A claydate with friends
and my favorite wonton soup
I have been absolutely grinding to finish watching House during this recent cat sitting gig because I have come to realize that this show is fucking terrible. House’s character is beyond abusive and reprehensible and after watching nearly 8 seasons I just have no desire to watch such a shitty person on screen anymore. I don’t care how “smart” this pretend man is, I’m actually hate watching this show by now just to finish it. I know, I can just stop if I want to, but I’ve come this far and I need to see this through.
I’ve managed to inject tons of positivity between these long 23 episode seasons though. In addition to visiting multiple art cafes and my favorite vendors in Dekalb Market, I also attended the most recent iteration of That Dinner Thing, my favorite dinner party! I brought my friend, Andy, with me and we both met such amazing people there while eating the most delicious fucking food. Claire and Sierra do an unreal job curating the best vibes and conversations and Ryn’s cooking is so goddam meticulous and thoughtful. I had my first oyster in 5+ years and I loved it. I also ate what might have been the best dessert pastry ever in a pie loaded with delicious stone fruit and topped with ginger ice cream. The food, the people, the experience, unmatched.
In the last week I managed to find myself at two different art cafes. I feel like I’ve seen tons of these places pop up post-pandemic and they truly make some of the best third spaces. I’ve been on a personal journey of “working to live” rather than “living to work” and finding these types of spaces whose sole purpose is for me to experience a fleeting moment of joy amongst the dumpster fire that is the world has been crucial.
First up, I had a Wowza Hangout at Happy Medium’s new art cafe in Greenpoint. I previously wrote about taking a figure drawing class at their Two Bridges location (very much recommend) and this was an opportunity for some less structured creative time. They offer art cafe sessions Thu-Sun and reservations via DM are recommended. They got back to me really quickly and were also able to easily accommodate headcount changes. Their Greenpoint space is quite large and they also have a beautiful backyard (I’ve only seen photos unfortunately because the night I was there it was pouring out 😭). Outside food and beverages aren’t allowed, but they’ve got a little bar with snacks and tons of drink options (lots of them were N/A!).
When you arrive, they’ll lead you to your table and drop a menu - but this menu is full of art options which all cost about $28pp. Each person in your group can choose a different art experience and if you get tired of one you can switch gears and add on something different. I opted for their air dry clay and the rest of my group chose to paint pre-made pots. The paint-a-pot option does include the cost of the pot/cup/bowl you choose on top of the $28, so it will cost a bit more.
There were a lot of vessel options to choose to paint - the choices ranged from a little egg holder to an oversized mug to a very cute skinny vase. The table was given a bunch of little paint squeeze bottles, various brushes, and two big trays for mixing paints. The paints were in fact underglazes, which I knew about thanks to my ceramic class at Dirtbag Arthaus! They go on quite light because they’re basically absorbing into the ceramic, so you’ll need to do a few coats if you want a punchier color. Once you’re done painting your piece, you register it with a QR code and leave it at the cafe to be fired. The firing process will also make the colors brighter and in 2-3 weeks you’ll be able to pick up your waterproof and food safe piece of art!
For my clay experience, I was given a 1lb square of clay, a sponge, water that I kept accidentally trying to drink, some shaping tools, and a paper describing some sculpting methods. This paper was actually incredibly helpful in reminding me of some handbuilding techniques and would be a great resource for if this was someone’s first time. The staff also made sure to let me know that I could actually request unlimited clay! Shoutout to the staff for being super attentive and helpful and just generally knowledgable about all of the art options on offer; they gave us all lots of tips throughout the night. I initially tried to recreate my favorite piece from The Met and when I realized it wasn’t meant to be I switched gears and created a squiggly bowl instead. The clay takes about a day to dry and you’ll get to take it home that night in a box that everyone will think contains cupcakes.
If you’re feeling lucky, walk around the corner to Taqueria Ramirez for a quick bite. Wayne and I were incredibly blessed as there was no line when we arrived!
