Long Island's North Fork, a Hamptons Alternative

While the Hamptons’ posh South Fork eateries, steamy nightlife and celebrity residents make it undeniably chic, Long Island’s other fork, the North Fork, offers an entirely different kind of scene: authentic country charm. Its 11 coastal towns are only 80 miles from Manhattan, but the area’s low-key lifestyle makes the metro area seem worlds away.

As economic times get increasingly tougher, the North Fork is likely to become an even more popular destination for East Coasters wanting to stay closer to home and budget travelers who want to avoid the pricier South Fork hotspots.

For the full story read my article on petergreenberg.com.

Hey Mickey...Hey Mickey

If I were a celebrity, I'd want to live in NYC. It's nonchalant enough to give celebs a shot at normalcy, the paparazzi is not nearly as overt as in Hollywood and there's sort of an unspoken rule around city restaurants and nightlife...don't make a fuss.

Well, all rules went out the door last night as I witnessed what I imagine would drive a celebrity crazy. It happened at Bijoux, the underground den operated by Unik and Kyky, formerly of PM. As the place got more and more cramped I noticed Mickey Rourke and Donna Karan inconspicuously mosey in. They sat at the table next to where I was sitting, and proceeded to follow club protocol: mix yourself a drink and blend in. Before they could even take a sip, Unik got on the microphone and announced something to this effect:

"We are so happy tonight, it's going to be a beautiful party. We have Mickey Rourke in da house, everybody gotta check out his movie The Wrestler. He just won an Oscar. Donna Karan is also here, big shout out to her."

I cringed!! Sure enough, a flood of actress wannabes and other fans swarmed the table and asked for photos. Not only did Unik announce their arrival, he reminded patrons about his honorary guests throughout the night, one time even turning the music down to make sure EVERYONE could hear him.

Neither Donna nor Mickey seemed to be phased by their shoutouts, but Bijoux, don't you know better?

Luckily Mickey escaped at a reasonable hour (2am), left his Rum and Coke behind and got some beauty sleep for his big Today Show appearance this AM.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

America The Beautiful: Inauguration 2009

And the road to get there:

Election Night: New York City


Election Day: Long Island, NY

NYC Guide to Inauguration '09

While Washington D.C. ramps up for what will be the biggest political celebration EVER, New Yorkers who are stuck in the city tomorrow will have no shortage of ways to be a part of history.
Grooviest Obama-Fest:
La Fonda Boricua
169 E 106th St. (btwn Lex & 3rd)
One of Harlem's most famous Puerto Rican restaurants is serving up FREE Asopao de Pollo soup from 7am-10am. Expect delicious Afro-Caribbean/Latin jazz music all day along with happy hour specials.

Trendiest Obama-Fest:
10ak Presents: One of A Kind Change
453 W. 17th in Chelsea -- 10pm-??
DJ Nick Cohen and DJ Sinatra will be spinning the crowd into an champagne-induced Obama fever. Perhaps Obama-mania will loosen up the door policy for one night only.

Tastiest Obama-Fest:
Chanterelle
2 Harrison St. in Tribeca
Tribeca's elegant Chanterelle is broadcasting the inauguration and offering a symbolic $44 (tax and tip included) lunch. The three-course repast includes bourbon butternut squash soup, chicken pot pie with wild mushrooms and lobster salad, and applewood-smoked bacon "LBLT." Forty-Four fervor: Employees Only's mixologists contributed the effervescent Yes We Can, concocted with prosecco, orange bitters and kumquat liquor. (from Metro Mix)


Most Unseasonal Obama-Fest:
The General Greene
229 Dekalb Ave. Ft. Greene Brooklyn

This Fort Greene hangout feature a very presidential...luau. Major props to owner Nicholas Morgenstern! The Hawaiian-themed $20.09 meal deal includes crisp suckling pig, sweet potato mash, grilled pineapple and coconut-banana cream pie. Forty-Four fervor: Afterward, head down Dekalb Avenue to bistro Chez Oskar for $5 cocktails including Dirty Democrats, Rotten Republicans and Yes-we-can-ohitos. (from Metro Mix)

Check out these sites for full listings of all the city's festivities:

Harlem OneStop: Obama-Mania!

MetroMix New York: Obamapalooza

Restaurant Girl: Inauguration in NYC

MurphGuide: Inaguration Day Parties

Weekend Beauty Roundup

It is the dawn of a new weekend. After a week of traipsing in and out of NYC, surviving hours of interviews and meetings, I am giving myself a little pampering, in the form of a recessionista haircut. Well, it's not so much pampering, as it is a loooong overdue necessity to cut my damaged split ends that have been stuffed up in a hat for the past few weeks.

The chop is happening today at 1:30p at Regis salon, which I admittedly used to put on par with the Lemon Tree for two undesirable qualities: it's a chain, it's located in a mall. But after doing some research and reading about Regis on Style.com this week, I've decided the salon is a safe and money-saving bet. Reportedly, their $18 "Ultimate Repair Treatment" will pump up your locks with vitamins, shine and moisture in only 15 minutes. And a typical haircut is a super steal at only $50.

