we're spending the weekend with design books, Thai food & fresh flowers
all you need for a perfect NYC week &&& more in today’s edition…
This week we’re featuring new gallery shows & design book talks, sharing a fun v-day gift guide, highlighting where to watch the super (& puppy) bowl, and introducing you to our cool new friend: Emma Straub.
Dahla
The West Village is getting a new Thai spot…TUESDAY! On W 14th Street, Dahla is blending culinary artistry, cocktail craft, and romantic design together in one place. Taking inspiration from the vibrant kitchens and tropical gardens of Thailand, Dahla reimagines Thai cuisine through a modern, ingredient-driven lens (aka don’t expect to find Pad Thai on the menu). Owned by a close group of friends who previously helped shape the success of Soothr, the team has joined forces to open an intimate, design-driven interpretation of Thai fine dining. The menu will be available à la carte, with a six-course tasting menu available rolling out soon with starters like Potato Terrine with caviar and sweet Thai basil aioli, and entrées like their Crispy Pork Belly with chili vinegar and a housemade, five-spice soy sauce.
Believe it or not, there are exactly 8 days between now and Valentine’s Day, meaning that if you haven’t started shopping for your special someone, the time is upon us! Our friends over at Sézane, with shops in Nolita and Williamsburg, have released their latest lookbook: “The Amour Edit.” Styled just for the day of ~love~, the collection is full of the requisite hearts & shades of red.
When we’re choosing gifts for a New Yorker, accessories are always a good place to start. The François Bracelet Set or the Darby Belt for gents are both perfect for bopping around the city on the way to a fun v-day date. To complete the downtown look, the newest Sézane edit has two bags that could actually be combined together: the straw, heart-embroidered Justine Mini Basket Bag and the red raffia Couer Coin Case <3
Since it’s almost certainly going to be below freezing in New York this Valentine’s, the fuzzy Asher Cardigan is a present that you could steal back in an instant. Oh..and speaking of sweaters, the Virgil Jumper takes the big red hearts of Valentine’s Day and brings them to life.
One of our favorite under the radar Tribeca galleries, Jacqueline Sullivan, just opened its latest show: Play!. Running through March 21, the show combines the work of both contemporary and historical artists interacting with the theme of a childhood bedroom, including cool friend Joana Avillez. This is one you won’t want to miss, so be sure to stop in next time you find yourself along Walker street, open Wednesdays through Saturdays or by appointment.
Brooklyn’s urban design nonprofit Van Allen Institute is hosting a book launch discussion for the release of Value of Design: Creating Agency Through Data-Driven Insights, next Thursday! The publication is a collaborative research project by Andrea Chegut, Minkoo Kang, Helena Rong, and Juncheng Yang from MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab, and examines how design quality shapes economic, social, and urban outcomes. At 303 Bond Street from 6:30-9p in Gowanus, you can hear from the authors about how design can create agency for communities, institutions, and cities and learn how data-driven design methods can move beyond aesthetics to inform decision-making, governance, and equity in the built environment. Snag your free spot.
Last week we featured a whole host of options for going out on Valentine’s Day, but what if you could make staying in extra cozy by having an adoptable dog or cat join your evening? Best Friends Animal Society is hosting their second annual Valentine’s Foster Sleepover event on February 13th where for one night an adoptable pet can spend the evening at your place. Order a pizza, prepare a blanket for furry cuddling, and plan to stop by Best Friends Animal Society in person on the 13th. The team will send fosters home with everything needed to care for the pet including food, treats, toys, and any other necessities they need for their cozy evening.
If you’re more of a fresh blooms gift giver (or receiver) for V-day, turn to two of coolstuff’s favorite Brooklyn florists. It’s v-day in NYC - shop local!
Jūra Valentine’s Flowers
This year, Jūra’s Valentine’s Day arrangements are inspired by the romantic, dusky hues of Sofia Coppola’s cinematography in Lost in Translation. The selection of florals evoke dusky Tokyo skylines and romantic combinations of dusty blues and lilacs, soft pinks, and vibrant pops of reds and magentas. Choose from a small-large arrangement size for your love <3
Flowers by Ford’s Valentine’s Flowers
For a special collaboration, Flowers by Ford is working with Porta in Cobble Hill on a chic v-day arrangement. This small run of seasonal flower arrangements are all designed in one of Porta’s pewter julep cups (included with the blooms!) These all-white & green bouquets will be avail for preorder with pickup in store.
Puppy Bowl at Three’s Brewing
The Super Bowl’s return signals that it’s time for our favorite annual tradition…watching the (far superior) Puppy Bowl at Threes Brewing! From 1-4p this Sunday at the Threes Gowanus flagship, you can meet adoptable pups from Badass Animal Rescue in real life, watch the Puppy Bowl on the big screen, and support a great cause, with $1 from every flagship pint donated directly to Badass! See you there with our rescue pup in tow!
(yes, we realize this is the second rescue organization we’ve featured in one newsletter! <3)
Kellogg’s Diner
And for the football portion of the evening, Kellogg’s Diner from cool friend Jackie Carnesi will be offering two takeout specials for you and all the friends you’ll cram into your apartment for commercials and Bad Bunny’s performance. The Big Boy Sandwiches special includes a Cubano, Turkey Club, and Broccoli Rabe Melt pack big enough to serve 6-8 people. The Pick 3, which also serves 6-8, features your choice of three from Guac, Salsa, Queso (Dairy + Cashew), Chipotle Honey Wings, Buffalo Wings, Mozz sticks, or Fried Pickles. Oh yeah, and they’ll have take home margarita pitchers available. Order online here for pickup.
