Category: Bars

Categories
Bars Culture Dining Entertainment Living Music News NYC Restaurants Uncategorized

Downtown Holiday Events 2021

winter cabin the rooftop pier 17
Spend New Year's Eve by The Greens on the Rooftop at Pier 17.

Downtown Magazine is your source for information on downtown holiday displays, events, and NYE parties. Watch this space for updates.

Now-Dec. 19 Bombay Window Displays & Free Cocktails

Bombay Sapphire Window Soho
Bombay Sapphire Window Displays in SoHo, will include codes where passerby can get codes for free cocktails at participating nearby bars, now through Dec. 19.

Fashion designer Romeo Hunte and visual artist Shavanteì Royster have unveiled the first ever Bombay Sapphire holiday window displays, celebrating New York creatives and ‘turning the lights back on’ for storefronts in lower Manhattan, where almost one third of small business have closed during the pandemic. The Art, Fashion, and Design windows come to life with performances (think live Charlie Chaplin-esque nutcracker dances, holiday fashion shows and painting demos in the windows). Times are 4-9pm daily for passersby + free cocktails at nearby bars (Dante West Village, Gelso & Grand, Lil Frankie’s and AMA West Village) when you show the window QR codes).

NYE- The Greens on The Rooftop at Pier 17

winter cabin the rooftop pier 17
Spend New Year’s Eve by The Greens on the Rooftop at Pier 17. Photo: J. Kratochivl.

For an intimate venue to toast to the New Year, visit The Greens on The Rooftop at Pier 17, New York City’s seasonally rotating dining concept. Take over your own winter cabin with up to 8 guests and indulge in buckets of bubbly, craft cocktails, and a delicious cuisine specific menu while soaking in the stunning views of the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge.

There are five reservation slots throughout the day–11am-12:30pm, 12:45-2:30pm, 3-5pm, 6-8pm, or 9pm-1am–each with various food & beverage packages to choose from. For more information about the packages and to make a reservation, visit The Greens website.

New Year’s Eve Champagne Pairing Cruises

 

Friday, December 31st 2021 @ 10pm – Saturday, January 1st 2022 @ 12:30am. Celebrate New Year’s Eve safe and comfortable on Classic Harbor line. Enjoy, Champagne, Cheese & Dessert Pairing With Harbor Fireworks & Live Music. This is still our number one choice for NYE. Take in all the beauty the New York City skyline has to offer while cozying up and staying warm. Fully decorated for the holidays and plenty of space and partitioning to feel at ease while you take in the sights. Bundle up, as it can be quite cold as you step out on the outer deck to take in the sites. It’s a night and NYE you will never forget. Book now.

 

NYE-Masquerade Ball at Pearl Alley

Pearl Alley
Don’t miss Pearl Alley’s NYE celebration.

This New Year’s Eve, Dante’s Winter House Masquerade Ball is taking place inside Pearl Alley at Pier 17, NYC’s luxurious new waterfront venue. The newly opened space will be offering a 4-hour premium open bar with festive signature cocktails made by Dante’s award-winning bar team alongside delicious bites severed throughout the night. Hidden under your Masquerade Mask, dance the night away with live performances by DJ Chachi, DJ Tre and Saxophonist. There will be party favors, surprises, and to top it all off, the best views in New York City. Toast to 2022 with bubbles in hand and an unforgettable night at the Seaport’s most exciting new venue. Get your tickets here.

NYE at The Fulton

On New Year’s Eve, The Fulton by Jean-Georges will be offering its menu à la carte from 5 pm -7:30 pm, in addition to a $298 five course prix fixe menu 8 pm -10 pm, including delicious dishes such as Sashimi with Spicy White Ponzu, Char Grilled Octopus and a Truffle Course with a choice of Fresh Tagliatelle with Black Winter Truffle or Truffle Meyer Lemon-Parmesan Risotto. Please note: the pre-fixe menu is $84 for children under 10 years old. The full menu can be found here. Reserve a table here.

NYE & New Year’s Day at Malibu Farm

Malibu Farms
Enjoy NYE and New Year’s Day specials at Malibu Farm.

In celebration of New Year’s Eve, Malibu Farm will be offering delicious new specials to toast the new year, in addition to their all-day menu on Friday, December 31st, and Saturday, January 1st. Specials include Peekytoe Crab Risotto, Grilled Lobster, House-made Carrot Ricotta Gnocchi, and more. The full menu can be found here. New Year’s Eve hours, 12 pm – 1 am; Happy Hour from 10 pm – 12 am. New Year’s Day hours, 11:30 am – 8 pm. Reserve your table here.