Other eye-opening news on the beauty front: an eye drop that was originally intended for Glaucoma patients has a most curious side effect: growing luscious eye lashes! The drug, called Latisse, will be available with prescription in about 6-8 weeks and costs about $120 a month for a small bottle.

Oh goody! Does this mean that celebrities will finally stop pasting grotesque falsies to their lids? Will this revolution in cosmetic vanity see an end to the fringy, feathery and spidery stick-ons?

This brown-eyed girl has another secret to long lashes....being Italian. Thick hair just seems to grow without drops, potions or pills. Needless to say, I will not be coughing up the monthly Latisse fee. I've got travel plans to save up for!

Just Kidding, This is My Favorite Entry

Sorry Vito.

Favorite Entries: Island Reef Job

The Today Show, New York Times and nearly every other news outlet in the world has been buzzing this week about the Queensland Tourism Board's recent job opening for a Great Barrier Reef ambassador. The official job title is "Hamilton Island Caretaker" and the responsibilities include painstaking tasks like cleaning leaves from your villa's infinity pool, blogging and vlogging about island activities, and collecting mail that drops onto your patio via plane.

The $100,000 6-month salary, deluxe digs and laid back island temptation have prompted a frenzy of hopefuls to submit videos to YouTube and the job's official site, islandreefjob.com.

Entrants are as colorful and diverse as the reef itself, from a singing college freshman to a goth father-son duo, to my current favorite, Extremely Close-up "Vito The PlantSoap?" from Italy:



A Capella College Hopeful...Better suited for American Idol?


Peter The Job Whisperer (note Ozzy Ozbourne look-a-like at end)


Blurry, Over-sedated Craig from the UK


Crooked Tash from Australia


David, the Lean Mean Green Screen Machine

Sunday in the Hamptons: Hot Soup and Snow Hearts

Those who say the Hamptons are strictly a summer destination are missing out big time. This was the scene on Sunday. Note, the sun was still above the horizon at 5pm! There is a GOD! After warming up with some French onion soup at Sag Harbor's historic Corner Bar, my family returned to the house to find these curious hearts in the driveway. I seemed to be the only one who recognized them as hearts, rather than swervey tire tracks. I guess I truly am a hopeless romantic. :)

This just in...

The girls from Bleeding Espresso and Ms. Adventures in Italy just updated the date for World Nutella Day '09.

It's February 5th!

Check out their new website, www.nutelladay.com for deets on how to particpate.

Panino a Go-Go

It was all systems go on Saturday for my fourth and final 27th birthday brunch. (Yes, I milked it for all it was worth).

After learning that my Nana has had a panini-maker stuffed in her cupboard for several years, I decided I'd put it to good use and make various Italian panini as the centerpiece of my meal.

To select the right ingredients, I remembered back to summer when I practically lived on toasts (Italian version of grilled cheese with prosciutto) and panini. They were always so simple, usually one or two components, so keeping to tradition I chose these three Italian classics: Panino Caprese, Panino Verdura, and Panino con Prosciutto e Brie.

Grilling zucchini and eggplant for the Panino Verdura

Panino Caprese with mozzarella, tomatos and fresh basil

Things got off to an interesting start when I realized that the panini-maker was missing the handle, so the art of pressing down firmly now included the risk of being scorched. Using an oven mitt and a little elbow grease, I dug in while my brother-in-law and mom worked on our side dishes: Creamy pumpkin soup and a fresh beet salad with goat cheese, Sherry vinaigrette and candied walnuts.

Putting my muscles to work

Panino con Prosciutto e Brie

After only about 3-4 minutes on each side, the Ciabatta bread was branded with those panini-perfect grill lines and the cheese we gooey and piping hot. Tutti a tavola per mangiare!

The scheduled dessert (at my request) was to be Nutella pizza, a recipe I first tasted at my host dad Albino Gargiulo's local pizzeria in Sorrento. On Friday, I went shopping for what I thought were all two of the essential ingredients: Nutella and pizza dough (pre-packaged).

Well, Mr. Boboli neglected to mention on his packaging that there's mozzarella cheese and garlic baked into his "Original Italian Pizza Crust." And while they are three of my favorite flavors, a cheesy, chocolaty, garlic-infused pizza would not have gone over well at the table.

So, that's the skinny on the Nutella smeared saltines. They were a definite Plan B effort--a tasty one nonetheless. But that's coming from a Nutella-holic, so perhaps I'm not a valid critic.

Speaking of...mark your calendars because World Nutella Day is coming up in February!

NYE in NYC...with a bunch of Italians.

What happens when the Euro skyrockets and Italians have some vacation time? They all come to New York City!

So many were in town for the holidays that friends at Made in Italy NYC had to throw a New Year's Eve party to accommodate everyone. Good thing too, because with frigid temperatures in the teens I would have felt awful if they were stuck out in Times Square watching Dick Clark and Miley Cyrus.

