shivery's guide to new york #2: grey dog cafe

and now, ladies and gentlemen, we hop this tour on over to the land where the grid system has no real meaning, the west village. more specifically, the grey dog cafe (33 carmine st.; 212.462.0041). situated around the corner from bleecker st. records and across the street from the 'unoppressive, anti-imperialist bookshop' (yes, that is actually the name on the awning), the grey dog is all about strong coffee, cozy kitsch decor (such as the hand-painted tables, one of which features a map of sonoma county, my old stomping grounds) and sixteen kinds of bread ranging from sourdough to sun dried tomato. personally, i'm a fan of the sandwiches; i will freely admit that a grey dog grilled cheese makes me weak in the knees. the owl is more of an aficionado of their stellar french fries (as you will discover if you ever try to nick one without permission). but really, let's be honest. all the food is pretty damn stellar: the sandwiches are gourmet, the salads divine, the omelets the size of your head and the beverages (hot, cold and alcoholic) pleasantly diverse.

as far as i'm concerned, though, the very best thing about the grey dog is its front window, which takes up the entire front wall and is thrown wide open when the weather is nice, getting around new york's pesky zoning laws to give you a quasi-al fresco experience.

plus, they cater! now if only i could get them to deliver to midtown...

personal favorites: hot chocolate; grilled cheese with cheddar and sourdough; the #7 (sliced apples, brie, raspberry mustard and turkey); the fact that they refer to their house green salad as the 'cute' salad and yes, the french fries. oh, the french fries.