Day 3 in NYC. The entirety of the day was spent downtown. We took the subway down to Soho specifically to have brunch at Jack's Wife Freda, which has phenomenal reviews and has had consistently good ratings for years.
If the line-up out the door on a Friday afternoon is any indication, Jack's Wife Freda is constantly busy. They don't take reservations but there's a pretty high turnover so we managed to get a table within 15 minutes. It's actually quite a small space that is crammed with tables to accommodate more people, but we ended up getting a corner booth, so it felt cozy rather than cramped. A latte and fresh cantaloupe juice to start, and three dishes to share: the Green Shakshuka, two baked eggs in a green tomatillo shakshuka served with challah toast (they offer extra toast on the house to sop up any remaining shakshuka); the Madame Freda, a pressed sandwich with duck prosciutto, cheddar béchamel, gruyère, and a sunny side up egg; and the Rosewater Waffle, which is topped with Lebanese yogurt, mixed berries, and rose-infused honey syrup. The Madame Freda is the must-have here, in my opinion (it just has that perfect combination of flavours and textures that makes it addictive and just a pure pleasure to eat), but honestly, everything was incredibly delicious. You can't really go wrong with anything here; it's a restaurant that deserves its ratings.
Obviously, as we were in Soho, we had to do some shopping. First things first, I had to stop by the Fresh store. Sephora stopped carrying the 100ml size of my beloved Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum (trust me, on top of several stores in Toronto as well as online, I checked five different locations within Manhattan, too), so it's now exclusive to the Fresh boutiques, of which there are none in Canada. The one in Soho is actually the Fresh Beauty Kitchen (you can read up on their concept here that sets it apart from regular Fresh stores), but I just went in there for the perfumes. I stocked up on two 100ml bottles of my usual Sugar Lychee (it's been my ride-or-die for a decade), a 100ml bottle of Hesperides Grapefruit, and a 30ml bottle of their brand new Rose Morning (the freshest and least cloying rose fragrance I have ever smelled — truly gorgeous). Also picked up a tube of their Sugar Honey Lip Treatment on a whim. Because we were spending so much, we got a gift with purchase (a leather pouch with deluxe skincare samples) that our sales associate stuffed to the brim with even more samples and mini lip balms. An overall extremely pleasant experience here, in a gorgeous store to boot.
We were walking by a store called DNA Footwear and Chelsea saw a pair of shoes in the window that she wanted to try on, so we went in to browse. We came back out 30 minutes later, both having bought these boot sneakers (Chelsea forgot about the shoes she originally went in for). I like the style of Doc Martens and combat boots in general but I find them uncomfortable to walk in; these ones are kind of like combat boots meets Converse so they're made with a fabric canvas and are super comfortable. Basically, I'm obsessed with them.
We walked over to Broadway to check out the major stores like Bloomingdale's and Uniqlo when we saw this huge Origins pop-up store to promote their new Blooming Lips ranges. They literally opened to the public just several hours before we got there. This marks Origins' foray back into colour cosmetics, and they've launched two different formulas: the Blooming Bold Lipstick and the Blooming Sheer Lip Balm. They're both made with flowers, and the purpose of the pop-up store — which looks like a floral wonderland with its rose-petal ceilings and walls made of green shrubbery — is specifically designed to showcase exactly how flowers were incorporated into making these lipsticks. In fact, each tube contains the power of 12 flowers, using ingredients from seed to stem, and they explain how these flowers have made these lipsticks incredibly smooth, creamy, and ultra-hydrating. I ended up breaking my makeup ban — the first time in 2018! — to get a tube each of the Blooming Bold Lipstick in Sweeter Than Honey and the Blooming Sheer Lip Balm in Honey Blush because they were just way too lovely to resist. But I'm on vacation, so it doesn't count, right?
