We love finding unconventional, new, hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Kuma Inn can be found on the second floor of a lower east side tenement - you might walk into the empty dive bar below and wonder (with surprise) if you'd arrived. But be sure to walk up the windy little staircase.

Chef King Phojanakong, a native New Yorker who spent his summer in the Philippines, was inspired to create dishes that reflected his mother’s authentic and appetizing cooking. After graduating from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America he trained under Daniel Boulid at Restaurant Daniel and David Bouley and Bouley Bakery, in addition to having worked at Jean-Georges, The Grocery, and Cendrillon.

Chef Phojanakong’s menu fuses from Filipino classics mixed with Thai influences (from his father) which combine in flavorsome dishes like the Chinese sausage with Thai chili sauce and Pan roasted ocean scallops with bacon, kalamansi and saki.

Favorite dishes include:

Yellowfin tuna tartare with a rice noodle crisp

Drunken spicy shrimp finished with sake, kalamansi and thai chilies

Rice crepes, steamed and pan-fried topped with kuma bolognese

The ambience is cosy and unpretentious, and the service is excellent. Most importantly - it's BYOB, promising an extremely affordable evening (if you've ever tried to find a good BYOB in the city, you'll know how hard it is to find a good one). Wine and beer can be kept in one of the numerous surrounding refrigerators.

Reservations are recommended.

kumainn.com

Antje Traue, 32, is about to catapult to our attention playing Faora in Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder's re-imagination of Superman, Warner Bros. Man of Steel (out tomorrow).

Traue displays an effortless and timeless beauty - reminiscent somewhat of the likes of Marion Cotillard. She was born in East Germany, a world apart from her life in California today. In Vanity Fair's July Issue, she recalls being sneaked oranges from West Germany, musing that the smell and taste of oranges would always bring back memories of her childhood.

Traue ended up in the theatre after too many falls as a gymnast, and a stint playing the guitar. She was cast in her first English speaking film in 2008 - Pandorum - English is her third language. Auditioning for the part of Faora she taped herself at home in Berlin and received a call a week later asking her to fly to LA.

With hauntingly blue eyes, a flawless complexion and a strong sense of self, her intelligence and graceful talent promises more than the average Hollywood actress. We look forward to seeing more from Antje Traue. Be sure to keep an eye out for her next film, Seventh Son in which she stars alongside Julianne Moore and Jeff Bridges.

antjetraue.com

XNY has the kind of chemistry that makes other bands jealous.

The beginning of their story takes place in Boston, in a tiny apartment complex where vocalist Pam Autuori would spend her time practicing and writing songs. Just a wall away next door neighbor Jacob Schreiber would hear Pam singing - and began to mimic her vocal rhythms and melodies on his drumset.

What at first seemed like a battle of who could practice louder, ultimately turned out to be the beginning of rock duo XNY.

Pam was from the East Coast and already working on her solo career, having opened for Ani Difranco, The Hush Sound, Ryan Cabrera, The Cab and more. Jacob, the West Coaster, was studying jazz, romanticizing the life of a starving jazz musician.

On the surface they quite simply combine guitar, vocals and drums. Beneath, there is more. Breaking the boundaries of genres, they combine chaos and simplicity - building a musical aesthetic larger than many ensembles twice the size. They have a fearless, energetic sound, racy lyrics and haunting vocals (not to mention shattering guitar and drums).

Their debut album, Through The Wall, garnered buzz from NYLON and Filter Magazine to name a few. Their sophomore album, ORANGE, produced by Brian Viglione of The Dresden Dolls, proves how fast this duo is growing. ORANGE is due out August 13th, 2013.

For upcoming shows, news and videos - XNYmusic.com

Listen to Mouthful and Through The Wall

Justin Peck is being buzzed about. The young twenty-five year old (and very handsome) ballerina has just choreographed his third dance for the New York City Ballet. 'Paz de La Jolla' featured 18 dancers including Tiler Peck, Amar Ramasar and Sterling Hyltin, and was inspired by Southern California (Peck comes from Encinitas, California).

Before beginning his studies at the School of American Ballet in the summer of 2003, he studied at California Ballet for two years. He was named a New York City Ballet apprentice in 2006, joined the NYCB corps de ballet in spring 2007, and was promoted to soloist in February 2013.

