There’s a new kiosk at Columbus Circle Times Warner Center in NYC: Canine Caviar of Manhattan. Yes, the name caught Moi attention too, so I had to stop and check it out: Mignette might need something.

Not only are there the typical tres cher (very expensive) gourmet doggie dinners, treats, California Rolls (yes, you read that correctly) and sweet potato chews, but Canine Caviar also will make and deliver Doggie Gift Baskets to your favorite petite chien.

Canine Caviar says they are “holistic” and “perfect pet food with naturally preserved allergen free food.” This is their first stand-alone store, their website lists other retailers where their pet foods can be purchases, they also sell online.

the details

Moi tip: they also sell products for cats.

Grease is the word! In fact, all the words to all the songs in Grease will be sung out loud all over the US in a major Grease sing-a-along. Girls Night Out, Date Night, or your High School Reunion: do it!

Yes, get your calendars out and find a theatre near you! Starting July 8 theaters across the country will be playing the original 1978 Grease with the words dancing across the bottom of the screen, begging you to sing-a-long with Sandy and Danny and all the gang from Rydell High.

Grease: You’re The One That I Want! ooo ooo ooo, honey!

Where Grease is playing in some of Moi favorite cities:

• NEW YORK
  AMC VILLAGE
  66 3rd Ave
  New York, NY 10003-5506
  (888) 262-4386

• CHICAGO
  AMC RIVER EAST
  322 East Illinois St
  Chicago, IL 60611
  (888) 262-4386

• MIAMI/FT LAUDERDALE
  SUNRISE GATEWAY
  1820 East Sunrise Blvd
  Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304-3040
  (954) 763-7994

Sweet and Salty: the combination both soothes and satisfies me. Pretzel sticks dipped in nutella. Caramel ice cream speckled with sea salt. Kettle popcorn.

Finally the combo has gone mainstream: Pretzel M&Ms. I saw the commercials. I read the NYTimes piece. But they remained elusive: in NYC tracking down new products can be  tough. Grocery stores are small, and stock space extra valuable. It’s an island: getting things on and off is an expensive battle.

Our son Little M is scheduled to fly in Friday morning: I was at the point of begging him to track some down in Chicago and bring them along as rent. He’s safe: I finally scored a bag on Sunday at my local Duane Reade. They weren’t there last week. But they’re on the shelves now!

The verdict: worth the search. I couldn’t find any small individual portion bags, so I had to splurge on the big bag. I opened it the minute I exited the store. And had to sample several to be sure: pretzel M&Ms are a winner. Sweet, salty, chocolaty, crunchy. They make Moi happy!

Move over, peanut M&Ms: you’ve been replaced.

the details:

• 17 pieces 180 calories
• 30% less fat
• 9.9 oz for $4.29 at Duane Reid

Moi tip: The bright blue bag stands out on the shelf. Track down the small bag. TBG loved pretzel M&Ms too. Now how many calories were there in that 9.9 oz bag…

On a recent flight to Paris I was seated next to a French businessman. Exchanging greetings we determined my French was better than his English (note: Moi French isn’t that good). He was excited about his first time in NYC and wanted to chat, so before turning to the tv series I had downloaded to my iPhone, we talked about his trip.

Seems he was on a sales call to the D&D Building, which houses many well-known NYC design firms. He is the owner of a family business, but was sure I wouldn’t know the word to describe what they manufacture. I said just say the word: I have a pretty eclectic French vocabulary:

Passementerie

Trims, tassels, fringe, ribbons: all the fancy, decorative details that turn a pillow or curtain into a statement. I’m a tassle freak! Paris bff D buys antique French fabrics and with style and passementerie turns them into pillow works of art…I have a complete collection!

I’ve spent days wandering the streets near the Marché Saint-Pierre in the fabric district of Paris. In New York I head to the garment district, and I always make my 1st stop M&J Trimming. Fringe, tassles, ribbons, sequins, buttons, belts, crystals, lace, and braids; plus all the threads, glues, nails, zippers and supplies you need to create a chef d’oeuvre (masterpiece).

