Financier for Financiers

"The way something has to be, a tree, a street, a house..." ~ Breakfast at Tiffany's

One of the greatest perks of working on Wall Street is Stone Street, which is literally a stone's throw away from my building.

Still tiled with the old cobblestones dating back to when the street was part of New Amsterdam and the first FX trades were happening under trees in the area, the street has seen a great deal of history. Thankfully, investors realized that nothing will keep history alive in the city as much as food will. Think about it for a moment. What is your favorite street? I guarantee you that what you associate with that street will in part be with food, whether its actually eating on that street or the smells of food.

Stone Street is best known as a Wall Streeter's summer retreat. I have spent many a Friday afternoon lunch hour there because only in the summer can you really afford to leave the desk for that long. Its slow, managers are on vacation, and the area just beckons you. My dearest colleagues (who I hate calling colleagues because they are dear friends) and I have a preference despite all the other great spots: Mad Dog and Beans. What drives you mad about Mad Dog and beans are that you only have one hour to savor the amazing guacamole. As for the sangria, it is like you are drinking summertime in that glass.

http://www.maddogandbeans.com/

In the cold months, nothing beats grabbing a bar pie at Adrienne's Pizza Bar and a glass of merlot filled to the brim just in case the hot cheese and sizzling pancetta on the pizza don't warm you up enough. Adrienne's requires real logistical planning for lunch. If you are not there ten minutes before noon, you end up miserable waiting on a line, smelling pizza and not being able to eat a bite of it. The first time it happened to me, I thought I was in a circle of Dante's Inferno...only this time hell was a hot brick oven and my sin was sloth for not tearing myself away from the trading floor sooner.

http://www.adriennespizzabar.com/

Oh, there are bad days at work for a financier, which is exactly why there is Financier. Serving up gourmet sandwiches that I could care less about, this place is all about the pastries. These delicious bits of heaven are worth downing when the Dow is down. As for the cakes, thankfully we have had special occasions at work that warranted ordering them! My favorite is the chocolate hazelnut banana cake (aka Chocolate Gianduju). In the summer months there is also gelato and sorbetto available. The sorbetto is so filled with fresh fruit that you think whoever made it threw it some water and sugar as an afterthought to a bowl of fresh raspberries.

http://www.financierpastries.com/index.cfm

There are other fun places that are pubs, like Beckett's and Ulysses's. There is also Smorgas Chef which after a year on Wall Street I still have dared not go into. Once you taste the Swedish meatballs, there is no going back, and I have enough problems situated on my hips. Last but not least, there is Bayard's. It really is enough for me to want to marry my man at City Hall and have the reception lunch there on a romantic whimsy. http://www.bayards.com/manhattan-wedding-venues.cfm