This past Friday I headed over to the West Village to do a much needed happy hour with Cristina and Sue. We dined at Havana Alma De Cuba on Christopher St and Bleecker and sipped on mango mojitos in the outside garden, very cute, I would highly recommend it. This is actually a cute date place as well; you should check it out if you are in the neighborhood.

Catching up, and hearing about Cristina’s fabulous vacay in Miami this Labor Day Weekend (kind of jealous…), another topic came up of Sue and her studies for the LSAT. The LSAT is the dreaded test that many hopeful law students take every year, and pretty much kill themselves to get that all important 180.

In Sue’s preparation for the LSAT she subscribed to the New York Times to receive the best reading level possible (yes I know, the reading level is 7^th grade vs, 5^th grade- Daily New, but every little bit counts…)

Funny, because I was thinking of subscribing to Elle Magazine. Cristina was the first to burst into laughter and tell me that it wasn’t quite on the same level. But us friends need to help each other out, Sue can tell me big words that I wont quite understand because I am use to reading the Daily News - fifth grade reading level, and of course Elle which is probably Kindergarten reading level, and I will in return tell Sue all the latest fashion updates. I will only be able to speak one word, since my reading level will be a tad bit lower, that word will be something influential though, such as …. Plum, and of course every girl knows what that word means for this season….

(l-r. Alan Vinogradovi, Matt Fried (Publisher) & Barris Vinogradovi (Gradient Co-Founder)

Last Tuesday, Gradient Magazine launched their magazine at the W Downtown Residences sponsored by Patron and V1 Private Jets. And if Patron is sponsoring the party, you know it was one party not to be missed.

The event was hosted by Sabine Heller, Claw Money, Sky Nellor, Bettina Prentice, Paul Sevigny, Max Snow, Sue Stemp, Antonia Thompson, Alvin Valley and Eleanor Ylvisaker (female hosts were dressed by designer Sue Stemp). DJ Scotto provided the beats as partiers drank Patron Cool Breezes, Gradient Margaritas, and Patron Perfect Cosmos.

Here is a bit more detail about Gradient Magazine:

Guests at the futuristic venue celebrated Frequency 1 of Gradient Magazine, a new complimentary book founded by Matt Fried, Barris, and Alan Vinogradovi that chronicles new and avant-garde fashion, arts, furniture, architecture, and people. The second issue will include “The Lens”, a party pictures page, as well as expanded fashion coverage, exciting new photographers and contributors, and a special feature on some of the hottest downtown New Yorkers.

Seems like a magazine that your next photograph - taken at the hottest event- may just end up in.

Some of the guests in attendance included TenJune owner Eugene Remm, Annabel Vartanian, Marc Jacob Muses’ Dion OJ Bey and Great Scott McKenzie, the Unruly Heir crew which included Joey Goodwin, Kristian Laliberte,and Timo Weiland. Also in attendance were 14 year old Alex Goldberg , singer Virgil Price, singer Michael Fredo (Tommy Hilfiger’s nephew) who was shooting the party for his new TV show—FAME IS TV, debuting in September and of course, much more.

(Timo Wieland & Alan Eckstein)

Wow talk about the LES moving on up! With establishments like Soho Grand, Thompson Hotel, countless hip restaurants, Bliss Soho… it was inevitable that The Bowery Hotel, nightclubs like Antik, SubMercer, and hip stores such as Blue & Cream and the new apple store would start to open up. Next on the “LES moving on up” move?

311 West Broadway aka Soho Mews

What is 311 West Broadway (Canal & Grand St) all about?

It will comprise of two separate residential buildings, one facing West Broadway, the other facing Wooster St., connected by a landscape garden. Responsible for Architecture is Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, and the building will include 68 lofts, penthouses and street - entrance townhouses. There will be exclusive amenities and service - doorman, same day dry cleaning - I am so there!

What will these lofts costs ya?

They start at $2.1 and end at $11 million.

Looks like the LES is starting to bring in the stockbrokers and the moguls. Seem like pans of changing the area are going full force.

This past Saturday was a gorgeous day in Manhattan! After reading about Felix, a French Bistro with a supposedly hip, young, wild Sunday brunch crowd, on Miss Model Behavior’s blog, I decided to check it out and see if all the hype was true. I was a little hesitant, I went on a Saturday and Sunday is Brunch day, but it was so beautiful out (high 70s) I knew it would be packed. And it was. And it lived up to all the hype. Felix, located on West Broadway and Grand, had a 45 minute wait (worth it), very Euro scene (even more than Pink Elephant), and everyone was under 30 and wearing their aviators (including me). Oh yes and English is about the third language here (Italian and Spanish take the top spots). The music was loud and the crowd of young twenty somethings waiting for a table, floated onto the sidewalk. The doors of the restaurant were all open, so although you are sitting inside, you still enjoy the Manhattan spring day!

