BlackBook Magazine

For a slice of New York that’s not all bright lights and tall buildings, get off the grid and spend a day in the West Village. The neighborhood’s former moniker, “Little Bohemia,” no longer applies (multimillion-dollar townhouses aren’t exactly anti-establishment), but relics of its former self still exist alongside stylish restaurants and boutiques. Bring a map; with an entire day to spare, we suggest getting purposefully lost.

Stay: A quaint neighborhood calls for an equally quaint hotel. Abingdon Guest House has the vibe of a small-town bed and breakfast -- it’s not for everyone, but its location is ideal for the atypical visitor.

Shall we dim the lights and close the door?

1. Brosia (Wynwood/Design Dist) - Everything is exotic and beautiful, but enormous outdoor terrace shaded by oaks and enclosed by bright green and white mosaic walls takes the cake.
2. Andù Oceanic (Downtown/Brickell) - Setting: blue lighting, hand-blown glass bubbles suspended from ceilings, silver floor-to-ceiling curtains. Resto design feat of the year.
3. Grass Restaurant & Lounge (Wynwood/Design Dist) - Hang under a grass hut in the middle of the design district. Bungalows-in-the-city feel and a revamped menu. Perfect.

With the sky falling and everyone I see in an advanced state of worry, it's time for the state to wrest control of liquor sales from community boards and hand it over to the State Liquor Authority. The SLA used to be seen as a regulatory body with an eye on the bottom line. Issuing licenses to responsible people generated tax revenue and jobs, which in turn created more tax revenue and kept people off unemployment and welfare. Delis, cab drivers, people who sell cups and napkins, garbage men, and many more eat at this table. More people attended nightclubs last year than Yankees games, Mets games, Knicks and Ranger games, The Met, and Broadway shows combined -- 65 million people, to be exact. Right now a virtual moratorium on new liquor licenses and constant attacks on the club industry are severely hurting the New York economy.

Montreal
● Narcisse (Old Montreal) - One more glass of wine. Make that two.
● Restaurant Loranger (Old Montreal) - Nary a sock 'n sandal to be found in the crowd. Pure sophistication.

Shanghai
● Hengshan Moller Villa (Luwan) - 1930s Gothic mansion converted into an affordable, offbeat hotel.

Atlanta
● R. Thomas’ Deluxe Grill (Buckhead) - Technicolor flora, funky art and lawn decor, and exotic birds encase the patio dining room where guests nosh on vegetarian, carnivorous and breakfast fare 24/7.
● Vita (Buckhead) - Hospitality and quality are emphasis at Tony LaRocco's romantic family-style Italian destination.
● Alon’s Bakery (Brookhaven) - Fab bakery with chocolate-making room, a coffee, wine and beer bar, tons of artisan cheeses, and sandwiches, salads and cooked entrees to go.

There's been much ado about something going on down on Avenue A near Houston. Ella pops onto our scene, and my pal Brittany Mendenhall of Chichi212.com won’t shut up about it. It was my impression that Ella was going to be another boutique bar cum bottle boite, but then I heard that Carlton Varney had designed the place. I’m not going to tell you too much about him right now, as I’m scheduling a sit-down with this legendary designer for next week. But Mr. Varney, now in his 70s, has turned it out. Ella is wonderful -- it's Hollywood heyday chic without discounting its East Village location. Varney did the Waldorf Towers and Joan Crawford's home. I sat with Josh Boyd, Jordan Boyd, and Darin Rubell, and left convinced that there are still people out there trying to make wonderful things.

The Food Network is throwing a three-day party, and you're invited. The first ever New York Food & Wine Festival debuts this weekend in the city. Held mostly in the Meatpacking District and DUMBO, this foodie festival will have mouths watering all weekend. Get your tickets here, and check out our selected three-day itinerary to figure out how and when to get in on the action.

Friday
10 p.m.-midnight: Highline Ballroom for Midnight Music & Munchies (hosted by Daily Candy). Top Chefs featured on Daily Candy make late-night treats, hot-spot bartenders make drinks, and Tom Colicchio makes music (really) with Milton.

Britney Spears' tenth comeback in as many minutes is about to take a turn for the Robyn this weekend, according to online rumors. Several websites are reporting (and several sources are confirming), that the no-longer toxic singer will be performing at this Saturday's mammoth Diesel bash off the coast of Brooklyn. I mention Robyn -- who recently reinvented herself on her own terms as an indie dance queen -- because if Spears actually does take the stage at the circus-themed megabash, she'll be sharing a bill with acts like M.I.A., N.E.R.D., Franz Ferdinand, and Hot Chip.

Believe it or not, LA’s been around a while.

1. Musso & Frank’s (Hollywood) - Where Faulkner mixed his own mint juleps and drank himself to death and Chandler wrote The Big Sleep.
2. Dan Tana’s (West Hollywood) - Where old-timers and Nicole Richie alike dine on steak and spaghetti.
3. Grill on the Alley (Beverly Hills) - The original, the classic, the always popular: eating here means seeing the only three-piece suits in LA.

Nottingham Forest is a quirky little bar, perfect for the daily apertivo in Milan. The drinks are nothing short of bizarre. Menu highlights include the smoking absinthe cocktail, the syringe-filled watermelon "cube" drink, and a chocolate-rum option that comes with a little vial of peppermint spray (evoking memories of Binaca sprays from the 1990s). Like the menu, the setting is eccentric, filled with tchotchkes from all over the world. Golden Buddhas sit next to fossilized sea animals next to African masks. Perhaps the ultimate beverage on offer is the truly odd Archimedes Light.