Issue 7: How to
write an introduction
Make a quick quip to draw people in. Delete it and write something funnier.
Break the 4th wall by talking directly to the reader.
E.G. Grab that bottle of Christophe Mignon and pop it. This is a special occasion bb.
Have a relatable moment.
Give two pieces of information about the upcoming issue. Maybe three if they weave together.
How to's aren't really my thing... but I know they have their place in my / our life / lives. I would have wasted a lot of chickens if I didn’t get the run down of how to butcher it before-hand. Cheesecakes would have been a disaster. And talking about wine? It tastes like grapes. Thanks, genius.
This issue touches on some how to’s, but isn’t prescriptive. There are many ways to cook an apple pie, or make your perfect martini, so we’re just playing on that suggestive line and trying to look cute doing it.
Say something meaningful and serious and get people to think “oh shit, well said”. This may take a few attempts.
Say it’s going to be a great ride, buckle up.
It’s going to be a great ride.
Buckle up and guzzle that vino.
Toss in a XOXO because that’s cute and you always do.
XO. CS. JH.
How to Find the Perfect Egg
Kelly Reid
I used to walk approximately 400feet to my local butcher in Williamsburg for some unmarked, under the table eggs. No label, no branding - just the egg.
Then I moved to what I would quantify as “the country”, I mean, anything after New York City feels like a village - the population is enough to support a bowling alley, a movie theatre and an excellent diner that offers “diet food” - which in this instance is a number of items slathered in cottage cheese.
Yet - when I ventured out after moving, weary from cleaning mysterious goo from the inside of the freezer - all I wanted was two sunny side up eggs on toast and a martini. It was a little after 9 on a Sunday night, I was yet to pick up my rental car and I didn’t factor that living in Catskill meant that people have lives and are not available after 5.30pm. Store after store was closed until - oasis! a familiar sight of a city style looking bodega - sadly with nary a food item with an ingredient list less than 30 in sight I went to plan B. Plan B was rummaging through boxes to find some squid ink pasta that I’d bought months earlier thinking I was going to be fancy.
How to Move On: Rockfish Soup for One
Words and Images by Nicolle Borrero
You’ll Need
1 Bouillabaisse
1 Bottle of Champagne (preferably Grand Cru Chardonnay but I digress)
1 Friendly neighborhood restaurant (go to Hart’s)
1/8 Tab of lysergic acid diethylamide
1 Former lover (or any problem you just can’t seem to shake)
Be Still My Hart’s
There is a restaurant in your neighborhood where everybody knows your name. Hart's, tucked underneath the Franklin Ave shuttle in Bed-Stuy, is such a place. Whether you’re with a friend, a lover, or a solo diner, Nick Perkins and his team have a knack for making every night feel like date night. If you’re the type of person who’s afraid to eat alone, Hart’s is the perfect place to practice*. Some of the loveliest and beautiful people in Brooklyn work there and they’re all happy to see you.
*You should date yourself, often.
How to Make a Cocktail
Sarah Boisjoli
Today I will be explaining how to make a cocktail of my own creation which I’ve called Dandy Cocktail #2. But first, a bit of context: Cocktail nomenclature relies on numerology to express when a variation has been made. In this case, the Dandy Cocktail #2 is a variation on a classic Dandy Cocktail which is itself a variation on a Manhattan which as we know has many other variations. It is generally accepted that the better the Mixologist, the higher the frequency with which he or she references or uses the word “variation” in their craft. Further, a Dandy as defined by the esteemed organization Urbandictionary.com, is a “man who considers himself to be an arbiter of culture and refinement and wit”. This of course is the aesthetic ideal upon which serious modern Mixologists model themselves. It goes without saying of course that the best cocktails are crafted with only the rarest, most esoteric and hardest to pronounce spirits and ingredients. I’ve applied this essential idea to my reworking of the original cocktail mentioned above.
How to Get Baked
Louisa Durkin
How to Make It Nice with Emily Parkinson
Josh Hamlet
Last week I sat down with Emily Parkinson at FREEHOLD in South Williamsburg to talk shop. That is, to talk about what exactly she does at the illustrious Eleven Madison Park. (Side note: if you don’t know about the restaurant, please click the link and fall into a minor k-hole researching what it is they do and fully appreciate that it is ranked by many standards as one of the best restaurants in the world.) Okay, now that you have a little context, take in the fact that Emily’s title at this restaurant is: Head Dreamweaver.
Emily’s job’s title makes most people cock their head to the side, furrow their brow, and start to ask… “Um… what?” “Exactly,” is normally my response.
Photo from Mark Leckey's "Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore"
How to feel your love
Thor Shannon shines bright no matter where he is and graciously took us on this journey via a playlist. You must listen to this in order, as per his (and my) request. XO
Love -- Lana Del Rey
If I Were Your Woman -- Gladys Knight & The Pips
Baltimore -- Nina Simone
How Long -- Ace
Seabird -- Alessi Brothers