NEW YORK

Not so bueno at Yerba Buena

What can I say, I just was not impressed. Its really seamed like dad wasn’t home so all the kids were at play. With Chef Julian Medina’s name and reputation I expected the food to be much better than it was, at least when I ate at Yerba Buena.

The service was warm and always with a smile, despite the number of requests my table, unfortunately had to make. Only two menus for three people, only 2 knives, having the request dinner sized plates for dinner. Things like that. But, no matter the request or question every person there was warm eyed and kind. Even when I walked out of the bathroom with toilet paper stuck to my shoe, my server noticed and discretely asked me if he could remove it. (how embarrassing…but thank you!)

I did a full tasting of the NYC Restaurant week menu, with the help of two friends and across the board none of us were impressed by what came out of the kitchen. There was a close competition for the worst dish between the Lechon (suckling pig carnitas) and the Causa de Tuna, but the tuna won.

The menu explains the dish as tuna tartar, potato salad, , crispy wanton. The tuna, oh I feel bad for the tuna. It just treated so poorly, it was grey, tough and not properly chopped. The knife skills show here were only adequate for a child. The pieces were uneven, not always cut the whole way through the membranes and the pieces were just way too large to begin with. The “potato salad” was more of a mashed potato. Which is just not what I would ever want with my tuna tartar. I don’t know why it was even on the plate. All it did was take away from the really nice aji Amarillo sauce that was drizzled across the plate. This bright and vibrant South American yellow chili sauce with the watercress was the best part of the dish.

The best dish also a fish dish, Parihuela. Which was explained as “Seafood stew, shrimp, fluke, clams, mussels, ginger, Peruvian corn, roccotto.” Here the shrimp was cooked to perfection, but the muscles and clams were overcooked and chewy and the fluke provided a nice contrast in texture against the other fish and the corn. I found myself searching through the soup for more bits of the unique oversized Peruvian corn pieces. I had a lot of fun eating the dish. The broth was aromatic and strongly flavored with corn, ginger and rocket (popular Peruvian salsa base).

All and all I would try another restaurant of Chef Medina but I will most likely be calling a head to see if he is in the kitchen. I am really hoping that he was not in the kitchen the night I ate at Yerba Buena, but any way you slice it the food was below my expectations and I was disappointed.

One area that I was very happy the Yerba Buena with was the fact that the portions were not huge, and the food was not heavy. I was completely satisfied when it came to all of those aspects of the meal. It was not overly fatty or seamed to be heavy in any sort of butter. There was very little as far as creams and caloric rich foods, yes some of the sauces were not light on calories, but the portions used were great so that I felt as if I could enjoy the whole portion with out the guilt. Who does not love a really great sauce? We can and should all have some wiggle room in our diets for enjoying the scrumptious drizzling, but we should not be be dousing our whole plates in the sauces, thats an easy way to kill a diet.

All and all the restaurant was so close to being great, there were hints of it. For instance, the bar was great. The bartender there really knows how to mix a great concoction. And I call some the drinks that with some love, because you didn’t have to know what you wanted to order, you could just tell him what you like, the flavors and liquor, and presto, a delicious unnamed drink will appear courtesy of the bartender. There were so many hints of great, but they were all muted out by the disappointing aspects of the same bit of the evening.

No, I don’t want to make any changes…The Exchange at the Setai Wall Street

by Jaime Kohl

There is nothing like a nice long lunch to break up the workday. With this years’ restaurant week off to a strong start on such a cold part of this winter, I always look towards some delicious rib sticking warm foods to kick off my first attempt at leisure during the day. The Exchange at the Setail Wall Street stole my heart with a perfectly balanced succulent sunchoke soup. I would go back and eat this soup every day, if they would let me. The soup was finished with a beautiful, herbaceous oil and thyme crème fraíche There were surprising pepper notes throughout bringing the whole bowl into balance. The earth flavors of the sunchoke melded perfectly with the freshness of the other components.

Second course was another root vegetable inspired dish, with beets, celery and horseradish. Oh, but did I forget, there was also a perfectly cut and seared piece of salmon. Only down fall was that I did not have a knife with an edge to pierce the decadent crusting, so that I could leave more of the fish intact when trying to devour it. The table presentation of this dish fit perfectly with the ambiance of the financial district sleek and sophisticated venue. With a simple pour, a vibrant deep red beet broth was poured over the celery and parsnips under the salmon fillet. The open kitchen and wine lined walls make me want to return for a dinner date. But, the lighting was perfect for a business lunch too. There was comfort and room for a closing lunch. (I will be back for one of those.) The lighting was perfect for so that reading could still be done without a strain of the eyes, but for me I would find it too hard to concentrate on the work on not the artfully prepared food.

