Just dig into something delicious on Valentine's Day. When it comes to sweets it really shouldn't matter what day it is; Tuesday is fine by me. Cupcakes, bundt cake, layer cake, cookies, I'm all for the baked goods and maybe a little dark chocolate when it comes to satifying a my sweet tooth. Whether it be sharing love and your dessert plate with your beau or your friends. These are worth going in for a second helping.

 

Kiss My Bundt red velvet bundt cakes. You can pick them up in Los Angeles at the bakery or order the big 'ol bundt for $50 and Chrysta will ship it to you.

 

 

Pretty in Pink strawberry layer cake from Very Vera for $50.

 

 

Love Rocks! Chocolate Bar NYC's gift box filled with a champagne truffle box, retro milk salty pretzel bar, artist dark chocolate bar, solid milk and dark chocolate foil hearts and an all natural sugar scrub. Tied with their signature orange bow and gold key. Eat it up! $26

 

From Foodzie come these Maitelates Alfajores which are rich, decadent shortbread cookies sandwiching a thick layer of homemade dulce de leche caramel - made with locally produced butter, eggs, and flour.
Each of these 12 cookies are then dipped and coated in intense, dark Taza chocolate, with cocoa beans sourced directly from farmers.

I could eat a million of these.  $32 worth of serious YUM!

I bet you will stop using those jackets once you hear about the niftiest thing to hit Central Perk since Rachel’s flip. 

 

This bracelet cum coffee cuff (formerly known as a java jacket) will make every barista drip with envy! The cuff is made from reclaimed architectural veneer, perfectly fits around a take-out coffee cup and then can be worn on your wrist (once you’ve ingested enough caffeine, of course). 

 

 

Macchiato your way over to Bentwood and order up a coffee cuff.  While the cuff isn’t exactly uber cheap at about $70, you can rationalize buying it because it serves two purposes… yeah, I know you do it all in the name of recycling. 

 

While you’re enjoying Contexture’s handmade designs, keep on shopping for other fun things such as wallet clips. After all, you DO need a place to keep your frequent-coffee-drinker’s card!   

 

 

 

So I travel often for television segments usually zipping between LA and New York, but New York always has my heart. The city has gotten cleaner, it’s still very cool, excellent food, great shops and we, New Yorkers are nice-really; I mean it. You just have to stop us when we whiz by you on the sidewalks clocking 25 miles per hour to ask us for directions. When you get us to stop we’ll not only give you directions, we’ll give you restaurant suggestions and may walk you towards your destination. Alright, I’m gushing, but it’s one place that I’m completely biased about.

Take food for instance, we have top chefs like Daniel Boulud, Eric Ripert, Jean Georges Vongerichten, and Mario Batali  offering us top notch cuisine, but you can still enjoy a fresh delicious meal for under $10 like a pulled pork sandwich at Rub, a burger at Shake Shack  (if you’re willing to wait in line outside) and a wonderful bowl of pasta in a tiny place that seats about six people at Pepe Rosso on Sullivan Street.

So while I’d take up pages and pages with restaurant suggestions, here are a few that are a sure thing, if Le Bernadin and Restaurant Daniel are out of your price range.

La Esquina 106 Kenmare St, bet. Lafayette and Cleveland Place)
Has a totally cool vibe with delicious food. The restaurant is located inside The Counter--a corner restaurant near SoHo. You go inside and enter through a plain brown door, head downstairs and check in with hostess who is situated in the kitchen. She brings you through the kitchen to the restaurant basically tucked into the basement. Order the fish tacos and a bowl of chocolate cake.
A bit snooty and you've got to make a reservation ahead--then call on day of to get a better time.

Stanton Social (99 Stanton Social bet. Ludlow and Orchard, on the lower east side)  My favorite go to place for friends when they come to town. I ALWAYS have fun at this place, great drinks and it's where you order lots of small dishes. I recommend the little pierogies with goat cheese and carmelized onions.

For Italian, I can’t suggest just one:
Peasant (194 Elizabeth St. in Nolita) You must order the chocolate bread pudding. Plus the bread and fresh ricotta cheese on the table is addictive. I enjoyed the goat lasagna.

 

Babbo (110 Waverly Place) Mario Batali's gem. Where the usual pasta is absent you order some amazing dish with squab or wild boar.

Roc (Corner of Duane and Greenwich in Tribeca) I enjoyed roasted chestnut pasta on my last visit, but many friends love the cavatelli and the ravioli. And for dessert it’s always a toss up of the brownie sandwich or the terrina di cioccolato.

Lobster Roll:
Ok, it’s a finite category, but I love, Mary’s Fish Camp (64 Charles St.) for the lobster roll and corn on the cob with a glass of rose in the summer.

Malaysian:
Fatty Crab (643 Hudson St.) Small place, but a must taste for inventive Malaysian food.

Dim Sum:
Dim Sum a Go Go (5 E. Broadway between Oliver and Catherine in Chinatown) Freshly made dim sum not leftovers or carts like other places. I will admit you’ll probably get lost trying to find the place so take a cab or stop being stubborn and ask for directions, more than once.

Joe's Shanghai (9 Pell St. in Chinatown) Great for soup dumplings.

Greek:
Avra (141 East 48th St.) -Wonderful Greek food--the fish is delish and the crispy zucchini and eggplant chips are addictive with the yogurt dip.

