New York Survival Guide

Day trips to outer borough must first and foremost start with brunch. Where to go and where to take your madre this Sunday (um, it’s mother’s day!)? Courtyards, mimosas, and cuteness are on the menu.

My pick numero uno is Le Petite Cafe in Carroll Gardens. The ambiance in the courtyard (yes, it’s the place with the tree and water fountain) is beautiful, especially for mom. Their brunch menu isn’t anything particularly wonderful, so if mom is a food snob, you might want to choose something a bit more upscale. La Petit Cafe has great french toast and wonderful omelet selection. The service can be a bit slow, but you hardly notice as you’re focused on the atmosphere. Adorable.

Buttermilk Channel lends itself to food snobs. Also in Carroll Gardens, Buttermilk is known for warm sour cream donuts that taste similar to funnel cake, out of this work bloody marys – think rosemary-infused vodka – and short rib hash that makes my mouth water just thinking of it. The service is divine if you don’t mind feeling a teeny bit rushed out.  Buttermilk has a separate vegetarian menu if that’s your fancy and Court Street makes for a wonderful Sunday walk with mom.

For lingering atmosphere or upscale brunch, you can’t really go wrong with either Carroll Gardens spot. And both are reasonably priced so as not to break the bank on Mother’s Day.

Emma Dinzebach

You wouldn’t think twice about spending $200 on a pair of jeans, especially if they make your butt look amazing. Most of us even spend up to $100 on work out pants. Pants we sweat in. But when it comes to our haircuts, we are forever looking for the best cut for the cheapest price.

But why really? It’s our hair. We wear it every single day. Not to be melodramatic, but it pretty much makes or breaks our intended look. Our hair says something to the world. “I am soft and sweet.” “I am fearless.” “I am funkified, so watch out!” Hair rocks. Hair rolls. Hair is there to stay. So let go of your death grip, and start treating your hair like you treat your derriere.

The average American woman has her locks trimmed every eight to ten weeks, that’s 5-6 times per year. At $100 a pop, that’s $600 per year. You might spend that much on one bag or one pair of shoes that you wear three times. It is better invested on your head, the topper of your outfit. To list the great salons in the city would be laboriously long, so I have a few short guidelines.

1) Going to the celebrity stylist isn’t necessary. You don’t need highlights that will photograph beautifully on the red carpet, and there are great stylists that don’t charge $600 for them. You should be able to find a hundred dollar haircut that you love.

2) Ask. Ask. Ask. If you see a woman’s hair you love, just ask. Remember, you wear it everyday. You may as well get it right. Plus, you will make her day. Hair karma is good karma.

3) Never be lured by those guys on the streets who ask where you get your haircut. If there salon was really reputable, they wouldn’t have to solicit tourists – or you – off the street.

4) Utilize their services. If they offer to trim your bangs three or four weeks out, go get your bangs trimmed. Your style will last longer, and you will feel immensely better about the price. You paid for it!

Still can’t decide where to go? We like Laicale in Soho, Sam Brocato on Wooster, and Soon Beauty Lab with locations in both the East Village and Chelsea.

Emma Dinzebach

“Then he asked if we could still be friendly. So I think we are set to have a drink,” explained my friend on the phone last night. She just pseudo broke up with her pseudo boyfriend of just a few months. The past few days she has been sad over the pseudo break up but also because she is sick of having the break-up talk. Another round of break-up talks means she soon has to re-emerge on the big bad city dating market, but not before the awkward post-break up follow-up talk.Because they had so many mutual friends, a conversation was in order. I’ve had these conversations on numerous occasions, usually for the guy’s benefit as I normally could care less if I see you with your new girlfriend. If I were meant to be your girlfriend, I would be. Some people, my aforementioned friend included, think that because they have mutual friends they have to be friends. Plans to meet for drinks and friendly back-and-forth emails ensue.

So this is the thing, if these are empty promises intended to lighten the break-up blow, then fine. I mean, I don’t make them, but if you want to play pretend, it’s all fine. However, if you actually plan to meet up and have a drink with him, pretend like last time you did so you didn’t go home and romp, then you might need a mini wake up call. Remember how you wanted to tone your arms, read Man In Full, organize the shoes in your oven, learn to use your oven, go to yoga, catch up with your college bio lab partner? Well you are not going to accomplish any of those things going to have drinks with someone who doesn’t want to be your boyfriend.

Let me repeat that: You accomplish nothing, nada, zilch spending time with someone who doesn’t want to be with you or you don’t want to be with. For all of the dating mistakes I make, I don’t do the “let’s be friends” thing unless there was a truly solid friendship before said “relationship.” I have plenty of friends thankyouverymuch. Friends enrich our souls, make us laugh, push us to grow and mine bring pints of frozen yogurt rather than ice cream because they know that when I feel better I won’t want to be fat. Until you say “I Do,” friends are more important than dudes you date. And even after “I Do,” YOU are the most important priority in your life and making sure that you are growing to your personal potential comes before all the rest. Having drinks with some lame ex whatever-he-was is counterproductive to this growth.

By all means, be friendly, but kindly decline set plans. “Oh I would love to but I can’t Tuesday, I have plans.” Because you do have plans…with your yoga mat. You are strong enough to make choices that fuel your fire and allow you to burn brightly and smart enough to start making those choices now.

Emma Dinzebach

On a rainy afternoon last week, I went on a Williamsburg adventure ending in a delicious drink at the apparently wildly popular (how was I supposed to know!) Hotel Delmano. Hotel Delmano is not a hotel. I know, tricky, right? The unassuming spot on Berry Street serves creative cocktails and small plates for regular prices. They have a real record player…and use it! The Tuesday afternoon I popped in, they played sing-songy jazz and chatted with patrons.

The menu looked so divine, I could hardly decide what to order, so I had the bartender pick his favorites. “Well, I also have my own creation – the Russian Riviera,” he said. The Russian Riviera is vodka, champagne, lime and maple syrup. I was weary of the maple syrup, but I’m a sucker for bubbly. The sweetness of the syrup was adequately muted by the alcohol, and the combination tasted divine. My brother tried the Three Amigos – Patron, Bloody Mary mix, and Tecate. You drink it in that order, which sounds unsophisticated, but tastes quite good. Hotel Delmano’s menu also includes a delicious elderflower vodka drink and more mixtures than I can write in three to four hundred words.

Our stop was the best way to end an afternoon of vintage clothes shopping and record browsing in the BK. And even if I’m not in the mood for vintage clothes again soon, I might take the L Train for a cocktail…if you can fathom.

Hotel Delmano   82 Berry St. between 8th & 9th Williamsburg, Brooklyn  718.387.1945

Emma Dinzebach