(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Jennifer Miller Jewelry (photo by Jonathan Baskin)
magic fingers 173 w. 81st (photo by Jonathan Baskin)
Levain Bakery 167 W 74th Street. (Victoria Will/New York Post)
Sara Bareilles (WireImage)
shrimp scampi with buttery rice at Frankie and Johnny’s (Imogen Brown)
Joe The Art of Coffee (photo by Jonathan Baskin)
Having just relocated from the Upper West Side, Hoda Kotb, 46, is a newly minted Hell’s Kitchen resident. In fact, when The Post talked to the “Today” co-host at the end of her workday — at 11 a.m. — she was still waiting on the delivery of a dresser. Still, she can’t escape Kathie Lee: “She just moved into my building,” Kotb says with an exhaustive laugh. Lucky for her (or maybe not . . .), Kotb already knows what it’s like to work with the wine-guzzling TV personality, and it’s documented in her book, “How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee.” This is her New York.
1. Joe the Art of Coffee, 514 Columbus Ave., between 84th and 85th streets
“There’s something about this place — the coffee is perfect every single time — it’s creamy, it’s smooth, it doesn’t taste bitter. And I like places with a line. Because I know it’s good. I will wait in line at this place as opposed to going and grabbing a quick cup at Starbucks. And I need a lot of coffee, because I work that weird shift, so I drink an ocean of it.”
2. Super Magic Fingers, 173 W. 81st St., between Amsterdam and Columbus avenues
“First of all, the name seems icky. And when you go in the door, you’re like, ‘Is this an apartment? Where am I? Is it legal?’ But you go in, and they tell you to disrobe, and they hand you a tiny towel. There’s a flimsy curtain that separates you from everyone else. It’s not that private, and you’re like, ‘God, I hope no one sees me.’ But the price is right, and once the massage starts, you don’t care! It’s an experience. You don’t get all the pampering, but you sure get a great feeling when it’s over.”
3. Frankie and Johnny’s, 269 W. 45th St., near Eighth Avenue
“For lunch, sometimes, we do Frankie and Johnny’s. I get their shrimp scampi every single time. I don’t care if it’s the same thing, because you know when you’re in love with something! They serve it over this buttery rice. I don’t know what they sauté it in, but I want to drink it. We’ll go there on Wednesdays before Broadway.”
4. Jennifer Miller Jewelry, 972 Lexington Ave., #4 between 70th and 71st streets
“I like jewelry, but I don’t like to pay a lot of money, because I have to change [what I’m wearing] a lot. [Jennifer Miller] has good stuff that’s also really affordable. The space itself is kind of like a little jewelry box. Everything is shiny and shimmery and puts you in a good mood. I feel like [new jewelry] changes a whole outfit and people don’t realize you’re wearing the same dress again!”
5. T Bar Steak & Lounge, 1278 Third Ave., between 73rd and 74th streets
“I’m a sweets person, so I’m crazy about desserts, and sometimes I pick a place based solely on them. T Bar has this dessert with bananas layered with vanilla wafers and caramel and ice cream. [Banana Parfait Mille Feuilles, above, $15.] From the first bite, you just want to close your eyes, because then suddenly it’s over. Your day has peaked. It’s one of the best desserts I’ve ever had.”
6. Levain Bakery, 167 W. 74th St., # A, at Amsterdam Avenue
“The other place that I love for sweets is Levain Bakery. It’s down four little stairs, and it looks like nothing. If you blink, you miss it. They bake the cookies down there, and you can smell them . . . they make a chocolate fudge with peanut butter chunks. If you’re going to have a last meal, just have a few of those. You’ll die happy.”
7. Sports Club LA, Rockefeller Plaza, between 49th and 50th streets
“I get picked up a little bit before 5 a.m., and I try to go to the gym. Some might question whether it’s really working out, but it is. It might look like I’m padding around for a long time talking to people, but I have my outfit on, I try to do some stuff, I hop in the steam room downstairs, and I usually get to work 6:15-ish.”
8. Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., between Fourth Street and Astor Place
“Sometimes in New York [there’s a lack of] intimacy, but there’s something about that spot that’s cozy and comfy. You have a glass of wine, Sara Bareilles (left) is singing that song ‘Gravity,’ and there’s just nowhere else you want to be. It feels like the musicians are in your living room.”