 I had a Salmon and Swiss cheese omelet with French fries, and salad on the side. I also had two mojitos (everyone else was having pitchers but I was still recovering from the night before) and the mojitos were actually really good. Once you finally sit down, the food comes out quickly. It’s a great place to come on a Sunday with your friends while you are “recovering” from the night before. I also hear that early Sunday evenings is better than during the day (as it is still the same crowd, except now everyone has had several pitchers of mojitos). The early evening brings unofficial dancing in the already very tiny restaurant. Drinking mojitos for several hours on a Sunday afternoon with your friends … sounds like my kind of Sunday.

Holy Guacamole! Imagine a place where you can see and be seen with outdoor seating to enjoy the daily breeze, choose over 100 choices of tequila to satisfy your thirst, and munch on Mexican food with your closest friends. That place would be Dos Caminos Soho!

This is my third time visiting Dos Caminos Soho (I have been to the other two Dos Caminos in Midtown & Murray Hill once before as well). I always have a good time here! I went last night with my boyfriend to have dinner and had a great time! Dos Caminos from the outside looks like your typical Soho restaurant. There is no huge sign or bright colors on the façade. When you walk in you realize this is the place to be! Upon entering the restaurant I was asked if I had any reservations, I of course didn’t have any (I don’t really believe in them) but the host sat us down right away (weekends I would highly recommend a reservation). As my punishment for not having a reservation I was seated in the front part of the restaurant as “reservations only” are for the back part- the place I love to sit in if I have to sit inside. I have sat in the back twice before - without a reservation! Since it has been almost a year since I have been to Dos Caminos Soho, I wasn’t sure if the “rules” changed, but I didn’t bother fighting it. Where we sat, by the bar, was completely fine and our waitress was very attentive and did a great job!

My boyfriend and I both had the Chicken Enchiladas with a side of rice. There are two sauces that come on top of the Chicken Enchilada that I asked to put on the side, I find the meal way too spicy if I mix it all together. We both ordered a glass of mojito to go with our meal. I didn’t get the Guacamole this time, but I have tried it before and it was very delicious. I wasn’t really in the guacamole mood though, and my boyfriend doesn’t really like to try new things (steak and beer is the norm) so we opted out of the guacamole. In replacement you could just have regular tortilla chips with 3 different sauces (mild, medium, spicy) I recommend medium.  If it is your first time at Dos Caminos then definitely try the guacamole!

I would highly recommend the mojitos as the choice of drink. I have tried the margaritas in the past, and with over 100 choices of tequila, you can’t go wrong! With the drinks being delicious, Dos Caminos (all 3 locations) makes a wonderful after works / happy hour spot! Overall, I would recommend Dos Caminos, I went on a date which was great, but overall this is a great group place. Especially with the outdoor seating… you could host a summer Birthday Party here or just a summer dinner party with friends to catch up and have some margaritas! I will most likely be back for the outdoor seating with a group of my friends!! Hope to see you there fashionistas!

Dos Caminos Soho

President’s Day… I decided to celebrate today with a little shopping excursion down to Soho, although I did not purchase anything, Cristina and I had a nice lunch at The Mercer Kitchen inside The Mercer hotel. It was my first time here and I give it an A+!! I would highly recommend it. I had the grilled chicken sandwich which was delicious. They also have sushi, salmon, cheeseburgers, crab cakes all on the lunch menu. I also had a pineapple mojito and Cristina had a Champagne Passion Fruit drink.  I loved my pineapple mojito, very delicious, and they had a very cute bar downstairs in the purple themed restaurant which seems like a very cute place to get a few drinks before the night begins or after a long day at work.

 After leaving Mercer Kitchen Cristina and I walked out, and as Cristina was calling up Sue to meet up with us, Dennis Quaid was standing right in front of us with his wife and two babies. The paparazzi and a group of girls were also following him. I got a few pictures of him but he seemed like in such a bad mood because of the paparazzi I decided to leave him alone.

 The Shanimal (Shannon) took me to the master, Frederrick Fekkai at his salon in Soho to get my extensions put in!! I can’t wait to show them off tonight, you are going to love them. It is going to match my colored hair, which doesn’t look colored at all haha!! But they are so long and pretty! I am very happy with the work he did!!