Friday, June 15, 2007

THIS WEEKEND -- PICNIC ON THE WATER

Manhattan is filled with summer oases. But it's easy to pass them by and not realize what you're missing. With a hot, sunny weekend ahead, think about slowing things down with a picnic on the water.

PICNIC ON THE WATER: BLUE RIBBON MARKET & HUDSON RIVER PARK
Site + Map to the Bakery + Map to the Water
Our Take
: With 24 hours notice, the Blue Ribbon Market will put together the perfect picnic set up. You can choose a picnic for 2 or 4 and they provide all the plates, cups, utensils and everything else you'll need in a couple canvas bags.



Then head straight west and cross over the Westside Highway. If you've never noticed it, you'll be shocked to find a couple really well maintained grassy piers that jut out into the water filled with people laying out in the sun. Surprisingly, it's not completely overflowing with people, so pick a spot and kick back for the afternoon. If you didn't have a great view of the Statue of Liberty off in the distance, you'd almost forget you're in Manhattan.

Blue Ribbon Tips
: The Blue Ribbon picnic for 2 ($100) could actually be good for a group of up to 6. The picnic for 4 ($175) could feed lower Manhattan. So get a group of 4 or 5 and split the $100 pinic to make the price a little more reasonable. But definitely buy extra bread if you go this route.

Picnic Tips: Bring a blanket/sheet/towel to sit on. The grass can be damp. If you bring beer or wine, keep it out of sight. They have a patrol that comes around and we've seen people get tickets. You can get away with it, but you have to be smart about it.

What's in the Picnic? In the picnic for 4, you get everything below. In the picnic for 2, you choose either: pâté or pork rillettes; smoked trout, sturgeon or salmon (cured/smoked in house); anchovy aioli or three-onion cream and fennel slaw; mixed olives or dill pickles; ciabatta, white, rye or olive flat bread; sweet tea, iced tea or lemonade; and oatmeal raisin cookies or banana-honey bread. You also get egg shooters (hard-boiled eggs topped with olive-oil mayonnaise and cuaresmeño peppers), Dijon mustard, red horseradish, aged manchego cheese and unprocessed Mexican honey and fresh berries. Plus, all the utensils you need, including sharp knife and corkscrew. Keep in mind that they give you pretty big servings of everything listed.

Details: Phone: 212- 647-0408. It's best to call a day ahead for the picnic, but they'll try to accomodate you if possible. Blue Ribbon Bakery open 11-8 daily. The pier is generally open throughout the day. There is no admission fee etc.

Monday, May 28, 2007

CAFE ASEAN (W. VILLAGE)

A little slow on the upkeep? Yes, thanks to everybody for noticing and bugging us about when we'll be posting again! Here's the story: We're starting a big Internet/media venture and all our free time is dedicated to that in the near term. It's very exciting and we'll post details here as they get ironed out. So, UrbanDailyReport will go on. But in the near term we'll post less frequently than before (ahem, sporadically, you might say). So that's that.

Check out this great little South East Asian place in the West Village. You won't be disappointed.

FOOD & BOOZE: CAFE ASEAN (W. 10th St. b/w Greenwich Ave. & 6th Ave.)
Menu + Map
Our Take
: This little West Village spot serves up freshly made Thai/Vietnamese classics. The open air garden in the back is perfect for a summer meal. And the laid back vibe of the garden space with its distressed wood-framed mirrors and plenty of trees makes this place an Urban Daily pick.

Recomendations: We like the Ghaw Chee appetizer (steamed shrimp dumplings). The dumplings are made fresh and you can tell. The Xao Xa Ot Ga (chicken with sauteed vegetables, lemon grass and chiles) is loaded with big fresh cut vegetables and lots of white meat chicken. The Kari Kapitan (chicken in a yellow Malaysian style coconut curry with potatoes) was good, but could've used a little more kick. And friends are fans of the Muc Xao Cari (squid curry with vegetables and herbs).

Details: CASH ONLY. Open Sun-Thu, noon to 10:30pm; Fri-Sat, noon to 11pm. Appetizers $5-7. Entrees $10-17.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY -- IN THE CITY

Some good stuff going on this week...

=TODAY--WEDNESDAY, MAY 9=
BOOK READING: A LONG WAY GONE: MEMOIRS OF A BOY SOLDIER @ STUDIO MUSEUM HARLEM (125th St. b/w 7th & 8th Aves.)
Program Info + Museum Site + Map
Our Take: If you recognize this book, it's because they're selling it everywhere. This is an amazing story of Ishmael Beah's journey through childhood as a child soldier in Africa. Ishmael will be at the museum tonight for a reading and discussion. He'll sign books afterwards. It will fill up fast. Call ahead and/or get there early.

Details: Event is at 7pm, Wednesday, May 9. Free event. But space is limited. Call 212-864-4500 x264 to reserve a spot. Museum open Wed-Fri 12pm-6pm; Sat 10am-6pm; Sun 12pm-6pm; Closed Mon & Tues.

=THURSDAY, MAY 10=
MUSIC & BOOZE: ALBERT HAMMOND, JR. @ HIRO BALLROOM (16th St. @ 9th Ave.)
MySpace + Venue Site + Review + Map
Our Take: This is a FREE show if you are on the guest list. Click this link to get on the guest list. This is the guy from the Strokes. He released a solo album. Junior Boys will be doing a DJ set after the show. They're good.

Details: Free on guest list. Doors @ 8pm. DJ sets after the show. Party will go late.

MUSIC & BOOZE: CHRISTINA COURTIN @ MO PITKIN'S HOUSE OF SATISFACTION (Avenue A @ 3rd St.)
Band Site + Venue Site + MySpace + Review + Map
Our Take: We're big fans. This is an intimate space. Click this link to see our last post on Ms. Courtin.

Details: Show @ 9pm. Tickets are $10. Upstairs lounge.