 

GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL/HOLIDAY MAGIC AT EVERY TURN

 

 

The holidays are just around the corner and Grand Central Terminal has all your readers’ gifting needs covered. The Terminal is thrilled to present Holiday Pop-Up Shops in Vanderbilt Hall. Featuring crafty creations, artisanal elegance, and handmade delights, the collection of six vendors provides customers with even more unique and thoughtful last-minute holiday gift choices.

The Grand Central Holiday Pop-Up Shops are open from 10 am–7 pm on December 17th –  24th (closed at 3 pm on Christmas Eve). Please find the selection of artisans below:

  • ekologic: Singular pieces of eco-fashion and accessories, made sustainably by a women-owned collective
  • Fashion For Empowerment: Organic textiles and home decor, rooted in the age-old craft
  • in2 design: Beautiful jewelry with Swedish simplicity
  • Judith Haas: Gorgeous wearable art molded from metal and semi-precious stones
  • Karla Gudeon Art & Design: Color engravings influenced by illuminated manuscripts and folk art
  • Skendzic Photography: Arresting photographic prints on gold leaf
  • Magnolia Bakery (open December 21st – 24th): From beautifully iced cupcakes and cakes to iconic banana pudding

 

In addition to the Holiday Pop-Up Shops, Grand Central’s 55 plus shops and restaurants offer holiday magic at every turn, from gift shopping at the likes of Apple, Diptyque, and TUMI to dining at Cipriani Dolci, the Grand Central Oyster Bar and Restaurant, and many more.

To top off the shopping experience, GCT is offering complimentary wrapping for gifts purchased at shops inside Grand Central Terminal. The Holiday Wrap-Up will be available from December 18 and 20–24 near the New York Transit Museum on the Upper Level. Bring up to five-holiday gifts purchased in the Terminal, and their receipts, and GCT’s gift-wrappers will then wrap your gifts in luxurious celestial ceiling paper.

Check out the event URLs:

 

 

Categories
Bars Dining Featured NYC Restaurants

Downtown Highlights: BiCE Cucina – Here, You’re Family

BiCE Cucina Opens a New Location in Soho

In this episode of Downtown Highlights, we visited BiCE Cucina, an authentic Italian restaurant that brings together hospitality and Northern Italian flavors. BiCE has two locations in New York City, Midtown and Soho. In this episode, we visited BiCE Cucina in Soho, their newest location.

BiCE Cucina Soho

The Story Behind BiCE

BiCE’s story starts about 90 years ago. It all started with Beatrice Ruggeri, also know as Bice. She shared her talent and love for food with her family and friends while growing up in Northern Italy. Impressed by Bice’s food, her friends and family encouraged her to open a restaurant, or “cucina”. She decided to listen to her loved ones and in 1926, she opened her own Trattoria in Milan with her husband, Gino.

Bice and Gino’s sons, Remo and Roberto, took over the business in 1970. They opened the first location in the United States in 1987. This restaurant is in Midtown, between 5th and Madison Avenue. BiCE quickly gained popularity around the world, opening locations in Palm Beach, Tokyo, LA, Paris, and Chicago over the span of three years. BiCE has even gained the attention of some major clientele such as the Kennedys. The legacy of BiCE continues on through Raffaele Ruggeri, Bice’s grandson.

Here, You’re Family

Raffaele’s goal for BiCE Cucina is clear: to make every guest feel welcome like they’re family. When you visit our restaurant “you’re coming into our home…and when you come into someone’s home, our home, you do everything you can to make sure you take care of your guests,” Raffaele Ruggeri explains to us. This goal is definitely being met, as we felt like we were home while eating here. As soon as we walked in the door, we felt welcome here by Ruggeri and the friendly staff.

Authentic and Light Cuisine

The Tuna Tartare

BiCE Cucina works hard to not only serve delicious food but food that is healthy and light. “We hope to create a beautiful restaurant where the food is really impeccable,” Ruggeri explains. BiCE Cucina has a wide variety of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options so everyone can find a dish that they love.

Everything that we tried at this restaurant was absolutely delectable. The food, including the pasta dishes, was incredibly light. In this episode, we tried three appetizers, the Tuna Tartare, Octopus Carpaccio, and Baked Eggplant Parmigiana, and two pasta dishes, the Tortellini and a gluten-free version of Tagliolini Aragosta. BiCE Cucina is not only a restaurant that serves delicious, healthy food, it is an experience. BiCE truly has something for everyone to enjoy. We will definitely be paying BiCE a visit again soon.

