December 22, 11am / $15

The Museum of Sex / 233 Fifth Ave at 27th ST / 10016

Click Here for More Info!

Take a break from the busy hustle and bustle of NYC and put mud all over your body. Get relaxing treatments from massages to facials and pedicures to manicures. More than 80 of NYC top spas are offering treatment.

October 13-19 / $50

Spas throughout NYC

Click Here for More Info!

One of the most infamous characters of our childhood is now at The Morgan Library & Museum. Over 170 original drafts and watercolors will be on display.

September 19, 2008 – January 4, 2009

The Morgan Library & Museum / Madison Avenue at 36^th Street / 10016

www.themorgan.org

New York City’s unofficial French mayor holds court in 10016, at the stove of culinary cafeteria Meli Melo. When owner and chef, Bernard Ros, opened in 1996, the surrounding neighborhood had little to offer, but Ros brought a vision for rich cuisine and a fresh, inviting setting. Despite early obstacles, which included having all his chairs stolen on the day of, Ros was undeterred, and today the area is flourishing. “Meli Melo” in fact means “a mixture of flavors,” and customers keep coming back for Ros’ unique fusion of French, Mediterranean, and Nouveau-American inspired dishes. Start with the colorful crabcakes or the onion tarte with gorgonzola and pancetta, the warm caramelized onions pair wonderfully with the pungent blue cheese. Ros does amazing things with his seafood dishes, and be sure to save room for dessert, as it is a sin to leave Meli Melo without it!

110 Madison, 10016
http://www.melimelorestaurant.com/

Do you like dinning out?
Post a comment below and let us know your favorite spots for a great meal!

In New York City, the stomach rules. Day or night, you can find culinary delights from every corner of the world and in every price range. Thankfully, the NYC Food Guy can help you savor every bite. Lawrence is a native New Yorker whose goal is to let people know where to find delicious and affordable food throughout the city. His Code Words column does just that with reviews, tips and tricks that will keep you sated.

NYC Food Guy loves the East Village for its culinary variety and its old school New York vibe. What better way to celebrate the diversity than a food tour? But with almost 300 eateries south of 14th Street and east of 3rd Avenue, how would I narrow my tour down? Simple, I imposed two requirements: 1) A meal had to be under $10 and 2) There could be no wait staff. Bonus points awarded to late night spots.

Miss Menu & I hit 6 spots Sunday and were pleased with every spot except one.

First spot we hit up was Vanessa’s Dumplings where we ordered:

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings ($4.49) which despite NYC Food Guy’s carnivorous inclinations, were pretty tasty. Check out the innards. We also ordered a Sesame Pancake with vegetables ($2.49).

Review:
The steamed veggie dumplings were delicious. They were freshly steamed and very flavorful. Inside I found mushrooms, scallions, cabbage, carrot, and a little tofu.
The sesame pancake, despite its lack of sesame seeds, was spot on. It was fluffy inside and crisp on the outside. The vegetables were fresh and flavorful. Cucumber, cilantro, carrot, bean sprouts, and shredded lettuce were all dressed in a very light vinaigrette-like substance.
Total price with two drinks: $9.65
Open until: 10:30PM

Walking south on 14th street, Thai Me Up was next…
You’re looking at just one half of the Black Pearl Sandwich we ordered. Seven vegetables plus chicken in a sweet soy sauce flavored with sauteed Thai seasonings, something our gracious host Amir called “The BBQ sauce of Asia.” Lettuce, tomato, a touch of mayo and some additional spices are added before serving.