'Paz de La Jolla' came following his hugely celebrated 'Year of the Rabbit' and was agreed by all to be an 'assured step forward' (The Last Magazine). 'A dazzling intricacy in his corps architecture and a candid lightheartedness and ease.'

'Year of the Rabbit' will be danced by the NYCB at Saratoga Springs in July. There will be a pre-performance talk with Peck on July 10th. Worth making the trip.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

justinpeck.com

New York City Ballet

Our PR intern Casey Stanton, an East Village resident, recently visited local japanese restaurant, Ippudo. She enjoyed it so much she's written it up for the Journal -

I was dubious upon entering a restaurant that claimed to have the best pork buns in New York City – not only because I am a vegetarian and the thought of eating pork is daunting, but I am a die-hard Momofuku fan. So when my close friend told me that we would be trying a restaurant other than Momofuku for classic Asian Ramen bowls and buns, I was hesitant.

After my first dinner at Ippudo I was completely sold. Hands down the best Japanese meal I could ever imagine eating (within the United States, of course).

Ippudo’s ultimate goal is to “Keep changing to remain unchanged.” With a continuously diverse menu that includes new appetizers almost every day, they offer an authentic Japanese ramen culture to New Yorkers. One bowl of ramen has that ‘special something’ that transcends all culinary ethnicities and nationalities including Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian, and Indian. Although there are thousands of different flavors and varieties, they are all known by the collective name "ramen." Thus this Japanese soul food, ramen, was born out of each chef's individual and free, unconstrained idea and concept.

We recommend going with a group of friends and ordering an array of appetizers and Ramen Noodle Bowls to share, depending on how many people you go with of course.

Some dishes we highly recommend include: Akamaru Modern Now, Shishito peppers, Hirata Chicken Wings, and the Hirata pork, chicken, and vegetable buns. While you can expect to be standing at the bar for at least twenty minutes before you are seated, we assure that it is well worth the wait.

ippudony.com

Seared Octopus with Dashi Broth and Kaffir Lime Marinade
il Buco Alimentari & Vineria
Executive Chef Justin Smillie


Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 octopus (1-2 pound each)
1 recipe Dashi Broth (recipe below)
1 recipe Kaffir Lime Marinade (recipe below)
2 pieces cheesecloth, cut 12 by 12 in.
2 pieces string

Method:
1. Clean the octopus. Cut the head, and remove the beak.
2. Lay the cheesecloth down on a cutting board. In the center, place the octopus, tentacles down, and bring all four corners of the cheesecloth together to create a pouch. Tie the pouch closed with a string.
3. In a medium rondo, lay the octopus down in one layer. Cover the octopus with the dashi broth.
4. Cook the octopus over a low flame for 2-3 hours or until tender.
5. Let the octopus cool in its own liquid.
6. Remove the octopus from the liquid and from the cheesecloth. Wipe as much liquid off the octopus as possible, and allow it to dry.
7. Cut the octopus in half and marinade the octopus in the kaffir lime marinade (make sure you cover all tentacles in the marinade).
8. Over medium-high heat, sear the octopus, tentacles down, until golden brown, then flip and continue cooking until warm throughout (approx. 4-5 min.)

________________________________________
Dashi Broth Recipe

Ingredients:
5¼ cups of water
8 teaspoons of konbu
8 teaspoons of dried bonito

Method:
1. Heat a large stockpot with the konbu until almost boiling, about 10 minutes (it is important to never let the konbu boil).
2. When konbu is soft, the dashi will be flavored sufficiently.
3. Strain, add the bonito, and allow to steep for 10 minutes.
4. Strain again, chill and reserve.

________________________________________

Kaffir Lime Marinade Recipe

Ingredients:
½ tablespoon Kaffir lime leaves
½ cup parsley
1½ teaspoons oregano
¾ teaspoon Calabrian chiles
½ clove garlic
¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons crushed coriander
1½ teaspoons crushed fennel seed
4 teaspoons of orange juice
¾ teaspoon of honey

Method:
1. Toast coriander and fennel seeds, and crush in mortar.
2. Blend the spices, Calabrian chilies, and garlic with half of the EVOO.
3. Add the kaffir, oregano and one third of the parsley.
4. Add the rest of the EVOO and the rest of the parsley one half at a time.
5. Stir in the honey and OJ until smooth.
6. Season with salt.

