It’s easy to find a decently drinkable latte in our city, thanks to the Starbucks on every corner (sometimes two). But a truly great latte? Not so easy to find.

Jonathan Rubinstein was working as a talent agent when he realized how difficult it is to find a coffeeshop that focuses on both their atmosphere and their coffee. He opened Joe the Art of Coffee in 2002, and four years later, he’s providing coffee for David Letterman and pulling espresso shots at three successful locations in downtown Manhattan.

There’s no question that the focus is on the coffee here. The hazelnut lattes have rendered me (a confirmed coffee snob) speechless on many occasions. They are big and creamy, with just the right amount of foam, and the baristas are skilled in latte art. Joe also serves some of the best chai in town; my mother, who doesn’t like to drink anything too sweet, will request a trip to get chai when she comes to visit.

The atmosphere is quiet enough for writers and students, despite the steady stream of traffic. The music is always eclectic and at a pleasant background level, and there’s usually a pile of recent issues of the Times and some postcards for indie films.

Joe the Art of Coffee has acquired the undeniable “cool” stamp as well, and it’s not just the Letterman connection. My husband and I have personally bumped into Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jake Gyllenhaal there. And Amy Sedaris bakes the cupcakes.

One caveat: all the locations are relatively small, with about a dozen cafe tables apiece, so you may have to hover for a while to stake a claim on one. But once you’re there, you can stay for hours.

Joe the Art of Coffee
141 Waverly Place at Sixth Avenue
B/D/F/V or A/C/E to West 4th Street
Weekdays 7am-8pm
Weekends 8am-8pm
212.924.6750

9 East 13th Street between Fifth Avenue & University Place
4/5/6 or N/R to Union Square
Weekdays 7am-8pm
Weekends 8am-8pm
212.924.7400

130 Greene Street between W. Houston Street and Prince Street
In the flagship Alessi Store
R/W to Prince or B/D/F/V/6 to Broadway-Lafayette
Weekdays 7am-7pm
Saturday 8am-7pm
Sunday 8am-6pm
212.941.7330

Famished Girl, Scene Girl | Email | Print | //

I don’t really know what makes a wine good or bad. I usually wander around the store, trying to look like I know what I’m doing, and once I’m confused enough, I pick the bottle with the prettiest label. Not the most sophisticated method, and never too successful.

At Red, White, & Bubbly, however, I’m in good hands. Darrin Siegfried, the operating partner, selects the wines carefully and describes them in witty layman’s terms on the tags. The staff is accommodating and refreshingly unpretentious; if you know what you want, they can help you find it, and if you don’t know what you want, they can help you figure it out. And there’s more to this store than wine - they have an excellent selection of liquors, champagnes, and all the accoutrements, all at affordable prices.

For me, Red, White, & Bubbly’s most exciting offering is Darrin’s monthly “best buy 4 pack”. Four wines (generally two red and two white) are selected and boxed and priced at 10% off, and each four-pack is about $32. The store also carries larger hand-selected sets of wines from around the world, and quantities are discounted 10-15%.

In keeping with their “fine wines, great spirits, no attitude” motto, Red, White, & Bubbly holds wine tastings on Fridays and Saturdays, with good snacks and lots of great information. It’s well worth the trip to Brooklyn.

Red, White, & Bubbly
211 5th Ave between Union St & President St
Brooklyn, NY
718-636-9463
Subway: R, M to Union Street

Famished Girl, Shop Girl | Email | Print | //

The Biography Bookshop is my favorite kind of bookstore. The best stores in New York are usually tucked away into unobtrusive corners, and I found Biography while I was wandering back from an afternoon soaking up the sun by the Hudson River. Nestled onto the corner of Bleecker Street and 11th Street, the store is like a mini-Strand, without the crowds and traffic and with better air conditioning.

And like the Strand, the sidewalk tables are loaded with discounted books - but these aren’t obscure books that nobody wanted. On the contrary, I’ve found beautifully bound modern classics and volumes of poetry, all new copies, on these tables. Last spring, one could pick up the entire Narnia series in paperback for substantially less than list price.

Inside on its hardwood shelves and built-in bookcases, Biography carries much more than biographies, and all at 20% off list price. The selection includes such goodies as a comprehensive section on New York City history, travel, pets, crafts, fashion, and more. The fiction section is one of the best and most comprehensive I’ve ever seen, with carefully selected editions, and I lost my fiancé to the poetry, theater, and film shelves, hearing only his periodic coos of joy.

The store invites browsing and paging through books, and it’s open late for night owls. Hungry bibliophiles, take note - the Magnolia Bakery is just across the street, so you can enjoy your new book while munching on a confection. That’s my idea of heaven.

Biography Bookshop
400 Bleecker Street at West 11th Street
New York, NY
(212) 807-8655
Subway: 1 or A/C/E to 14th Street

Shop Girl | Email | Print | //