The final course was a light and fresh citrus layer cake with candied lime zest and blood orange segments. Although there was not a ton of flavor in the cake its self, the texture and finish is what made it artful.

Chef Josh Capone and Pastry Chef Alise Ciucci earned a place in my stomach when I headed back up to my office with my head filled with flavors and stomach as happy and full as could be. The fresh ingredients really had the opportunity to sing on the plates that left the kitchen. Despite the use of ingredients like crème fraíche and butter throughout the meal I was light on my toes, and ready to head down to yoga after work. Which after a big lunch, I am just looking for an excuse to leave my gym bag at the office and head out of the office off to the next meal, no stop at the gym, but here I was energized and ready to go. Although, I did have to ask for a to-go box for the pastries that followed the meal (yes, there was more!), because I could not just abandon a key lime macaron and chocolate meringue star. I made sure these two final sweets found there way home to my stomach, and they were the perfect bite size pick me ups later that afternoon. Who needs coffee any ways?

This was balance at its finest. Clearly the kitchen cooks with the freshest ingredients they can get. Despite my original disappointment when I was handed the menu and the items that I chose for my meal were not there as show on the NYC restaurant week website. I could not have been happier with the food or experience. Between the healthy and not so much ingredients, the creamy and acidic flavor, the whole nine yards. It was just dam good and I cannot wait to eat there again. As the ingredients and cooking techniques evolve with the seasons I am excited to see where the chefs here take it.

Reach out and grab your next job. Literally.

by Chris Rinere

There used to be a time where a person would call about an open job opportunity, ask some job related questions, find out who to send their resume to and then BAM they would MAIL or FAX this information to the appropriate person.

Applying to jobs seems less stressful as there was not a suspiciously large resume blackhole but when can this start happening again? Any day now, any day. I’d love to apply to a job, hear back from a person and one who is not griping about not reaching a sales goal. That, friends, would be the ultimate job searching experience.

Alas, this is not 1982 and the Internet has vastly changed this process forever *dramatic interlude – dun dun DUN*

If you are wondering how to make this process a little less daunting let’s start by tackling your professional social media footprint. What the heck is that?

A professional social media footprint is the links; blog posts; Facebook entries; videos; created images and graphics that shape your professional persona for the rest of the world.

Your professional social media footprint is the most important thing in existence right now. It should pop into your mind every time you consider posting a scathing political rant ripping apart a friend or random online person (s)!

I am going to skip the lecturing on what to post and what is appropriate. While we are all adults, we still like to have our fun but does it always have to end up on the Internet? Unfortunately, if the FBI’s first place to find suspects of accused activity via Facebook, then well, I wonder where hiring managers begin to find their future employees.

[Just be smart. That’s all I ask.]

So this also goes for those of you who may be a photographer/DJ/or person of creative value who MAKES things. Be sure to protect and copyright your material before it ends up on some randos’ website. In fact, I highly recommend creating a website or webportal that will store this information with appropriate watermarks that successfully promote your brand. We will get to that in a later post.

After all that is accomplished, you are ready to start searching. Wait, we forgot a major cog of this whole process. The resume that you will use for the rest of the world to see.

As many of my managers have ever put to me, “there are two times in your life when you are perfect: when you are born and your resume”.

Make that resume count. Keep the resume filled with accomplishments from your jobs and not the responsibilities. Make your resume reflect what YOU have done for your company. And please, PLEASE have someone read it before posting it or sending it out to hiring managers.

Once this feat is accomplished, you are ready.

How to successfully obtain a job opportunity for 2013 and beyond:

1) Use your Audience to stand out. There is only ONE you. In order to get what you want out of your next job, you need to know what you want, and who you are competing with because these are the people who may or may not take your next opportunity right from your dinner plate. THIEVES!!!

If you are a graphic designer, be sure you are the most creative and witty graphic designer out there. You need a plethora of mixed material because I hate to burst that beautiful, bubble but there are so many of you out there that you have to make yourself standout.

2) Know the companies you want as an employer and research employee success stories.

Linkedin and Glassdoor are my favorite web portals for such information.

Linkedin is a professional network that is becoming more and more widely used by companies and job seekers alike and is a great portal for employee recommendations; current job openings; News updates; company success stories; and tons of previous and current employees, who will give you a better idea of what the types of jobs at the company; the type of candidates they hired; etc.

