Wow!

Zibetto Espresso Bar in the heart of Midtown is a treat.

Simplicity in its essence.

It is an espresso bar.

Nothing more, nothing less. And it does it wonderfully.

The bar is tiny. No seats. Intended for you to enjoy your espresso at the bar and be on your way. Which seems to fit perfectly with its bustling location.

They even had a house copy of The Economist available.

The espresso was fantastic. I had read about this bar in New York Magazine a while ago, where it was applauded for the quality of its espresso.

They really do take care with their espresso here. Using Danesi beans and even down to the presentation with the heart in the crema.

My first sip, literally made me do a double-take it was so good. As if I had forgotten that my purpose here was to have a great espresso. The espresso reminded me of it.

Zibetto was a perfect intro to the next part of our afternoon.

Baby and I went over to MoMA a couple of blocks away to check out the Richard Serra exhibit, which I found to be amazing. I really enjoy that you experience the art. Walk through it. You can feel it without even touching it because of the visual games it plays.

When’s the next MoMA exhibit? I want to go back to Zibetto!

Address

Zibetto Espresso Bar - 1385 6th Avenue, New York between 56th and 57th Streets. F, NQRW Trains at 57th Street.

Music

Serge Gainsbourg - Bonnie & Clyde

Our first featured music in SohoKind Café is from Serge Gainsbourg.

It was 2004, and I was studying in my dorm room in Paris. Well, finished studying and was searching around for sites to help me learn french. And I stumbled onto a learning site with ‘L’anamour’ by Gainsbourg. Brilliant site actually. Click here to check it out. They have a ton of popular french songs, old and new, and then dictionary and grammar exercises to go along with the music.

So, back to Gainsbourg. The song just stuck with me. And then I discovered more about Gainsbourg, the cultural icon. While I had just stumbled upon him, I realized I was just catching up. ‘Comic Strip’ is genius. And it gets better each time I hear it. How had my life gone by without ever having heard of Gainsbourg?

Other info

Gainsbourg on Wikipedia (Français)

Gainsbourg on Wikipedia (English)

Gainsbourg Photos on Flickr

Gainsbourg Quotes

Location, location, location.

And a cafe that fits so well into its setting that I was unsure which came first, the West Village? Or, Tartine? 

Tartine is reserved and enticing yet relaxed and comfortable.

Throw on top of that a good espresso, a mouth-watering pastry menu, friendly service and inviting sidewalk seating that almost whispers in your ear as you walk by - “take a seat; whatever you have to do today will still be there later, waiting for you. Enjoy now”.

Welcome to Tartine in the West Village.

The West Village is like an urban oasis in the urban jungle of New York. Absolutely amazing that the buzz of 7th Ave is just a few minutes walk away from Tartine.

Good people watching. Not a density of people, just a steady dribbling flow.

And my son must have sensed it as well, as he was content to watch me enjoy my espresso and strawberry custard. So I did not feel rushed.

He was so chill, I almost regretted not bringing a book and wishing I could spend more time at Tartine with another espresso.

Well, he was not quite that chill

Address

Tartine - 253 West 11th Street, New York on the corner of West 4th. 1, 2, 3 Trains at 14th Street or the 1 Train at Christopher Street - Sheridan Square

Music

Serge Gainsbourg - Sous le soleil exactement

Ah Budapest.

While it has been over 10 years now since I worked in Budapest, there are a couple of strong impressions that came back to mind yesterday.

One is the beauty of the city. The other is how kind, sweet and polite the people were in Budapest.

Plus we had a relaxing sidewalk cafe on a charming, sunny afternoon, early evening.

All of this thanks to Andre’s Café & European Bakery on the Upper East Side. The setting was quite charming. It’s a small cafe, with just a handful of sidewalk seats.

It is a prime location for people-watching, particularly as people are coming home from work.

The bakery selection made choosing a single cake to enjoy a bit difficult. I guess we’ll have to go back to try the chocolate mousse cheesecake.

The espresso was tasty. The atmosphere just downright relaxed.

And the service was incredibly friendly. Yes, it does exist in New York. Not just polite. But genuinely friendly.

And my son seemed to enjoy it as well.

Köszönöm, Andre’s Café.

Address

Andre’s Café & European Bakery - 1631 Second Avenue, New York between 84th and 85th Streets. 4,5,6 Trains at 86th Street.

Music

Serge Gainsbourg - L’anamour

Today was the last Sunday of summer.

What a beauty! Sunny skies, warm but not too hot.

Baby and I were strolling through SoHo. We got some great art photos today. Littered throughout SoHo. Take a look at them on our SohoKind Flickr page.

And we had a cafe at Café Café.

Café Café is in the middle of SoHo on Greene Street, so tucked away a bit. Even more tucked away now that there is construction above it with scaffolding.

Indoor seating only, but two levels providing great balcony seating. We chose a bar stool seat on the top level overlooking the mezzanine below.

There was no music and I loved it. Something about the acoustics of the space over 2 floors turned people’s voices into the ambience of the place. Quite pleasant.

The espresso was enjoyable. Baby was happy.

If we had an hour or two (and if there were not such gorgeous weather outside), it seems like a great place to either chill and read or get some work done on that balcony.

A cafe opera!

Address

Café Café - 470 Broome Street, New York (Entrance on Greene Street). 6 Train at Spring Street, ACE / NQRW Trains at Canal Street.

Music

Serge Gainsbourg - Hold Up