About usPartner with usListen to our podcasts
Location
111 West 17th Street
Neighborhoods
Crema   CLOSED 1 Brunch Mexican Chelsea

One day we just needed a quick pick-me-up and we stopped by Crema. We ordered some of their excellent guacamole and shared an amazing salad filled with avocado, cheese, tortillas, corn, sesame seeds and a delicious peanut vinaigrette dressing. The rest of the menu was tantalizing and we definitely plan to be back soon to try it.

Location
Loading
Sign up to Sidestreet Updates
Crema   CLOSED 1 Brunch Mexican Chelsea

More Brunch nearby

More places on 17th Street

Lost Gem
Shareen 1 Bridal Vintage undefined

SHAREEN

Today, Shareen Mitchell is a bicoastal business owner, a sought-after entrepreneur with fourteen employees and a celebrity following. But no one would have guessed it eleven years ago, when Shareen was, in her own words, “broke, in debt, and selling at a flea market. ” That flea market booth soon grew into a 7, 000 square foot vintage warehouse in LA, and within a few years, Shareen had expanded to New York City. In spite of her success, Shareen’s location on West 17th Street is one of the best-kept secrets in Manhattan. Hidden away on the second floor of an old walk-up, the only sign of its existence is a red dress hanging from the fire escape, and sometimes—like the day I visited—not even that. Fortunately, a friendly employee from the salon next door pointed me in the right direction, but if I had not been in the know, I would have missed Shareen entirely. This secret location may seem like a bad business decision, but it is actually one of the keys to Shareen’s success. Her stores have always fostered a sense of exclusivity, and Shareen told me that her warehouse, especially in the early days, was not only the hottest vintage store in LA, but also a gathering place for a society of hip young women. “It was a crazy, fun secret, ” she told me. “No one knew where they were getting their vintage. ”Because there are no dressing rooms at Shareen—women change out in the open—both store locations have the same “no boys allowed” policy. But the resemblance between Shareen’s two stores ends there. While the LA warehouse is constantly buzzing with youthful energy, the New York location has a quiet, sophisticated feel that caters to a slightly older crowd. The reason for the difference, Shareen explained, is that by 2009, many of her original customers at the LA warehouse were now young professionals living in New York City. “They told me there was nothing like Shareen in the city, ” she said, “so I decided to test the waters. ” She opened a shop in a train station parking lot on Long Island, above an auto shop. “People like Ivanka Trump would get off the train, ” she told me, laughing, “and walk into this auto shop with their dogs and babies and everything. ” But after a while, the trip to Long Island became exhausting, and Shareen decided to open a location in the city. “It was kind of a secret, ” she said. “I had no money for a sign, so I put the red dress out on the fire escape. ”Though she did not put much effort into the store’s exterior, Shareen transformed the inside. The former apartment is now an elegant retail space, filled with ornate mirrors and old-fashioned couches, and yet it still manages to feel warm and welcoming. One large room is devoted entirely to wedding dresses, while another two rooms are filled with vintage clothing of all kinds, from evening gowns to 1950s prom dresses. When I asked Shareen about the bridal section, she told me that the store is in the process of transitioning. “A lot of my clients are starting to get married, ” she told me, “but they don’t want to look like traditional brides. ” These young women, many of whom get married in unorthodox venues—upstate farms, Brooklyn lofts, and Manhattan rooftops—are looking for unique dresses that will express their personalities. Over the past few years, the demand for these “indie wedding dresses” has grown so much that Shareen predicts that the store may soon be entirely bridal. “A year ago, we were half bridal and half vintage, and now it’s more like seventy-thirty, ” Shareen told me. “We’re double-booked on the weekends with brides. ”The New York location may be transitioning into bridal wear, but Shareen insisted that the store will not abandon its vintage roots. Along with her bridal collection, which is all under $2, 000, many of the wedding dresses for sale in the store are reworked vintage. Shareen added that her collection is designed to flatter all kinds of body types, to celebrate women rather than inhibit them. She always tells her brides, “I want to see you looking beautiful, not you in a beautiful dress. ”

More Mexican nearby

Lost Gem
Casa Carmen Flatiron

Casa Carmen Flatiron

The newest Casa Carmen shares a familiar hacienda style with the Tribeca location and its menu continues the homage to the iconic Mexico City based El Bajio restaurants. One could say Casa Carmen is the US extension of El Bajio as New York based proprietors Sebastian and Santiago Ramirez Degollado, named Casa Carmen after their grandmother Carmen “Titita” Ramirez Degollado. Titita’s husband Raul was one of the El Bajio founders. She took over once he died and later expanded El Bajio to 18 additional locations. Also adding to the heritage of Casa Carmen is El Bajio restaurant designer, Luis Enrique Noriega, who created Casa Carmen Flatiron’s cozy ambiance. With only 74 seats divided between the bar and dining room, his thoughtful interior design included earth toned crafts, texture and woodwork. At the recent Casa Carmen Flatiron restaurant opening, Titita, who is Mexico City based, was in attendance. The octogenarian was raised to be a homemaker and never had an intention of becoming a chef but the Veracruz native enjoyed cooking and sharing central Mexican cuisine with others. As head of El Bajio for over thirty years, Titita has traveled the world talking about and demonstrating Mexican cooking. Numerous accolades from professional organizations have also been bestowed on Titita who was named “matriarch of Mexican flavor” by the New York Times. Although brothers Sebastian and Santiago are at the helm of Casa Carmen, almost all the traditional Mexican dishes featured on the menu at Casa Carmen were created with Titita’s recipes. Casa Carmen head chef, Ivan Gonzalez, underwent exhaustive training about ingredients, recipes and protocols at El Bajio ensuring the signature dishes and dining customs were continued at Casa Carmen. For those who fondly recount eating their way through Mexico City, the traditional dishes at Casa Carmen will provide them with a satisfying taste of familiarity. Offerings of enchiladas de mole, pescado a la Veracruzana, esquites and enmoladas provide choices for varying appetites. Clever inclusions in the agave-forward cocktail list include the Jamaica margarita, Sangre de Pacifico, mezcalitas and a Granada Spritz. And a dessert menu of flan, corn cake, churros and tres leches sweetly end the dinner experience. While the Flatiron location has opened as a dinner spot there are plans in the future to offer weekday lunch and weekend brunch. This will undoubtedly receive an enthusiastic reception as classic dishes including chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, and molletes gratinados will be featured.