For more Downtown Highlights episodes, click here.

Categories
Bars Featured Lifestyle Living Music

2020 Gift Guide Downtown’s Editor’s Favorite Wines

Table Design by Joel Robare

The Season for Giving is Upon us

This year will be a bit different but still, the desire to give has not wained.

While jewelry, sweaters, or books may be the classic present, receiving a superb bottle of red or a refreshing sparkling can be just the gift for wine enthusiasts. To help you we’ve rounded up some of our editor’s favorites to include in our holiday gift guide to make any wine connoisseur smile!

Meerlust Rubicon 2015

The Rubicon Stellenbosch, South Africa Vintage: 2015 is showing all of the hallmarks of a great, classic vintage of Rubicon. Incredibly dense purple-ebony core with very slight gradation at the rim. The nose is brooding, dark bramble fruit, cassis, plum, incense, and licorice, it is still very tightly coiled, slowly offering cigar box, crushed stone, and subtle oak spice. On the palate, the wine is concentrated yet restrained with dark fruit flavors of pastille, mulberry, and dark chocolate, all held in an intricate lattice of polished sleek grape tannin. Still very young yet approachable, this Rubicon promises a long future of maturation and enjoyment.

 

2020 Wine Gift Guide

 

Table Design by Joel Robare

 

 

2015 Enate Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Hugely expressive and intense on the nose flaunting red fruit aromas swathed in balsam
and spice. Pleasant hints of phenols and minerals from the Cabernet mingle beautifully with
toasted, creamy, and cocoa nuances from the new oak. Fat, dense, and meaty on the palate with mature and unctuous tannins, which signal excellent capacity for further aging in the bottle. A lingering and mouth-filling finish rounds off the tasting experience.

 

 

Torraccia del Piantavigna Gattinara 2015

Mattia Donna/Beppe Caviola Garnet red in color with a golden rim that develops with aging, the wine has a fine and pleasant nose, with a hint of violets. On the palate, it is dry and harmonious, with a lightly tannic aftertaste.

 

Tenuta di Arceno 2017 Gran Selezione Chianti Classico “Strada al Sasso”

Considered a legendary vintage with its small yields, 2017 produced an intense, concentrated wine with vibrant acidity. The 2017 Strada al Sasso has powerful fruit and incredible depth. On the nose, the wine demonstrates a playful balance of fruit and herbal tones with aromas of ripe cherry, violets, cedar, and herbs jumping out of the glass. The palate follows with flavors of blueberry, vanilla bean, and sweet mint. Soft tannins lead into the finish with tones white pepper tones, black licorice, and the unmistakable Tenuta di Arceno signature of orange peel. A perfect pairing to classic Italian delicacies like wild boar pappardelle, Asiago, Manchego, roasted chicken, and tortellini with Bolognese.

 

 

 

Dry Creek Valley | Sonoma County Inaugural Vintage The texture of the wine, its infinite range of aromas and flavors is all tangled up with soil and climate and history and culture, a spectacular mash-up of people and place, wit and wisdom and everyday life. The Sbragia family has been farming and making wine in DCV for over 100 years. Adam’s great-grandfather came from Tuscany in 1904 and worked in local wineries. In 2006, after 32 years as a wine-master at Beringer Vineyards, Adam’s father, Ed Sbragia, opened the doors to Sbragia Family Vineyards at the northern end of Dry Creek Valley.

 

Le Difese – Intense black fruit aromas and flavors as well as the vanilla and spice of oak in a full-bodied wine with supple tannins. Casual beef dishes such as steaks on the grill or hamburgers. Kobrand Wine & Spirits  Fruit for Le Difese is selected from Tenuta San Guido estate’s younger vines. Fermentation for both varieties takes place on the skins in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The wine is matured in French and American oak barrels.

 

2020 Sparkling

 

Coppery-orange color. Expressive aromas of strawberry and very ripe wild strawberries. A full-bodied, structured, vinous palate that stays fresh. Length and character define this champagne. https://www.veuveclicquot.com/en-us

 

 

Sterling Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine is a glistening pale straw color in the glass with ribbons of fine bubbles. The aromas of green apple, lemon citrus, pear, and lemon cream are distinctive. We opened the bottle for a gathering recently and was pleasantly surprised, our guests requested its information.

 

Categories
Bars Dining Featured Lifestyle NYC

JARDIN SECRET Ladurée x Bagatelle Pop-Up

ARDIN SECRET Ladurée x Bagatelle Paring

What do you get when you pair these two icons?