Of course I was in attendance at the party too, as I find it hard to pass up a chance to reconnect with Italy. As I waded through the sea of foreigners I was taking notes on what truly defines an Italian Capodanno party:

1. The music: slightly cheesy to start including such favorites as YMCA and Mambo #5 but ending with hours of incredible house music.

2. The food: passed Pandoro slices for everybody washed down by bottle after bottle of prosecco.

3. The crowd: a mix of families and friends of all ages, all together under one roof.

4. The entertainment: one loud MC, two live percussionists and a trio of Latin dancers with abs to envy.

5. The countdown: Firstly, it began at 26 instead of 10. Is that an Italian tradition? Also, they say, "minus 5, minus 4, minus 3..." whereas we just say the numbers.

Gottino Gets it Right

Being a tourist in my own city (see resolution #8) means dining out frequently in 2009. Yes!!

Seeing as I'm still rebuilding my stateside bank account, these frequent eat-outs are going to require moderate to low tabs. And as a Recessionista 27 years in the making (not sure why others are just catching on now) I happen to be an expert on low budg/high quality experiences.

An "experience" is exactly what I got when I first went to Gottino , the W. Village wine bar/"gastroteca" that has quickly risen to the top of my favorites list, followed by trusted staples Uva and Otto.

Gottino's at the top because it's THE MOST authentic Italian wine bar I've yet to visit this side of the Atlantic. Its little accents are what make it just right. The oversized chalkboard with wine selections scribbled in white, the heavy-duty red meat-slicers prominently on display, Fabrizio de Andre and other Italian classics subtly playing in the background. And the servers -- smartly dressed in all white, friendly but not contrived and excited about every last morsel on the menu.

Right, the menu. It's "small plate" perfection. All the right meats, of which the porchetta was my favorite, cheeses so fresh that the entire place reeks divinely of them, and other inventive one-or-two bite crostini and plates that go beyond your everyday aperitivi. Ask for extra quince marmalade to accompany any of your dishes. It's outrageous.

The wine selections is expansive but you'll be guided through every sip by your server who you can whole-heartedly trust. Although I still balk at the cost of alcohol in New York City, glasses at Gottino are holding strong at a moderate $12 and bottles start at around $40.

Gottino gets my vote for the perfect cozy date or a long-overdue catchup with girlfriends. You can hear yourself talk (a rarity in restaurants these days) and you won't be hurried to move your meal along because other reservations are waiting to be seated. There are no reservations.

I really love that each time I've been there chef and owner, Jody Williams, has casually stopped by to survey the scene, greet her staff and even have a glass of wine with guests. Her effortless cool is felt throughout every step of the Gottino experience.

My only compliant? That I don't still live in my old Village apartment...Gottino is down the block and would have clearly been my home-away-from-home. Sigh.

[Photo: NY Mag]

Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda

I happened to be reading some Shel Silverstein last week and was reminded how clever his poems are. This one seems just perfect to kick off a new year:

Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda
All the Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
Layin' in the sun,
Talkin' 'bout the things
They woulda coulda shoulda done...
But those Woulda-Coulda-Shouldas
All ran away and hid
From one little Did.

-Shel Silverstein

Nine Resolutions for '09

I spent most of New Year's day nursing a 2008 prosecco hangover. Today it has finally dissipated enough for me to focus on some more important new year business--resolutions.

Experts say you shouldn't commit to any resolutions that are too unattainable or vague. So with that in mind I've made a targeted list of nine resolutions that remain in the realm of achievability. In no particular order...my nine for '09:

1. Become proficient at playing the djembe drum
It might sound like an odd one, but I've had this amazing drum since '07 that I must learn to properly play. One, because when I play it improperly my hands become bruised and numb, and two, because I'm sick of being an amateur. Here's me jamming out in my apartment a couple years back...


2. Travel
An obvious one, but seeing as I don't yet have any '09 flights or itineraries booked, I knew it'd need to be on my resolution list as a constant reminder to GET A MOVE ON! I just love the characters I meet on the road...

3. Spend less time procrastinating on the Internet
Note to self: the world is not going to end if I don't log onto Facebook.

4. Blog more
It's therapeutic and thought-provoking. Enough said.

5. Ride my bicycle often
I want to find a new apartment in '09 that's near my office so I can put my Metro Card away and take to NYC by bike.

6. Avoid gyms
I know this is contrary to many Americans' idea of a "resolution" but my goal here is to maintain a lifestyle that's active enough to keep me out of smelly gyms. It's all part of my anti-chair ass campaign that I began last year...

7. Watch fewer romantic comedies
My sis recently forwarded me a study that showed watching too many romantic comedies causes a strain on your love life. Hmm. So maybe toting The Notebook around all of Italy with me wasn't the best choice? In '09 it's all about indie films and documentaries. Slumdog Millionaire was a good start and I'm still dying to catch Gomorrah.

8. Explore more of New York
New Yorkers who live in NYC tend to live in a bubble. We often forget how much we have at our doorstep. This year I am going to be a tourist in my own city.

9. Make it memorable...for all the right reasons