Last week I headed to MJ Trim to find buttons for one of TBG’s suits, and choose some trim for a curtain swag hanging in our dining room. In our last home I’d had silk curtains custom-made for our dining room. In our NYC apartment we have side-by-side living and dining rooms, and 3 large windows overlooking the Manhattan skyline. I wanted to re-use my silk curtains, but only had the 2 pairs. So I called the fabric store, and was able to get the last remnant, just enough to hang a swag over one of the dining room windows. Then for the next 2 1/4 years, I’ve been trying to decide on how to edge the swag. Every time I go to MJ Trim I’m overwhelmed by the thousands of colors and styles and fabric decisions…so I decide: nothing!

Until Friday, it was just dangling loose threads. After I got the fabric up on the rod, I never bothered to take it down to finish the edges neatly. I don’t sew, so this is a big deal for me. Friday evening we were having a cocktail, and some of the guests were repeat visitors, and I was determined that this time, the swag would be finished. So I finally selected a silk fringe in shades of Copenhagen blue, khaki and gold to complement the gold and peach silk curtains. It was a close-out fringe, so I was happy to get the 3 yards I needed.

Once home, I hauled out my handy glue-gun, and hot-glued the fringe to the raw ends in about 15 minutes. Voilà!

Now if someone could just teach me how to artfully drape a swag…

the details:

Moi tip: follow the carpenter’s rule of measure twice, cut once. I thought I had ordered fringe to spare, but as you can see, it was down to the wire: I finished my curtain swag with only 1 1/2″ of fringe to spare!

We spent a leisurely Sunday afternoon in SoHo, browsing and people-watching. As we strolled down Broadway I ducked into Pearl River Mart for a quick pick-up from my to-buy list. I didn’t realize TBG had never been to Pearl River, so we spent a good chunk of time there.

Pearl River is a cavernous 3-story mini-Chinatown. Although Chinatown is just a few blocks further East, this is one-stop shopping for everything Asian including:

• chopsticks, tea sets and rice cookers

• crystallized ginger, jasmine tea, spices and herbs, and Hello Kitty candies

• 9 foot paper dragons,  bamboo lights, paper fans and lanterns

• brass Buddhas, Tibetan altars and rattan pillows

• jade bracelets and silk wallets and notebooks

• Mandarin dresses, silk kimonos and Mao jackets

I tend to visit several times a year to stock up and see what’s new. Last year I purchased goddaughter R’s Halloween costume:

So what was on Moi shopping list? I wanted a couple little silk coin purses to stylishly hold my iPhone earbuds in my purse: they’re usually a tangled mess.

And TBG? He ended up with a traditional Mao shirt, with the stand-up collar and frog buttons. Cool and stylish for a Spring weekend!

Moi tip: Don’t live in NYC? No worries, Pearl River has a fantastic online store. And the word is out: when we got home Sunday night, we settled in to watch the season premiere of Design Star. Guess where the contestants were shopping for their first assignment? You guessed: Pearl River Mart in NYC! Who was your favorite designer?

the details:

Fathers Day is less than 2 weeks away: June 20. These gifts have been personally field-tested by TBG and have earned the very hard to come by TBG smile of approval. One of these is bound to please a father on your list!

For the sports fan:

Cufflinks made by Tokens & Icons from authentic souvenirs of his favorite sports team or stadium: I bought TBG authentic football cufflinks from Roslyn,  276 Columbus in NYC; Spare Parts, 2947 Broadway in Chicago carries similar styles (attn Cubs fans!) But online shoppers can also find them at Uncommon Goods or Cufflinks.com. Expect to pay $130 to $150+. I’ve seen styles made from Notre Dame stadium seats, Cubs game balls, Tokens & Icons also carries pens made from Yankee stadium seats, Dodgers seat bottle openers, Boston Garden floor bottle openers, hockey arena pens and cufflinks (sorry, no Blackhawks: yet!) and lots more.

