Some of the things that make us happy...
Food & Drink
Aureole
34 East 61st Street
(bet. Madison & Park Aves.)
New York, NY
(212) 319-1660
We've only been there twice (it's a bit PRICEY), but oh my goodness, it's worth it. The food is impeccable, the presentation delightful, and the staff surprisingly down to earth. Yum! Elegant, old world charm mixed with modern touches, they have an electronic wine menu to match the perfect wine with your meal. Even the website is an experience. We hope to try out their Las Vegas location on our trip in February. Zagat says: Charlie Palmer may be spending most of his time in Napa these days, but his team "continues to dazzle" at his East Side "flagship", where chef Dante Boccuzzi¹s "meticulously prepared" New American cuisine and desserts "almost too beautiful to eat" find their match in "polished-but-not-stuffy" surroundings and "superb" service; "just call it heaven" declare its "posh" patrons, who gladly "skip a mortgage payment" to savor "the essence of fine dining."
Elephant Walk
2067 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA
(617) 492-6900
We first visited the Elephant Walk in its Cambridge location with Jane and Jay/Dad Reich in 2002 when they visited for our engagement. Jane is in the know on Cambridge and Boston eateries. It was fabulous. Brian and I have since visited their newly renovated (they had a fire) Boston location, and our feelings are the same - YUM! The menu is unique and inviting.
Goodfellas Pizza
329 Bleecker Street
New York, NY
(212) 647-8315
Our favorite place to get pizza in New York. Attached to Goodfellas Kitchen on Christopher Street, which also gets rave reviews, but I don't think we ever sat down to a real meal here. The people-watching out the windows of the pizzeria is way too good to pass up.
Il Buongustaio
370 Huron Avenue
Cambridge, MA
(617) 491-3133
Our favorite place to get pizza in Cambridge.
Kingfish Hall
Faneuil Hall
188 South Market Street
Boston, MA
(617) 523-8862
We liked it so much the first time that we decided to have our wedding weekend Rehearsal Dinner there. The food is delicious, the decor fun and funky, and the staff friendly and unpretentious...and it's one of Todd English's creations. Zagat says: "Disneyland meets SeaWorld" at this "high-energy" seafood fantasy at Faneuil Hall that¹s a real "crowd-pleaser" among "tourists and Bostonians" due to its "whimsical" "Dali-esque" decor, "bright", "zippy" atmosphere and "imaginative menu" of "fish with or without a twist."
Magnolia Bakery
401 Bleecker Street
New York, NY
(212) 462-2572
Darsh and Karen would like to claim that they "found" this place in their old "hood," but anyone who's been here or knows anything about it, like the fact that it has its own cookbook, usually has a line out the door, and has appeared on such hits as Sex and the City, might not believe them. The cupcakes, magic bars and banana pudding are fabulous, and we hear the other stuff is good too. No room to sit, so you have to get it to go, but it's worth all the fuss and the "soup nazi" mentality of some of the staff.
White Horse Tavern
567 Hudson Street
New York, NY
(212) 243-9260
Located in Karen's old neighborhood in the West Village, Karen & Brian have often used the White Horse as the gathering place for parties and get-togethers. The White Horse is considered a literary landmark in New York because it was often the bar of choice for Dylan Thomas and later Jack Kerouac. It was even featured as part of a PBS special.
Websites
First, some shameless plugs...
www.karenandbrian.com (duh)
www.jstart.org (Karen's work)
www.mindshare.net (Brian's work)
www.mousecommunications.com (Brian & Emily's company)
www.chocolatespoon.com (Emily's Website)
www.stonypoint.net (The Sheffer family site)
www.groupjazz.com (Emily's work)
www.harhay.net/wedding (Karen and Brian's friends' wedding website)
Books
Diversions
Movies
Life's Luxuries
Sports Teams
This is where Brian and Karen part ways, for the most part...so some of their favorites will have to be listed separately...first, the "good" teams.
Karen's Favorites
New York Yankees
UCONN Huskies! Especially, women's and men's basketball and soccer, and learning to love the newly initiated Men's football team.
The above are the teams Karen is most passionate about, but she can also be seen watching the following on occasion, due to a certain outside influence: Michigan football, Brooklyn Cyclones (Minor League Baseball), and is also learning to love, due largely to proximity and local pressure, The New England Patriots and the Boston Celtics.
Brian's Favorites
Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Supersonics (I wonder where Brian grew up!)
University of Michigan Wolverines Football Team - GO BLUE!!
Brian is also an avid fan of rowing - and has coached, rowed and coxswained for various teams in DC (Capital Rowing), New York (Columbia), and Cambridge (Harvard). Our wedding was the weekend of the Head of the Charles - the largest crew race in the world!