Tomorrow, vintage connoisseurs Danielle Blundell and Sarah Lyon are hosting a pop up with sourced vintage finds at the Hetta showroom on the downstairs level of the Sundays Flatiron store. If you want a warm winter activity with great people and unique finds, stop by & get inspired!
While there’s been a lot of talk (by us) about Valentine’s Day, we can’t forget the equally fun “holiday” Galentine’s Day. To celebrate, cool jeweler Mociun is hosting a party at their 683 Driggs Avenue shop from 6-8:30p on February 12. The evening will feature complimentary cocktails and tarot readings plus cookies, chocolates, intimated, flowers, and of course jewelry. RSVP to rsvp@mociun.com by February 8th to join!
Tawny, the newly opened cafe, gallery, and bar in the LES, is hosting a ~romantic~ night of music on Feb 14th. They’ll be hosting pianist Lucy Yao and Violinist Jay Julio for lovers of classical music and contemporary alike! You can grab a bite to eat before, then swing by for special bevvys. This is our recommendation for an entertainment-forward and totally unique vday evening!
Hot Pot at Elbow Bread
Almost nothing is more worthy of braving these arctic NYC temps than a cup of broth from chef and author (and cool friend) Natasha Pickowicz. Tomorrow, in celebration of her new book, Everyone Hot Pot, Natasha will be headed to Elbow Bread to sign books and dole out broth beginning at 11a alongside scallion bialy pancakes, boba rice krispie treats, and hot tea. While there will be limited books available day-of, stop by local legends Yu and Me Books on the way over to guarantee a copy.
Pizza for a Cause
On Monday, February 9th, Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop in Greenpoint will be serving serve two limited‑edition “Food Bank Pizzas,” with proceeds benefiting Food Bank For NYC’s mission to end food insecurity across the five boroughs. The special slices served on Monday will include: The Freddie Food Bank, an upside‑down Sicilian topped with fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, Pecorino Romano, and signature sesame seed crust and The Vegan Freddie Food Bank, a plant‑based upside‑down Sicilian featuring Numu vegan mozzarella, Be‑Hive vegan sausage, tomato sauce, Follow Your Heart vegan Parmesan, and sesame seed crust. We aren’t always keen on things like “National Pizza Day,” but with a cause this good, it’s a must!
Aftertaste Dinner Party
If you’re a fan of intimate dinner parties with a twist, this is for YOU! On February 18th, two chefs (Sara Wass & Aidan Cummings) are hosting a “chaotic-good” dinner party in Williamsburg with an overarching theme of “eat that which eats you.” You can expect fantastic food, games that inspire bonds with new friends, and encouragement to anonymously disclose your personal trials and tribulations, in an effort to connect over shared burdens…in a fun way.
Grab tickets to Aftertaste by emailing aftertaste.nyc@gmail.com!
Meet Emma, the New York Times-bestselling author of seven books for adults: the novels American Fantasy (out April 7th!), This Time Tomorrow, All Adults Here, The Vacationers, Modern Lovers, Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures, and Other People We Married. She is also the author of three picture books, Gaga Mistake Day, which she co-wrote with her mother, Mama Hug, and Very Good Hats. On top of her popular books, Emma and her husband own Books Are Magic, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn with locations in Cobble Hill & Brooklyn Heights. We chatted with Emma to hear how she juggles it all and where she finds inspiration for her stories.
How did your career as an author begin?
I grew up in a house filled with books--my father was a novelist, and my mother ran an early literacy program, and so books were truly everything. When I was a teenager and a college student, I mostly wrote poetry, but as soon as I graduated from college, I began writing novels. It sounds kind of deranged now, but I just really believed that I was a novelist, and so it didn’t bother me that the first several books I wrote were rejected. I just kept writing. My first book of short stories was published when I was 31, and my first novel the next year. Sometimes it takes a decade!
Tell us about your BK-based independent bookstore, Books are Magic! What inspired you to open a bookstore and create these magical spaces in Cobble Hill & Brooklyn Heights?
My husband and I opened Books Are Magic because our local bookstore, the venerable BookCourt, closed after thirty-five years. Running a small business for thirty-five years is heroic. I understood it then, sort of, but I really understand it now. We just wanted to give everyone in the neighborhood a place to go! Bookstores are safe, inclusive, welcoming spaces. We wanted changing tables in the bathroom, you know? We had a toddler and a baby and thinking about it now, I can’t really believe that we did it. I don’t know if we would have, if we knew how hard it would be, but blind optimism can really help one accomplish amazing things. We are now eight years old at our first store, and three years old at our second, and I think we finally know what we’re doing. We have more than three hundred events a year, and have put so many books into so many hands. Teenagers come on their own during free periods at school. Teenagers! The hardest people in the world to impress!
What’s your favorite part about the New York literary community?
How varied it is! When I was young, I was always out at readings in some bar. Those are still happening! Different bars, different series, but the energy is the same. I love that there is an endless supply of geniuses. I love that we’re a part of it! My favorite events to host are for debut authors, because those are the ones where every person you’ve ever loved comes out, your dentist, your childhood bestie, your mom’s book club. Selfishly, I also really love getting to meet so many of my heroes.
As lovers of the stories you create, we’re dying to know - where do you get inspiration for your novels?
It depends! But the older I get, the more I understand that time is finite, and that I most enjoy writing books that feel like only I could write them. My new boot, American Fantasy, is coming out in April and it takes place entirely on a boyband cruise. I’ve been researching it with my heart for the last thirty five years.
We know this is probably like picking a favorite child...but is there one book that you’ve written that you love the most?
The newest, always. After American Fantasy, I would say This Time Tomorrow, which was a love letter to my dad, and to New York City, and to Gray’s Papaya. Basically, in a world with infinite choices, I always want Gray’s Papaya.
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