We Magpies are definitely creatures of habit. When we like a restaurant for its certain signature dishes, we always have to order them every time we go. Jane, located downtown at 100 West Houston Street (between Thompson Pl. and Laguardia), is one of those exceptions to the rule.

It is true that every time we dine there we always split the Toasted Ricotta Gnocchi as an appetizer (yes, the one featured on the premiere of the hit Food Network show, “Best Thing I Ever Ate” – because it is!). We love the creamy, nutty cheese sauce that they are swimming in (and the gnocchi just melt in your mouth). But we also have tried so many different main dishes on the menu that we can honestly say that they’re all good. On a recent dinner there, one Magpie went for the Jane Burger – 100% ground sirloin, with white cheddar, double-smoked bacon, and topped with a “special sauce.”  A little investigative eating by us Magpies, and we found out that a creamy mayonnaise-based jalapeno marmalade and tangy green pickled tomatoes is what makes the sauce so “special.”

And special it is! A flavorful and juicy burger dripping with cheese, sandwiched between a thick brioche bun with side of crispy french fries and a pickle – delish. But there is no doubt that any main course you try at Jane will be good – we have had the veal milanese and the ahi tuna as well, among countless others. All are always impeccably presented and taste exceptionally good.  We’ve also dined there for Sunday brunch! It has the usual breakfast fare, with a few trademark Jane specialties. For example, there is not one, but three different kinds of Eggs Benedict: the Regular (poached eggs on top of Canadian bacon with Hollandaise)…

…and then the Benedict Jane (with crab and crawfish cakes, spinach, and a tarragon hollandaise) and the Benedict Johnny (with homemade maple chicken sausage patties, corn pancakes, and a roasted tomato hollandaise).  We tried the Johnny on a recent brunch trip. It was sweet and savory – very fresh and tasty.

Most importantly (to us Magpies), Jane also happens to have the most delicious Vanilla Bean French Toast in Manhattan! Dipped in crème brûlée batter and then cooked to order, the batter is creamy and sweet – incredibly melt-in-your-mouth delicious, just the way we like it!

So, when we were voting on that very special restaurant deserving of the J, it really was a no-brainer. Jane is the kind of restaurant that just makes everybody happy…and with a group of picky New York Magpies, that’s something very special indeed.

We at Harriet Magpie usually love those brunch combo dishes that have the he-man names. Unfortunately, they all have those he-man names…and you feel a little funny ordering them! And quite frankly, even though we’re usually able to knock off one of those delicious sounding platters, it behooves us to say the name to order them! So, as soon as we saw the menu at Kitchenette on Chambers Street in Tribeca, we knew we were gonna love it – you gotta love a restaurant that has “Lumberjane” as the name of a breakfast dish – which made us very comfortable ordering it! Ahem….scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and two slices of cinnamon-raisin french toast topped with powdered sugar!

Yes, not only did we order it, but we proudly polished it off! (move over Man vs. Food…here we come!). However, that was not the only thing that we ordered – that was just the start! We and our fellow Magpies then tried the famous Cherry Vanilla Baked French Toast…

…the Kitchenette Special (two eggs, bacon and cheese on a biscuit)…

And, so as not to leave the he-man who was with us out, we got one order of the “Lumberjack” – two eggs, turkey sausage and with a side of “Fruited (mixed berry) Pancakes”…

All in all, Kitchenette is a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that packs a big punch. The food is great, the service is courteous and attentive, the atmosphere is homey with a very low-key neighborhood crowd. So if you’re really hungry and feel like you can eat the kitchen sink, Kitchenette is the place for you. Everything is so good there that we’re pretty sure that even the kitchen sink would be delish, and that’s why it gets the”K” on our list of Alphabests.

(photograph: newyork.seriouseats.com via robyn lee)

After just 72 days of marriage (and what seemed like a 72 hour wedding special on E!), Kim Kardashian is filing for divorce from Kris Humphries. Ryan Seacrest, the producer of her reality show, tweeted this morning, “Yes @kimkardashian is filing for divorce this morning. I touched base with her.” According to TMZ, Kardashian has reportedly hired celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser (who has represented dozens of Hollywood divorcees) and will cite “irreconcilable differences.”

Kardashian recently told PEOPLE magazine that living in NYC with her sister Kourtney, her boyfriend Scott Disick and their baby during filming for “Kourtney and Kim Take New York” was not an “ideal” situation for them as newlyweds. Still – we Magpies are kinda shocked! And we’re also wondering what will happen to her not one…not two…but three wedding dresses!?

What do you Magpies think? What went wrong with Kim and Kris – too public too fast?