Use it. Now. Create a profile, it’s FREE.

Glassdoor is popular company profile website that gives a deep look into the company personality and how it might fit with your own. There are some instances where companies include what it takes to survive an interview and even the kind of caliber they seek in employees.

3) Network. I cannot say this enough. Utilize professional networks such as Linkedin; Ziggs; and dare I even say it; Facebook. There are many people within your personal network who are out there in the job world who may or may not be able to assist you in finding the right person to talk to about a position you seek.

4) Do not burn bridges. Even if you are meeting people completely outside your professional network and field, you never know who you may encounter who can help you find that ultimate position.

5) Be Bold and reach out to hiring managers. I realize many people are doing this and it is much easier to do than ever before so – a word to the wise here – BUT it could be very helpful in finding out exactly what the top qualities are for the position and what the managers are seeking.

Even if you cannot have your dream job today, there are other positions out there that could propel you forward.

6) Do not give up. Job seeking in itself IS a JOB. Do not think twice that you can slack off and just expect a position to fall onto your laps. True, this MAY happen for some people but for most of us, life is about the effort you put in.

If all else fails, listen to a little Jason Mraz, he might pick you up when you are down.

Don’t Give Up on Us. Jason Mraz is WATCHING. (Source: Youtube)

What did you do to obtain that DREAM job or better yet, your NEXT job? Feel free to share your favorite job seeking memories. Don’t worry, we won’t be applying to YOUR job…although…on second thought 🙂 KIDDING!

Nasty Pig- Edgy meets Fashion (and attractive men)

by Ryan Shea

If you live in New York City or are visiting, there is always the option to go to a variety of amazing clothing stores, both ones on a national level and ones that are local to the greatest city in the world. As great as the national ones are (and not so great) there happens to be one particular store located in the heart of Chelsea that gets it in many ways. What do I mean by it? Eye-catching, edgy, fashion-forward and above all customer service at its best. I am talking about none other than Nasty Pig, which is celebrating its 20th year in business next year.

I started going to this store roughly two years ago when I moved back to New York City from Rhode Island where I went to college. The store is moderately sized yet at the same time doesn’t need to be huge and have a zillion signs to get people to buy their stuff. It speaks for itself with the decor and amazing fashions that they have. I call it “kink meets edgy” because a lot of their clothing can work in a variety of venues yet still have a unique edge to it. They have a fantastic use of color and the pattern work is truly amazing.

The clothing ranges from the norm such a t-shirts, pants, sweaters, etc but it can go into a completely different realm with a variety of jockstraps and rubber gear as well. If you are local to NYC and happen to be going to, oh let’s say Boxers or Gymbar, they will have you covered. At the same time, if you are going to a particular night at the Eagle, they have stuff for that too. It really is versatile and have great pricing at the same time.

Overall, especially coming from someone who worked in customer service for 3 billion years, this store tops in in terms of that aspect. When people think of Chelsea, something that always comes to mind is bad attitudes amongst gay men, which happens to be true to a certain extent. Not in this situation. You are always greeted when you walk through the door and they are always willing to make that extra step and help you out. Go see guys like Jay and Chris for example. You won’t be let down.

Credit goes to Frederick Kerney at Nasty Pig

Dave Hughes, the VP of Marketing and Public Relations at Nasty Pig, had this to say about 2013- “In 2013 Nasty Pig has big plans to keep the serious growth we’ve experienced in the last two years going. At our NYC flagship we’re going to continue to offer our popular Choice Cuts limited edition items, and this year the line will expand to include hyper-limited-edition swimwear; we know that Nasty Pigs all over enjoy their time at the beach, so our swimwear program will also be extended to our wholesale accounts and website customers. Without getting too deep into the details, this spring we will partner with a major NYC-based LGBTQ charity on a project that we hope will raise a lot of money and a lot of awareness for some of our community’s most at-risk members. Additionally, we’re going to follow up the successful launch of our #iamNASTYPIG campaign with new video content throughout the year. And of course we’ll keep releasing plenty of hot gear that gets our customers laid, including our largest Spring/Summer collection ever and plenty of hot new underwear.”

So as stated before, if you are local to the NYC area, go and check it out. If you happen to be far, go on the site. You will not be disappointed.

