Marathi is a cozy Greek bistro that serves up the delicious tastes from the shores of the Isle of Crete, to the heart of Tribeca!
Your mind will undergo an immediate regional reset as the sleek, yet comfortable, surroundings will make your head swoon with the aromas and tastes of fine Mediterranean cuisine.
Spring is here! Stop by Marathi’s striking bar after work, for a cocktail.
The restaurant — new to the neighborhood since opening its doors in November — is informed by the memories of owner Andreas Koutoudakis’ roots in his Hellenic homeland and the unparalleled ability of Chef Nicholas Poulmentis’ innovative and creative ability to provide the finest array of dishes the culture.
Entering the three-level eatery at the corner of Duane and Church streets, you’re immediately struck by the warmth of the room and the staff.
The full-service environment is reinforced by the breadth of a menu packed with a wide-array of Greek offerings served up with Chef Nicholas’ unique flourishes, that provide a unique tasting experience that is both familiar and exciting in its individuality.
Marathi offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with both traditional and uniquely Mediterranean meals for each.
Our visit was for dinner, when the restaurant takes on the feel of a truly high-end New York experience that is uniquely satisfying to all the senses.
The full complement of appetizers ranging from the expectedly delicious Tzatziki to a siracha and yogurt enhanced calamari are all stunning — and the spicy tempura Shrimp Loukoumades — is a sensory and explosive standout!
The entrees are superior with a Squid Ink Fettucine boasting uniquely seasoned pan-seared scallops with saffron emulsion, providing a distinctive windfall of flavor you won’t find anywhere else.
The grilled lamb chops with Briam — a stunning array of roasted vegetables Greek — provide a simple, but unparalleled flavor unmatched by the top steak houses in the city.
Marathi offers a mouth-watering suite of cocktails and Greek wines. Photo: Instagram
Combined with a mouth-watering suite of cocktails and Greek wines, any visitor’s experience will be a vacation your taste buds will want to take again — and again!
Marathi is located at 200 Church Street. For reservations, visit marathinyc.com
Operating hours will be Fridays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Then, the market’s outpost at Prospect Park’s Breeze Hill, follows on April 3, and run Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Smorgasburg’s Williamsburg market will reopen in June.
Vendors you can find at Smorgasburg WTC include Bona Bona, Carlitos Barbecue Tacqueria, Duck Season, Maos Bao, Ring Ding Bar, Rooster Boy NYC, Wood Fired Edibles, and more. (subject to change.) Bring your appetite!
For 2022, the market reopens with 20 vendors to WTC for the first time since 2019, increasing to 30 over the summer as workers and tourists return to Downtown Manhattan.
Also starting in April, a new partnership with Uber Eats launches at the New York/New Jersey locations (World Trade Center, Jersey City, Prospect Park. Williamsburg will join in June). As the official delivery partner of Smorgasburg, Uber Eats will elevate the eater experience this season by introducing ways to get the best of Smorgasburg more quickly and easily. With Smorgasburg Pickup, for the first time market-goers can avoid lines by ordering for pickup in the Uber Eats app—from every vendor—and notified when their order is ready. The Smorgasburg experience is also available from home, as simple as ordering from any restaurant.
