Rouge Tomate & Cavatappo Wine Bar: Food & Drink

Yours truly had the great opportunity to have dinner and lunch at soon-to-open (October 28) Rouge Tomate before it opened to the public. Located on E. 60th across from Barney's, Rouge Tomate "provides a harmonious alignment of balanced cuisine, well-being, and social and environmental consciousness. This nutritional approach demonstrates a genuine respect for the integrity of ingredients used in crafting balanced, healthful and flavorful dishes."

Bottom line? The space is amazing, beautiful, airy, and I'm not sure exactly what I mean by this, but...harmonious. If a restaurant could look healthy and delicious, this is the spot. And the food presentation is artistic and beautiful -- I might even say breathtaking if I wasn't afraid that it'd sound a bit too gushy. I have to say that of everything I ate the lobster and beet salad (lunch) was my favorite as was the chocolate/peanut butter dessert (dinner).

And last night I made it into Cavatappo Wine Bar on Third Ave. and 26th St. (other location on Second and 89th). With a substantial selection of wines, a bit of food, decent music and a mature atmosphere, this place may be one of the saviors of a neighborhood on the brink of turning into Hoboken. If you are in the hood and not interested in football or jello shots, I strongly suggest this as a top option.

Death of A(nother) Neighborhood?

I've been living in "Grey Box" since 1997 - that's the area between Gramercy Park and Murray Hill with no name. When I moved in it was pretty much a shite-hole. People sleeping in the foyer, by-the-hour hotels down the block, drug fronts, goat meat wholesalers, ladies of the night, The Sunflower was a greasy spoon dive diner, and all the bars were either Irish pubs or completely non-descript (aside from The Rodeo). It was pretty dire, but I thought it was swell. I'm not going to romanticize and tell you it was great, but it was what it was. And slowly over the years, and seemingly in hyper speed the past year it has turned into...

THE UPPER EAST SIDE (insert shrieks and screams of terror here)

There are now 10 "Sex and the City"/frat bars within the three blocks North of my street, not counting an 11th - a wine bar opening in the very near future (Cavatappo). Here are photos of the offenders, and some of my least favorite public houses in town. And I live among them all. Sigh...