Cornershop Comfort

Yes. It's been a while. Last week, while on a long and much needed lunch break from work at one of my internships, I wandered the streets of Noho trying to figure out why everyone and their little brother wants to eat in this neighborhood. First of all, it's the shopping capital of Manhattan which means that it's the tourist capital of the US. Since the recession, every trendy European and his stick-thin girlfriend are found traipsing about Houston Street looking for comparatively cheap fashion buys--value they can get for fewer Euros. One of these fedora-clad fashionistas almost spilled a venti mochaccino on me as I walked out of my building... Luckily I have the reflexes of a nervous cat and jumped backwards awkwardly bumping into the security guard of the building who was holding the door for me. My bad.

I originally was hoping to find a cute little coffeehouse I heard about in my search for the perfect cupcake. Memo to you, New York Magazine: 17 Bleecker, a coffehouse "where thirty-something locals lap up lattes, nibble on pastries, and cruise the Internet via free wi-fi" DOES NOT EXIST. It is now a boutique. I was dissappointed.

Wandering down Bleecker, I came across a pretty restaurant with windows open and elegant curtains shading customers from the midday Manhattan sun. The Cornershop Cafe (643 Broadway, just abover Bleecker Street) is a cute little oasis in the shopping desert. I entered the billowing curtains and found a small dining room with a variety of old wood tables and trendy bronze chandeliers. Decorative pillows adorned wall seats and the floor just screamed "I'm aged wood--don't scuff me up with your high-priced heels!"

I belong to a generation obsessed with personal technology. Blackberrys, iPods, bluetooth, portable GPS, and laptops are our most prized possessions. Even though I am technologically challenged (yes, I have issues syncing my iPod, among other things...), I am usually with my laptop. My lovely, orange encased macbook goes with me everywhere so I can write, look at my pictures and addictively browse the internet. So, stepping into this place, I didn't want to seem too out of place by being the one anti-social, workaholic chick with a computer. Luckily there was another guy, dressed in work attire, using a laptop and sipping a coffee at a table. PERFECT, I thought. I won't be ostracized and hated by the waitstaff for camping out and taking up valuable table space.

I went and sat down at the table behind my laptop buddy so I could view the whole dining room. I ordered a fresh mint iced tea and a breakfast wrap with eggs, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and smoked chicken sausage. I'm not exactly sure where the breakfast burrito craving came from, but it was a good choice. First of all, let me comment on the mint iced tea. Praised be the good lord of all holy herbal remedies. Drinking this tea was like being hit over the head with a heavy (and fragrant) pot of mint leaves. My gums tingled for minutes after taking a single sip. This flavor may be too strong for some, but it was the most refreshing thing I could have asked for. The breakfast wrap was also delicious--not too greasy, cheesy, or over-stuffed. The eggs were not overcooked and stayed fluffy in the condensed wrap. The chicken sausage was delicious and mixed perfectly with the sharp, yet tangy cheddar cheese. The tomatoes added that extra bit of sweetness that eggs always need. So, yes. Yum.

Of course, when I finally whipped out my laptop, the jerk in front of me leaves making me look like the workaholic anti-social girl I was afraid of becoming. More and more patrons entered the restaurant as I sip my iced tea and the noise level became noticeably unbearable. My waiter even dropped off the bill without me asking, as a suggestive "get the hell outta here, I got customers who want that table." Being the stubborn lady that I am, I stayed put and ordered a coffee to spite the bastard. Let me and my laptop enjoy my newfound Noho nook.