The Home Depot is one of the first things I saw when the taxi brought me at the place where I live now in NYC. I am renting a room in an old feather factory, which the owner build into a very cozy loft with rooms, common places and studios over the last 12 years. The Home Depot is a massive construction store, one of the leading ones in the US if you can say something like that about construction stores...You ll find them everywhere in the states as well as in my backyard and you can even follow them on Facebook. In general everybody in Bed Stuy complains about the Home Depot, because the employees are grumpy, lazy and never know anything when you ask them for something.

It’s the child of the Russ & Daughters deli NYC institution 

It starts when a friend implores you to eat downstairs at La Esquina, the subterranean brasserie branch of Derek Sanders's Mexican axis of Kenmare Street. The food’s cheaper and probably better at the walk-in-only cafe around the corner from the restaurant’s entrance—a door disguised by a taqueria counter and a sign that reads “Employees Only”—but there’s a certain category of New Yorker who thrives on having what others don’t. A reservationist will ask you if you’ve “dined with us before,” and in general, it takes knowing someone in the industry, smooth talking, or (velvet-rope flashback) looking good and confident at the door, to waltz in at prime time. The reward is dining in a Mexican dungeon as styled for a Vogue shoot, complete with metalwork, distressed stone walls, and water dripping on the back of your neck (though the owners can probably thank the air conditioner for the added atmospherics). Making up the grinning crowd at secluded booths and in private cells (?): a healthy mix of models, cougars, and maybe John Mayer picking his way through red snapper ceviche, cauliflower and avocado taquitos, grilled octopus tostados, or a plate of tuna tartare with a tamarind glaze. If the food sounds light, you’re right; it’s playing to the delicious crowd.  This is, what "The New Yorker" wrote about this fantastic place!

When I have a bit of money I like to go there with friends to celebrate our happiness and miseries.

Karasu is our neighborhood go to for a chill date. It's a cozy, well-lit space with excellent cocktails and a small Japanese menu. The tonkatsu is amazing, and perfect for sharing because nothing says romance like a fried pork cutlet.