Hell’s Kitchen Local

This is my favorite local supermarket for fresh produce. I love browsing the shelves, and often find unique items I wouldn’t expect to find in a typical grocery store.

Hells Kitchen Pilates makes me happy because it’s more than just a place to train — it’s where I’m building a new pilates community. I’m meeting friends who are also my neighbors, and I’ve found the perfect space to focus on my body and practice what I love. I actually discovered it by chance one day while walking through the neighborhood. I decided to take a different street than usual and saw Nadya, one of the owners, with her beautiful dog Lucky, cleaning a new space that said “Pilates.” I asked her about it and told her I would love to work there — and now I get to be part of this amazing community every day.

I know it’s been mentioned before, but Suzy deserves all the kudos for her three amazing small businesses in HK. Frozen aperol spritz is one of my faves…

This Korean Vegan restaurant and cafe is my go-to for yummy vegan breakfast, delectable matcha and cocktails with special ingredients like homemade candied ginger, my favorite. Mi-Young Yu, the owner, is an incredibly inspiring woman and entrepreneur who is also quite funny. She makes you feel like you’re a guest in her home and it’s very comfy, yummy and fun.

A lovely restaurant with a romantic lower level lounge — have a seat on the sofa by the fireplace.

This relatively new market actually has fantastic, organic produce and fresh herbs — even lemongrass! Really well-stocked and super friendly.

I love Westville’s vast array of market vegetables, and I get to have my staples — sautéed mushrooms, roasted beets with goat cheese and walnuts, but then I splurge on garlic mashed potatoes and other treats. Veggies are so yummy, but sometimes in NYC, we don’t take the preparation time we need to have delicious veggies. They also have the BEST gluten-free carrot cake I’ve ever had — dense in the batter and fluffy in the frosting. I love how diverse the menu is too. When I took my niece there she had a hot dog and fries and I had the market plate. The staff really cares that you’re happy. The food is affordable, plentiful, and it’s fun. I also like getting credit for each meal. I’m a thriftista.

I love Greek food, and this place is really good. I will sometimes go to the bar and just get a glass of Assyrtiko wine and some pita and dips. Their taramasalata (caviar spread) and tirokafteri (red pepper and feta dip) are fantastic.

The Ink 48 Hotel is where my family spent the first three nights before settling into our apartment. It became a home away from home. A lot of the members from our production team stayed here, so we got to know the hotel staff quite well. They took my son and me on a tour of the penthouse suite, and that’s how we found out about the incredible rooftop bar Hudson VU. The views from the rooftop are unparalleled. I highly recommend everyone visit!

I love that Arriba Arriba is still going strong since it opened in the 80s. It still attracts a huge gay customer base, especially on Monday nights when Broadway is dark, making it one of the, if not THE, gay restaurant of Hell’s Kitchen.