Nasty Pig

265A West 19th Street

New York City, NY 10011

(212) 691-6067

www.nastypig.com

Max Brenner- Whimsy, unique and freaking delicious

by Ryan Shea

A couple of months back I was introduced to an amazing restaurant based in the heart of Union Square called Max Brenner’s. It boasts itself as a great place for yummy food and a variety of great desserts, most notably chocolate. I went there last week with a good friend of mine, and once again, was not disappointed at all. Even though we went at peak time on a Friday night, we were seated relatively quickly and had some great conversations with our overtly friendly waitress. That was just the beginning and it kept getting better.

I have had my experience with mac n cheese in my entire life. Most of the time it comes from a box and takes a simple ten minutes to make, yet it is still delicious. I decided to go with the Really Cheesy-Really Crunchy Mac N Cheese they have their. It comes with five different cheeses, tomatoes and smoked applewood bacon. When I first laid eyes on it, it was like heaven on a whole other level. The variety of cheeses really explode in your mouth on top of the crunchy bacon and fresh tomatoes. It even comes with a side of marinara sauce, something that I never in my life thought would work for this kind of a dish, but it makes it that much more homier and yummy at the same time. Hands down the best mac n cheese I have ever had in my life.

That is just one part of how decadent this place really is. You can’t finish a good meal like that and not try out the dessert. Just walking in there it feels like you are in Willy Wonka’s world, and it’s one you don’t want to leave. There are chocolate fountains and a variety of every type of candy and chocolate you can possibly imagine. That’s just walking in too! The dessert menu is like the guest list at the Oscar’s, top notch and you know it’s going to be one hell of a treat. From their fondue (YES FONDUE!!!) to unique items like Chocolate Pizza, there is something for everyone in that department (especially this pic which easily satisfied me and my friend).

By the end we were stuffed but beyond satisfied. If you are in Manhattan or are visiting, this is the place to go and have a great time.

Max Brenner
841 Broadway New York, NY 10003
(646) 467-8803

West Coast Versus East Coast Beauty, Can We Say “Porn Industry”?

by Ryan Shea

The AVN Awards Celebrate Their 30th Anniversary

Just this past weekend, The Adult Video News (AVN) Awards celebrated their 30th anniversary in Las Vegas, NV at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. In the heart of Las Vegas, porn stars from all over the country gathered to celebrate their controversial industry. This is not a show we would see happening in the heart of New York City, but AVN calls Las Vegas home. This also holds true for numerous sex conventions including the fact that the actual AVN award ceremony only lasts one night, but the event spans the length of the entire weekend including autographed signings and performances by top porn stars.

In Sin City, average girls change their appearance to hopefully make more money. Fake breasts do not only appeal to exotic industries, but they dominate the female workforce in general. Cocktail waitresses at popular strip hotels will make $17 per/hr, plus tips up to $500 a night! Now one can see why a $5,000 boob job is super appealing to many young females. The high school dropout rate also averages 60% since women how they can make cash and fast. Oh, America.

East Coast Beauty

Ironically in America, beauty is not necessarily in the eye of the beholder. On one side of the country we are more likely to find “natural” models. These girls are usually slender and tall, (unless we are referring to the plus size breed) with stunning facial features. New York City is known for it’s elite models who were born to become successful in their given field. In NYC, less in more, but the west coast, on the contrary is quite different.

West Coast Splendor

Think about the west coast for a minute. In regards to Las Vegas and Los Angeles in particular, beauty is the polar opposite and often times, it actually means fake is more appealing than anything else. Here people confide in top plastic surgeons to give them a look many people only wish to achieve. The likes of breasts implants, lip injections, fake tanning and liposuction are all too popular. Failure to invest in these procedures could either mean a short-lived career or even a lack of one all together. Even women who dream of being models or actresses often find themselves caught up in the porn industry due to its large appeal and high payout rate.

The Reason

The question is, why has fake become popular and real an afterthought?

Could it be because the porn industry is actually more accepting than the modeling industry ever will be? While there are numerous fetishes to be fulfilled in the porn industry, modeling remains close-minded and women need to fit into one of very few boxes.

All-in-all, the west coast is known for attracting young singles, is this why the porn industry truly exploded there?

If you get a chance to see both worlds, or have been active in the modeling or porn world let us know, we would love to hear your opinion.

Islanders Pick Up A Nice W, While The Knicks and Rangers Each Drop One At MSG

by Ed Tierney

There are two professional sports traditions in the New York Metro area every Martin Luther King day. Every MLK day both the New York Islanders and the New York Knicks host matinees as most people are off from work while all are off from school to honor the American Icon. This year it was no different as the Islanders hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Knickerbockers entertained the Brooklyn Nets.