We walked around some more and stopped by Ladurée for some macarons. Of course, we now have Ladurée in Toronto, but I go to Yorkdale as much as I go to NYC (that is, once a year), so I decided to go in to get some 'cause we were walking by it, anyway. My picks this time were peach, blackcurrant violet, raspberry, black tea, passion fruit, and the usual suspects, pistachio, salted caramel, and lemon. Honestly, no matter where you are in the world, you can't go wrong with the macarons at Ladurée. They're always consistent with their quality.
Pizza for dinner at Kesté. I've been wanting to try it out since going to their sister restaurant, Don Antonio, a couple years ago. Now, Kesté serves Neapolitan pizza as opposed to New York pizza, so if you're looking for New York slices, this isn't it. But Neapolitan is my personal favourite, because I prefer a plusher, chewier crust, fresh mozzarella (as opposed to shredded), and a less greasy surface. We decided to share two pies: the Diavola with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, hot sopressata, basil, and extra virgin olive oil; and the Pizza Del Re with truffle cream, fresh mozzarella, assorted mushrooms, prosciutto de Parma, basil, and extra virgin olive oil. This might be a little controversial to say, but I gotta say: Kesté makes the best pizza I have ever eaten in my life. (I have eaten pizza in various restaurants in Italy, but I was 11 so I don't remember most of it and thus it doesn't count.) It's somewhat bittersweet because I know nothing at home can compete with it. It will really be a quest to find a pizza in Toronto that gives me the same satisfaction as Kesté's.
After eating the most delicious pizzas we've ever had in our lives, we walked down the street to Big Gay Ice Cream for dessert. There was a fairly big line-up going out the door, but it went by pretty quickly. Chelsea and I both decided on the Salty Pimp: vanilla soft serve piped with dulce de leche, sprinkled with sea salt, and then dipped in chocolate. Truly the perfect ending to our day.
Jack's Wife Freda
224 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 510-8550
Fresh Beauty Kitchen
265 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 925-0099
DNA Footwear Soho
273 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 966-2869
Ladurée Soho
398 W Broadway
New York, NY 10012
(646) 392-7868
Kesté
271 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-1500
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
61 Grove Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 414-0222
If the line-up out the door on a Friday afternoon is any indication, Jack's Wife Freda is constantly busy. They don't take reservations but there's a pretty high turnover so we managed to get a table within 15 minutes. It's actually quite a small space that is crammed with tables to accommodate more people, but we ended up getting a corner booth, so it felt cozy rather than cramped. A latte and fresh cantaloupe juice to start, and three dishes to share: the Green Shakshuka, two baked eggs in a green tomatillo shakshuka served with challah toast (they offer extra toast on the house to sop up any remaining shakshuka); the Madame Freda, a pressed sandwich with duck prosciutto, cheddar béchamel, gruyère, and a sunny side up egg; and the Rosewater Waffle, which is topped with Lebanese yogurt, mixed berries, and rose-infused honey syrup. The Madame Freda is the must-have here, in my opinion (it just has that perfect combination of flavours and textures that makes it addictive and just a pure pleasure to eat), but honestly, everything was incredibly delicious. You can't really go wrong with anything here; it's a restaurant that deserves its ratings.
Obviously, as we were in Soho, we had to do some shopping. First things first, I had to stop by the Fresh store. Sephora stopped carrying the 100ml size of my beloved Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum (trust me, on top of several stores in Toronto as well as online, I checked five different locations within Manhattan, too), so it's now exclusive to the Fresh boutiques, of which there are none in Canada. The one in Soho is actually the Fresh Beauty Kitchen (you can read up on their concept here that sets it apart from regular Fresh stores), but I just went in there for the perfumes. I stocked up on two 100ml bottles of my usual Sugar Lychee (it's been my ride-or-die for a decade), a 100ml bottle of Hesperides Grapefruit, and a 30ml bottle of their brand new Rose Morning (the freshest and least cloying rose fragrance I have ever smelled — truly gorgeous). Also picked up a tube of their Sugar Honey Lip Treatment on a whim. Because we were spending so much, we got a gift with purchase (a leather pouch with deluxe skincare samples) that our sales associate stuffed to the brim with even more samples and mini lip balms. An overall extremely pleasant experience here, in a gorgeous store to boot.
