Meet Courtney Presley, founder of Corner Booth! Originally from Pasadena, California, she now resides in Brooklyn. She works in Media and Publishing by day and runs the restaurant platform Corner Booth by night. She combines her passion for restaurants and photography to showcase the very best the culinary scene in New York has to offer. Courtney has such a gift and way with words, that I just have to let her introduce herself. Following a visit to her Instagram or her recommendations below, get ready to feel hungry and excited to find your next Corner Booth! #LAUNExCorner Booth

The Corner Booth:

The bartender moving with the swift agility of a magician performing their slickest trick, catching your eye to propose a pour of the best wine you’ve ever had. The waiter who knows the menu the way they know the twists and turns of their hometown neighborhood, armed with all of the insider recommendations and thoughtful touches needed to ensure you’re in for One Special Night. The first date love-seekers and the 30-year anniversary celebrants clinking glasses in the back. A flashing glimpse of the chef through the kitchen window, orchestrating a performance of edible delights. The girl in the corner booth of the restaurant observing it all, slurping up bowls of pasta while capturing what it’s like to experience this special slice of the world for tonight and tonight only.

This is Corner Booth, a hyper curated, highly subjective, extremely approachable selection of spots, to dine, drink and linger—all near-guaranteed to serve up your own memorable night. Told through stories and scenes from the corner booth by Courtney Presley, these are the places that have the food, but take care with every tiny moment in between.

1. Tell me about yourself and Corner Booth. How was it created?

Growing up, I came to know restaurants as these special places where so many happy memories were made, dressing up for celebratory Christmas Eve dinners or turning another year older with my closest friends all around me. After moving to New York, the land of unlimited restaurants, I started taking and sharing so many photographs and videos of my time bouncing around as many places as my wallet could handle. I slowly became the go-to source among my friends for restaurant recommendations.

But I also started to notice that people weren’t just reacting to drool-worthy food pictures; they were drawn to the way I was capturing the feeling of the restaurants themselves. With a photography background and a penchant for recording every experience ever, I realized what I loved even more than the food itself was capturing the atmosphere, the vibe, the energy of what it was like to dine at these places.

From there, and after ample encouragement from family, friends and coworkers, I realized I wanted to create a pocket of the internet that was not just a food blog, but rather a documentation of the restaurant experience. Told through stories and scenes, Corner Booth is an ode to the people, hospitality and magnetism that transform a restaurant into something more than just a place to grab food. These are the places where you’ll want to not only visit, but also stay awhile.

2. What is your LAUNE (mood)?

A different day, a different restaurant, a different mood for each one. Corner Booth is a round of four perfectly blended piña coladas on the sidewalk on a sunny day, laughing with friends until your stomachs hurt. Corner Booth is a solo meal at the bar on crisp fall day, getting lost in a new book and ordering another round of that really good chilled red. Corner Booth is the buzzing electricity of a Friday night in New York with your date, stumbling from bar to bar and falling in love in the dimly lit back booth. (EM: I love this. So incredible!)

3. What inspires you?

I just came back from a trip to Paris, where I found myself lucky enough to be perched on a bar stool at the seafood restaurant Clamato for lunch. After settling in, we struck up a conversation with the bartender. A couple of strangers, swiftly bonding over the places we’ve been, the new dishes on the menu, the drinks to try. As every plate arrived, he’d swoop in with an unexpected micro-pairing—a sip of a white wine to go with our bowl of buttery cockles, a splash of a frozen mezcal cocktail to go with our crudo. Sensing our shared love of restaurants, he also grabbed a Clamato business card and started jotting down a list of all of his favorite places in Paris. I left clutching that card, beaming ear to ear, marveling at how special that hour-long lunch was.

Experiences like that remind me why I started Corner Booth. I’m so inspired by the people behind these places that I love so much, and I always want to continue to capture, record and write about that.

4. Describe your perfect day in New York. Where would you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner and why? What would you do?

The day would begin with a stroll to Poppy’s in Cobble Hill, for a coffee and the most exquisite, scrumptious pastries in all the land. Then we’d head into Manhattan for a pampering moment, with a massage or facial at a spa; bonus points if swiftly followed by a glass of champagne. Then we’d immerse ourselves in Italian caffè culture at Lodi for lunch, where we’d trip and fall into a martini at noon and indulge in house-made ricotta and tuna tartare. It’s beautiful, it’s leisurely, it’s lovely. Next, we’d catch the latest exhibit at The Met or the Guggenheim, before heading for early-evening drinks at Bemelmans Bar, The Nines or Swan Room. What is a perfect day in New York, after all, if it doesn’t include the pleasure of sipping exquisitely fancy cocktails in a beautiful setting? Finally, across the bridge we’d go to stuff our bellies with pasta in Brooklyn, specifically the spinach tortelli at Misi. We’d close the night with a scoop of their fior di latte gelato, before heading home tipsy, full and happy.

5. Which restaurant has the perfect Corner Booth and why?

Corner Booth is a state of mind! Even restaurants with only a few stools can embody the warm, inviting feeling that the coveted seat represents and embodies to diners. BUT, if I had to choose, I could spend all night in the back room booth at Tigre sipping cosmos, or tucked away in the nook of Chambers devouring the eggplant parm or lounging in the gloriously big red velvet booths at Smith & Mills in Rockefeller Center.

6. What do you love about New York?

In every crevice of the city on any given night, thousands of restaurants fill with friends reuniting, lovers reconciling, families rejoicing. Within each one, and at each table, are a particular set of dishes being served by a particular waiter on a particular night with a particular set of people, all coming together to form a uniquely singular experience for that night only. The expansiveness and diversity that makes up the dining scene in New York is so special, and something I love dearly.

7. What’s next for yourself and Corner Booth?

With nearly unlimited dining options in New York, I’ll be busy taking everyone along with me to the latest new openings or back to my tried-and-true favorites. I also have a website in the works to compile all of my recommendations and musings in one place. And after that, only time will tell…

Rapid Fire:

1. Favorite designer?

I live on Poshmark and stalk every Buffalo Exchange and Beacon’s Closet in the city, on the hunt for Staud, Ronny Kobo, Bec + Bridge, to name a few. For everyday basics, J.Crew and Uniqlo. For vacations, I’m all about Nuuly.

2. Sweet or savory?

Savory all the way, but I do love a good scoop of ice cream after dinner.

3. Describe your style in three words.

Chic, vintage, and relaxed.

4. Early mornings or sleeping in?

Sleeping in, hitting the snooze button at least three times.

5. AM or PM skincare?

Nothing hits harder than a glass of wine, sushi takeout and a scary movie after an extensive skincare routine and/or face mask in the PM.

6. Dream collab?

If Campari wants to drink Negronis with me in corner booths around the world, I wouldn’t be mad.

7. Favorite place?

Broadly speaking, Paris. More specifically, at the bar at Vivant 2 in Paris.