Cafe Crumbs: Vol 4

A little heart to heart with a side of cheetah print hotel rooms, my favorite (sweaty) Paris meals, and my most colorful dinner party yet

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I’ve wanted to do just about everything other than write lately, which, some of you (not sure how MANY of you are [fairly] keeping score?) on my lack of words produced in the last month. I could keep making a list of excuses- most are valid and inclusive of the fact that I was out of the country for the last two or so weeks, but in reality I just…keep getting slightly cold feet from Substack….like…lukewarm feet…

Are you guys mad at me?

I built this community around restaurant recommendations, which sometimes feels organically hard to keep up with when you’re hosting dinner parties, traveling, work for a tech startup, and are grappling with the fact that most ideas and topics I’m find myself adding to my notes app after the shower don’t always include the hottest new tables.

Look- I’ve decided in this era of Crumbs that I still want to preserve my newsletter mainly recommendations, because creating special guides, lists, and subsequently, feelings around those recommendations for my readers in this community is everlasting on my scale of what is near and dear, BUT because hosting, entertaining, and creating my own dining experiences have become such a solid part of the community I’m attempting to build, you might see some hosting/design/(and even travel) content popping up here and there that doesn’t fall within the county lines of restaurant recommendations. You also might see a few personal essays that talk about the trials and tribulations of just being in your 20s in New York.

Like- yknow when musicians do that thing though where they make that album and try something new and every listener yearns for the old stuff. That’s always the scary thing when straying from the classic topics, even as a writer.

The broader topic of taking PTO when a large majority of your job is social media and/or working somewhat for yourself is also one that I always want thoughts on. Some may argue your busiest time is when you’re traveling and cherry picking the best restaurants, hotels, and moments for your readers and audience. Some might argue that time off means time off, no matter what. My friends and family certainly have differing ideas of this, some telling me, “you need to really disconnect for your own mental state and relationships”, and (honestly) most encouraging me to document every last shareable moment.

There are pros and cons to both, and I am certainly learning (sometimes the hard way over a stray argument or two with my boyfriend or sister waiting to eat a meal that I’m capturing at every angle and pose), and the best I can really do is just be honest with my readers.

So- here’s to defrosting my cold Substack feet and broadening my so called ‘niche’ (knowing I’ll probably see my subscriber count drop below freezing when doing so), but also making things mostly freeform, less curated, and more community driven as we go into our final 6 months of the year, really trying to get back to that paradise that I used to call a cup of very strong coffee and a free Sunday to do nothing but write.

Thanks for sticking with me!

And now, in completely other news….

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Crumbs Card Winner of the Week!

Our Crumbs Card winner this week is at The Nines (randomly recommended twice in the last 3 weeks and always a vibe) for reader Sara Pirzada as a thank you for their thoughtful recommendations to the chat <3

As mentioned in my first article, look out for a dining buddy pair in your inbox to enjoy this with :) - totally optional and always confidential unless you decide to be connected

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Crumbs Community Chat- bi-weekly recommendations

My favorite threads, summarized from your incredible crowdsourced recommendations! All of these will also be living in a searchable tool to be accessed 24/7 very soon on my paid members hub on my website!

Strong a** coffee in downtown Manhattan: Qahwah House · Phê · Olive’s · Le Gaz · St. Jardim · Partners · Abraço

Prospect Lefferts Gardens recs (new to the neighborhood): Arden · Brooklyn Botanic Garden · Scottadito Osteria Toscana · Ix · Hamlet Coffee · Bomberino · De Hot Pot · Cinnamon Girl

Solo weekday lunch near Prospect Park: Cafe Mado · Lincoln Station · Vato · Radio Bakery · Leland Eating and Drinking House · Cafe Madeleine · Atelier December

Good restaurant near Hudson Yards / Hudson Square for work lunch: Kiko · Altro Paradiso · Port Sa’id · Papa San · Ci Siamo · Estiatorio Milos · Peak · Greywind

Best matcha spots in the city: Kijitora · Choji · Park at Kim’s · Matcha 108 · Kettl · Remi Flower & Coffee · Rhythm Zero · Brooklyn Ball Factory · 12 Matcha · Le Gaz · Sorate

Fave restaurants on the Upper East Side: Lincontro by Rocco · Uva · Soledad · Hoexter’s · Flex Mussels · Cafe August · Lyly Vietnam Cookhouse · Cafe Commerce · Avra · Pil Pil · EJ’s

Fancier Monday lunch with cocktail/wine vibes (downtown): Anton’s · Zimmi’s · Carbone · Wild Cherry · Sartiano’s · American Bar · Manuela · Altro Paradiso · Saint Ambroeus · Champers Social Club · Golden Swan

Best breakfast burritos: Border Town · Animo · Son del North · Tacos No. 1 · Ceremonia Bakeshop · Ursula · Santa Fe · The Elk · Vato · Best Damn Breakfast Burrito · Croft Alley · Llama Inn · Think Coffee · Blue Light Speakcheesy

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My personal picks- Current (random) hyperfixations + recs: EUROPE EDITION!!!!

1. Casa Lawa- I quite literally went to adult summer camp and stayed at one of my dream hotels in Sicily, Casa Lawa! I certainly have a whole piece on this coming because it was unlike any place or concept I have ever experienced, which is honestly saying a lot from someone who loves to travel and spend money on cool restaurants and experiences.

2. Hotel Particulier- Ok how was I lucky enough to ALSO stay in my dream hotel in Paris??? Like yes, my room was entirely cheetah print, but everything about my experience here was ambient. The best surround-sound speaker system in our personal room, the sounds of the chickens and birds on the property calmly waking us up, the rustling of the trees in the slight (and needed) wind tunnel that staying in only Montmartre could create. It was private, decadent, and somewhere I would recommend 50 times over.

   

   

3. Le Bourse Et La Vie- The best steak au poivre I have had in Paris YET. I love SAP but the cut of meat is always a little bit chewy and this one absolutely melted in my mouth. A Kaitlyn Lavery rec, of course.