1. Best Motorcycle
ECOSSE Heretic
Designed to be powerful and perfect, the ECOSSE Heretic is not for the Ninja crowd. Instead, this $65,000, 120 horsepower, 45-degree American V-twin, hand-built monster is made for motor enthusiasts only. Want one? Take a number because only 100 have been made.
2. Best Pencil
Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602 (Available on eBay)
Artists, designers, and writers swear by this legendary soft lead. And why not? With its handsome looks, smooth-as-silk stroke on paper, and extremely limited supply, this pencil commands prices north of $20 each. Yes, each. Truman Capote used it for editing - save yours for the kids.
3. Best New Vodka
Jean-Marc XO Vodka (Available at Astor Wines & Spirits and other fine liquor stores)
Handmade and distilled nine times then micro-oxygenated, this spirit goes down easier than a long holiday weekend. But at $50 a pop, you might want to save it from that bowl of Jungle Juice.
4. Best Fois Gras Delivered
D’Artagnan’s Duck Fois Gras Terrine
On the pyramid of perfect foods, few things rank higher than foie gras. Sauté yours at home with the help of D’Artagnan, purveyors of really, really fine foods. There’s even a recipe for a fois gras burger polished with Armagnac. Now, you know.
5. Best Food Experience
The Gourmet Institute (October 21-23)
For epicureans across the country, the pinnacle of food celebrations is Gourmet magazine’s Gourmet Institute weekend extravaganza in October. Get pointers from Nobu Matsuhisa and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, mix it with up Mario Batali and Daniel Boulud. Then rave about it to all your friends.