For the sharp dresser:

Living in rainy or snowy climates is not easy for the guy who always likes to look sharp. Check out Swims:  These classic, classy shoe rubbers easily pull-on over shoes and protect them from the weather. Traditional black is available, but why not step it up a notch with orange or yellow? He’ll love looking good and being practical at the same time. These stylish rubbers are made in Norway of a unique stretchy rubber (similar to diver’s suits) and slip on easily over shoes. We bought TBG’s at Allen Edmonds on Michigan Ave in Chicago, but you can also buy them at Bloomies or Nieman Marcus, or at amazon.com. Around $95 – $125.

For the camera or electronics buff:

These handy camera accessories are practical, inexpensive, and useful: a sure homerun. TBG is a huge camera buff, and has bags and cabinets of high-priced accessories. But accessories are usually heavy and bulky, so not always practical to carry on a long walk, a bike ride, or an outing to the park or zoo. Check these gadgets out. I bought TBG’s online at delight.com

Bottle cap tripod: this tiny tripod screws easily onto a pop or water bottle (better filled so it doesn’t tip over) to provide some distance and stability for your subject: no more stretching your arm as far as possible to try include yourself and that great spot in your shot! About $9.50

Powercup On-the-Go Power Supply Cup: Cameras don’t work well when the battery is dead. Same for mobile phones. Traveling buy car requires multiple adapters and accessories to charge the iPhone, Blackberry, camera, and baby bottle heater. What’s a guy to do? This clever latte-cup shaped adapter plugs into the car’s cigarette lighter and rests in the cup holder. Brilliant: it charges both 120 volt and USB ports. Around $32.50.

For the gourmand:

Wine or chocolates: decisions decisions. Why not combine both with these decadent chocolate covered wine grapes: grapes infused with wine and coated in dark rich chocolate from chocolateur Bissingers? Indulge him! $16 plus shipping.

And what is TBG getting the Fathers’ Day? Shhhh, I’ll never tell. But I will share a shopping tip: I’ve been shopping Mantiques from Treasures by the Antiques Diva!

Friday I made a field trip to Chelsea to personally check-out the much hyped Limelight Marketplace: a former Episcopal church turned trendy and exclusive Gothic nightclub, now reincarnated as a bubble-gum bright and squeaky clean mini-mall whose doors are open to everyone. Calling themselves New York’s Festival of Shops, squeaky clean is definitely the image they’re trying to project.

All the PR is paying off: open just  a week, and Limelight was packed with trendy New Yorkers and tourists.

Limelight definitely has the cool factor: the developers kept many of the original architectural details: stained glass windows, swooping stone archways, dark and hidden stairways.

Glitzed and glammed up with chandeliers and glossy marble floors, there are still signs of newness: blue tape holding mirrors in place, workers crawling on the floor measuring and cutting, big smiles and greetings on all employees faces. Note to management: Needs more signage.

The shops are definitely fun and trendy and eclectic and small: I browsed outposts of Havianas (I was a little disappointed in Haviana’s booth: I’d heard they were there, and hoped they’d have the cool Haviana’s Bar like Galeries Lafayette in Paris, but no, same old flip flop display), Hunter Boots, Petrossian Caviar, Le Sportsac. The air was perfumed with scents from Soapology and Caswell Massey and The Avery Perfumes. And if you managed to avoid the many food booths, It’s Sugar will lure you in with their displays of retro candies and giant gummy bears and bins of brightly colored sweets.

Several jewelers represented local artists: Old Hollywood and Tina Tang. Baby gifts were well represented with Silly Souls and BookSmart. And Mignette and her doggie friends would find something to drool over at Sophie and Teddy’s Doggie Delight (they say they’re eco-friendly: no idea what they mean by that!). Zakka is a must-stop: unusual and retro Japanese gifts and artistan pieces including t-shirts and toys.

Even the famous J. Sisters is opening up a waxing salon! Brocade Home had 2 spots: a small booth on the ground floor (with no staff when we were there) and a hard to find larger store upstairs. They were open…but not really, we just took a brochure. They were too busy unpacking to talk. Maybe next time?

But are they buying or browsing? One vendor said the locals are gawking and the tourists are buying. We had one very excited middle-aged guy in grungy jeans and dark shades run up to us and tell us he used to stand outside the club trying to get past the bouncers and rope and gain admittance. Another story told to us in the food court was too yucky to retell: sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll!

