» Christina Tosi: Chef + Owner, Momofuku Milk Bar

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Christina Tosi: Chef + Owner, Momofuku Milk Bar

Momofuku Milk Bar Mastermind Curates Manhattan + Brooklyn

ELAINE SAYS: Christina Tosi....talented, charming, funny and the creator of some of the most beloved treats in NYC.. Founder of the famed, Momofuku Milk Bar [the confection arm of the oft mentioned and uber cool, Momofuku Restaurants in NYC], Christina splits her time between Brooklyn, where she lives and where her kitchen is based and the Lower East Side/East Village, where you'll find most of the Momofukus [Check website for additional locations]. But while NYC locals are the lucky one's who get to enjoy the in-person MOMOFUKU MILK BAR experience, the rest of us need not fear...she'll ship anywhere. The menu channels her fun and playful point of view with menu items like, "Crack Pie," "Cereal Milk" Ice Cream, and "Compost Cookies". Her down-to-earth and quirky flavor also comes through here, as she curates NYC. Go ahead and read her list....you may begin to think she's actually inviting you to stay with her as well [she's not]. Final thought...be sure to put her Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook on your Summer Gift List and you'll surely be invited back. CHECK OUT MY FIRST Q&A, "BEHIND THE LIST," WITH CHRISTINA

MANHATTAN

wd-50 DISCOVER WD-50 | LOCATION: 50 Clinton Street, NYC [Lower East Side]There is no greater restaurant in NYC than wd~50, if you ask me. It is the perfect place to get dolled up just enough but stay cool and casual. The food is thoughtful, evoking, artistic and clever. I love walking to a meal at wd~50 because it’s neighborhood, the lower east side is so rich in life and downtown culture it seems like a waste to get there any other way. I also learned how to cook, how to eat and how to think while I spent over a year as a pastry cook under chef Wylie Dufresne. Get a cocktail at the bar first then tasting menu with the wine pairing, it’s always worth the splurge.
Please Don't Tell DISCOVER PLEASE DON'T TELL | LOCATION: Please Don't Tell 113 St. Marks Place, NYC [East Village]Am I breaking the rules by spreading the secret? Eh. It feels wrong to not have this, one of my favorite cocktails bars to dive into for a drink and a dog, hot dog, that is. 1. You must make a reservation. 2. Enter through a dive hot dog shop, sneak into a phone booth, pick up the receiver and cross your fingers. 3. Play it cool! Enter into the deep set bar, quench your thirst with the always seasonal, always inventive, always changing cocktail list and don’t forget about the snacks: hot dogs designed by and named after some of nyc’s greatest chefs (the chang, the wylie and the hummer are my favs, especially when paired with some tater tots with cheese)
Edi & the Wolf DISCOVER EDI AND THE WOLF | LOCATION: Edi and the Wolf 102 Avenue C, NYC [East Village/Alphabet City]For the perfect off the beaten path place to grab a drink and a bite, edi & the wolf is always at the top of my list. It’s serenely tucked away into a jungle meets cavernous front on Avenue C, where they serve up Austrian fare in the sweetest and coolest way possible. Spatzle and a glass of Reisling is my go -o on a warm spring or summer night, Schnitzel and a Hefeweizen on a cool fall or winter evening.
Sunny & Annies LOCATIONS: Sunny & Annies 94 Avenue B, NYC [East Village] + 500 East 9th Street, NYC [East Village]I’m a casual girl. My ideal day is a picnic in the park with my family of pups. Working so many years in the East Village at Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Sssam Bar and Momofuku Ko, before opening Milk Bar, Tomkins Square Park became my refuge. Sunny & Annies is a great hidden gem of a sandwich shop meets a bodega. The Chicago on a Sub with a Ting soda is the only way I go when I have an afternoon free. I take my lunch and hop a block up to Tomkins Square Park. After crushing my lunch, I’ll stroll over to the Dog Park of Tompkins and lovingly yet creepily try and pet every dog in sight. It’s awesome. If I waste enough of the afternoon away, in the summers I’m rewarded with Movies in the Park—organizers blow up a huge screen in the middle of this East Village Park and play cult classics. It really makes for a perfect day.
Caracas Arepa Bar DISCOVER CARACAS AREPA BAR | LOCATION: Caracas Arepa Bar 93 1/2 East 7th Street #1, NYC [East Village] + 291 Grand Street, Williamsburg [Brooklyn]No matter how hard I try, I cannot go a week without eating at Caracas. It’s literally impossible for me. There’s an outpost in the East Village as well as in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which doesn’t help the addiction. Cute and cramped, it feels as though you fell in from the streets of the bustling city itself in the most charming way. If you haven’t had a Venezuelan arepa yet, the de Pabellon is the place to start. Get a side of tequenos and a banana shake to polish off you meal. I live and die by it.
Parm DISCOVER PARM NYC | LOCATION: Parm 248 Mulberry Street, NYC [SoHo]If I’m anywhere near SoHo, and trust me, if you shop, you SoHo, I always make an excuse to be starved for Parm’s killer Chicken Parm sandwich, or Turkey Sandwich. For dinner, Torrisi serves a renound NYC inspired dinner menu Just on the brink of Little Italy, the guys of Parm and Torrisi are serving Italian food better than anyone’s nonna knew how.
Cure Thrift Shop DISCOVER CURE | LOCATION: Cure Thrift Shop 111 East 12th Street, NYC [East Village]If there’s one thing I’ve learned living in New York for 10 years, it’s that any proper New Yorker has a favorite thrift store, and this is mine. I strike gold every time I duck in, from killer vintage skirts, to glass mugs for tea, to my next coffee table book. It’s in nearly no-mans- land where the East Village meets almost NYU area meets Union Square. Give yourself an hour to really explore. If vintage furniture is more your ride, have no fear, there’s a great store right next door for you, too.

