TEAM EPIPHANY

In case you haven’t heard, the heir to Coltrane’s throne was born 11/11/11: Ellington Rudy Chu-Curtis.

To celebrate the birth of “The Chairman” (a nickname the young man now dons), Team Epiphany commissioned legendary artist HAZE to create a timeless “piece” to adorn Ellington’s TriBeCa penthouse bedroom’s wall.

Check out more shots of the work in progress below. What do you think?

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People love exclusivity when dining in New York City. From speakeasy bars to clandestine alleyway restaurants, the trend has become so pervasive that I personally find it tacky. A noted exception, however, is Sushi Azabu. Why? Frankly -because the food is good enough to justify any kind of gimmick.

Saunter into The Greenwich Grill on Greenwich and Laight Streets in TriBeCa and let the host (who is rarely Asian, yet always speaks flawless Japanese) know that you’ve made a reservation for dinner at Azabu. Without a whiff of pretention, you’ll be whisked away to the back of the restaurant, led down a dark and inconspicuous set of stairs and plunged head-first into the most authentic sushi bar experience this side of Tokyo.

The best way to dine at Sushi Azabu is to sit at the bar and order the Omakase (or one of the smaller iterations of the chef’s menu, if you’re not feeling particularly hungry or adventurous). Get a sake or imported beer and sit back in gustatory wonder as the master chef doles out hit-after-hit of melt-in-your-mouth, straight-from-the-ocean, seriously sublime sushi. Don’t ask what anything is – the chef will just point to your dish and bark its name in Japanese. It’s refreshing, in such a label-conscious society, to be in a place where the names truly don’t matter. Each piece of sushi is decadent in its Zen-like simplicity. Forget the specifics of your meal and indulge. Take a leap of faith. Dive in. Enjoy.  

My Recommendations: Omakase, the mochi/green tea ice cream sundae if you have room for dessert. 

- Douglas Brundage

 TE’s NYC is an ongoing series of city-centric reviews, recommendations, commentaries, collaborations and more about everything and anything related to NYC. 

Douglas Brundage is a Social Media Coordinator at Team Epiphany. 

Learn more about Sushi Azabu over at their website.

Weird Name, Great Food

As New Yorkers, we’re constantly in search of a fantastic meal with lush digs to boot. With so many options available to us across the five boroughs, and menus covering any number of cuisines, cultures and trends, it can become a bit overwhelming at times. Instead, it’s sometimes worth revisiting the basics with a simple, simply great meal. Bubby’s—with locations in TriBeCa and DUMBO—delivers on this concept. 

Bubby’s serves traditional comfort food that could otherwise qualify as staples in most American kitchens. The barbecue is especially good, with the hot links and the pork butt as a definite highlight. If the grill isn’t your pleasure, a meatloaf, served wrapped in bacon, is definitely worth sinking your teeth into. The blend of ground beef and ground pork make the dish especially tender and juicy.

Still, the real draw for anyone considering a visit is the incredible pie selection. Baked by Ron Silver and ranging from the popular “mile high apple pie” to the Michigan sour cherry, the pies at Bubby’s are seriously good. In fact, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you choose to skip dessert. The extra calories are worth it. Trust me.

My Recommendations: Anything BBQ, meatloaf, sour cherry pie.

- Kyle Turner

TE’s NYC is an ongoing series of city-centric reviews, recommendations, commentaries, collaborations and more about everything and anything related to NYC.

Kyle Turner is a Senior Account Manager at Team Epiphany. 

Learn more about Bubby’s over at their website.