First to the ice.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. David Ullstrom scored early in the third period which would give Islanders a dominant four goal lead, but I will divert to the ole’ adage “it aint over till the fat lady sings”. Tampa Bay would score the next 3 and would

Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves in the victory on the Island

cool off the young crowd at the coliseum. Luckily for their fans the Isles would escape with a narrow victory as mental mistakes and errors, which would lead to crucial penalties, would mar the final few minutes.

Jack Capuano the coach of the Islanders would take part in his first game of the season as he missed Saturday’s opening night as he was hospitalized due to surgery to remove a kidney stone. Michael Grabner, Matt Martin and Kyle Okposo would also light the lamp in addition to Ullstrom. For the Lightning Martin St.Louis, Benoit Pouliot and 2012 NHL scoring leader Steven Stamkos would tally in the loss. Both Teams are 1-1 with 2 points. The Islanders next contest will be Thursday as they head north of the border for a conference matchup vs Toronto.

The afternoon finale on the Hardwood.

The suddenly mediocre New York Knicks hosted the upstart Brooklyn Nets. The Knicks have play once in a week as they traveled across the Atlantic for a game verse Detroit this past Thursday. The Knicks would come into MLK day dropping their previous two MLK contests. Would traveling and jet lag fatigue be a factor?

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: Former All star Joe Johnson made a go-ahead shot with 22 seconds left as his 25 points would lead the Black & White from Brooklyn to a 88-85 over there rivals from Manhattan. In the first year of the Brooklyn Nets they would split the 4 game regular season series. The Knicks who came into the day with a two game division lead had it cut 1 as suddenly they are reeling on their home floor.

Three Nets players would register double doubles including Kris Humphries who was a spark plug off the bench. Carmelo Anthony for the Knicks would drain 29 points but would come up short in the fourth quarter shooting 0-6 from the field. Melo looked tired and drained as his baseline attempt in the final minute looked deflated. Melo would gain separation from the defender and come up with a great look from 12 feet, but looked lethargic in the actual execution. The Knicks are 4-6 in their last ten while Brooklyn is 9-1. It doesn’t get much easier for NYK as they will head to Boston Thursday for a 8pm contest vs the Celtics. Brooklyn is 12-2 since PJ Carlesimo took over as head coach December 27^th.

Joe Johnson Scores a basket with under :30 seconds to play to send Brooklyn back to the 718 with a victory

Injury Report:

Amare Stoudemire (Damaged Knee Tissue Debridement Surgery) would play 27 minutes which is the most he has since complaining of knee soreness on January 7^th. This was Amare’s 8^th contest of the season; in those he has averaged 10.4 PPG while averaging 20.8 minutes.

Iman Shumpert (Torn ACL & Meniscus) scored 2 points and played 20 minutes, which is his limit per game to start. As his season progresses he is expected to extend those minutes based on a timetable and overall comfort. Shumpert’s defense which is his staple is almost on point, which shooting and timing will get better with more playing time.

Sunday (Jan 20)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – With this lockout shortened 48 game season has commenced every day is double as important. The Pittsburgh Penguins have four points and lead the Atlantic Division. On the Flipside the Vegas favorite New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers have zero. With the season being so short, it is never to early to look a head to the post season. When Pascal Dupuis tallied the Penguins fourth goal of the game just 29 minutes into the contest it would chase the reigning Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lunqvist in favor of back up Martin Biron. All en route to a 6-3 Penguins victory. “Personally, it was a tough night,” Lundqvist said. “I don’t really have a good explanation. I just have to keep working hard and try to get better. “I understand the decision. It’s a game where right from the get-go, it felt like the puck was really bouncing my way.”

“I don’t think we’re pushing panic buttons,” said new Rangers addition Rick Nash. “It’s not the start we wanted. We’ve got to get back to work. There are a lot of mistakes out there we have to correct. It’s a short season, so we’ve got to correct them fast.”

Welcome To Manhattan Digest!!

by Ryan Shea

Just wanted to welcome everyone to our new site! On this site you will find the best of everything- from music to movies, fashion to politics, there is something on here that will intrigue your thought process and something that will be memorable the day that you read it. Any opinions and thoughts on our writings is of course welcomed as well as ideas on what you would like to see on the site! We are very excited to bring you the best that we have and are looking forward to a great 2013 with you and the rest of the Manhattan Digest community, so welcome!!!

NEW YORK

The AVN Awards Celebrate Their 30th Anniversary

East Coast Beauty

West Coast Splendor

The Reason

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