I attended a little gathering at
La Esquina Friday night and I was once again reminded as to why it is one of my favorite restaurants if not my all time favorite. Mexican food usually isn't known as a healthy culinary choice but the food at La Esquina is always fresh and light and delicious. And the prices aren't bad either. The restaurant's original claim to fame was that you had to traipse through the kitchen to get to the dining room but luckily the food has kept the place from turning into a flash in the pan like many New York hot spots. Unfortunately, reservations are hard to come by and are worth scheduling a month in advance but if you can't wait that long, you can eat at the Taqueria or the recently opened Cafe upstairs.
The reason for the gathering was an industry insider's decision to open her own studio, more on that after the formal announcement, but I also met a few other people who had taken that scary leap of faith to start their own companies. If there is a silver lining to this grey economic cloud, I think it will be that more people decide to open their own companies or go out on their own as a designer. I encourage those of you who are thinking about working for yourself to lay the groundwork now while you are still working elsewhere. It makes things a heck of a lot easier and if you do find yourself in the unfortunate position of getting laid off, you will be one step ahead!
114 Kenmare Street
New York, NY 10012
646-613-7100
I mentioned before that The Lion is the hot restaurant du jour since its chef John DeLucie formerly worked at The Waverly Inn. While neither place is going to win any culinary awards, The Lion might just win some design awards. It has an old school New York vibe and tons of fabulous vintage photos on its walls hung gallery style with a Basquiat and a LaChapelle. Designer Meg Sharpe apparently used to work for Kelly Wearstler and wanted The Lion to look “a little Miss Havisham.” I wish more restaurants in New York looked this cool! Enjoy!