A couple days later, I texted Tessa and asked her to meet me at Brooklyn Renaissance to try their art cafe experience and it was similar to Happy Medium in a lot of ways. Reservations can be made on their website and when you arrive the staff lets you pick a table; I liked that some of the tables were on the ground and you could sit on pillows. They also offer an art menu with options hovering around $28pp and they had a few options that Happy Medium didn’t: embroidery, candle painting, mosaic coasters, moss art. They don’t have a bar or snacks here, but the staff will bring you a pitcher of water to keep you hydrated!
I almost chose the moss art option, but I wanted, no I needed, clay redemption so I tried my hand at handbuilding again. This time I ended up with a few small food items, a tiny pot with a seashell on it, a small cup/candleholder(?), and a lumpy vase - perfection. Tessa opted for the mosaic coasters and said it was incredibly relaxing after a day of touring apartments in the rain. You get to make two coasters and can choose from a fuck ton of little colored triangles, squares, and diamonds. After you’ve glued down your shapes, you smother the piece in grouting to fill in the gaps. It all dries within about 10 minutes, so you’ll get to take your coasters home that day. Tessa’s friend Ricardo also joined us and made the coolest 80s inspired abstract design with pastels.
Happy Medium is a bit more polished and feels like a more structured experience, like a real restaurant tbh. The staff was super knowledgeable and attentive, just like you would expect a waiter to be. Brooklyn Renaissance definitely gave more chill vibes and felt more like a family restaurant where you might expect to find a kid doing their homework in the back. That’s not to say that the staff there wasn’t great though; they were super helpful anytime we asked for anything! Both offer similar art experiences at near identical prices, though Brooklyn Renaissance’s location probably makes it easier to get to for most folks.
Try one, try both, invite me to come hang out with you. Brooklyn Renaissance really felt like we were in a friend’s living room with an impeccably curated art closet, so if you’re a person with a nice sized apartment you need to be more generous with it and host art hangouts with your friends. The people with little apartments will thank you.
After a solid 4 hour crafting session of Brooklyn Renaissance, I did not have it in me to make something for dinner so I stopped by nearby Dekalb Market to grab a nosh. Dekalb Market has something like 35 food options, so there’s a lot to choose from and I would like to tell you about two of my favorite vendors there: 100% Mr Lin and Pierogi Boys! Both are especially comforting on rainy days.
I can’t actually provide a full review of 100% Mr Lin because I have to admit that I always get the same item every time: the wonton soup. When you order they’ll ask if you want it spicy, and you do. Their chili oil isn’t actually that spicy, but it adds a delicious flavor to the already slightly oily broth; it’s warming and almost a bit sweet. They offer the wonton soup with or without noodles and after trying both, I now opt for the one without noodles. You’ll get a solid 8+ wontons in the soup and the noodles feel like overkill because they’re not particularly special. The wontons, though, are fabulous. Firstly, they’re the perfect size for my mouth. If you’re my brother or Lorenzo, you might think they’re too small. However, if you, like me, have a tiny itty bitty baby girl mouth, they are perfect. The middle of the wonton contains a nice chunk of pork and there’s just enough floppy folds around it. Sometimes wontons are simply too floppy and these ones are incredibly practical, which I appreciate. They throw in 2-3 pieces of broccoli and bok choy to make you feel good about yourself; they’re steamed and provide a nice interlude from the savory and oily wonton soup.
Mr. Lin gets bonus points for being located at the back corner of the market where it’s usually less busy. They have some counter seating on the side of their booth that’s usually empty, so they’re a pretty clutch spot!
