inspired at madame geneva

I attended a good friend's going away party at Madame Geneva a couple of weeks ago. It was another instance where I thought: "How did I not know about this place?!?" It is a gorgeous bar. It's adjacent to and is by the people behind Double Crown next door. I believe both are designed and owned by AvroKo, the company behind Public. It's small, dark, cavernous and sexy. The kind of place you could imagine trysts would be happening at all hours of the night and any day of the week. The crowd did not look too young (a plus for me). I also love a bar with a good bar menu. This one is colonial Asian inspired and well done. I particularly liked the duck steamed buns (they are more like rolls). They were so delicious. As I sipped cocktails, devoured steamed buns and chatted with friends that night, I realized that I just found a new favourite spot.

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building on bond

Last weekend, I took a break from a photo shoot to have a late brunch with a friend at Building on Bond. There was something about this place that I just really loved. It had the look and feel of the wood shop classroom I took drawing classes in back in high school. It had the kind of laid-back neighbourhood charm only Brooklyn (former bodega space) can offer. They have everything from the flat file drawers, wood shop tools, salvaged fixtures and school chairs. The space is founded by design and construction company, Hecho, Inc. – the restaurant/bar space also houses their offices and workshop. Apparently, the place became so popular, they had to dedicate more space to the restaurant area than originally planned. My favourite part of the space were the tables that had the rolls of paper built in and held in place (as place mats, of course) by metal clamps. This place made me wish I lived on this same little corner of Brooklyn too.

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inspired room for cocktails : weather up

Saturday night was all about a couple of my neighborhood favorite spots: No.7 restaurant and Weather Up bar. They never disappoint. Weather Up truly offers artfully prepared cocktails. They really take their cocktails very seriously. Having a drink made by one of their dapper bartenders could be considered a production. They move carefully, deliberately and prepare your cocktail with love – similar to they way a chef would a treasured dish. I've always loved the interior design of this tiny space. The white ceiling tiles highlight the length and shape of the room – giving it an old subway station feel. The lighting design compliments all of this and gives the space a beautiful warm glow. In addition to all this, I like that the bar attracts a variety of people which always makes things more interesting. I'm looking forward to summer months when they have their lovely back patio space open.

This bartender laughed at the photo I took because I caught him taking a quick break. I liked the contrast of the warmth of the space to the blue light glowing from his iPhone.

all photos by myturtleneck

a gem in cobble hill : henry public

Henry Public in Cobble Hill was where I spent my Saturday night this past weekend. I had been wanting to try it since they opened in the fall. Great little bar and the staff was incredibly sweet. It felt very much like an authentic nineteenth century speakeasy – which is what they were going for. Nothing about this place was pretentious. A friend in the film world tells me the producer of Fantastic Mr. Fox, Jeremy Dawson, is part owner. I can actually see this place as Wes Anderson set. Interior design aside, I also loved their well-considered (and very small) menu of comfort food. The grilled cheese sandwich with apples was so worth braving the cold for!

Photos from nymag.com