Summertime in Bushwick, means the locals will be barbecuing on the sidewalk, and playing in the hydrants. It's the perfect time to grab some shorts, and run down the street. If the one outside Mckibben isnt going off, one of the other 15 hydrants in the neighborhood will be.

This place has one of the hottest rooms I've ever been in. The combination of barely being able to breathe from the heat to immediately jumping into a freezing murky pool is addictive. There's also a great roof patio for a change of scenery. A good old school New York spot.

Most of the food here is meant to be eaten family-style with everyone sharing all the dishes on the table. Most of these dishes are best when accompanied by rice: Northern and Northeastern Thai dishes with sticky rice, Central and Southern Thai with jasmine rice. In Thailand, only a spoon and fork are used: the spoon to eat with and the fork to push food onto the spoon. We encourage you to try this method as it is the easiest way to eat many of these dishes. Some things are traditionally eaten with the hands such as grilled meat and sticky rice. Please ask your server for guidance if you wish. Chopsticks are normally used only when eating noodles, Vietnamese or Chinese food (they will be supplied if appropriate with a certain dish), however chopsticks are available upon request.

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!

Books are Magic is a great local spot for bookworms. The staff is warm and friendly with regular events happening monthly.