Nearby is Pierogi Boys. They’re an LGBTQ-owned business run by guys from Ridgewood; I’m not sure if I’ve met the owners working there or just staff, but everyone is always incredibly kind and super pumped to feed me pierogi. I usually opt for the boiled meat pierogi or get a half & half boiled meat/potato platter. The pierogi come topped with caramelized onions and dill and sour cream on the side. I cannot stress enough how savory and tasty the meat pierogi are; the deep flavor of the beef cheeks and pork butt is truly unreal. And these are not itty bitty baby pierogi; they’re thicc bois so you’re getting a lot of filling in each. The potato & cheese pierogi are also positively stuffed and I’m of the opinion that there are few things better than eating giant globs of what is essentially mashed potato.
Pierogi boys also has a good amount of counter space, but I usually retreat back into the corner of the market by Mr. Lin to eat my pierogi in darkness and solitude like the little sewer creature that I am. The irony is that the corner abuts the Trader Joe’s cashier wall, and those guys are always positively gleaming. Last time I went in there I managed to gush over the entire Deadpool & Wolverine movie with my cashier in the time it took him to ring up my apples, yogurt, and almond butter pretzels.
I’m starting this section with something that is, in fact, bad: beloved Filipino restaurant Purple Yam is closing at the end of August. Wife/Husband team Amy and Romy have been running Purple Yam since 2009 and before that they operated the renowned Cendrillon in SoHo. The menu leans classic Filipino, but Chef Romy’s dishes always have a very playful and curious quality to them. He also makes his own ice cream! You can’t go wrong with anything on their menu, but I especially love their sisig and goat curry. I’ll be taking Lorenzo there this Friday for his birthday and it will likely be our last visit, so there’s a good chance I’ll also be ordering every dessert on the menu. If you only ever take one recommendation of mine, let this one be it.
I’ve actually been sitting on some other bad news for a while and when the NYCgov Instagram posted about “free compost for all” I knew I had to speak (write?) up. The vast majority of the food scraps that I’ve been diligently adding to my building’s compost bin and the orange public bins are not actually being turned into compost. Worse, they’re being turned into an “Engineered Bioslurry” that will ultimately be used to power city facilities by turning into fucking methane. I understand that creating a compost system for a city as big as NYC is difficult, but the city is actively greenwashing and that falsification of information can make folks feel like they don’t actually have to change any behaviors to make progress, which simply isn’t true. Even more worse, the city cut GrowNYC’s budget which means those public drop off sites that actually created compost are no longer options. This is not the way.
Ok some actual good news - Governor’s Island has a Climate Lab! Entrepreneurs and nonprofits are testing initiatives to create solutions to the climate crisis and you can visit and see what they’re up to.
There’s a furniture store on Kickerbocker Ave with a delightfully retro awning that I absolutely love. When I passed by after getting my nightly nieve, I was handed a flyer for a comedy show that would take place in that furniture store! I’d already had a long day so I did not attend, but maybe you want to. Apparently these happen every Saturday and are only $10, so you’ve got very little to lose.
If you’ve got a love of orange wine and $45 burning a hole in your pocket, make plans to attend Cherry on Top’s Orange Wine Tasting on Aug 11. Each ticket includes three wines to taste, cheese plates to share, and your very own custom informational booklet to take home. Message then on Instagram to reserve a spot!
You can watch a bunch of tennis for free during US Open Fan Week Aug 19-25. The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center grounds will be open to the public for the week and folks can watch qualifying matches between legit players! Some events this week do require tickets though, so make sure you check the schedule.
Outsiders still has some spots open for their nighttime kayaking trip adventure this Saturday! $80 will rent you a kayak from a boathouse in Chelsea and a trip up the Hudson River for 45 minutes and back down. I really want to do this, but Saturday is Lorenzo’s birthday and he is simply not a boat boy. Maybe next time for me!
Finally - congrats to 2024’s Greenest Block in Brooklyn - Lincoln Place between New York Avenue and Nostrand Avenue! Every year folks can submit their block for the coveted Greenest Block award from Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The only good thing about the godforsaken apartment I lived in in Bed-Stuy years ago was the fact that it was on a previous Greenest Block, so even though my walls were crumbling I was surrounded by greenery when I walked outside 🥲
