When you think of NYC, you know what to avoid, lonely alleyways make it to the top of that list.

When I spotted a chalkboard sign yesterday in the East Village, I thought I was walking into a trap, a trick of some sort. But curiosity overcame my fear and training not to enter lonesome alleys. And I was rewarded deliciously.

I had walked into Bespoke Chocolates. Immediately, I was caught in a cocoa infused spell. I asked if they had vegan chocolates and they had all of 2 options. I was not complaining. I was looking to put that smell into my mouth and cherish it.

I had the hazelnut praline and also bought a dark chocolate covered pretzel. Apparently, I’m not the first to sneak into this alleyway.

Located between Bowery and 2nd avenue, at 6 Extra Place, Bespoke is the brainchild of Rachel Zoe Insler; a chocolatier with some history in the business. The folks I spoke with assured me that there are even more vegan options on their way. Exciting!

So I learned 2 things yesterday.

1. It pays to take the path less traveled on (as this was not my usual walk)
2. Alleyways are not always spooky.

Thank you Bespoke for returning my faith into chalkboard signs and dark alleyways and for treating me to an absolutely delicious treat.

Stewart Parnell; the peanut contaminating CEO

Trying to eat healthier and with a more holistic approach, I was advised by my counselor yesterday to find some whole wheat toast and peanut butter. Done (is what I thought). But I was not aware that the salmonella spread has affected nearly every Guy & Gallard, corner generic deli of New York and major stores.

I went downstairs and failed to find peanut butter at two large locations. If they don’t have peanut butter, what is the hope for the future?

The reason the scarcity of the peanut butter was shocking to me, in particular, was because I had purchased the “grind it yourself” fresh peanut butter from Whole Foods prior to, during and after the salmonella scare at Whole Foods. Their stock clearly stated that the batch of peanuts they have was not affected by the salmonella stained ones.

I did not check Duane Reade, but I wonder if even they have stopped selling anything containing peanuts to avoid a lawsuit. All I know is that I hope peanuts make a come back in NYC because I miss them dearly.

But it seems that as soon as yesterday that even MORE PEANUT RECALLS are hitting the street.

Sigh.

MoMA was buzzing yesterday. We went to see the Vik Muniz Artist’s Choice exhibit. Artist’s Choice is a program at the Modern that allows an artist to take on the role of curator and select works from the museum’s collection for an exhibit. Muniz chose the organizing principle of a rebus– ” a puzzle in which unrelated visual and linguistic elements create a larger deductive meaning,” according the MoMA brochure.

Over 80 works by Joseph Beuys, Andy Warhol, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, William Wegman, Tony Oursler, Gordon Matta-Clark, Martin Kippenberger, John Baldessari, Nan Goldin, Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Eugène Atget, Massimo Vignelli, Dieter Rams, Edward Ruscha, Sigmar Polke and others are included.

Later on, it was off to Williamsburg for dinner at Walter Foods– a deliberately anti-Oscar activity. It was empty when we arrived around 7:30 PM, but diners slowly trickled in, other Academy Awards ignore-ers that seemed to share a bond of cheery indifference for the glitzy trappings of Tinseltown, and when we left almost three hours later the place was about 3/4 full.

For those of like minds when it comes to awards shows, Meghan Daum, one of the very few reasons remaining to read the LA Times, weighs in with her anti-Oscars lifestyle.

Photo: Walter Foods, Williamsburg; by CP

My friend Maryanne loves food. She always makes food for her friends and loves going out to restaurants and eating stuff. When her Facebook, Gmail and all other “away” or “status” messages started talking about Momofuku Ko, I was confused. Why is she talking about this restaurant? What is so special about it that she’s as excited as I would have been if I went to the final Conan O’Brien taping at 30 Rock.

Well, what I’ve said time and again to my clients is that marketing is all about setting up a mystery and creating an experience. What Momofuku does is it creates a ritual to attend a meal. With only 12 bar stools available for seating and charging $100 for dinner and $160 for lunch; their online reservation system reflects an experience that is a little more complicated than booking a flight online. All of these aspects will make anyone against the whole snooty culinary scene twitch with anger – but for fans like my friend Maryanne – this is the ultimate reward.

Unfortunately, the restaurant seems as though it would not be friendly to vegetarians – one of their specialities is an animal-cruelty nightmare; foie gras shavings.

But this restaurant shows that certain businesses will continue to do well, despite the economic hardship.

It will be interesting to see if the proposed boycott of Israeli products goes through at the Park Slope Food Co-Op. Read this article in CrownHeights.info for the full story. New York City’s largest and longest-established food co-op is frequented by various segments of the population, both Jewish and non-Jewish. And among Jews, shoppers run the gamut from Orthodox and Hasidic to Reform and even non-observant secular Jews.