[Check out CO-OP Preview Party, shot by Alan Phillips]

We Magpies take our birthday celebrations quite seriously. And since we dine out quite a lot, we are always in search of a new special place to kick off our birthday festivities. We were very fortunate that a fellow Magpie had drinks at Co-op in the Hotel on Rivington in the Lower East Side – and suggested we have our birthday dinner there. Well, it turns out, Co-op happens to be a really fun and tasty place to celebrate. When we arrived for our dinner reservation, our table was not yet ready, so of course we went straight to the bar – a big and inviting place to have drinks.  There are several specialty drinks on the menu that sounded faboosh, so we tried a truffle martini – a dirty martini garnished with olives stuffed with truffled feta cheese (mmm…delish) and a pink bazooka martini served with a pomegranate ice cube, which was another winner.

Sam, our now favorite bartender, was really nice and friendly, and immediately filled up a tin container with truffle popcorn to munch on as we sipped (well more like chugged…they were that good) our drinks!

Before we could say, “I’ll have a second,” our table was ready and we were led into the main dining room which was really cool. With its high-glass ceiling and huge portraits of people surrounding the walls of the entire room – it makes you feel like you’re dining in an exclusive photographer’s loft.

They almost stuck us at a communal table (sorry to those of you Magpies who like communal tables…), but luckily we came armed with a very persuasive Magpie who would not tolerate the group table on her birthday  – we got a lovely banquette to dine at instead. And now onto the food!  Everything can be shared at Co-op, which makes it so much fun when you go out with a group – plus, you don’t have to be stuck with an entree you don’t like!  But at Co-op, that would not have been the case anyway – everything we ordered, we loved! We started with the lobster shots – tiny cups filled with a creamy lobster broth and bits of lobster – so cute and soo good.

They also accommodate for the number of people in your party who want a taste – if the small plate is served with three pieces, they will add a fourth or fifth in and charge you per serving instead of needing to get two orders. They are known for their sushi – so we tried a spicy tuna on crispy rice, which was very good.  We weren’t crazy about the spicy part (that sneaky jalepeno pepper…even after we removed it, it’s taste lingered).

We then ordered the peking duck steamed buns with hoisin sauce. We loved the duck filling – the buns themselves, not so much.  They were just a little too sticky and chewy.  But, with all the pork buns we’ve tried across NYC, it was a delicious twist to try them done with duck!

The sliders came next – a perfect and juicy patty on top of a perfect and juicy tomato, topped with a pickle and held together with a toothpick!  Plus, more truffle – the fries this time.  DE-LISH!.

We finished with the butter lettuce wraps, filled with melt-in-your-mouth miso black cod and topped with shredded filo – mmm…the textures! Smooth and crunchy at the same time – loved ‘em.

And lastly, our absolute favorite, AJ’s chicken meatballs – with cabbage slaw. So tender – with great flavor!

 

After all that, you might think we would’ve skipped dessert. Well – you would’ve thought wrong! We chose two delectable sounding desserts and they did not disappoint. The molten chocolate brownie with a petite(to keep our girlish figures) scoop of caramel ice cream was a chocolate delight…

…and the sticky toffee cupcake with a bourbon-buttercream icing – and sprinkled with chocolate chips –   was a gourmet cupcake eater’s dream!

The two desserts were perfectly sized for a taste and a perfect ending to a really fun meal! Will we go back soon? Definitely! There are many more dishes to try and desserts to splurge on. Do we think Co-op is worth your investment calorie-wise and dollar-wise? Well, if you’re like us Magpies, you’re guaranteed many happy returns!

As most of you readers know, we Magpies are always attracted to sparkly things. Lucky for us, DWNY, one of the sparkliest boutiques we’ve visited in New York (located on East 21st Street between Park and Broadway), has a twinkly neon sign that caught our eyes as we were heading home one afternoon.

Lucky for us, and now, lucky for our readers, we always have our eyes out for glitter! This charming boutique, owned and operated by Diana Warner, an extremely talented and super happy designer, and her talented and very happy cousin, Gibson, is filled with all sorts of their personally designed jewelry that is trendy, glamorous and affordable! How trendy? Well, her cool, drop dead jewelry can be seen on the set of all the TV shows you’re loving right now ( her fab creations have accessorized basically the entire cast of Gossip Girl!)

…and she is the go-to designer for celebrities who want to ooze glamour (like…) and has been featured in top fashion mags. Though it’s not that big in square footage, her store is packed with an enormous selection of earrings, necklaces, and bracelets to check out and a great selection of unique tee shirts and clothing to gush over. We were there for over two hours!!!  And we didn’t want to leave – that’s how happy this store is! DWNY even has cool fashion for men (we didn’t really look, but it’s great to know when you’re out shopping with a guy… there are plenty of ties to keep him busy!)

