WORK • Tuesday Routine
ELIZABETH DUNN • writer & co-founder • Consumed
Neighborhood you work & live in: Harlem
It’s Tuesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
My workplace is also my living space. Since I have three young boys and I’m not a morning person, weekday mornings are like being shot out of a cannon. I’m slinging oatmeal, listening to the dulcet tones of my 10-year-old practicing his trumpet, and negotiating with a three-year-old who refuses to put on pants. After I drop everyone at school, I close myself in an office on the top floor of our townhouse. It’s full of ratty old Ikea furniture, and there are piles of papers and books everywhere, but it’s sun-filled, quiet, and high enough that I look out the windows through the treetops. I love it.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m a freelance journalist. I’ve written about food — specifically, the intersection of food, business, and culture — for over a decade. Every day looks a little different. Sometimes, I’m booked solid on phone calls reporting a story; others I’m hunkered down in ‘do not disturb’ mode, writing. No matter what’s on the agenda, I like to have a jigsaw puzzle on the go that I can chip away at when I need a break because it keeps me from checking social media and spiraling. I’m currently working on this one, and it’s a real bitch!
Right now I’m working on a newsletter that I recently started with my friend and colleague, Jane Black. It’s called Consumed, and it’s a research-and-reporting-driven guide to the wild world of food and nutrition. There’s so much marketing out there now, and so many influencers spouting information that’s just not based in fact. We’re trying to help people cut through the noise to make food decisions they can feel good about. We’ve been at it for a couple of months, and I’m here to tell you that newsletters are hard work! It’s gratifying work, though, and I feel lucky to be able to do it.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’m old enough to predate Eater’s restaurant heatmaps and, in the early aughts, was known in my friend group for the detailed Excel sheet I used to obsessively track new restaurant openings. Life has changed since then, though, and I’m not chasing the hottest reservation anymore. The place I go to more than anywhere now is a wine bar around the corner from my house called Musette. It’s super cozy, and inviting, like something out of a Nora Epron movie, and I love running into neighbors there. They do coffee and pastries in the morning, wine and small plates in the evening. Aside from that, some of the best meals I’ve had lately have been at Bangkok Supper Club, Koloman, and Sailor.
How about a little leisure or culture this week?
On Friday evenings we usually pack up the car and head to our house in Litchfield County in the northwest corner of Connecticut. We often stop on the way at The Lantern Inn, in Wassaic, for their insanely delicious wood-fired pizzas, local beers, and the rotating selection of B-movies always playing behind the bar. It’s walking distance from the Wassaic Project, an artist-run gallery with tons of cool events.
At some point over the weekend I usually find an excuse to head into Salisbury, where the bakery Sweet William’s makes some of the absolute best pies, cakes, and pastries I’ve ever experienced (they also pull a mean cortado). For a date night dinner, next on my list to try is The Pink House, in West Cornwall, which is currently the talk of our extremely small town.
Aside from all the eating, weekends usually involve at least one soccer game, and if I’m lucky, a hike or run on one of the area’s many beautiful trails.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I recently bought my husband a gravel bike from Rodeo Labs. I love it because I love him, and exploring the wilds of northwest Connecticut early on a Saturday morning makes him so happy. His bike is a custom job; I’m no expert, but it sure is pretty.
What NYC store or service do you love to recommend?
It’s not technically in New York City, but does deliver to New York City! Marlene and Dan at Beavertides Farm sell the absolute best pasture-raised beef, goat, and lamb, and they’ll deliver it to your door.