It is not unusual for the co-op to take a political stand, reflecting the tradition of the community in which it is situated. This latest proposal would be in protest of Israel’s recent activities in Gaza.

Persimmons are one of the products from Israel sold at the Park Slope Food Co-op

The note below was sent to me by Gramstand today. I went there and took memorable photos, videos and conducted business. The place was very packed a lot of the time. It just goes to show you that times are tough.

I wish them tons of luck and love for the future.

Dear Friends and Customers,

The Gramstand is closing today and will host a farewell garage sale through the day. Please do stop by and purchase some odds and ends from us. We apologize for the short notice, but it was short notice for us as well.

Due to the rising cost of doing business and an overwhelming financial situation, the Gramstand has been forced to close it’s doors. Nearly five years ago, the Gramstand began serving customers by selling grams as a tiny, closet-sized stand in the Gramercy area. Less than three years ago, we moved to the East Village and began to bud. This past summer, attempts to expand at a new Upper East Side location, exacerbated our crunch and stunted our growth.

We are hopefully that there is a future for the Gramstand and would like to keep you posted on our evolution. The Gramstand staff has become very attatched to our community of patrons and supporters and we appreciate all the passionate, save-the-store responses. We cannot thank you enough for supporting us. And whatever our future is, we promise to keep building chill spaces that attract good people. Please look to our emails and website (www.gramstand.com) for updates.

Hope to see you today for the sale!  We got mini-fridges, counters, tables, chairs, coffee tables, speakers, glass-ware, jasmine soap, etcha-sketches and lots of wicker among other things. So come buy or just say hi!

Since I’m one of those people that likes to find new places to eat and drink, I subscribe to sites like Rare Daily, Thrillist, Urban Daddy, etc. to help me along.

Sadly, they review these places so early on that it’s hard to get a feel of what the place is really like. For me, it’s more about the entire experience than the food alone. After my recent visit to Via dei Mille, I was not only disappointed in the sites that I so often count on, but the service at the restaurant as well.

I set up a dinner for a friends birthday and because she wanted to wear the Tadashi dress that she won at the silent auction when we attended the GMHC Fashion Forward Event (I got to play spokes model for Hanne Apparel that night), I thought we should go someplace a little dressy. That’s when I consulted New York Magazine, Thrillist and Rare Daily and found Via dei Mille.

Here’s where they went wrong… and right. I don’t want to be completely unfair.
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I’ve lived in NYC now for practically my entire adult life and sometimes it’s difficult to find my way. While Google maps makes things a bit easier with its new features, I still find that by following directions, I’ll get lost.

As an example, it took me 1 year to find 9th street Espresso. I know, how hard could it be to find an espresso shop whose name itself tells you the location? I have no idea. I’m slow and I looked in every single direction except for the right one when trying to find the shop.

I accidentally bumped into mondomaps yesterday while trying to find the name of a restaurant in Curry Hill. We were search for Tiffin Wallah—but their Web site is not listed on mondomaps. But a bunch of others are and the way it is linked up is very helpful. I don’t know if they update the site and if so, how often…I definitely see some missing information. But I’m always looking for new tools to find my way around the city, so I thought I’d share. Here’s a link to all of Chelsea’s art galleries. This one particularly excited me because I rarely know where all the great art in NYC is and I’m definitely going to check them out now using the data from the map.

Enjoy discovering.

A friend of mine and I were given tickets to the Knicks game last night. Yes, I know… they suck, but I’d be silly to turn down a night where I am going to be in a stadium full of men!

After the game was over, we stopped by Stout for one last drink. That’s when Jay and his friend Kevin came by to chat us up.

Kevin was fine, but this is the Top 10 list of things that Jay did and what you guys should avoid:

1. Keep the comments about her legs to yourself. You JUST met her. Tone it down unless she’s flirting with you and purposely showing off her legs.
2. When you “think” you’ve said something clever, don’t hold up your hand to give her the fist bump. It’s just as bad as the high five and trust me… you’re not all that clever.
3. If she lives in NYC and has stated that she loves it there, don’t try to convince her that Hoboken is better. NOTHING you say will convince her.
4. Do NOT chew gum while you’re talking to her. There is no need for anyone to watch you chew when you’re not in the middle of a meal. Have a mint if your breath is stinky.
5. Don’t drink out of her glass of water. It’s gross.
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Dear coffee drinkers of New York City, please take this survey because I am dying to find out. There is a legitimate reason for me asking this question and I urge you to be honest, sincere and bold in your response. Also, if you know of any other coffee drinkers around the city, please send this survey to them as well.

Take the survey here.