Off the beaten foodie path in New York City: Studiofeast

With so many good places to eat in Manhattan, chefs are continuously trying to outdo each other in complexity and presentation of dishes. To that effect, eventually one beings to pay for elegance and setting as much as for the food itself. Is it really worth two hundred dollars a person to eat at Morimoto? Really?

For a different type of dining experience, where you won’t have to worry about what shoulder your Y-3 sweater is hanging from or the appellation of your Côtes du Rhône, try Studiofeast.

Recently slated in the New York Post as a having “code names, mysterious meeting places, a cult following and the intoxicating whiff of illegality,” Studiofeast is one of the numerous underground eating clubs that have popped up in the city over the past few years. It brings a unique, intimate air to dinner, where you can mill about a random Williamsburg or Red Hook studio, converse with the other diners, bring your own bottle of wine and not worry about the pretense of a normal awkward dinner on the LES.

Read the Post’s stub about Studiofeast here or check out their website. I’ll be at the November 3rd feast with my Y-3 cable knit sweater zipped all the way up. I should note that I met the creators a few years ago and have been regularly impressed with their fare and general zeal. My opinion aside, it should still be an excellent meal.

Word for the Travel Wise (11/23/06)


Today marks the day of my all-time favorite holiday where year-long stories are exchanged with family and friends over warm plates of turkey, ham, stuffing, and veggies. As people from all corners of the country either relax in the comfort of their own homes or dine out at some fabulous restaurant there will be many toasts, cheers and wishes for good-health over their good meal. It is for this very occasion that I pass this small fruit of knowledge your way to whoever may be reading at this hour.

Today I leave you with various ways to say Bon appetit!

  • Croatian – Dobar tek!
  • German – Guten appetit!
  • Hebrew – Bete’avon!
  • Hungarian – Jó étvágyat!
  • Korean – Mani deuseyo!
  • Persian – Noosh-e jan!
  • Polish – Smacznego!

For a complete list as found on the New York Public Library site in their World Languages Collection follow the link found here. Happy Thanksgiving all!

B.E.D., Miami

Tonight, things are quiet here in Tampa. Just the clicking from my computer keyboard and some light music plays, but in the distance, some 300 miles away, I hear reggaeton, salsa, hip-hop and feel the pulse of Miami. It rests in my thoughts and tomorrow night I will do it BIG! I’ll take to the streets like the most untamed tourist, belting out lyrics from classic G. Estefan songs and when I’ve exhausted myself I’ll tuck myself in for B.E.D.

That’s right I’m going to B.E.D. for the first time ever. Should I be excited? I don’t know. Going to B.E.D. in Miami wasn’t part of my original plans which were basically no plans other than a wedding I must attend, but I’m game for the concept restaurant where the dinner, dessert and drinks are all served in beds throughout the establishment. Located in the heart of South Beach at 929 Washington Ave, Miami Beach, FL, B.E.D. has been known to attract a slew of celebrities and aspiring young, beautiful people from around the globe. Certainly sounds a little high-profile for a sheepish blogger like myself. Perhaps I should just stay in my hotel bed, eh?

So what do you say? To go to B.E.D. or not to? That is the question? (If not, feel free to toss out some rec’s please.)