There’s an ongoing debate in my family whether Veniero’s or De Robertis is the better East Village spot to get Italian pastries. Ultimately we can never agree, so we end up going to both: Veniero’s for sit-down dessert and coffee, and then afterwards, we head across the street to De Robertis to take home a box of pine nut cookies.
I love restaurants that have menus with pictures of their food. That way it's the anti-blind date; you know exactly what you're signing up for when you order. Veniero’s menu especially is like a gallery--each photo is its own supersaturated cake canvas to choose from. Their Camilla cake was chosen to be highlighted on The Food Network, which they so kindly alert you on the backside of the menu so you know which one is the real deal.
A couple doors down from Veniero’s on 11th street is Casey Rubber Stamps, which is a whole wunderkind of its own. Every inch of the small shop is packed with a different square design, creating a wooden 3-D wallpaper effect that follows every step taken inside. John Casey, proprietor of Casey Rubber Stamps, emigrated from Ireland to NYC when he was just 16, where he made his first stamp, a rabbit shape. But since then, the stamps in his store are always evolving to meet the needs of his East Village neighbors make custom designs for everyone from artists to scientists.
I often use phrases such as “my favorite, ”“I love this,” and “it was magical” a lot, but it’s because I am unabashedly emphatic about the people, places, and things I like (I LIKE NOUNS, YOU GUYS!). So when I say Casey Rubber Stamps is legitimately one of my favorite places in New York, I hope it doesn’t become a diluted statement. Visiting Casey Rubber Stamps was almost overwhelming. Each stamp was its own art form and I could see a different use for every one of them, from the yin yangs to the vegetables. Rubber stamps are the best because you can use them to become Martha Stewart, they’re small and you don’t have to worry about them, and they're also really great way to expel pent up aggression.
I often use phrases such as “my favorite, ”“I love this,” and “it was magical” a lot, but it’s because I am unabashedly emphatic about the people, places, and things I like (I LIKE NOUNS, YOU GUYS!). So when I say Casey Rubber Stamps is legitimately one of my favorite places in New York, I hope it doesn’t become a diluted statement. Visiting Casey Rubber Stamps was almost overwhelming. Each stamp was its own art form and I could see a different use for every one of them, from the yin yangs to the vegetables. Rubber stamps are the best because you can use them to become Martha Stewart, they’re small and you don’t have to worry about them, and they're also really great way to expel pent up aggression.
It was really hard not to spend all of my money on the entire store, and so narrowing down the ones to purchase was not an easy feat. Each stamp is marked with a letter which corresponds to their price in a flip book that sits on one of the tables. For such a beautiful craft, I think they’re extremely affordable (they range anywhere from $3-$10 depending on the size). I almost went with the bandana handkerchief stamp, but in the end, I bought a hand, a safety pin, and a Buddha to remind me of my recent trip to India. John didn’t have the Buddha on any of the shelves so he sweetly went in the back of the shop and carved it for me on the spot! Now do you get why I said this is my favorite place in New York?
Three drawings I made in my sketchbook to incorporate my new stamps.
Follow me on Twitter @emmaedition
No comments:
Post a Comment