It goes without saying that if you want the best you have to learn from the best!

Ladurée, the 150-year old iconic French restaurant and teahouse, and the esteemed NYC French Bistro, Bagatelle have collaborated on a special pop-up.

Trust us, you will want to book right away, before its too late.

 

ARDIN SECRET Ladurée x Bagatelle Paring
Ladurèe 16 rue Royale

The Ladurée, history of Parisian tea rooms is intimately tied to the history of the Ladurée family. It all began in 1862, when Louis Ernest Ladurée, a man from France’s southwest, created a bakery in Paris at 16 rue Royale.

Louis Ernest Ladurée’s wife, Jeanne Souchard, had the idea of mixing styles. The Parisian café and pastry shop gave birth to one of the first tea rooms in town. The ”salon de had a definite advantage over the cafés, women could gather in complete freedom. At the time being a woman and able to gather was not what women of today have the freedom to experience.

 

ARDIN SECRET Ladurée x Bagatelle Paring
Elisabeth Raberin Holder Ladurèe Co-President USA

 

Ladurée’s refined atmosphere, laden with history, caught the attention of David Holder and his father Francis Holder, founder of the Holder Group.

In 2011 New York City was graced with the first Ladurée on Madison Avenue followed by the US’s first full restaurant and garden in New York’s trendy Soho neighborhood.

Since its opening in February 2014, the Parisian husband-and-wife team of Elisabeth Holder Raberin and Pierre Antoine Raberin has been running the iconic SoHo tea salon.

Holder Raberin’s family bought the original little Ladurée bakery on Rue Royale in 1997, but it’s been in Elisabeth’s blood long before that. “We used to go there for lunch every Saturday when my brother was studying in Paris,” she remembered and explained, “You don’t discover Ladurée, you grow up with it in France.”

“To this day the Ladurèe is a global institution and the best locale to indulge in dèlicieuse French cuisine, and pastries, in an ambiance vraiment française.” Grace A. Capobianco 

Two New York Institutions

Bagatelle, widely recognized as a Meatpacking District staple and NYC institution. This flagship location continues to thrive after nearly a decade in the neighborhood, reminding guests daily of the unique and magnetic ambiance that made it famous.

The esteemed restaurant destination was originally designed to reinvigorate the neighborhood and bring the European flare back to the Meatpacking District. Bagatelle continues to delight diners with unmatched service and outstanding seasonal cuisine.

ARDIN SECRET Ladurée x Bagatelle 
Founders of Bagatelle Aymeric Clemente & Remi Laba

Aymeric Clemente & Remi Laba the brains behind the Bagatelle Brand. Bagatelle came to life when these business partners, shared a desire to translate their previous experience in Hospitality in an environment that stood a lot closer to their idea of what a modern dining destination should be like, and was in line with their own aspirations. To them, Bagatelle is a lifestyle, a way of life, where Joie de Vivre is a constant driver.

Bagatelle has taken over Ladurée’s magical secret garden in the evenings and has created a mouth-watering, bespoke dinner menu. It includes several Ladurée specialties, and of course delicious desserts.

 

ARDIN SECRET Ladurée x Bagatelle 
The Cocktail Menu
ARDIN SECRET Ladurée x Bagatelle 
The Menu
ARDIN SECRET Ladurée x Bagatelle 
QRQ Menu

Ladurée and Bagatelle want diners to feel comfortable and enjoy a night out with unmatched service and outstanding cuisine.

Social distancing of six feet between tables, and the official restaurant health and safety guidelines are strictly enforced.

Could there be future seasonal pop-ups for the two brands? It’s certainly possible!

Ladurée Soho
76 Thompson Street

Wed – Sunday
646-392-7868 or Opentable

Follow Us: @ladureeus @bagatellenyc #jardinsecret #ladureexbagatelle
Categories
Bars Dining Featured News NYC

Staycation Imaginative Rooftop – The Greens

A fun summer destination and you don’t even need a passport. Howard Hughes Seaport does it again!

Come on snap out of it, let’s get rid of the doom and gloom! There’s a lot of positive going on in New York City.

Perfectly socially distanced, your own personal roof deck within a roof deck, The Greens 

When we arrived, we were clueless. This touch-free, on-your-phone ordering was a bit much at first. No problem–the manager was happy to come over to help. She was delightful and informative.

Let’s put it this way: you cannot overhear your neighbor’s conversation. I don’t know if you can get this much private space on a nonprivate roof deck anywhere else in New York City and still be outside. They kept an extremely clean environment–we were delighted to see wipe downs and proper cleaning going on the entire time we were there.

