Eat. Do. Buy.
These are a few of our favorite things.
BUY.
SpotHero
In this city of 8.4 million people, small wonder that parking spaces have become a million dollar commodity. Your odds are better winning a scratch-off ticket than finding convenient street parking, and nothing says “Welcome to Midtown” like forking over four Jacksons to valet the Tesla for a couple hours. This is partly why we’re obsessed with a new start-up called SpotHero. They’ve devised a NYC lifehack for parking scarcity and price gouging: by partnering with hundreds of garages and employing an algorithm using all the available spot inventory, you can book your parking spot in advance (and on the cheap!) using their easy app. It’s the same concept that powers Travelocity, or Kayak, or Priceline — but for parking your whip. On average, you can save up to 50% off drive-up rates…and avoid the average $65 meter ticket. It’s genius! You might even say it’s the Compass of parking apps.
DO.
The Moth StorySlam @ the Bell House
Everyone loves a great story, and there’s none better than those told at the Moth StorySlam. ICYMI, the Moth StorySlams are wild storytelling competitions where the stage is wide open to any and all with a real-life story to tell on that evening’s theme. No scripts, no cards, no prompters, no BS. We’ve been listening to the Moth’s podcasts for years on the ole subway commute and the quality of the stories is usually outstanding. They can make you laugh, scratch your head, feel awkward, and usually at some point tear up and pretend there’s grit flown in your eye. For the next competition at the always-cool Bell House in Gowanus on July 6th, the night’s topic is “INK” and the tickets go on sale June 29th at 3pm, which is why we’re telling you now. Tickets sell out lightning fast and we’d hate for you to miss it.
EAT.
Le Coucou
Tucked behind dark glass and a wall of green at the corner of Lafayette and Howard Streets sits one of the most exciting new gastronomic establishments we’ve seen in years, Le Coucou. The food is classically French and dazzlingly well-cooked by Chicago native, Daniel Rose, and served by his perfectly attentive staff. And when that food is served in this Roman & Williams designed room that manages to be all at once grand and cozy, elegant and casual, warm and high-brow, the experience becomes as transporting as stepping into a modern day interpretation of a 1920’s grand bistro somewhere deep in the Sixth. Rose breaks his dinner menu up into three sections and is obsessed with ingredients, so it can change daily. We chose three dishes from the Hors D’oeuvres, two from the Gourmandises and one to split from the Poissons et Viandes. What followed was two hours of culinary bliss. The slightly warmed oysters were topped off with seaweed butter and a touch of shallot to bring out their true heritage. Our perfectly poached asparagus came garnished with two generous slices of raw Bonito, which meshed together beautifully. The absolute hit of the night was their Quenelle, which is basically creamed sea bream whipped with egg white. It’s poached into loaves which are then finished in a sauté pan with sauce american and served with a couple of perfectly poached lobster claws. ‘Nuff said. It just opened a week and half ago so go while you can still get in, as a Michelin star or two will surely be in the offing.