For people watching:
Waverly Inn (16 Bank St.) Graydon Carter’s hot spot. Food is decent, but you go to see celebs.

For the wine list:
Cru (24 5th avenue) Just be ready to peruse a long list. Ask the sommelier for advice to fit your budget.

For Brunch:
Clinton Street Baking Company (4 Clinton St.) But you'll need to go early since it gets super busy. I’d advise skipping the weekend and go during the week, get the pancakes, the chorizo and definitely a biscuit. The biscuits are the best to be found in NYC. Slather on some jam and butter.

 

Prune (54 East 1st) Try the Monte Cristo sandwich if you dare.

And when you need a coffee break and treat:
Once Upon A Tart (135 Sullivan St. in Soho)
You can sit inside or outside and enjoy a cup of coffee, cappuccino or lemonade, but I make an excuse to go for the tarts and the scones. I know, I know, you say scones-those dry crumbly pastries? But this place obviously doesn’t shy away from the butter. They are my faves, moist and a must have on my list. I usually have the currant buttermilk and buy an extra for breakfast the next morning.

If you venture into Brooklyn for a special meal of brunch or dinner go to:
River Café (1 Water St.) Truly lovely, you are at put at the scene of many movies surrounded by a garden and on the water. You have a view of Manhattan. Or just walk up the street and get line for pizza at Grimaldi's.

So you’re nearly busting a gut from great food, but how to work it off?  Well, there’s plenty to see and I don’t mean waiting in a two hour long line to check out the view from the Empire State Building.

The simplest and best way to see New York is by walking. Move your ass. It’s how most of us stay in shape. Central Park is great anytime of year and in the winter months you can enjoy looking up at the city by pulling on some skates and going in circles around the biggest rink the Manhattan.

In the summer you can take in a view from the water by taking the free trip back and forth on the Staten Island ferry. Or walk along the water on the esplanade in Battery Park City. And of course you coudl really move your legs and rent a bike to cruise alogn the river from Battery Park all the way up through Riverside Park. Do it round trip and you could clock about 12 miles.

If the water is your fancy, then take a brunch or sunset cocktail trip on one of the many large sailboats docked at Chelsea Piers or the World Financial Center Marina.

For half price tickets to Broadway shows, skip the ticket booth in Times Square and head to the lesser known office near South Street Seaport.

On Friday and Saturday evenings, go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, stroll the various floors and admire the art, enjoy a glass of wine, listen to music and visit the rooftop for a generous view of Central Park and the city.

On other days and when the exhibits are sure to please, like the recent Calder sculptures and photos by William Eggleston, visit the Whitney on 75th and Madison.

And if you want to see great art in slightly smaller venue and still enjoy a drink outside, check out the MOMA. Meet friends in the outdoor garden first for a cup of ice cream or drink then check out.

 

Shopping:
Of course you’re going to spend money and that means pulling out your credit card for more than a meal.  
The department stores that require mention are Bergdorf Goodman  (Fifth Avenue and 57th) (the best damn Holiday window decorations every year. No contest!).  The place is chi chi and expensive, but hit the shoe floor on sale day and wowza you can scoop up a designer pair at a bargain.

Barney’s (61st and Madison), because of it’s eclectic mix and range of high end to moderate priced designers.
And then there’s downtown to check out.   Sure SoHo has become a bit of an outdoor mall, but there’s still plenty of boutiques to visit that sit next to the chains like Anthropologie. Visit Global Table (109 Sullivan St.) for beautiful items for the home or fab wedding gifts or visit INA consignment to nab a gently worn piece from Gucci or Louis Vuitton.

When you cross over Lafayette Street into Nolita and then into the Lower East Side, then you get to visit the designers that are embarking on their dreams. Visit boutiques like Calypso (clothes and home stores), Foley and Corinna (on Stanton), Mayle, Emmett McCarthy, Poppy and several great jewelry shops on Mott between Houston and Prince. Oh, and I just visited a darling tiny shop named Szeki on Clinton just a few steps from Clinton St. Baking Company. I would categorize her jewelry and clothes as casually elegant --and moderately priced.

 

Bah humbug be gone because… I found tons and tons of eco-maginative gifts at the EcoGift Festival in Santa Monica, California, this last weekend. Here are 8 stress-free ideas (one for each day of Chanukah) on how to give green and not spend too much green, this year.

 

 

What: Java & Health Tea Wands save teeth from stains while allowing on-the-go loose tea consumption. 

Why it’s green: Using the wand eliminates use of those annoyingly wasteful plastic stirrers (HATE them) and straws; drinking loose tea eliminates paper consumption with the construction of tea bags; and the wand saves electricity since it promotes single serving usage – meaning less waste.

Cost: Only about $20 (in other word, 2 cups of coffee at Starbucks!).

My 2 Cents: Let’s be honest here, Lipton is so 1950 and you’re so 2009! 

 

 

What: ChillPak helps cool your computer down and speed it up, all at the same time.

Why it’s green:  Cooling a computer allows it to run faster thereby lasting longer which eliminates the need for new construction.

Cost: 25 mghz ($25)

 

 

 

What: Cool Planet Jewelry allows you to be hot while trying to help the planet be cool.

Why it’s green: 100% net proceeds go to orgs like NRDC, all of the metals used in the collection are from recycled materials thus eliminating more mining and their website is solar powered!

Cost: The collection starts at a mere $40 and goes on up to cha-ching!

My 2 Cents: That’s cool.