There were several food specialty areas already opened, with more promised in the near future: everything from Baci Gelato to Miss Tea to MarieBelle Chocolates (3 shops: 1 on every level!) to Cupcake Stop to WannaHavaCookie (think whoopie pies in every flavor). More deliciousness awaited in the Gourmet Food Court: baguette sandwiches and cheeses and pastries and salads; Cana Winebar and Grimaldi pizza to open soon. Right now there are only take away food places: nowhere to sit and eat (other than the hot chocolate bar at the upper floor of MarieBelles 3 booths)  We were told a courtyard for eating is coming soon, but it’s not there yet. We actually walked over to nearby Chelsea Market afterward to grab a sitdown lunch at 202.

Is it worth a visit? Definitely: it’s a fun and bright shopping experience, and the perfect place to take visitors who are looking for something special to buy. And maybe a few things to buy just for Moi…

the details:

Moi Tip: From what we could see and were told by employees, Limelight is NOT handicap accessible; lots of metal staircases must be transversed to go above the main floor. We were told there is not an elevator.

I’m a life-long popsickle licker and was a childhood snow-cone slurper. But until Obama was so chronically over-mediated on visits to his childhood Hawaii, I had never heard of shave ice. Living in NYC Italian ice overdoses in Little Italy, and on the Upper West Side every street corner hosts a helados cart selling frozen icies in dixie cups for $1.

And now, gourmet frozen fruit pops: introducing People’s Pops: frozen fresh-fruit popsticks and shave ice.

Mother’s Day was chilly in NYC, so after brunch at 5 Ninth in the Meatpacking District and a breezy walk along the HighLine Park, we ducked into Chelsea Market to warm up and satisfy our sweetbuds. While I huddled over a steaming cup of Wicked Hot Chocolate from Jacques Torres, I heard an odd banging noise: I twisted around in my seat and saw a booth with an aproned man hammering away at a huge block of ice!

Shave ice and fruity frozen pops have come to Chelsea Market. People’s Pops has been selling popsickles and shave ice made from locally grown fruits and herbs at the weekend Brooklyn Flea for a while: a couple weeks ago they opened a permanent, 7 days a week stand at Chelsea Market. With flavors like blackberry lemon verbena, raspberry basil, and rhubarb ginger your taste buds will be surprised and happy!

The perfect chilly sweet for the hot sticky days of summer!

the details:

Moi tip: People’s Pops delivers! Frozen fruit pops or shave ice can be delivered to your home or office, and you can even set up a shave ice cart!

What I won’t do in the name of friendship! Moi bff The Antiques Diva recently assigned me, her NYC, Chicago, SoFlo, and anywhere else I happen to go Special Correspondent, to meet with antiques dealer Fran Reilly in New York City, and take a look at her new showroom in Midtown’s Center44. So on a cold rainy March afternoon, I grabbed a Starbucks chai latte and headed on over. I had a great afternoon…you can read all about my newest NYC favorite antiques shopping mecca on The Antiques Diva’s blog.  But I didn’t share it all with The Diva…I saved some of my favorite finds to share only with you!

Center44 is the kind of showroom where you can wander around endlessly, never realizing you’ve already been down that aisle: there is so much to look at, all so unique and so fresh from every angle.

I was hooked immediately when Fran first took me to her booth to drop our coats before the tour, and her walls were filled with shiny gilded mirrors, a personal weakness, and a stunning pair of zebra-striped armchairs that I can personally attest are super comfy…and Danish:  as you know, I have a love for all things French and Danish! This pair of Danish modern armchairs by Jens Risom are in Fran’s booth, ICONIC Antique and Modern.

My apartment is always decorated with extensive quantities of cream and silver, and this little vignette caught my eye immediately.  Flourish Arts, Antiques and Decorations displays these bone orbs balanced on silverplate candlesticks, they make a simple yet stunning accent on a coffee table or bookcase.

