Have cookie, will travel
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
ANNA GORDON • chef/founder • The Good Batch
Neighborhood You Live In: Ditmas Park
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
I love ending my Friday workday with a class at Prema Yoga, right next door to the bakery. It's the perfect transition from cookie-focused work brain to chill-family weekend brain.
Where are you dining this weekend?
I’m dining at Llama Inn this weekend, a Brooklyn favorite. Their dinner and cocktail menus are killer, and just sitting in the big plant-filled dining room fills me with joy. I also had a day date with my husband at Pastis this week (above), which is my favorite fancy NYC lunch. For dessert we walked over to the new Frenchette at the Whitney. Later this month, I’m having my birthday dinner at Tanoreen, Brooklyn’s classic Middle-Eastern staple, great for ordering lots of dishes with friends.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I’m going to see Lucius at Brooklyn Steel this weekend. They’re so fun to see live—fierce, boldly-stylish, harmonizing women rocking out. I also have comedy at the Bell House coming up, which is part of my regular rotation. And to get myself moving, I love going to Dance Church at Mark Morris and MOVES, a dance class my friend Lauren Gerrie runs downtown every Thursday night.
Any weekend getaways?
One of my favorite weekend getaways is a night in Philadelphia. I love visiting the Barnes Foundation, vintage shopping, dinner at any of the countless fantastic restaurants, and then pastries at Machine Shop for breakfast on the way out of town. It’s so nearby, and compared to NYC, is totally different but equally rich.
What was your last great vacation?
I was in Mexico City last week, truly one of the most vibrant cities I’ve ever traveled to. It’s enormous and just pulsing with art, history, food, music, warm tropical air. And the plants and parks are wild and stunning. Dining recs: Los Loosers, the first vegan restaurant in the city, for to-do-for mole; Lardo, for fine dining; and Borel, for daytime chilaquiles and gorgeously pulled espresso drinks.
Last November I had a couple days in Barcelona to myself, and my goodness I could live there in a heartbeat. Another vibrant, historically rich city that values art and food, and every Spaniard I met is so warm and chatty. More dining recs: Puntal, for super-fresh small plates in El Born; La Cova Fumada, a long-standing tapas bar (just ask the owner what’s good that day); and Funky Eatery, a chic and tasty coffee, brunch, and pastries spot with a great little home goods shop.