We were walking by a store called DNA Footwear and Chelsea saw a pair of shoes in the window that she wanted to try on, so we went in to browse. We came back out 30 minutes later, both having bought these boot sneakers (Chelsea forgot about the shoes she originally went in for). I like the style of Doc Martens and combat boots in general but I find them uncomfortable to walk in; these ones are kind of like combat boots meets Converse so they're made with a fabric canvas and are super comfortable. Basically, I'm obsessed with them.
We walked over to Broadway to check out the major stores like Bloomingdale's and Uniqlo when we saw this huge Origins pop-up store to promote their new Blooming Lips ranges. They literally opened to the public just several hours before we got there. This marks Origins' foray back into colour cosmetics, and they've launched two different formulas: the Blooming Bold Lipstick and the Blooming Sheer Lip Balm. They're both made with flowers, and the purpose of the pop-up store — which looks like a floral wonderland with its rose-petal ceilings and walls made of green shrubbery — is specifically designed to showcase exactly how flowers were incorporated into making these lipsticks. In fact, each tube contains the power of 12 flowers, using ingredients from seed to stem, and they explain how these flowers have made these lipsticks incredibly smooth, creamy, and ultra-hydrating. I ended up breaking my makeup ban — the first time in 2018! — to get a tube each of the Blooming Bold Lipstick in Sweeter Than Honey and the Blooming Sheer Lip Balm in Honey Blush because they were just way too lovely to resist. But I'm on vacation, so it doesn't count, right?
We walked around some more and stopped by Ladurée for some macarons. Of course, we now have Ladurée in Toronto, but I go to Yorkdale as much as I go to NYC (that is, once a year), so I decided to go in to get some 'cause we were walking by it, anyway. My picks this time were peach, blackcurrant violet, raspberry, black tea, passion fruit, and the usual suspects, pistachio, salted caramel, and lemon. Honestly, no matter where you are in the world, you can't go wrong with the macarons at Ladurée. They're always consistent with their quality.
Pizza for dinner at Kesté. I've been wanting to try it out since going to their sister restaurant, Don Antonio, a couple years ago. Now, Kesté serves Neapolitan pizza as opposed to New York pizza, so if you're looking for New York slices, this isn't it. But Neapolitan is my personal favourite, because I prefer a plusher, chewier crust, fresh mozzarella (as opposed to shredded), and a less greasy surface. We decided to share two pies: the Diavola with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, hot sopressata, basil, and extra virgin olive oil; and the Pizza Del Re with truffle cream, fresh mozzarella, assorted mushrooms, prosciutto de Parma, basil, and extra virgin olive oil. This might be a little controversial to say, but I gotta say: Kesté makes the best pizza I have ever eaten in my life. (I have eaten pizza in various restaurants in Italy, but I was 11 so I don't remember most of it and thus it doesn't count.) It's somewhat bittersweet because I know nothing at home can compete with it. It will really be a quest to find a pizza in Toronto that gives me the same satisfaction as Kesté's.
After eating the most delicious pizzas we've ever had in our lives, we walked down the street to Big Gay Ice Cream for dessert. There was a fairly big line-up going out the door, but it went by pretty quickly. Chelsea and I both decided on the Salty Pimp: vanilla soft serve piped with dulce de leche, sprinkled with sea salt, and then dipped in chocolate. Truly the perfect ending to our day.
Jack's Wife Freda
224 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 510-8550
Fresh Beauty Kitchen
265 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 925-0099
DNA Footwear Soho
273 Lafayette Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 966-2869
Ladurée Soho
398 W Broadway
New York, NY 10012
(646) 392-7868
Kesté
271 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-1500
Big Gay Ice Cream Shop
61 Grove Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 414-0222
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