My passion for cobalt blue propelled me to this vitrine flashing and sparkling with glass and crystal from Bohemian Art Gallery.

French clocks are another passion, I’ve been coveting the clock of a Paris friend for years, and this 19th century Flemish clock face at Ghislain Antiques might do the trick.

I had a good friend who collected religious artifacts, and she conditioned my eye to seek out filigree crosses. A shelf displaying a row of crosses at Frankly Scarlet would make a statement in any room.

My taste runs to practical, livable modern traditional antiques and what better way to modernize antiques than with eclectic lighting? The New Brooklyn has this funky traffic light fixture: fun!

The details:

Moi tip: Sign up for the weekly newsletter, The Shout Out,  it’s the perfect armchair shopping to start off your week!

ps: I met the owners, Jim and Paul, and they were so nice and welcoming that it’s easy to see why their showroom is the same: its a great place to brainstorm decorate and find the goods that fit your design dreams.  They’re so nice they even let me use their microwave to reheat my chai latte!

Since my India adventure a couple months ago I’ve already begun to deplete my supply of spices and chai that I hauled back. I have a very good Indian restaurant in my neighborhood, but I decided to go investigate NYC’s Little India in more detail. I’d been in the neighborhood before, but now I was an informed consumer: I know what’s authentic, what’s touristy, and what things cost in India. So on a gorgeous sunny day I spent a few hours investigating the neighborhood around Lexington and 28th Street, aka Curry Hill.

First stop: spices. I checked out a few smaller mom and pop type shops, but ended up doing my buying at Kalustyan’s. It’s large, has a good variety of spices, herbs, candied fruits, and copper utensils and cookware so I decided it could be my one-stop shop. The prices were similar to what I saw at the nearby smaller stores.

The colorful, flavorful breath freshener and digestive comes in similar colors and flavors to those I found at India, although none seemed to have coconut. At $2.99 for 4 oz, its about 3 times what I paid at the India bazaars, but still a bargain. My instant masala chai mix, with non-fat dairy already added, was $4.99, again about 3 times what I paid in India.

This price difference of 50-65% was repeated throughout my day in Little India. Prices in India are cheap: the dollar goes a long way against the rupee. But, prices were low everywhere in Little India compared to much of Manhattan.

Next stop: Lexington Saree Palace. Here you can definitely outfit your inner-Bollywood cravings. Sarees, kurtas, henna tatoos, bangles, chicken scratch shirts: it can all be found in this tiny shop. A chicken stratch shirt was about $20, but I felt it was negotiable. I didn’t even try, as I had quite a few still unworn hanging in my closet. I paid less than $10 in India.

All this shopping was making me a little hungry; from the many Indian restaurants overrunning the neighborhood I chose Chennai Garden, a southern Indian, vegetarian restaurant (btw: it’s kosher too, this is NYC after all!). Although my India travels had not reached as far as southern India, I had sampled the cuisine, and fallen in love with dosai: Indian corn or rice crepes served with a variety of accompaniments, sides, sauces and degrees of spiciness. Entering Chennai Garden I was deluged with signs boasting Zagat, NYTimes, TimeOut, Lonely Planet, and Gourmet (as well as other) reviews particularly of their lunchtime all-you-can-eat buffet for $6.99. Again, much more than in India, but a deal in NYC.

Then around the corner to Aurora’s Beads and Jewelry, featuring semi-precious stone, silver, pearls and beads. While there was nothing there I was interested in purchasing, it did show alot of similar items to those I saw in India, much of which I was not interested in either. I’m looking for finished jewelry, not design or make-it-myself, so perhaps this just isn’t my kind of place. But it was a good fit for the neighborhood and my India theme-day.

Last stop, Butaala Emporium, a large bazaar featuring traditional Indian products ranging from henna to books and magazines to jewelry to musical instruments to kitchenware to furniture…and everything in between.

the details:

Moi tip: If you go to NYC’s Little India, plan to spend at least 4 hours to get a real feel for this small, and shrinking, neighborhood. Plan to eat lunch in the neighborhood, and to browse at least the spice and saree shops, its an affordable mini-break to India. Namaste!

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