Full Description
Gorgeously produced and full of fascinating interviews, profiles, and recipes, Café Gitane: 30 Years tells the story of the vibrant downtown New York culture that thrived in the '90s and 2000s through the lens of an iconic institution nestled at its heart.
Through the voices of patrons, artists, and locals who have frequented the beloved Cafe Gitane, readers are sent back to an analog New York, when NoLIta was still Little Italy, a quiet neighborhood tucked between SoHo and the Lower East Side, and downtown hummed with creative energy. Here a tiny, cosmopolitan French Moroccan cafe evolved into a cultural nexus: a meeting place and playground for everyone, from the most talented emerging artists to out-of-town visitors.
Cafe Gitane: 30 Years invites readers to savor the sights, sounds, and tastes of an establishment that has left an unusually lasting mark on an ever-shifting city. It chronicles not just a unique café, but a creative community—and a microcosm of New York itself.
McNally Jackson Books, Nolita's neighborhood bookstore since 2004, is honored to be publishing this celebratory scrapbook. Indeed, Café Gitane commemorates the enduring spirit and connection shared by two downtown institutions and gathering places, whose entwined histories and evolutions help define the fabric of the city.
Contents
Foreword by Luc Lévy
A Brief History of Cafe Gitane
Creating the Menu
New York's First Avocado Toast
Architecture, Ambiance, and Environment
In Conversation with Father Andrew O'Connor
First Press Write-Up
Balthazar x Gitane
In Conversation with Ralph Toledano
Grilled Eggplant
Stephen Gaghan on Writing at Gitane
Betsy Gaghan
The Little Green Dress
Pomegranate Glazed Salmon
In Conversation with Serge Becker
Supreme x Gitane
Heart of Palm Salad
In Conversation with Norman Reedus
The Blue Workwear Jacket
Roasted Chicken Sandwich
In Conversation with Justyna Hammond
Hope, Dolan, and Bryn
A Shift in the Life with Valentina, Maria, Olivia, Grace, and Amanda
In Conversation with Jennifer, Sydney, and Ron Crawford
Le Labo x Gitane
Smoked Trout Bowl
In Conversation with Inez van Lamsweerde
The Jane Hotel
Baked Feta
In Conversation with Glen Luchford
Patrick Wright
Cafe Gitane Vinegar Hill
Spicy Oranges and Olives
In Conversation with Carlos Perez
Spicy Meatball Tagine
John Baller
In Conversation with Melanie Dunea
Cafe Gitane Tokyo
In Conversation with Thomas Hayo
Gitane Mixtape
Moroccan Couscous
In Conversation with Luc Lévy
Afterword
Acknowledgments
