Sonny D.'s Profile

amazing, amazing coffee.  i've been using intelligentsia beans at home for some time now, but of course that doesn't compare to the coffee being crafted by the baristas here.

pretty cool ambience as well.  reminds me of european coffee spots.  free wifi, of course (get the password from the sign near the register).

and the keys to the bathroom are by the wall, next to the pastries.

the pig's ear was ridiculously good.  mix it with fried kale, pickled peppers and fried egg, and you've got yourself a killer dish.  and it comes in a tiny piggy bowl.  and it's only $6!

it's one of the best new restaurants in america this year, and as result, the waits are longer (there's always been a wait though).  the wait staff and bartenders are friendly, and they really take their time explaining the menu items, since some of them are not familiar to the regular palate.  don't be afraid to ask for their recommendations.

my other favorite thing about this place is the wine list.  really extensive, very well thought out, and lots of affordable choices.  their piedmont wines, in particular, are really good.

frankly, carette's macarons are better than ladurée's.  there.  i said it.

but more about the place.  this location i believe opened just this year, and it's a killer spot- directly across the square on place des vosges, in the heart of the marais district (3rd arr).

also try their hot chocolate, which they're famous for.  and apparently, they have really good omelettes too during brunch, but i didn't try that one.  perhaps on my next visit.

absolutely the worst haircut that i got in my entire life.  and that includes my mother who used to cover my head with a bowl as a guide for cutting- i was made fun of in high school!  (j/k- that was when i was very little).

the young lady cut my hair (basic, no-frills cut requested), but she ended up butchering my hair.  lines weren't straight, the arcs over the ears were crooked.. it was a disaster.  i had to go to another barber to get it fixed.

too bad that i pass by this place on my way to the subway and i have to give her a dirty look every time she sees me.  if i were the dramatic kind (or italian), i would complement that with spitting on their doorstep.

i keep coming back to vareli for one and only one reason:

the grilled octopus

so good that it deserves its own line in this review.  so tender, grilled just right, and perfectly complemented by yogurt, chickpeas, peppers and olives.  i've had this dish every single time i visit, and it always tastes the same.  there's something to be said about consistency for restaurants.

other outstanding dishes are the spice-rubbed head-on prawns, crispy pork belly and the burger.  i have yet to try their wine; it looks like they have a good selection.  going downstairs to the bathroom, you get to see their wine vault which looks impressive.  i heard they have a good sommelier.  as for the chef- i was told that he's from bouley and gramercy tavern.  pretty impressive as well.

i've been here countless of times, and will definitely be back again and again.  and again.

in early spring this year, i was fortunate enough to have seen the excellent budapest festival orchestra perform the beethoven symphonies with the great ivan fischer as conductor.  it was an interesting concept and twist on the complete cycle: on some days some of the symphonies were played using period instruments (by another orchestra), to approximate how the pieces sounded during beethoven's time.  and on some days, the rest were played by a modern symphony orchestra (the BFO).

but anyway- about the concert hall itself, the not-so-new-anymore starr theater of the alice tully hall is GORGEOUS, and dare i say it- sexy and seductive!  the all-wood paneling makes the entire space feel warm and intimate.  the seats are modern and comfortable.  plenty of leg room, although that's also because there is no middle aisle.  as for acoustics- perfect for a small hall.  on another occasion i saw thomas hampson perform a solo recital of love songs by barber and schumann.  just him and a piano onstage.  his voice soared, and i could imagine that even if you were seated all the way in the back, you would have heard every note clearly.  but then again that was thomas hampson.  :-)

i always look forward to attending shows at alice tully hall.  a good tip would be to look out for those juilliard student recitals, which are free and are sometimes held in this concert hall.

ahh, the met.  i'm a big fan... of their orchestra!  james levine is a genius, that is all.

first, the venue: great location, mag mile, directly across from the art institute, nice acoustics, yadda yadda yadda.

but this review is about the CSO.  best american orchestra, hands down.  to me, they're up there with both vienna and berlin.  as a new yorker, the nyphil has a special place in my heart, but you really can't deny the awesomeness that is the CSO.  everyone raves about their famed brass section, and rightly so.  when i saw them at carnegie hall playing a bartok piece (i think it was), they had some trumpets and trombones off-stage and the effect of the distant sound was gorgeous and so precise.

on another occasion, this time at the symphony center, mitsuko uchida conducted, and played piano for, an all-mozart program.  uchida tends to be a bit too dramatic onstage, which was distracting at times, but the CSO perfectly complemented her.  truly a night of great music.

i also think it's mind-blowing that the CSO currently has 3 of the world's most famous conductors -- haitink (from concertgebouw, aka world's best orchestra), boulez (from the nyphil) and muti (who assumes the principal conductor position starting this month).  also, the concertmaster is asian.  just like in the berlin phil.  just thought i'd mention that.  heheh.

this season appears to be a promising one.  muti is often described as a powerfully demanding yet articulate conductor.  i think that's important for a conductor- the musicians need to know exactly what the maestro wants.  and for an orchestra as techically superb as the CSO, that should not be a problem.  but it would be interesting where he takes the CSO, sound-wise.  let the muti era begin!

i don't get it.  this place has been recommended to me by friends who are either locals or yale students.  ok, it's actually just 2 people, but still.  i take my friends' recommendations pretty seriously.

i only had dessert here, and unfortunately the banana cake that i had was pretty bland.  it wasn't very moist, and it was crumbly.  i was gonna order some food to go, but after that slice i decided not to.

so now i'm thinking of emailing both of my friends, to tell them that next time they're in new york, they simply MUST head over to the meatpacking district.  very highly recommended.

payback is a bitch.

finally scratched an item off my summer to-do list: go to tanglewood for a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert.  the berkshires area is amazing, and against this backdrop the BSO has set up a really nice outdoor concert area with a big shed for the premium seats (lawn seating otherwise).  my preference is the tent area, although if you're with a group, lawn seats can be fun -- most of the audience come here to have a picnic while listening to good music, the BSO specifically.  (when is james levine coming back???)

the only downside to the experience is the parking.  it's not disorganized or anything -- the staff is actually pretty good at managing the parking lots -- it's just that there are A LOT of cars.  with old people in them.  so getting out of the venue takes a long time.  you'd be well advised to save your applause at the end (though the BSO deserves it), and just run -- RUN -- towards the parking lot and get the hell out before the inevitable traffic congestion gets worse.