Review:
Excellent. When all was said and done, this was my favorite meal of the tour. The Black Pearl Sandwich was a total break from the norm. Steam fried and sauteed mushrooms, corn, cabbage, peppers, carrots, and broccoli, plus lettuce, tomato, a little mayo, sprouts, and some additional spices added post-sautee, all inside a fresh, hollowed out baguette. It was like an entire Thai meal in a sandwich, a revolutionary idea. At first, the Black Pearl Sauce was reminiscent of Hoisin sauce, just spicier and more garlicky. As I continued eating, however, the mayo melded perfectly with the Black Pearl Sauce and the vegetables to create a delicious Thai-flavored juiciness that permeated each crispy, steaming bite.
Here’s how Thai Me Up works:
1. Choose your vehicle: Sandwich, Noodles, or Rice.
2. Choose the filler: Tofu, Chicken, or Beef.
3. Choose a sauce: Black or White Pearl.
Everything is steam fried and sauteed with just a tiny bit of canola oil if necessary and then served to order.
Price: $7.59
Open until: 12AM Friday & Saturday, with later hours come summertime

Turning off of 14th onto 1st Ave, Vinny Vincenz was stop number 3…
Sicilian slices are where it’s at. Here’s a look at the delicious corner slice I ordered. They also make a mean Margarita slice.

Review:
Vinny Vincenz always gets the job done. Their Sicilian slice is light, airy, and crisp with the cheese to sauce ratio favoring the mozzarella, perfect for a Sicilian. The sauce is sweet but mildly bitter and doesn’t overpower the slice. The crust is crispy but not burnt. It’s airy not doughy or gummy like some lesser Sicilians. This is a great late night spot after a night in the East Village. I’ve left Crocodile Lounge, where they give you a free mini pie with every drink, just for a slice of the good stuff at Vinny Vincenz.
Price: $2.35 for a Sicilian Slice
Open until: 4AM Friday and Saturday

While Miss Menu considered waving the white flag, NYC Food Guy was pumped for stop number four, Zaragoza, on Avenue A off 1st…
This chipotle-chicken taco was spicy and delicious. Take a look at the juicy chicken include a nice, light watermelon soda to wash it all down and its a meal you won’t soon forget.

Review:
Forget Tehuitzingo and Tulcingo del Valle on 10th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, Zaragoza provided the most delicious and authentic taco I’ve had since the Red Hook Ball Fields. The chicken was moist, tender, and fresh. The bite from the chipotle was subtle at first but combined with the chiles in the tomatillo sauce to provide a serious spice. The tomatillo struck a great balance between the chiles, jalapenos, and garlic, all without being too watery. The double tortilla was essential to support the weight of the lettuce, chopped onions and cilantro, and the chicken and green sauce. The Jarritos, a soda imported from Mexico, was candy-like in its flavor but remained light and not overly sweet.

Zaragoza, unwelcoming and unassuming from the outside, is really just a small Mexican grocery store that happens to serve some homemade delicacies. As I watched the friendly owner sprinkle fresh manchego cheese over a massive burrito, he told me Zaragoza is open until 4AM on weekends, a god send for future East Village nights.
Price: $2.25
Open until: 11PM weekdays, 4AM Friday and Saturday

Good thing stop number five, Crif Dogs, was 6 blocks away on St. Marks and A, I needed time to digest…
Because once we arrived, it was time to feast. NYC Food Guy ordered the Chihuahua, a bacon wrapped hot dog covered in avocado and sour cream ($4.50, add 50 cents for salsa) while Miss Menu went with a Veggie Corn Dog ($4.75)and we split a small order of Tater Tots ($2.50).