As part of our partnership with American Express for their #AmexInspires initiative, Prabal recently travelled to Anguilla with a group of friends to find his inspiration for coming collections.

He found Anguilla to be one of the most beautiful Caribbean islands he had visited, the vibrant colors and tropical landscapes resonating enormously. We have logged the four favorite moments of his stay as a travel reference for those of you who may find yourselves there in the near future..

To Stay - Without a doubt the Viceroy Anguilla. One of the American Express Travel Insider properties, our villa at the Viceroy was spectacular. I had heard so much about staying here and totally lived up to expectations.

To Eat - Veya. Nestled in a luscious tropical garden amidst the trees on top of Sandy Ground Hill, with candlelit stairways and a canopied veranda, the ambience was breathtaking. I had the tamarind glazed roast chicken, Christophene gratin, tropical fruit chutney, followed by warm chocolate cake with chili, caramelized bananas and roasted banana ice cream.

To Visit - Sandy Island. A tiny off shore cay accessible by fishing boat. Populated by charming brightly colored huts, with one beach restaurant serving freshly grilled fish, and rum punches.

To Relax - The Spa at the Viceroy Anguilla. It has everything, amazing massages and a spectacular infinity pool from which you can watch the sun set.


Americanexpress.com

Viceroy Anguilla

Monday mornings in the studio, we like to compare notes about what we cooked over the weekend! Caitlin, our VP of Communications noticed recently over a morning coffee that her favorite Cafe / Food Boutique Haven's Kitchen actually offered small, cosy looking cookery classes.

We signed up for the 'Italian Kitchen' class that promised a lesson in making fresh pasta and sauces, as well as a sampling of paired Italian wines.

The decor of the kitchen is immediately homely and has that fresh, rustic 'organic' kitchen aesthetic. We were given an apron and name label upon entering, there were no more than 12 in the class and everyone has their own cooking station. To our delight (we were starving already wondering how we'd make it to the end of the class), there was a platter of cheeses laid out for immediate consumption, and our wine glasses were instantly filled (and re-filled throughout). A big country style table is laid for dinner at the end of the class

We learned to mix and knead a pasta dough, roll it out through a small manual pasta machine, and form the dough into long ribbony threads of tagliatelle and folded-over little ravioli parcels. We made a brown butter sauce for the ravioli, and cooked the tagliatelle in an oil based skimmed asparagus sauce - learning how to use the starchy pasta water to emulsify the sauce.

The classes offered by Haven's Kitchen are a perfect solution to the lack of casual, practical cookery classes in NYC. They offer other appealing courses - 'All Sorts of Salad' / 'Simple Seasonal Suppers' / 'Boozy Brunch'. You feel like you're cooking in your own home, with friends, nibbling and drinking as you cook. All in all a haven away from salty take-out and cramped New York kitchens...

Havenskitchen.com

Mapping Manhattan: A Love (and Sometimes Hate) Story in Maps by 75 New Yorkers, By Becky Cooper

“Maps are the places where memories go not to die but to live forever.”- Adam Gopnik

Manhattan is a cosmopolis of extremes, people migrate to find the best, in everything- in themselves, in others, and in life generally. Anything is possible, and any new yorker will attest to the intensity and thrill of lifestyle perpetuated by the American Dream...

So Becky Cooper had a thought - Manhattan reimagined as a map of personal thoughts and experiences. She gave out hand printed maps of the island to New Yorkers, asking them to embellish them with their own personal experience of the city, and mail it back to her.

Cooper compiled her results into a book, and we can see from a small excerpt released, the Lower East Side as: 'The first time I was told I was cute' / the Upper West Side: 'chased by a screaming homeless man' / the West Village: 'drugged in a Gay Bar' and The Upper East: 'That painting I loved'.

A narration of interweaving lives being played out through cartography, the results are all at once beautiful and tragic, vulnerable and compelling.

Mapping Manhattan: A Love (and Sometimes Hate) Story in Maps by 75 New Yorkers, came out on April 2nd - Cooper will sit down with New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik—who also wrote the foreward to the book—at the 92nd Street Y Tribeca to talk about the book and New York City

Monday, April 29th, 12 p.m. // 92nd Street Y Tribeca // Tickets from $21

Read more: brainpickings.org

amazon.com

Born in South London, Jessie Ware marks a new era for British POP.

