Jessica Seinfeld knows her way around a kitchen — and she wants to help those in need of a little extra culinary TLC.
The best-selling cookbook author — and wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld — just released her third tome, aptly titled “The Can’t Cook Book: 100+ Recipes for the Absolutely Terrified!”
But even though the domestic goddess and mother of three can cook, she’s more than happy to give her spatula a break and hit up some of NYC’s hipper restaurants. “I feel like it’s my job to always try different things,” says Seinfeld, 42. This is her New York.
1. Peanut Butter & Co., 240 Sullivan St., near West Third Street
“Jerry orders the Jerry Seinfeld Comedy Special — a toasted bagel with peanut butter, honey and cinnamon. My kids love it there. I give them healthy meals at home, [so] for us, going out is fun and indulgent and something we look forward to. It’s so fun for me to see my kids enjoying restaurants.”
2. Joe’s Pizza, 7 Carmine St., near Sixth Avenue
“Julian, my son, likes pepperoni. But everyone else, we just keep it super straightforward — cheese pizza. I like it really hot. I like it so the crust is just a tiny bit black. [There’s] the best people-watching on that corner [where Joe’s is]. I’ll stand there with a slice and be the happiest person on Earth.”
3. Barney Greengrass, 541 Amsterdam Ave., near 86th Street
“I live on the Upper West Side, which, I’m sure you’ve heard from other people, is not [a] culinary haven. [But] we love Barney Greengrass. That’s just our family place. We keep it straightforward — Jerry likes the scrambled eggs with lox, [and] I normally get scrambled eggs with a toasted bagel or bialy, with Nova or lox and cream cheese and tomato.”
4. Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave., near 15th Street
“My favorite fish place, The Lobster Place, is there. My favorite meat place, Dickson’s Farmstand, is there. There’s a great produce place, Manhattan Fruit Exchange, and Amy’s Bread. It’s great one-stop shopping. We go a lot on the weekends, and I get the grocery shopping done while my kids walk around. My daughter [Sascha] is almost 13 and old enough to be left to watch her brothers [Julian, 10, and Shepherd, 8]. I shop at Whole Foods sometimes, but it’s expensive.”
5. Union Square Greenmarket, Union Square Park, 17th Street and Broadway
“I try to go around 10 a.m. There are a few different vendors I like. But honestly, it just depends on how things look. I try to buy organic, but a lot of times you can’t. You’ve got to talk to each of the farmers and purveyors and how they grow their stuff and how natural they try to go. Sometimes it’s hard. Especially with apples, and it’s apple season right now. I bring one tote bag and I try to fit everything in my bag and then I take the subway home.”
6. Del Posto, 85 10th Ave., near 16th Street
“We love Del Posto. [Jerry and I] go there a lot when we have double dates with our closest friends, Alexandra Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos or Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos. Those are our closest couple friends. [It’s a] romantic spot. Mario Batali is [also] a dear friend, so he always makes it special for us in some way. He knows my birthday — we have ours on the same week — so he always surprises us with something nice.”
7. Broadway Panhandler, 65 E. Eighth St., near Broadway
“If I die, I want to die in Broadway Panhandler. It’s so New York. It’s such a great resource. Chefs use it. Home cooks love it. You can ask somebody questions, and they know what they’re talking about. I don’t treat myself often, but I did just buy a new ecologically friendly ceramic pan last week. I’m definitely not a cook who says you need to go out and buy everything [at once] — you can just do your best and invest slowly and grow your collection.”
8. The NoMad, 1170 Broadway, near 28th Street
“I love the library at NoMad. I like to have meetings there, I like meeting friends there. That’s a restaurant [where] Jerry and I love to have dates: The red room at NoMad is our prime date spot right now. The room is so beautiful. The chicken is unreal, and they make a nice French 75 [cocktail] if you ask them. And we love Will Guidara, who runs the place.”
9. Charlie Bird, 5 King St., near Sixth Avenue
“Right now, my favorite restaurant is Charlie Bird. I think it’s perfect. I love the music. I love the food. I love the staff. I love Robert [Bohr], who owns it. And the menu is really clear, not too fancy or pretentious. And everyone who eats there is interesting to me. It’s such great people-watching. The chicken is delish. The crispy chicken. The gnocchi is delicious. The farro salad is amazing. The duck egg spaghetti with uni is so decadent and delicious, I’d be intimidated to make it. But I think I could. Would it be as good as they do there? No. But after some practice, I think I could get it.”