BROOKLYN

St. Anselm DISCOVER ST. ANSELM | LOCATION: St. Anselm 355 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg [Brooklyn]Right across from our kitchen, I love, love, love letting loose at this restaurant—the perfect balance of refreshing, simple, honest and fuc*ing delicious. The grilled eggplant and butcher’s steak is my favorite way to go, with a glass of Brooklyn ‘brusco (on tap!) or two.
Brooklyn Flea & Smorgasburg DISCOVER BROOKLY FLEA & SMORGASBURG | DISCOVER BROOKLYN FLEA | LOCATION: Brookly Flea & Smorgasburg 90 Kent Avenue, Williamsburg [Brooklyn]Weekends are when I stroll. My favorite way to kill an hour or two or four is to head down to the water where on Saturdays Smorgasburg is popping off with the small, local tastemakers of Brooklyn selling their goods. I always stock up on Morris Kitchen’s ginger syrup and Empire Mayonnaise’s white truffle mayo, while knoshing on a slider of porchetta, and quite usually a passion fruit donut from dough donut.On Sundays, the same site hosts Brooklyn Flea, a ridiculous flea market with a splattering of food balanced with awesome handicrafts and vintage scores- homewares, clothes, jewelry and everything in between
Grand Street Bakery DISCOVER GRAND STREET BAKERY | LOCATION: 602 Grand Street, Willamsburg [Brooklyn]Fortunately and unfortunately I live VERY close to this super cute vintage store. Cool t’s, adorable dresses and knick knacks abound. It also used to be an old bakery (baking racks become clothing racks!), so I just can help but smile, when standing in Grand Street Bakery, knowing that if milk bar doesn’t work out, I can always transform it into a lovely vintage shop!
Nite Hawk | Hotel Delmano DISCOVER NITE HAWK | LOCATION: Nite Hawk 136 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg [Brooklyn] DISCOVER HOTEL DELMANO | LOCATION: Hotel Delmano 82 Berry, Williamsburg [Brooklyn]When I feel like being quiet for the evening, I love making my way to NiteHawk Cinema for a independent film (tip: they serve food and drink IN the theatre, like WHILE you’re watching the movie, for the ultimate in laze/extravagance, depending on your mindset!). After any good movie, I like to take the long way home, which usually involves a walk over to Hotel Delmano for a drink at this cocktail centric somewhat speakeasy. It’s always so peaceful, cool and calm, the perfect way to end a quaint evening out.
Riding Bikes [or walking] from Williamsburg to the LES or East Village DISCOVER BIKING NYC | LOCATION: Mulitple Locations...East River Park is the closest pick-upThere’s nothing like feeling as if you own this city. Riding my bike does just that for me. I have a rusty old red clunker and I love riding over the Williamsburg bridge early in the morning, late at night, or any other time of the day. I”ll ride over to the city to tool around and ride up the east river, go to a flea market or farmer’s market, ride in for a cup of coffee, ride in to run errands or to meet friends for dinner. I’m usually a speed demon, but when I’m on my bike