Sister, sister
CHLOE & CLAIRE LEE • Selleb
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
CHLOE & CLAIRE LEE • co-founders • Selleb
Neighborhood you work in: Flatiron
Neighborhood you live in: Gramercy
It’s Friday afternoon. How are you rolling into the weekend?
We’re start-up founders, which means Monday mornings and Saturday nights are treated equally unless we set firm boundaries and markers. When Friday hits, it’s a sign to slow down and schedule some light work. We’re rolling into this weekend meeting up with some of our app’s superusers at Devoción to gather feedback.
What app, you ask? We’re building Selleb, the receipt-sharing app where you can see what the coolest people on the internet are actually buying. No sponsored hype, just good old-fashioned receipts that reveal where people are parking their hard-earned dollars. We’ve seen everything from (juicy) UberEats orders to Botox (!) to apartment rent (!!). Users get confessional and candid on our app, and that’s the best part. Sometimes we get DMs asking, “Can I just get on and snoop?” Look, we get it. Stalking is fun, but you’ll need a little skin in the game if you want to get on the app.
Any restaurant plans?
We love our classic, tried-and-true local moments at Gramercy Tavern (elevated pub grub of burger and duck fat chips) or Cosme, plus weekly visits to Caffe Panna since we’re a stone’s throw away and can get there before the lines snake. Always get their specials! Borgo is a recent favorite — the food is so simple but yummy and the menu rotates (we’re suckers for variety). La Dong is another neighborhood go-to, don’t miss the wagyu pho and bun cha.
This weekend, we’re paying homage to our heritage and hitting K-town. It’ll be a toss-up between Ahgassi and Olle. Authentic, no-frills spots that serve up grandma’s kitchen-style jigaes, fish gui, jeon, bossam, and kalbi, preceded by a parade of standard (not extra!) banchan including a minimum of three types of kimchi and other veggies. And of course there’s the motherland’s most beloved comfort food — the steaming egg custard in an earthen bowl —that often appears unannounced and on the house if they suspect you’re Korean. But you can always ask for it!
Okdongsik will be our backup. There’s so much decision paralysis in NYC and sometimes you just want to go to a restaurant with a limited menu or set constraints. This place only has two items on the menu: pork bone soup and kimchi dumplings. And now, the best-kept secret: if you go, make your way to the back (past the bathrooms) to an unmarked door that leads to a hidden speakeasy called George Bang Bang. The coolest bar, bar none. Cocktail menu goes crazy. Pro tip: Get the Don Corleone, their signature bourbon drink with bitters and strained smoked bacon fat. A killer drink.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Chloe is obsessed with AMC’s Screen Unseen. The ultimate Monday night gamble. Here’s the deal: You roll up at 7p, hand over five bucks, and buckle in for a movie that doesn’t hit the theaters ’til Friday. But you won’t know what you’re in for till the opening credits roll. It gets super stressful and nail-biting during the previews because everyone’s silently praying it’s a buzzy film they’ve been dying to see. For diehard cinephiles only.
Last great vacation?
Chloe: Kona, Hawaii. Paradise on earth. The absolute musts are Da Poke Shack for the best poke bowl, ULU for a beautiful, ever-so-consistent ocean-to-table experience, Kona Coffee & Tea for the best coffee on the island (try the Bullet) and to stock up on the eponymous java beans to take back home.
Claire: I just came back from a trip in Turkey (Istanbul and Bodrum) and Greece (mainly Leros and Patmos). Leros is still a super DL, no-frills island which was very much my speed. Dined at Mylos By The Sea twice — definitely among the most memorable meals I’ve had. Harris Bar is also breathtaking.
Recent big-ticket purchase you love?
This Zojirushi Japanese kettle boiler. Game changer for tea drinkers who boil water in the electric kettle, do something else in the meantime, remember 15 mins later only to find that the water is now lukewarm, re-boil, rinse and repeat. With this kitchen gadget, you can boil water and keep it piping hot all day until you remember to pour and enjoy.
Product or service you always recommend?
Keisy shiatsu massage on East 9th St is the best bang for your buck in town — 60 minutes for $60. Furthest thing from a glam or relaxing experience, but if you have knots of any kind, they’re your people. You certainly won’t fall asleep during the massage, but the night of? Money.