MadParkNews.com, covering New York City's Madison Square Park & Flatiron

Birch Coffee, which started right in the neighborhood at 5 East 27th Street (near 5th Avenue), has opened up a second location at 56 7th Avenue (between 13th & 14th streets).

So if you find yourself further downtown, stop on by. Birch is famous in the neighborhood for their cold-brewed iced coffee, their grilled cheese sandwiches, and their chill local vibe. At Birch, they always have some sort of music playing and a library of books you can read, plus free wifi.

(UPDATE 9/24/12- SEE THE FALL2012 MADISON SQUARE EATS menus at http://www.madparknews.com/?p=15516) Mad Sq Eats, one of the most popular food events in New York City, is back right here next to Madison Square Park, with dozens of stands featuring some of the neighborhood’s (and city’s) best food.

Mad Sq Eats, one of the most popular food events in New York City, is back right here next to Madison Square Park starting today, with dozens of stands featuring some of the neighborhood’s (and city’s) best food.

Mad Sq Eats Spring 2012 will run from May 4th through June 1st. It’s hosted by the Madison Square Park Conservancy and serves food daily in the Worth Square area just west of Madison Square Park (@ 24th and 5th Avenue).

Here is the full vendor list (as of April 25th):

Antica Focacceria
Arancini Bros.
ASIADOG
Bar Suzette
Birch Coffee
Caffe Moak
Calexico
Eataly
Graffiti | Mehtaphor
Gravy
Hong Kong Street Cart
Hot Blondies Bakery
ililli
La Sonrísa
Macaron Parlour
Mayhem & Stout
Mexicue
Mighty Balls
Mile End
Momofuku Milk Bar
Nunu Chocolates
Quartino
Red Hook Lobster Pound
Resto
Roberta’s Pizza
Sigmund’s
Stuffed Artisan Cannolis

[As part of MadParkNews March Madness, there will be 11 winners announced on Monday (April 2nd) of some awesome items from around the neighborhood. (Be SURE you are on the free weekly MadParkNews e-newsletter list by Monday morning at 9am to be eligible).]

Photo via www.BirchCoffee.com

Another item to be given away is $25 Gift Card and a jug of their famous Iced Coffee at Birch Coffee (5 East 27th Street). If you don’t know about Birch, you definitely need to stop by. It’s what a neighborhood cafe should be. Good coffee, good music, local artists, good grilled cheese sandwiches and their cold brewed iced coffee (which you can even have delivered in giant growlers for the home or office).

No purchase necessary – to enter just be sure you are on the mailing list for the free weekly MadParkNews e-newsletter, because that is where we will randomly draw the winners. (1 entry per person, but your friends are welcome to enter.) Must be 21+ for some items. All winners will be announced Monday, April 2nd, 2012. See all of the prizes and terms at http://www.madparknews.com/?p=13089.

MadParkNews has some fun prizes to give away from some awesome neighborhood spots! It’s all part of MadParkNews March Madness. No purchase necessary – to enter just be sure you are on the mailing list for the free weekly MadParkNews e-newsletter, because that is where we will randomly draw the winners. (1 entry per person, but your friends are welcome to enter.) All winners will be announced Monday, April 2nd, 2012. Here are the prizes…

Hill Country Chicken (1123 Broadway at 25th Street): $25 Gift Card
Hill Country BBQ (30 West 26th Street): $25 Gift Card
Shortys (66 Madison Avenue): $25 Gift Card and a 64oz Growler of beer
Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen (23 East 23rd Street): $50 Gift Card
Duke’s Restaurant (99 E. 19th Street at Park Ave South): $50 Gift Card
Birch Coffee (5 East 27th Street): $25 Gift Card and a jug of their famous Iced Coffee
Cibar (56 Irving Place): Martinis for 2 with apps ($50 value)
Ristorante Asellina (420 Park Avenue South): Bellini Trio during brunch hours
Gstaad (43 West 26th Street): $70 gift certificate bar tab
Incognito Bistro (30 West 18th Street): Dinner for 2 with a bottle of wine
Ralph’s Famous Italian Ices (144 East 24th St): Punch card for 10 small ices (value $30)

Terms & Conditions: No purchase necessary. Winners will be chosen randomly from members of the free weekly MadParkNews e-newsletter list. Upon email notification, winner must respond within 1 week of the email sent date or the prize will be given to another person. Unless otherwise indicated by the business, the prize must be redeemed before July 2nd, 2012. Winners must be 18 and over (21 and over when required by law). Winners can not work for MadParkNews, or for any of the participating businesses involved in the giveaway. No cash value for any of the items given away and they must be used by the winning individual (can not be sold or transferred). US residents only. Winner must make arrangements with a designated contact at the business to receive the gift card or merchandise. One entry per person. If a person makes multiple accounts, all of that person’s account will be ineligible to win.

(Mailing list members already got a sneak peak at the winners of this year’s Best Food in the Neighborhood Awards, but for everyone else, we will announce one winner every day at 4pm. Remember, these awards are based on total votes by readers and are not chosen by MadParkNews.)

Next up is Best coffee near Madison Square Park and the Flatiron…

And the winner this year is Lavazza at Eataly (200 5th Avenue) , with Stumptown at the Ace coming in second place, and Birch Coffee coming in 3rd place. Congratulations!

Birch Coffee (5 East 27th Street) is hosting their 3rd annual Arrested Development marathon, showing every single episode from one of the best tv comedy series ever. While it won 6 Emmy awards, a Golden Globe, and was named by TIME as one of the 100 best TV series of all time, it seemed to go under the radar of most people. They will play them in order and if you are new to the show, I suggest getting their from the first episode. If you are watching them again, come any time to watch a few episodes.

If you have not see it, it’s definitely worth watching (ideally from the beginning). It stars Jason Bateman, David Cross, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Jeffrey Tambor, Will Arnett, and Ron Howard with voiceover, among many amazing cameos.

It runs 9am to 9pm on both January 1st and January 2nd and they will have nonstop food and drink specials. See more at www.birchcoffee.com/blog/3rd-annual-arrested-development-marathon.

Relive the great moments…Tobias trying out for the Blue Man Group, the Cornballer, ‘light treason’ for using the family business to build palaces for Saddam Hussein.

Can’t make it? You can download the episodes for free on Amazon if you are a prime member (or stream them by episode or get the 3 dvd bundle). Arrested Development: The Complete Series (Seasons 1-3 Bundle)