Liquid Lab: Flex your master mixologist muscles at the upcoming Liquid Lab classes at The Greens Indoor Bar on The Rooftop of Pier 17! Classes are 2-hours long and run from 6:30-8:30 pm. Tickets are available here and cost $100 each, which includes light bites and four cocktails. The Greens Indoor Bar on The Rooftop at Pier 17 at 89 South Street | Wednesday, March 9 & April 13 | 6:30-8:30 pm
Private Picasso Paint and Sip: Switch up your weekly routine and visit Pier 17 on Wednesday evenings to create a beautiful work of art, sip on signature cocktails, and take in some of the best views in NYC. Tickets are available here for $60, which includes all art supplies and one cocktail, wine or beer. Pier 17 at 89 South Street | Wednesday, March 9 at Malibu Farm, March 23, April 6 & April 20 at Pearl Alley | 7-8 pm
The Corner
Girl Scout Troop 6000 Cookie Sale: It’s that time of year again when stocking up on cookies has never felt better! Girl Scout Troop 6000, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, is popping-up at The Corner with their annual Girl Scout Cookie sale, offering an array of delicious and cult-favorite Girl Scout Cookies. All proceeds benefit their mission of ensuring that girls and women in the NYC Shelter System can experience and enjoy all the opportunities Girl Scouting has to offer. The Corner at 25 Fulton Street | Thursday, March 10 – Saturday, March 12 | Thursday & Friday, 4-8 pm & Saturday, 12-4 pm
Journaling Workshop: Join us for an afternoon of pen to paper! Journaling enthusiast Emily Chertow will lead two journaling classes—one for children and one for adults—at The Corner. During the 45-minute kids’ session, children will create and decorate their own journals before being guided through journaling prompts focused on mindfulness and goal setting! The adult’s workshop will be focused on gratitude, mindfulness and intention setting including journal decorating, mindful journaling prompts, and discussion with fellow attendees. Tickets cost $15 each and include all journaling materials. More information can be found here for March 20 class and here for April 9 class. The Corner at 25 Fulton Street | March 20 & April 9 | 2-3 pm (children) & 3:30-4 pm (adults)
Book Launch Events: Independent bookstore McNally Jackson is hosting a variety of in-person book launch events at their two-story Seaport location this Spring. For a full schedule of events and a link to RSVP (which is required), please visit here. McNally Jackson | 4 Fulton Street | Varying dates & times
Youth Boxing Classes: HIIT The Deck, a high intensity boxing inspired workout that combines boxing, core and conditioning, recently introduced Youth Boxing classes to its schedule! Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 4:30-5:30 pm, young adults ages 13-18 can build strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. No prior experience necessary. Guests must bring boxing gloves, hand wraps, a mat, water, towels and as well as any other PPE equipment. HIIT The Deck | 10 Fulton Street | Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4:30-5:30 pm
A CRISP, SATURDAY NIGHT IN FALL OR WINTER is the perfect time to share several small plates, or tapas, with family and friends while enjoying a glass of wine, artisan beer, whiskey, or the best cocktails that New York City’s restaurants have to offer. We’ve carefully chosen these downtown tapas spots to blow your mind with each bite and sip.
MERCADO LITTLE SPAIN
Mercado Little Spain
Paella, jamon ibérico, gazpacho, and tapas: Spanish cuisine is renowned for its flavors, colors, and vibrant mixture, making it perfect for large meals while also enjoyed in small portions with a jar of sangria. Mercado Little Spain unites the traditional foods from all of the different regions of the country in one place.
The idea came from an informal talk between Chef José Andrés and Head Concept Chef Nicolas Lopez, and the restaurant officially opened in 2019. With four restaurants, a bar, kiosk, and shop each selling authentic Spanish ingredients under one tremendous roof, Mercado Little Spain is a must-go spot in Hudson Yards.
“It’s not just a restaurant, it’s an experience. It’s more about introducing New York City, or the world – since NYC is the capital of the world – to Spanish culture through the food. You can find almost a little bit of everything from Spain. You can expect the unexpected,” says Nicolas Lopez, Mercado Little Spain’s Head Concept Chef.
At Leña, dishes are cooked in the traditional way of northern Spain and Cataluña. Everything from meats, fish, vegetables, and the beloved paella is cooked in charcoal. El Chiringuito is a casual outdoor restaurant serving drinks, tapas, salads, and sandwiches inspired by the oceanside bars of Spain. There’s also a Spanish Diner that serves many dishes with eggs and tortillas. Lopez explains that in Spain, the restaurants that are most similar to an American diner serve homestyle food. “It’s like your abuela’s (Spanish for grandma) cuisine.”
For those seeking to dive deep into the world of tapas, a trademark of the Spanish way of life and socializing, they’ll have the opportunity to do so at La Barra. The traditional Chicken or Jamon Croquettas are highly recommended. People can also choose from a wide selection of wines, beers, and vermúts from around the country, or order a jar of sangria to share.
