel Hotel in NY.  Located on 44th between 5th and 6th, it was not only convenient, but at $409/night, it was not expensive by NY standards for a really large room.  I'd recommend it wholeheartedly.  Check it out.

Lobby restaurant.

Large, comfortable room.

Love lighting and I want this lamp.

Gaby Bar makes great martinis.

Stay Here: NoMad Hotel, NYC

I just got off a whirlwind tour online of the NoMad Hotel in NYC.  I am heading to NY on Monday for a business meeting and plan to check this out.  Very cool space, Very cool rooms.  Very cool prices too!  The description at the website for the location is:

The hotel is located in the heart of the historic NoMad neighborhood (North of Madison Square Park). Bordered by the Flatiron District and Gramercy Park to the South, Chelsea to the West, and Midtown/Times Square to the North, The NoMad Hotel is centrally located to the best the City has to offer. Ideally situated between the East and West sides of the City, the hotel is convenient to most areas, including SoHo, Greenwich Village and the Meatpacking District.

WEBSITE

 

Th best part of the website, aside from the cool design, is the spectacular photography.  All photos following from the website and Courtesy of The NoMad Hotel NYC.  Enjoy.  I will.

The Front Desk

Spectacular Cuisine

Room Detail

Get Used To This

How Suite

Dining

The Library

Rooftop

Views

The Neighborhood

The Bar

Stay: The Standard, NY

Overlooking the waters edge

I recently stayed in NY at The Standard Hotel in the Meat Packing district.  Sounds grimy and gritty, right?  No.  Diane Von Furstenberg, Hugo Boss, many upscale designers call the area home.  It is filled with unbelievably beautiful people and I was surprised.  The Concierge told me that it was a haven for models, euro visitors and well heeled US visitors as well.  And at prices that are palatable for me, $375 a night for a postage stamp sized room was OK!  The larger suites are commensurately more expensive running around $1000 a night.

Looks a bit like an alien spaceship has landed

 One note: the staff were all well under 30 as was most of the clientele.  I remarked to my travel companion that I had luggage older than most of the people we encountered there.

I didn't get a suite like this

The view from my room

 The Diane von Furstenberg glass penthouse atop the building housing her showroom was unbelieveable.

The glass dome is the DVF building.

View across to NJ

Interesting carpet in the hallways.

Traveling Life: Il Cortile NYC

Last week I flew into LGA to meet my boss for a meeting in the city.  I love going to NY with him. He knows the city instinctively, having lived there in the past. We always have dinner at a great restaurant.  This time, we went to Il Cortile in Little Italy - 125 Mulberry at Hester.  Honestly, this was our third trip there together. I'd go broke living nearby beause I'd want to eat there every day.

The drinks are as good as the food, and the food is off the chart good.

Old world NY Italian - the veal chop was the best I've ever had. The martinis are COLD, strong and saw a vermouth bottle once, but not recently. Go. Eat and report back.

Restaurant Favorite: Bar Americain, NY

I had the good fortune to have dinner at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain in New York City when I attended BEA (Book Expo America) last year.  It was a perfectly wonderful meal. My old friend SueE and I broke tradition and eschewed Ruth's Chris which has always been our staple when we get together.  I am happy we did.  Sue was a bit late and I opted for a martini and some oysters on the half shell with a chipolte mignonette. It was so good, had she been any later I might have had another half dozen.

 I had the blackened ribeye and duck fries as an entree, but I think I could easily have had a few appetizers and another martini and called it an evening.  Dessert?  No thanks... any oysters left?