Why? Some restaurants tout tofu flown daily from Tokyo, but the freshest is at the West Village’s new EN Japanese Brasserie (435 Hudson St., at Leroy St.; 212-647-9196), where they make it from scratch every 90 minutes from 6 to 11:30 P.M. for just $7. The times for a new batch are listed on the menu, which means you can synchronize your arrival to catch the very latest spoon of boiled soy milk. Served either warm or chilled in a beautiful square black lacquer box, EN’s version is soft, creamy, and comforting like a warm custard pudding, with salty contrast on the side courtesy of wari-joyu (soy and dashi-bonito stock) sauce. Once you’ve gotten a taste, you’ll want to try the Berkshire pork belly braised in sansho miso ($13) and the deep-fried red snapper simmered in soy ($12), too.
(1) Buell’s Lightning City X motorbike is specifically designed for urban riding ($8,695; 800-490-9635 or buell.com).
(2) Burton’s Sherpa-style beanie will keep you warm and wired with headphones built into the flaps—just plug in any portable music device and play (in three colors, $39.99; burton.com or 800-881-3138).
(3) Jasper Morrison’s coffeemaker for Rowenta cleverly hides filters and a spoon under the top lid ($150–$175; rowentausa.com for stores).
(4) It’s impossible to tell what a paint color will look like from a measly two-by-three-inch chip—Benjamin Moore’s two-ounce Color Samples are big enough for two two-by-two-foot coats (260 colors, $3.49; 888-262-6567 or benjaminmoore.com).
(5) Enough with the minimalist home furnishings! Missoni’s new porcelain dinnerware sports fun but sophisticated graphic patterns ($29–$195 at Michael C. Fina; 800-289-3462 or michaelcfina.com).
(6) Each piece of Jean Yu’s gorgeous silk chiffon or silk charmeuse lingerie can be made to measure (bra, $318; panty, $298; 212-226-0067 or jeanyu.com).