It's Dad's special day coming up this Sunday, so we thought we'd focus on a few things for the grillmeister in him, and leave the ties 'til Xmas.  Cuisinart, one of our favorite brands for all things kitchen-appliance-y, has some fab accessories and products for the outdoor chef, starting with the 14-piece Deluxe Grill Set (for a sum that won't break the bank, $39.95). It's made from durable stainless and includes the vital tongs, basting and cleaning brushes, a spatula, and even (cleverly) four pairs of corn holders.  There is also an extra cleaning brush, a good idea, since we all know how disgusting the grills can get. Comes packaged elegantly in a sturdy aluminum case--very sleek, very James Bond, minus the car, sorry to say. But, what it does come with--a little something even Q wouldn't mind having--is an added goodie:  The smart marketers at Cuisinart and Omaha Steaks have tucked a lovely $20 Omaha Steak Gift Reward Card into the package....not bad.

Another super sale of Italian goods Frette, this time.  Super fine and super-superior white goods as well as table linens and assorted home accessories are all for sale, at up to 70% off retail...which is good, because Frette doesn't come cheap under normal circumstances.  Here is a chance, though, to snap up some of those lovely, over-the-top, high-count sheet sets and fluffy, plush towels, not to mention a box of $100 soaps or some of those silky, clingy dressing gowns that look like they should be in a Merchant/Ivory costume drama.  The sale is at Soiffer Haskin, 317 West 33rd Street, just west of Eighth Avenue (which you probably know by heart now).  Credit cards only, and as usual, no strollers, no children under 12.  Starts tomorrow, Saturday, and continues through Wednesday, the 12^th.    Hours:  9 a.m. to 6:30 daily, except Wednesday, when they will close up shop at 5 p.m.

Richard Heller has been hoisting trees and rooting around in dirt -- doing all manner of urban landscape work -- for over 30 years. A Certified Landscape Technician, he speaks with passion about putting the just-right kind of greenery in a backyard and on a rooftop or terrace. "It should reflect the architecture of the house, and complement it. We can do anything, but I love doing green roofs," he notes, speaking of the type of installations that are particularly ecologically friendly. 

Richard's is currently readying the interior of a house for an at-home wedding: 59 windows need new draperies -- not to mention all the new furniture and additional occasional pieces. Well, if he can do that for a sprawling suburban manse, imagine what he can do for a Manhattan apartment with, we're sure, a lot fewer than 59 windows! Richard Harary has been in the home fashion industry for over 25 years, and in his charming vest-pocket-size shop, he stocks fine-quality luxury fabrics, from which he makes draperies, window treatments (think Roman, balloon, and even motorized sunscreen shades), bedding ensembles, and furniture. 

Martin Albert Interiors has been in the decorating business 25-plus years, custom-crafting draperies, valances, window treatments, headboards, bedding ensembles, pillows, and all manner of home furnishings. The company keeps thousands and thousands of fabric samples and swatch books in the shop and offers excellent prices on designer yard goods that would cost much more elsewhere (cottons from as low as $12 a yard, to silk taffetas at about $45 per yard, up to the most opulent silk brocades at $600 a yard); its fees for its workroom labor are also affordable. 

The shops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art have been having a sale the last few weeks (shame on us, we were out of the country, so we just didn't get a chance to attend to blogging, but more about that in later posts), which ends on Monday, so here's your chance to get last licks in. The Museum has reduced tons of items (stock up now for Christmas, because it's not too early to think Santa -- despite the fact that it feels like summer outside!), and take advantage of the reductions up to 50% off original retail. 

Nancy Koltes Linens are among the finest.  (If you know her charming little NoLita shop, then you already know what treasures her linens are.)  So, here's your chance to snag some, at maybe 80% off retail…O.K., so not every style in every color in every size is going to be available, but there will be plenty from which to choose—sheet sets, duvet covers, towels, home accessories, and loungewear, in a variety of Jacquards, sateens, percales, and prints.  You already know the usual drill for those Soiffer Haskin sales:  No strollers, no kids, no cash, no checks (credit cards only).  Today, tomorrow, and Tuesday, from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 317 W. 33 St. (between 8th and 9th Aves.)

SOFA New York is a wondrous annual show of fine craft art; the acronym stands for Sculptural Objects and Functional Art, and if you've never been to SOFA, you must head over to the Park Avenue Armory (on Park at 67th St.), Friday through Sunday (June 1st through the 3rd) of this week. There will be nearly 60 international galleries displaying some of the most amazing, refreshing, beguiling work: jewelry, fiber art, glass, wood, ceramics, paper, and who knows what else. This is a serious show for collectors, it’s true, but it’s also a show for browsers who want to be educated, the curious who want to see outstanding, exciting art, and for shoppers, too. (There are many price tags that are very friendly to a pocketbook that isn’t bulging.) WE have never been disappointed by this show: It’s awe-inspiring and actually thrilling to see just what creative minds and hands can do with paper or yarn or molten silica.

Some weeks ago, we wrote up, for New York magazine’s Best of New York issue, a piano tuner…and in doing our research, we felt a bit wistful for yesteryear, when we used to play the piano. Well, if you’ve ever wanted one yourself, this is your lucky week.

Every year, Lincoln Center enjoys, as a letter to our mailbox puts it, “the benefit of new Yamaha pianos made available for our use through an ongoing arrangement with the Yamaha Corporation of America and their agent Frank & Camille’s Keyboard Centers...At the end of the year, these pianos are made available for purchase to the public.”

Starting tomorrow, Thursday the 29th and continuing through Saturday the 31st, you can view the pianos Lincoln Center is now parting with. The selection will comprise not only those loaned to Lincoln Center but also those loaned to the New 42nd Street Studios, and includes Yamaha baby grands, concert grands, professional uprights, decorator vertical pianos (we have no clue whatsoever what those are, but could hazard a guess), and in addition there will be some “pre-owned” and “like new” pianos from Baldwin, Steinway, and others….

This is a must-go-to sale if you have ever wanted a piano.

The general sale, open to the public, is Sunday, April 1 from noon to 5pm.  For further information and to schedule a viewing appointment for the next three days, call 800-667-6960.  The location of the sale and viewing is New 42nd Street Studios, 229 W. 42nd St. btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.