Twitter me this…

Check out some of the things the downtowndiva has posted on her new twitter page: 

Starting May 22 – Market at Fulton Street near the Seaport every Saturday and Sunday1:56 PM May 20th from web

    

Harry’s Pizza Bar will open in 2 weeks!1:55 PM May 12th from web

    

Harrys pizza bar is coming to 2 gold!12:50 PM May 10th from txt

    

CELEBRITY SIGHTING: Gilbert Gottfried on the corner of John and Gold3:35 PM Apr 30th from web

    

Gold Street is closed….supposedly its turning into an italian restaurant4:30 PM Apr 29th from web

    

Rumor has it a Good Burger is coming into the new building on the northeast corner of Maiden and Pearl….stay tuned for more8:02 PM Apr 24th from web

   

• CHECK OUT MORE AT http://twitter.com/nycdowntowndiva

Downtown Diva is now on Twitter

Check out more up-to-date info on the financial district at http://twitter.com/nycdowntowndiva

Support the New Amsterdam Market

PUBLIC MARKET COMES TO SOUTH STREET SEAPORT!!!!!

Imagine waking up on a sleepy Sunday morning, heading over to the South Street Seaport and picking up some bread, fingerlings and fresh meat for dinner.

Well, if what happened Sunday Dec. 16th is a sample of it, it would be awesome. According to the New Amsterdam Public, the group behind the movement, over 5,000 people checked out Wintermarket, including the downtowndiva.

From veggies to cheeses to ice cream, the market had it all. Toss in sandwiches, soup and cider prepared by top chefs, this market had it all.

SUPPORT NEW AMSTERDAM MARKET!!!!

First up for the downtowndiva, was Jerry Henkinand his dog who forage nuts in the Northeast. While i’m not a big nut lover, the dog was very cute. And the fact that he hunts for nuts, puts my dog to shame. Check out Jerry at www.nutgrowing.org

Next up, was one of the hilites for me, The Bent Spoon. This Princeton, NJ crew make artisanal ice cream which was to die for.

 Check out this pic….the top bottom layer was a cranberry cider sorbet that was just tart enough. And the top, omg, was a fantastic ricotta ice cream. Ridiculous! www.thebentspoon.net

Mario Batali, a big supporter of the market, was there picking out some fresh food. His people were making a pork sandwich, that wasn’t very good. FYI – i’m a little biased as I am not a fan of his food, his show yes, his food….um, no.

My favorite prepared sandwich there was Marlow & Sons braised beef sandwich with pickled vegetables.

 The bread could have been a little more artisian, but the picked vegetables were tasty and the beef was ridiculously soft. I am seriously going to head to Brooklyn to check out the Marlow & Sons & Diner, which by the way is in a new car commercial. www.marlowandsons.com

NYC vendors included: Wild Edibles, Rick’s Picks, Saxelby Cheesemongers, Salvatore Bklyn, Hot Bread Kitchen, Milk & Cookies Bakery and FiDi’s own Stella Maris who was cooking up fried oysters.

Touted as “the first known market of sustainable pur veyors,” the New Amsterdam Market took place under the awning of the Fulton New Market Building. New Amsterdam Public is proposing turning the former Fulton Fish Market into a green market parallel to Union Squares.

SUPPORT NEW AMSTERDAM PUBLIC!!!!

Check out www.newamsterdampublic.org for more info on the local purveyors and how to donate to the cause, or to become a member or volunteer.

Noteworthy FiDi Restaurants

• ADRIENNE’S PIZZA BAR

Located among the cobbelstones on Stone Street, Addrienne’s houses some of the best pizza in New York. I also recommend the melanzana parmigana. But the service leaves something to be desired. 54 Stone St. btwn Coenties Alley and William

• ANDREW’S COFFEE SHOP

Decent place for cheap food. I’ve had breakfast here a few times and it wasn’t bad. However, with new places sprouting all over FiDi, they need to improve on their menu. 116 John St. at Pearl St.

• CAFE SAGE

Not big on Thai food personally, but I have heard some very good things about this place. 108 John St.

• Financier

Cute little stores. Good food for moderate prices. Definitely the place to go for pastries and crepes. Service is ok. My friend raves about their Le Financier sandwich which is made of grilled chicken, marinated artichokes, roasted tomato and fresh goat cheese and is hot pressed. 62 Stone St/35 Cedar St./3-4 World Financial Center

• GOLD ST.

