East Village Heats Things Up, Tipo Brazil!

Our dear friends at Fast Metropolis have been out and about and providing extra credit work on whats hot and what's not:

The somewhat new (4 months) East Village hot spot, Carne Vale, is launching an outside garden along with a Spring / Summer menu. Brought to you from the owner of Le Souk, Marcus Jabob, brings a Brazilian menu to the East Village. The newly launched a la carte menu features South American appetizers such as San Jacques (seared diver sea scallops with sweet plantain coconut cream) and Costelas de Pacu (regulars call it Fish Ribs). Samba, bossa nova and sexy world beats will reign as the music of choice for the DJ's who are stationed in the outside shack. On the weekends, the Carne Vale plans to celebrate the summer with Brazilian barbeques and live samba dancers! Also, a delicious cocktail menu is being introduced featuring caipirinas, flavored rums and fruit filled sangria - and you can take them outside. Sounds like paradise in the East Village, something we're tucking under our hat to ride the summer on.

Spanish Invasion

We couldn't have written or reported it better ourselves, from fashion geek:

Have you noticed the New York City buzz about Spanish culture? Whether it's talking about the latest Spanish tapas, the tastiest sangria, or the endless hours of stalking Expedia for the cheapest flight to Barcelona, Spain is invading New York through the art and fashion.

If you missed Guggenheim's recent exhibit on Spanish Painting from El Greco to Picasso, don't worry, head uptown to see Barcelona and Modernity: Gaudi to Dali at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Surveying art and design in Barcelona from 1888 to 1939, the MET offers up 300 works from superstars such as Antoni Gaudi, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Have an art-seeing-day while you're uptown and drop in at the Museum of the City of New York, which coincidently offers an exhibit on New York and the Spanish Civil War.

Want to add a bit of Spanish flare to your monotone wardrobe? Check out Barcelona designer, Custo-Barcelona at his store in Soho. Inspired by a motorcycle road trip, the Barcelona brothers returned to Spain and started their fashion house. Built on fusing the culture of Spain with a sportswear aesthetic, the Barcelona clothing line features multi-colored, multi-patterned ready-to-wear pieces for the city girl dying to be a globe trotter.

(Photo courtesy of The MET and Custo-Barcelona)