Review:
Wow. Kind of mind-blowing. The Chihuahua was ridiculously delicious and decadent. The bacon was crispy and melded perfectly with the juicy, beefy dog. The bun was ordinary but it didn’t matter this was a Dog Show. The Veggie Corn Dog was nothing special. It was huge and the batter at the edges was tasty, but it wasn’t cooked enough in the middle. The fake beef flavor of veggie dog was too strong for me.
The Tots, however, would have made Napoleon Dynamite jealous. They were crispy, wafer-like, and potatoey on the inside, delicious in a way lunch ladies can only dream of. Spicy yellow mustard and ketchup graced the table while RC Cola products populated the soda gun and a two-headed Stewart’s Root Beer/Red Birch Beer fountain sat at the side of the counter.
Not enough? Crif Dogs has two, yes two, Ms. Pac Mans in store. One is the sit down variety; the other is the standard arcade. Need more? They also have a three-game arcade featuring Millipede, Centipede, and Catan, the similar game with the space ship.
Resting on the border between the East Village and ABC City, Crif Dogs has no delusions as to who they may be catering to with their offer of “Stoner Packs”. Four artery clogging mystery bags of Crif Dogs’ delicacies starting at $10 and ascending $10 more from Pack 1 to 4, the latter something they claim you will never be able to finish.
Price: $7.50 each
Open until: 1AM Sun. & Mon., 2AM Tues. thru Thurs., & 4AM Friday & Saturday

Full yet? NYC Food Guy always has room for dessert. But maybe he should have passed on Cecel Cafe Crepe…
Where the unique crepes come shaped like ice cream cones and filled with pastry-cream. I ordered the large Apple Tatin and Miss Menu wanted some straight up Nutella but the crepe-man misheard and added the pastry-cream…

Review:
Disappointing. The crepes, though thin and cooked fresh, didn’t retain any heat as a result of the refrigerated pastry-cream. The cream itself was what you’d find in a cream puff. Tasty but nothing special. The apples in my crepe were also unheated and as a result my overall reaction was lackluster. Miss Menu was even more disappointed. As if it wasn’t enough that she dealt with her botched order, the Nutella was fake. Yes, impostor Nutella. It was obvious something fishy was going on when it was squeezed from a sauce bottle and it was even more obvious upon first bite. It clearly says Nutella on the menu, but unlike a rose, Nutella by any other name, is not still Nutella.
Price: $4 for the small, $6 for the large
Open Until: 12AM Sunday through Thursday, 2AM Friday & Saturday

————–
Phew. Part I is complete. I’m comfortably full. Then again it’s two days later and I’m still comfortably full. I jest. Truly, this was a great experience. I still have about 35 places on my East Village to do list and I’m pretty pumped for Part II, so keep your eyes peeled eaters because the fun has just begun.

To check out more adventures from the NYC Food Guy go to www.nycfoodguy.com

For over 15 years, Trattoria Alba has been serving some of the best Italian food in 10016. This restaurant is regarded as one of the best in the city and has a following of loyal customers. Owners Mel and Myra are grateful and appreciative: “We look forward to the next 15 years and truly believe that our customers are one in a million.” And with fantastic dishes on their menu, this shouldn’t be a problem. To start, try the Beef Carpaccio, sliced so thin it melts in your mouth. Or, try the Rolled Eggplant with tomato and cheese. Trattoria Alba does it all – and does it right. If you’re in the mood for seafood, don’t pass up their Gamberi fra Diavolo, shrimp with a spicy tomato sauce. The Veal Piccata al Limone will keep you coming back, as will Alba’s Chicken Parmigiana. Bon Apetit!

http://trattoriaalba.com

233 East 34th, 10016

Unassuming Murray Hill hides a unique little museum dedicated to the oldest of pleasures – sex. Since 2002, The Museum of Sex has been dedicated to the exploration of the history, evolution and cultural significance of human sexuality. Through rotating exhibits full of images, artifacts and technology the goal is to provide a space for open discussion of sexuality and access to the newest and best scholarship on the subject.

Current exhibits include:

• Intimate Encounters: Disability and Sexuality
• Action: Sex and the Moving Image
• Kink: Geography of the Erotic Image

As well as online exhibits:

• Mapping Sex in America
• US Patent Office Sex Inventions

The Museum also hosts events such as the upcoming Astrology Between the Sheets: A guide to Love and Lust According to the Stars on September 18th.

Bring your lover, partner or friend and let your imaginations run wild at The Museum of Sex.