The Land of Milk & Honey in Lower Manhattan

So where can you go in the financial district to get an amazing breakfast or lunch? The Milk Street Cafe at 40 Wall Street in the Trump Building.  Ok, so I know what you're thinking - why is it called Milk Street Cafe if its on Wall St?  The original location of the cafe is on Milk Street in Boston. The new location, a 22,000 square foot space in lower Manhattan had its grand opening last week.  The cafe will cater to many specific dietary needs including kosher, vegetarian and gluten-free.  In addition to a sushi station, with fish delivered fresh every morning, Milk St. also has an amazing salad bar.  It starts with an industrial sized salad wash station and spinner that cleans lettuce of any pesticides and dirt particles.  Of course, Milk St. Cafe also has great coffee and baked goods.

Perhaps more important than having another eatery, however, is the fact that Milk St. Cafe will bring 120 jobs to lower Manhattan, and area that is still reeling from the impact of 9/11 and the recession.  The store employs chefs, bakers, catering managers, pastry chefs and many more support staff.

If you're in the area check out Milk St. Cafe for lunch or breakfast.

ThanX!!!

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone associated with X-Factor, especially the publicity contacts. You have a great team that works together to ensure things run very smoothly in an environment that would otherwise be chaotic.  Thanks again for all your help in giving access to VIVE Katerin and other small/independent media outlets.

X Marks the Spot

What an exciting day today at the Prudential Center in Newark!  Thousands of contestants battled the 100 degree temps to wait for their turn to audition for X-Factor, the new singing competition show which will air on FOX starting this September.

I was able to speak with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, LA Reid and Nicole Scherzinger about the new show.  I'll have the video up tomorrow on my website vivekaterin.com and YouTube.  For now, I thought I'd share a few pics from today.

Good luck to all the contestants!  Work hard and follow your dreams!!

-Katerin

Bailando a Rhumba Nueva

I had a great time at the Cuban Day Parade today! I met a lot of great people, including Leonel Ortega aka Papo Ortega.  Senor Ortega is a police lieutenant by trade, but followed his passion and is also a talented singer.  His band, CUBANOSON, billed as New York's Cuban Orchestra is a finely tuned machine of latin percussion and syncopated horns.  Fortunately, they made it to the New Jersey Cuban Day Parade, where they played their music on the Univision 41 float.

Their new album, Rhumba Nueva, opens with a upbeat, pulsing song A Bailar Con Cubanoson, which features a brassy trombone that kicks things off until Ortega's smooth singing voice takes over the lead. The remainder of the CD continues with great songs, which vary in tempo, style and mood.  Among my favorite, and perhaps the most playful, is La Gallinita, a song about a little rooster.

Rhumba Nueva, as well as CUBANOSON's first album, Recordando a Cuba, is available for purchase on iTunes. Also, visit www.cubanoson.com for more information about the band.

Tuve un día fabuloso hoy en el Desfile del Día de Cuba! Conocí mucha gente con pasion incluyendo Leonel Ortega alias Papo Ortega. El señor Ortega es un teniente de la policía, pero siguió su pasión y es también un gran cantante talentoso. Su banda, Cubanoson, es reconocida como cubanos de Nueva York, la Orquesta es una máquina finamente sintonizada de América percusión y sincopado cuernos. Afortunadamente, llegaron  a el Desfile, donde tocaron su música en la flota de Univision canal 41. 

Su nuevo álbum, Rhumba Nueva, abre con un tempo mas rapido y preciso, la canción Con A Bailar Cubanoson, que incluye un sonido de un trombón increíble hasta que escuches la gran voz de Ortega conatando con calidad y suavemente tomando la iniciativa en su cancion. El resto del CD continúa con grandes canciones, que varían en ritmo, estilo y estado de ánimo. Entre mis favoritos, se encuentra La Gallinita, una canción acerca de un gallito. 

Rhumba Nueva, así como el primer álbum de Cubanoson, Recordando a Cuba, está disponible 
para la compra en iTunes. También, visite www.cubanoson.com para obtener más información acerca de la banda.