The first 24/7 diner in FiDi comes to us from the same owners as Financier, Ulysses and Adrienne’s. With a menu full of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, full-course meals, breakfast food, sushi, salads and desserts there is always something new to try. The egg omelets are cooked well as are the appetizers (southern fried chicken wings, kobe beef sliders, calamari, disco fries – all yummy). The only negatives I have about this place is the food is a little overpriced for the amount given and the delivery men never seem to have change. 2 Gold St

• PEARL STREET DINER

The other diner in FiDi, although not 24/7. I don’t know if I would ever dine-in at this place – it does look a little sketchy from the outside – but the food isn’t bad. I highly recommend their chicken souvlaki and fries and their breakfast food. 212 Pearl St at Fletcher St

• STELLA MARIS

Front St. is theplace to be these days. And Stella Maris is one of the best. While I’ve only had desserts there – which are divine and come from the Stella Maris Cafe – they supposedly can do no wrong at this restaurant. Welcoming staff, good food, what’s better? 213 Front St.

• SUSHI A LA KAWA

If the only thing you ate was sushi, you would never starve in FiDi. Home to at least 5 sushi restaurants, FiDi is sushi heaven. And the place I go to is Suhi a la Kawa. Granted, I’ve never stepped foot in the place, but their delivery is solid. They have some pretty good deals and their sushi is always fresh. I recommend the spicy tuna roll, philadelphia roll, tamago (egg) and inari (bean curd). 18 Maiden Lane

• ZEN PALATE

It was definitely a sad day when Zen Palate closed its Union Square location recently. But thankfully, Zen Palate is alive and well in FiDi. If your a vegetarian – and even if your not – this is the place to get some grub. Good food, decent prices – lunch specials. If your usually a carnivore don’t be afraid to experiement. Try some scallion pancakes, sweet and sour sensation or taste of malay – spicy – oh, and don’t let its names scare you, but the desserts are really, really good. 104 John St

Listen Up! People live in FiDi

Over the course of the last two years, as more and more apartment buildings rise up, local eateries have adjusted their hours to accomodate. However, there are quite a few joints that seem to be oblivious to the 24-hour, 7-day a week consumers that live in FiDi.

Wake up and smell the Starbucks people! – which is open 7 days a week and was open on Thanksgiving!

Look, i’m not asking for you to be open 24-hours a day. But come on. When you close at 6pm - ahem, I’m talking to you Hale and Hearty Soups – you are telling the locals they don’t matter. I cannot tell you how often I crave some yummy soup from this place, and I can’t get any because they close before I get home or aren’t open on weekends!

Thank goodness for such smart places as Best of New York and Jubilee. These 24-hour places may not be jammed-packed with healthy foods, but at least when you want a sandwich at 2 a.m., after being out all night, you can order it over the phone or just stop by.

Also, I noticed recently, that some local eateries supply different menus for lunch and dinner. Just today, I happened to walk past Gold Street who, by the way is also open 24/7, and saw some yummy specials on their menu. I was super-excited to get some sausage and peppers from there for dinner. But hold the phone, it was only for lunch! While I totally recommend this joint – I heart their edamame and southern fried chicken wings – you gotta give the locals a chance to enjoy something a little different!

I hate to gripe about this stuff, because quite honestly it has gotten better since the day I moved in. But it could improve vastly. So managers, chefs, store owners, remember who counts and give FiDi residents a turkey bone!

Why the Financial District (FiDi) rocks

Top 7 reasons to live in the Financial District (not in any order):

1. Security is ridiculous. You have your regular blue and white. Add in some Downtown Alliance guards. Sprinkle in some Federal Reserve cops, and finish it off with almost every building housing a doorman/concierge.

2. Stone Street – nothing like drunk Wall Street guys on a Thursday night.

3. After living here for two years, I can tell you the average age of residents is around 30. Not too shabby.

4. If you own a dog, like I do, your dog will have more friends than you do. You can’t go more than two feet at all hours without running into another dog down here!

5. Running along the East River or the Hudson River cannot be beaten.

6. Need a train? Which side of Manhattan, east or west? You want to get there, we have all the trains you need. We got the A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, N, R, J, M, Z

7. The history of the joint. This is the birth place of New York City!!!! Wall Street, cobblestone streets, George Washington, etc. It is full of it.

Hello world!

Hey all! Welcome to my blog. I have lived at the southernmost tip of Manhattan (the Financial District) now for two years, and want to share with everyone why this area rocks. I plan on giving you all the dish on food, retail, tourists (you know we got ‘em), housing, pets, etc. Anything that happens down here will be delved into, so enjoy. And if you got some info, or want me to check something out, let me know! Smoohes, the Downtowndiva