It’s only their second week but they’re off to a great start.

Cheryl and I chose a tasting from each category.

We started with the cocktails. I had the Jalapeno – Watermelon Margarita, hornitos, jalapeno-infused watermelon juice, agave, kiwi liquor float. Our Sustainable Fashion Editor Cherly Lefkovits had the Vodka Soda – grey goose, club soda, both delicious and refreshing for this hot summer evening.

We started out with tuna tartare with preserved lemon, Calabrian chili, kalamata olives, and shrimp cocktail. The shrimp cocktail was delicious, cold, fresh, and just what was needed to start the evening off.

In between, we had a delicious order of french fries with garlic aioli, the corn on the cob. and the lobster roll with mustard mayo, sunburst tomato, and tarragon.

NYC’s ultimate socially distanced restaurant experience

Our final dish was the Grilled Faroe Island Salmon and Summer Squash Kebab with a delicious salsa verde lime, perfectly cooked, and the delicious mouth-watering Cheddar Cheeseburger, with passion fruit BBQ sauce, grilled onions, yes, and more french fries. Don’t judge!

We were hoping to make it to dessert but we couldn’t get there

Important: do not overdress. The atmosphere warrants shorts, casual sundresses, jeans, and bring your bathing suit and towels. There’s no pool but trust me it’s a perfect place to get a fabulous suntan.

A great place for families, date night, or just time out with your BFFs

Your cabana area can hold up to eight people comfortably, with beautiful sun umbrellas that have small white decorative lighting in the evening, cabana-style lounge chairs, and faux grass to frolic on. Don’t worry about an extra phone charger–they thought of that. Forgot your sunscreen? no problem! it’s on the menu.

 

 

 

Just before we left we had a chance to meet the handsome Chef Noah. Ladies, we’re not sure if he’s single but definitely say hello to him during your visit. Be sure to tell him Grace and Cheryl, from Downtown, sent you. The chef was personable, he took the time to chat with us about our evening and our meal.

Throughout the Summer THE GREENS will host various additional programs and even more fun experiences.

Anticipate Seaport Cinema’s dinner & movie nights, live music, and DJs as part of Seaport Sounds, presented by Heineken, and more!

For more about one of our favorite and newest destinations, The Seaport By Howard Hughes, visit https://www.seaportdistrict.nyc/history/

Categories
Bars Business Chefs Dining Featured Finance NYC Restaurants

SMALL BUSINESS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANT

SMALL BUSINESS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANT

Small businesses and locally-owned shops are the lifeblood of our city.

Unfortunately, almost all have been adversely impacted by COVID-19. To help businesses better cope with the changes the pandemic has imposed upon them, the Downtown Alliance is providing up to 25 small businesses the opportunity for one-on-one, technical-assistance consultations with Streetsense, a retail and urban-design consultant. The goal of these consultations is to assess operations and surface opportunities to better prepare businesses for the ongoing crisis. Streetsense has decades of first-hand operations experience across a variety of disciplines and industries, including research and analysis, hospitality, branding, and marketing and interior design.

Consultations will provide the following:

  • Individual 45- to 60-minute work sessions with retail or restaurant owners with two members of the Streetsense Pandemic Response Team.

  • A documented strategic guide for “pandemic readiness” for each business, delivered to the business owners, and to the Downtown Alliance.

  • Participating businesses will receive links to pandemic signage templates and the capital planning tool (for restaurants and bars only) following the completion of each session.

 

SMALL BUSINESS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANT
Pexels Artem Beliaikin

To be eligible, businesses must have gross annual revenues of less than $3 million and employ fewer than 30 full-time-equivalent employees and occupy a ground-level storefront in the Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District. If selected, businesses will be required to complete a self-assessment questionnaire to share with Streetsense providing relevant information about their business and describing the challenges they face as the city reopens.

To be eligible for a consultation, businesses must meet the following requirements and provide appropriate documentation:

  • Be located on the ground floor within the boundaries of the Lower Manhattan Business Improvement District.

  • Be an independent business with five or fewer locations in New York City.

  • Open by October 1, 2020.

  • Employs fewer than 30 full-time-equivalent employees as of March 1, 2020.

  • Gross annual revenues of less than $3 million.

  • Have a lease at their current location through December 31, 2020.

Applications will be reviewed and consultations will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis beginning August 10, 2020, at 9 am ET.

The application period will close when the available consultations have been exhausted. Consultations will take place between August and October 2020.

If you do not qualify for this program, please see our informational guide on COVID-19 relief programs available to businesses.