WORK • Tuesday Routine
JOSEPH HERNANDEZ • associate director, drinks • Bon Appetit
Neighborhood you work in: Financial District
Neighborhood you live in: Bed-Stuy
It’s Tuesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Now that it’s nice outside, I’ve adapted my commute to take advantage of the weather. My subway stop is Fulton St., two blocks from my office, but if time permits, I get off one stop prior, at the High St. stop in Dumbo. The Brooklyn Bridge is relatively clear of tourist traffic at the start of the day, so I walk the 30 minutes or so to my office at One World Trade. I get to listen to an audiobook or podcast — the BBC radio play of Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy is a recent fave — plus, I can clear my head of any lingering morning anxiety. I get to the office at 9a or just after, before the elevators become crowded. I grab some breakfast in the cafeteria (usually eggs, berries, and iced coffee) and settle into the day.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m in the final push for editing the June/July issue, which is dedicated to all things drinks. I’m looking over final proofs for stories about Singapore’s innovative nonalcoholic mixology scene; a huge package on everyone’s favorite drink, the martini; and collaborating with colleagues across multiple teams to promote the issue’s feature story, our Best New Bars in America. Along with a team of freelance scouters and staffers, I’m just coming off weeks and months of research travel, so to see it all come together is a great feeling. (And a huge relief!) There was also a recipe tasting in our test kitchen, which I crashed because we've got some summer cocktails in the mix, plus I snagged some work-in-progress tests from my incredibly talented colleagues. It was giving GBBO Dessert Week vibes.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Over the weekend, my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary with a stop at Leland Eating and Drinking House in Prospect Heights. We went hog wild, but I particularly enjoyed the specials, a scallop toast with ramps (‘tis the season), served with a funky housemade sweet chili sauce. It was an aromatic umami bomb, so good. To drink, I kept it easy with a vermouth and seltzer. The next day, a friend and I wandered the Chelsea Flea for possible home and garden trinkets, but came up empty-handed. We consoled ourselves at Smacking Burger in the West Village — it’s inside the Mobil station on 8th Ave just under 14th Street, and serves In-N-Out-esque burgers and excellent fries. We took our food to the pocket park across the street to sit in the sun. 10/10, would recommend.
How about a little leisure or culture this week?
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, one of my favorite institutions in the city. I’ve volunteered there in various capacities, and love a lot of the free programming they offer locals and visitors alike. This time of year, I’m trying to be outside as much as possible, so I constantly refresh info from Little Island for shows or interesting performers. I’m working up the courage to take part in a one-day choir, organized by the Gaia Music Collective. They create impromptu musical spaces that encourage people of all experience levels to participate in community singing.
What NYC store or service do you love to recommend?
It’s so quirky and delightful, but Casey Rubber Stamps in the East Village is a New York treasure. It’s the kind of place that exists in another time and dimension, a Venn diagram of twee and specific that just thrills my inner manic pixie dream girl. I love buying custom stamps for friends as little “thinking of you” gifts: book plates, monographs, signatures, you can find most anything in the fun li’l catalog of existing images, but you can also mix and match to create whatever you need.
Where are you donating your time or money?
I am going through the volunteer orientation process right now at a local children’s literacy group, Read 718. I’ve been depressed by the news I’ve read about this country’s national education crisis, book bans, the defunding of libraries, and drastic, depressing literacy trends among children — as a writer and editor by trade and training, I realized that I could help in some small way. I also love helping out at the myriad community gardens in my area. They’re a great way to beautify your neighborhood and also build relationships with your neighbors.