Lucky Fish

My latest crush: Lucky Fish's gorgeous screen printed South African-themed pillows. Bonus: They do T-shirts too, for kids and adults.

For more info e-mail: soluckyfish@gmail.com

Chocolate Secret

If you're as obsessed with Mast Brother's chocolate as I am -- especially the dark chocolate with almonds, sea salt and olive oil -- you'll be glad to know that you can get a slab for just $7 direct from the factory. Two blocks away, at the Bedford Cheese Shop on Bedford Avenue, they retail for $8. And at Wholefoods and Dean & Deluca you'll pay a whopping $9.

Mast Brother's Chocolate Factory
105 North 3rd Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211-3927, United States
(718) 388-2625

Israeli Food Find

Went past Israeli chef Einat Admony's new Nolita restaurant, Balaboosta (A Yiddish term meaning the perfect housewife, homemaker). Very swish compared with Taim, her much smaller joint in the West Village. Must-have appetizers include the fried olives with labne and the humus which is served guacamole-style with mortar and pestle for DIY chickpea crushing. Delicious.

Find it at 214 Mulberry St. near Spring.

Best $5 Dollars You'll Ever Spend....

Imagine paying just $5 for an hour of Burlesque set to live music in New York City. Sounds impossible, right? It isn't. The Slipper Room on Orchard Street is a Lower East Side gem if flirty girls in corsets and fishnets are what you're after. And remember, this is where Lady Gaga used to perform (well, she was Stephanie Germanotta then), so you never know if you might be watching the Next Big Thing for under the price of a glass of wine.

167 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002-2214, United States
(212) 253-7246

Funky Chairs

I stumbled on a literal treasure chest of reupholstered furniture in Williamsburg this afternoon. Funkiture by Caitlin Conlow has beautiful second hand and antique chairs covered in Congolese fabric, starting at around $100. Also on offer, an apple green Art Deco writing desk, peacock feathers for $2.95 each, and fabulous striped scatter cushions.

Funkiture
94 South 1st Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
347.400.3172

Ricotta Star

My new favorite brunch: The Sheep's milk ricotta served with burnt orange toast at Locanda Verde in Tribeca.

locandaverdenyc.com
377 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 925-3797

High Five

Best brunch in Williamsburg/Greenpoint: Five Leaves.

Try the house made Bircher muesli with poached pears, sugar plums and spiced creme fraiche or the Ricotta pancakes with honeycomb butter, sliced banana, blueberries, strawberries and maple syrup. Even the house cured gravelax is scrumptious, right down to the sourdough roll it is served on. And we haven't even sampled the lunch offerings yet, but we hear that the BLAT sandwich with bacon, kettuce, avocado, tomato and cumin/lime mayo is a winner as is the radicchio and watercress salad with roasted acorn squash, feta and red onion. For gorgeous pics of the place by Will Femia, go to www.fiveleavesny.com and click on gallery.

18 Bedford Avenue
Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY 11222
(718) 383-5345