Here are some of our tres affordable (most averaging under a hundred bucks!) purchases that we made on this recent visit – crystal drop earrings that look like Ippolita earrings with more sparkle;a pair of studs called the Sara studs after — on Gossip Girl and double – drop earrings also seen on Sara; two pairs of handcrafted and designed earrings made from vintage! Chanel buttons, that are, by far, the coolest addition to our jewelry collection;a stunning statement necklace made of stones and crystal that is reminiscent of David Yurman’s confetti collection, but with a much cooler (lucky!) vibe to it; a vintage tee shirt from these really creative guys from Brooklyn; and an iridescent leather Lodis clutch that is not only great looking, but functionally designed as well. And one of the best things about DWNY, Diana Warner sincerely loves her store and her creations and lets customers try on anything they want without getting annoyed! (hence our two hours in her compact store!) We Magpies would have moved in if we could…but since that really wasn’t feasible, we plan on visiting our new favorite boutique all the time! New items come in daily, so Magpies, go check it out and let us know what you get!

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And now, to get you in the mood, Diana Warner has graciously offered to donate a pair of her faboosh Gossip Girl earrings to moi to raffle off to vous! To enter the DWNY raffle, just send us an note and we will add your name to the list where we will randomly select a winner at the end of the week! Only one entry per Magpie please…we’re sure if you are selected you will become a DWNY fan as well!  We know, we know – you love us to the moon and back! (another of Dianna’s fab creations!)

Oh, and by the way, an interesting fact about Diana- she is the proud owner of the original Broadway dog Toto, from the Wizard of Oz! How funny is that???

And that’s just another reason to visit the happiest little store in New York!                                                   Hey!!  Where you going?? You have to send us your email address (through our contact page) to be part of the free glamorous earrings giveaway!!…and keep your fingers crossed!

Adele…that voice, those eyes…those eyelashes!!! Well “RUMOR HAS IT” that the London-based mascara, Eyeko mascara, which Adele uses to make her eyes pop! was debuting in New York, and we Magpies wanted to be first in line (well…maybe not the first…) at Sephora to pick up a tube.  We went to two different Sephora locations before finding the one that had just gotten them in – they weren’t even on display yet!  From the back room boxes, we were lucky to grab several tubes for ourselves. We Magpies have tried the mascara and are happy to report that our lashes are faboosh!  Two things make this mascara so unique – 1) It’s applied a bit differently because it comes with a safety guard (in the shape of a guitar pick) to place behind the top line of your lashes so you get to pile on the mascara to great lengths without getting your lid all messy, and 2) it’s shaped like a tube of toothpaste, so not one bit of mascara is wasted!  Squeeze it out to the last drop! So if you want to try and get those long, luscious lashes like Adele – you’d better get over to Sephora to buy this fab mascara before they run out. we give this Eyeko masara an A+; an A for the long wispy lashes which we loved, and PLUS we got those dramatic Adele eyes…

FYI -Magpie update – the Eyeko mascara that Adele(our good friend!) and we are obsessed with is called Skinny Brush Mascara – we had the wrong pic originally in the post when we first told you all about this faboosh new mascara – our bad!

Murray Hill is best known for its post-college crowd – but when it comes to decent restaurants, it’s seriously lacking.  It’s finally seen salvation with the new restaurant by chef April Bloomfield, top chef of Spotted Pig and The Breslin fame.  Bloomfield’s newest hotspot Salvation Taco has come in to save the day, and Murray Hill’s reputation.  Located in the Pod 39 hotel on East 39th Street between Third and Lexington Avenues, Salvation Taco is a casual place decked out with colorful lights and a full tequila bar.

We Magpies immediately ordered two of the specialty drinks — the American Firing Squad (Applejack, rye whiskey, mulled wine grenadine, chamomile, amargo-vallet, fresh orange & lemon juices) and the 5 Island Horchata (5 Island Rum, coconut horchata, cold-brewed coffee, fernet-vallet, cinnamon and vanilla) and were intrigued by the unique mix of ingredients. These drinks were sooo hot – ay caramba! – that we were transported to a Cabo getaway…well, just for a few minutes…until we ordered some more!

Next came the food. Though the menu is quite small, it has a wide range of choices with interesting fillings – which means there’s something for everyone. And as we Magpies usually do, we ended up on trying several of the signature tacos. Our top three were the korean barbecue taco (our fave, and the most recent addition to the menu); the moroccan lamb on naan (loved the naan!), and the fried striped bass with mayan mayo (who knew the Mayans had a mayo?!).

Of course, there would be no salvation without dessert – so we got the churros!  Light, crispy, cinnamon-y and, when dipped in chocolate – muy delicioso!

All in all – Salvation Taco pretty much just became the salvation of Murray Hill in our eyes. Finally – a cool place in Murray Hill to grab a light bite and drinks with a grown-up edge! But be warned – the place does not take reservations…so check it out before Murray Hill’s entire post-college crowd discovers it. (145 East 39th Street, between Third and Lexington Avenues; 212.865.5800; www.salvationtaco.com)