Her work is a mixture of downtempo R&B and British electronic, tempered with a little melodrama. She started singing at school, inspired by the romance of her mother's Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald sings Cole Porter tapes... However she very nearly became a journalist. She wanted to be a football (soccer) reporter.

Jack penate, an old friend, remembering she could sing, asked her to do the backing vocals for him on a Zane Lowe BBC Radio session. One thing led to another, and she was snapped up by label PMR.

Though she started writing for the underground scene, she wanted to combine electronic with classical songwriting. Before releasing her first album she spent some time working out what her own sound, and voice would be. She didn't want to be too of the moment, a 'flash in the pan'.

'I didn’t want it to feel too ‘of now’, so that’s why I went back to beats and grooves of things I loved before, like Prince and Chaka Khan and Grace Jones. i wanted to make downer R&B, and songs that are beautiful and bittersweet, like Sade. it was just about mixing it up in the right way.'

Jessie Ware's work plays with the sweet and the dark, a melancholic and soulful reflection of the double edge..

She will be doing the festival tour in Europe over the summer, playing at Night and Day (Germany) Primavera, Rockness, Wireless and Glastonbury - amongst others.


Add Sweet Talk and Running to your playlist


jessieware.com

We at PG love food, most food, especially good food. There are so many restaurants in NYC, and so often that irrational mind block - where shall we go - too often back to the same old place.

And so, every Monday, we will give at least one good idea of somewhere worth trying. This week - Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria. A little overshadowed by its mothership restaurant Il Buco, one block away, the Alimentari e Vineria does have its own quite distinct identity. The italian grocery / deli / restaurant has been around for about a year, but a recent experience was just so good it made it into The Journal.

As said so aptly by Pete Wells for The New York Times - 'IS it crazy to fall for a restaurant because of a handful of chickpeas??'

We actually fell in love with the salumi board (the meats are cured and aged in the basement) - the prosciutto, salami and cured hams melt on the tongue. The cheeses are also each varied, delicious and perfect.

We waited for our table for no longer than ten minutes, and were swiftly presented with little tumblers of white wine on the house. Our waitress was attentive throughout, suggesting good wines for each course.

Favorite dishes had to be the Bucatini Cacio e Pepe (so creamy and delicious, the smell of melted cheese and pepper floated over from the next table), Roasted Gnocchi (light and fluffy with foraged mushrooms) and Spit-Roasted Short Ribs, tender and perfectly peppery. The Grilled sausage was also surprisingly popular, and Crispy Polenta Parmigiano..

Prior to Il Buco, Justin Smillie spent time at Jean Georges, Mercer Kitchen and Gramercy Tavern, before landing with Jonathan Waxman at Washington Park, and later as the chef of Barbuto. 'It was during his 6 years under the attentive eye of Waxman that Justin fell in love with bold flavors, rustic technique, open fire, and farm to table cooking.'

A reservation needs to be made at least 5 days in advance to ensure you eat at a reasonable hour, but it's worth it. And you can book through Open Table, which always makes things even easier..

To follow this week - a chefs tip from Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria..

ilbucovineria.com

We recently had the pleasure of meeting with the Robin Hood team, and wanted to share what we discovered about this innovative and wholly influential New York based philanthropic organisation.

The Robin Hood Foundation - legacy of hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones - works with more than 240 nonprofit organizations in New York and surrounding areas. Using metrics to measure effectiveness of grants, they strategically support and develop organizations that provide direct services to the poor whilst also improving their earning power and long-term prospects.

They identify poverty in three forms:

Body - '1 in every 6 New Yorkers (1.4 Million) rely on daily emergency food

Mind - '40 percent of NY's Public School students won't graduate on time'

Education - '365,000 New Yorkers look for work today but didn't find any'


40,000 New York City school children don't have a place to call home

The Robin Hood foundation is not a charity in itself, but more like a 'fund of funds' - Charity of charities. They granted over 200 of the most effective poverty fighting organisations in NYC more than $146 million in 2011 alone.. As well as constant site visits and management assistance (strategic planning / marketing / finance / technology and legal) they also have 1.3 million square feet of real estate, ensuring that all grantees have somewhere to carry out their work.

92% of people who enter a Robin Hood-funded housing programme don't return to shelters, and Robin Hood programs increase the chances of passing the GED by 75%..

Click here to learn more - www.robinhood.org/