JoonBlog New York

Best Brunch Spots

New York is ever so famous for its bustling nightlife and late night venues BUT we all know that the daytime is just as good for drinking and socializing. Hence the NYC brunch. Saturday , Sunday and for the “ladies who lunch” even Tuesday works. All over the city there are amazing restaurants for every taste out there! Here are some we would like to pay tribute to:

Felix Restaurant – 340 West Broadway, Manhattan. Brunch on Sunday at Felix is a lot of times better than any night out! Dancing on tables, Mimosas and great food….

Pastis – 9 9th Avenue, Manhattan. In the ever-so-popular Meatpacking district this NYC staple serves up Brunch right and with the beautiful weather approaching us, the outside seating is a must!

L’Express – 249 Park Avenue South, Manhattan. This dimly – lit Park Avenue South favorite is famous for its French onion soup and fast service.

Cipriani (downtown) – 376 West Broadway, Manhattan. Cipriani has always been and remains today the place to “see and be seen”. Famous for its Bellinis and amazingly perfect pasta al dente, you could spend all day here and never miss a thing…

Googies – 1491 Second Avenue, Manhattan. If you have ever lived on the Upper East Side you absolutely positively know about this place. If you have not, you may be missing out on one of the best diners in NYC. It may look like a regular diner from the outside but the overwhelmingly delicious menu begs to differ. Take it from us, the chocolate milkshake is to die for.

Le Bilboquet – 25 East 63rd Street, Manhattan. This tiny French bistro serves up great food and a great time. What may seem like an intimate little restaurant, turns into dancing and drinking and an all around good time….especially on Saturdays….

Serafina (uptown) - 29 East 61st Stret, Manhattan. This Italian Eatery is the perfect place to sit back and enjoy a glass (or bottle) of wine and a delicious brick oven pizza.

212 Resaurant - 212 not only has one of the best brunches in town but it seems to be the place where the who's who, who now have little ones go for brunch (they actually have a baby food menu). It also has one fo the best fruit juice menus out there for the adults.

Let us know wher you brunch...

Nightlife Neighborhoods

These days choosing the neighborhoods to go out in are becoming as popular as choosing the neighborhood you live in. More and more clubs, bars, restaurants and lounges are opening around eachother that it makes NYC very easy to navigate. You can just drop yourself off in a cab and see where the night takes you. We at JoonBug will pick one neighborhood at a time and let you know our plans for the night..

This week : Chelsea

Start off : Dinner at Vela (21st btw 5th and 6th). With its Brazilian style Sushi, Vela is an instant hit. Great for groups, this restaurant/lounge has great energy.

Next : We head over to the Maritime Hotel’s (16th and 9th) outdoor bar for drinks. With Matsuri, Hiro, La Bottega and Ono, you really could spend the entire night at the Maritime. But the outdoor bar is one that you cannot miss.

After a few drinks here, our next stop is Marquee (10th Ave btw 26th and 27th). Since its opening, Marquee is known for it’s A-list crowd and amazing energy inside. Spinning the best hip-hop and house all night long, it is sure to have you dancing on tables.

On to Bungalow 8 (27th Street btw 10th and 11th). Bungalow 8 is known for its strict door policy and intimate setting. But the energy is anything but intimate. Bungalow is known for celebrity sightings and better than A-list crowd.

What we think will be our last stop, Crobar (28th btw 10th and 11th). Crobar is the larger than life mega-club to recently hit NYC nightlife. After its he success in Miami and Chicago this club plays host to some of the world’s top DJs and is a sight to be seen.

Lastly, we head to Spider Club at Avalon (6th Ave btw 20th and 21st). Ahh , what a way to end the night. This club within a club caters to the city’s elite and everyone seems to stop by at some point in the night.

Let us know if we missed any of your favorites…

The Vodka Wars

What ever happened to ordering just a plain vodka tonic? It seems to be these days the who’s who in the scene not only have their favorite hot spots to go out at night but they know what vodka is “in”. With so many new or re-vamped vodkas out there, who can choose? So for those of us who are watering it down with Red Bull, tonic or cranberry juice anyway, would we even notice the million times distilled, aged a thousand years or the made in wherever qualities? Here are a few goodies, newbies and oldies that we should pay our respects to:

Stoli (raspberry flavored is a fav): Mix it with juice, tonic or plain, this one is a keeper.

Level (from the makers of Absolut) : The new high end vodka to hit the scene, let’s see if it can beat out rivals Grey Goose and Ketel One.

Grey Goose : If you are a table buyer this one it probably on the top of your list. One liter or two, with the Goose it is going to be a good night.

Ketel One: Most often ordered on the rocks, Ketel One definitely wins in the popularity contest….

Turi : Great for those exotic drinks : Try the Turi Paradise since Spring may actually finally get here one day…

Zyr : Zyr is moving its way up the charts, known for its clean taste and fancy bottle, this one is highly recommended amongst the clubgoers.

Finlandia : Most recently celebrated for its “new look” (brand new bottle), this one is making a comeback.

Ciroc: Croissants, Baguettes and Berets : all great things to come out of France. Ciroc Vodka is another one to add to this list being made from fine French grapes.

Let us know your favorites……

New Venues on the Block

Us New Yorkers pride ourselves on keeping up to date on fashion, fitness, current events and all other sorts of trends. So it fits right into our personalities to want to “be in the know” about the new places to “see and be seen”. Here’s JoonBug’s newest checklist of the places you don’t want to miss this Spring (if it ever gets here)….

Ruby Falls
Club
29th & 11th
opening end of April

Quo
Club
511 west 28th
Opening this month

Gypsy Tea
Lounge
Used to be VIP of Eugene’s
24th btw 5th and 6th
Open for private events only now but opening to the public at the end of April

Gallery in The Gershwin Hotel
Lounge
27th btw Park and Madison
Open now

Vela
Restaurant/Lounge
21st btw 5th and 6th
Open now for cocktails, restaurant to open mid-April

Let us know any new places you recommend....