Author: Kari Sonde

Categories
Dining

Where to Get Mulled Wine

two wine glasses over backlighted background
Photo: Courtesy of Flickr.com

As the holidays roll in, so does the cold–here’s to mulled wine as the best way to get festive and stay warm! Here’s where to find great mulled wine in the city.

1) The Spotted Pig (314 West 11th Street)

With a little Congac, a bay leaf, winter berries, and a hint of black pepper atop a whiff of vanilla, Michellin-starred chef April Bloomfield brings a complex cup to your palette.

2) The Library (7 Avenue A)

Ok, it’s not mulled wine; the fun dive bar offers a mulled apple cider with a hit of your choice of whiskey. It’s warm and deep and everything you need for winter.

3) Buvette (42 Grove St)

The cozy French spot has a mulled wine that soothes you through winter as you enjoy their vibe. It’s open until 2AM so there’s no limit on when you can get your wine on.

4) Jadis (42 Rivington St)

Another French favorite, the Lower East Side spot is has a great spicy mulled wine to warm you up.

5) Brindle Room (277 E 10th St)

The popular brunch spot has a delicious mulled wine alongside their other great wine selections.

-by Kari Sonde

 

Categories
Events

East Ville des Foiles Prohibition Festival Back

Coming Saturday, January 16 is the return of Le Monde du Ease Ville, a festival held at Webster Hall to pay homage to the age of Prohibition by hosting a beer and whiskey tasting in a 1920’s inspired setting.

Webster Hall, which is rumored to have been owned by Al Capone at one point, will be turning into a speakeasy with jazz, food, and of course, alcohol. The festival will also feature Aerialist acts, flappers and Burlesque performances.

Tickets go on sale December 5 (the anniversary of the repeal of the Volstead Act) and cost $50 for General Admission and $60 for VIP. The festival will be partnering with Variety the Children’s Charity of New York, meaning that a portion of the proceeds will go to introducing programs for underserved children. For more information, click here.

-by Kari Sonde

Categories
Events Lifestyle Living

Winter Village at Bryant Park

fountain
Photo: Courtesy of Flickr.com

Make sure to enjoy the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park before it ends! The holiday shopping plus ice skating rink will be running all during the holiday season.

Be sure to check out the shops before they close on January 3. The open air market features both international and local vendors offering unique goods perfect for holiday gifts.

The ice rink will be open until March 6 and is free of charge! The rink offers skate rentals for those who don’t have a pair, as well as lessons and helpers for little ones.

For more information, click here.

-by Kari Sonde

Categories
Dining

The 5 Best Places to Get Hot Chocolate This Winter

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Photo: Courtesy of Flickr.com

When its cold outside, all you want is to be warm–and what better way to warm up than with a cozy mug of hot chocolate? Here are some places with decadent drinks you can find downtown:

1) Amorino (60 University Place)

Amorino is actually a gelato shop, but you can still go in the winter for their hot chocolate. It’s not hot cocoa–it more resembles a cup full of melted chocolate-but who’s complaining? It comes in different flavors like milk chocolate or orange cinnamon if you want to get creative.

2) City Bakery (3 W 18th Street)

For classic hot chocolate done exactly how it should be, head to City Bakery. Thick, creamy and topped with a large homemade marshmallow, City Bakery is known to have one of the best hot chocolates in the city. And in February they host a Hot Chocolate Festival with even more hot chocolate goodness.

3) Eataly (200 5th Avenue)

This might be a cop-out, but Lavazza at Eataly has some seriously great hot chocolate. It’s dark; it’s thick; it’s good.

4) MarieBelle (484 Broome Street)

It comes in a small teacup, but the aztec hot chocolate is more than enough to satisfy. With spicy notes and hints of cinnamon, the thick chocolatey drink is an experience.

5) The Gander (15 W 18th Street)

The Gander is known for its brunches, but its hot chocolate–complete with large squares of house made marshmallow in exciting flavors like pink peppercorn–is an experience. And since it’s brunch, feel free to spike it.

-by Kari Sonde

Categories
Living News

Where to Go See the Best Holiday Displays

Courtesy Wikipedia Commons

New York City is famous for its department stores’ holiday displays and this year marks some truly spectacular ones. Here are our top 5!

1) Bloomingdale’s

The store kicked off the holiday season with a performance by Sara Barielles. The windows are themed as a look at the holidays through different perspectives, with mirrored displays and flower arrangements by Jeff Leatham.

2) Macy’s

The famed Macy’s display pays homage to the Peanuts gang with a spectacular display of Charlie Brown and the gang on the eve of the 50th anniversary of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

3) Bergdorf Goodman

In honor of Swarovski’s 120th anniversary, the displays are decked out with over 7 million crystals to present a frosty set of cakes, lions, and more.

4) Lord & Taylor

Austin Mahone performed to kick off the window display in celebration of the store’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity. The animated displays are the store’s gift back to its home city.

5) Saks Fifth Avenue

The retailer showcases winter versions of manmade wonders, including the Great Wall of China, a Great Barrier Reef and a Colosseum. The display also includes a castle with sparkling spires and a light show.

-by Kari Sonde

Categories
Culture

A Fantastical, Santastical Holiday Season

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
Photo Courtesy of Michael Blase
Photo Courtesy of Michael Blase

If you’re trying to find an alternative to traditional holiday festivities, Santastical: A Very Merry Twistmas is probably what you’re looking for.

Psycho Clan, the artist group behind New York’s Nightmare Haunted House and Full Bunny Contact Extreme Egg Hunt, is putting on this decidedly adult-only Christmas event on the Lower East Side at 107 Suffolk St.

The event is an interactive, distorted holiday wonderland complete with activities and 6 different Santas including, but not limited to, Bernie Santa, Hannuklaus, and Hunky Shirtless Santa. A GA ticket gets you a photo with the Santa of your choice and access to the pretend ice-rinks, Christmas karaoke, mistletoe forest and holiday beverages.

Photo Courtesy of Timothy Haskell
Photo Courtesy of Timothy Haskell

“It’s as if the gaudiest Midwest Christmas lawn display exponentially exploded inside a NYC auditorium,” said Santastical creator Timothy Haskell in a quote on their website. “This is nostalgic, irreverent fun for adults who remember fondly (or not, we don’t give a sh*t) taking pictures with Santa at the mall. Except this time you can choose from 6 different types of Santas to take a picture with and you’re now about 2 feet taller and a hundred pounds heavier than you were.”

Click here for ticket information.

-by Kari Sonde