Located in East Village where the once iconic Great Jones Cafe was, Parisian-inspired restaurant Jolene has snacks and appetizers for all kinds of tastes. The idea is simple: share a meal while drinking some good wine. Restaurateur Gabriel Stulman and his partner, Executive Chef James McDuffee, are bringing a sense of connection to the neighborhood, something we all need following a pandemic.
“The idea for the restaurant was to align the food more with the effort that we put into curating the wine selection. It was a response to how we wanted to eat. Smaller plates, simpler food, build a meal around a bottle of wine,” says Executive Chef James McDuffee.
The menu features easy-to-share smaller plates like Arancini and Babaghanoush of roasted zucchini with toasted sesame seeds, salmon rillette, and trout roe with Ritz crackers. But if your hunger craves for more, the Crispy Chicken Milanese with artichokes, olive and lemon aioli is a good choice for an entree.
With a passion for Mediterranean food, Chef McDuffee has experience in a variety of acclaimed restaurants and different kinds of cuisines. For Jolene, he’s bringing something that reminds him of his home.
“A meal isn’t just a single dish that’s yours, it’s also the common rotary of the table. It’s all of these plates that you share. Where I grew up you didn’t have a plate of food, you had a plate and all the food was laying down in the middle, and you would pass the food back and forth. I think that’s a really engaging way to eat,” says McDuffee.
Bessou is a Japanese term for “second home,” and that was the exact feeling that Maiko Kyogoku wanted her customers to have when they entered the restaurant. Coming from a family of restaurant owners, it’s easy to notice that the business was in her blood. When opening Bessou, she succeeded in sharing her family’s food traditions and giving it a modern touch.
“We take creative inspiration from the local ingredients and different cultures of New York City and infuse it into Japanese home cooking. In Bessou, you will be tasting familiar flavors
in unfamiliar dishes that are actually comfort dishes in Japan,” says Kyogoku.
Their signature dish is the Chicken Karaage, which is a Japanese-style fried chicken with Moroccan spices. Pair it with a sparkling sake, the traditional Japanese drink, and
it’ll taste like classic fried chicken with champagne, Kyogoku says. The restaurant’s menu is seasonal with locally-sourced ingredients. It features several types of sake that go well with their variety of small dishes and sushi, such as the Salmon Crispy Rice and the Scallion Pancakes with pork belly, topped with spicy sesame and black garlic sauce. Going to Bessou makes for both a dining and drinking experience.
A transportive experience full of New York history with whiskies and great food: that’s what guests can expect from Great Jones Distilling Co., opening this fall. The restaurant’s menu features dishes perfect for pairing with their three signature whiskies — the Great Jones Straight Bourbon, Great Jones Four Grain Bourbon, and Great Jones Rye — like the French Onion Soup made with Great Jones Rye, short rib, sharp cheddar, and Black Dirt Applejack braised bacon with creamy polenta and a spent grain tuile.
“I love the peppery citrus notes in the Great Jones Rye,
for example, and love to contrast it with a luscious French onion soup iteration. It can also be used as a complementary sip with our kalamansi sorbet. Also, keep in mind that the whiskey pairings are used to play off of each other with each bite and sip for the ultimate indulgence,” says Chef Adam Raksin.
What makes Great Jones interesting is how the chefs have incorporated whiskey throughout the menu. Bourbon is blended in apple compote for cheese plates, and the
Four Grain is added to the au poivre sauce for the NY Strip Steak, for example. But what Chef Raksin says people should definitely try is the exclusive “Great Jones Washed Peggy” – a rind style cheese, washed with their straight bourbon.
Having opened in 2016 in a historic 1848 building in the heart of Greenwich Village, Loring Place’s design beckons you to enter the restaurant. The fresh, locally-sourced dishes and hand-crafted cocktails make you never want to leave. The seasonal menu features both small and large shareable dishes, spotlighting farms and farmers whom Chef Dan Kluger has gotten to know at the Union Square Greenmarket.
“I was enamored by the seasons of New York City and the bounty of the market. Walking from stand to stand and putting my hands on three or four great ingredients, using that as the inspiration for a dish, quickly became the way I liked to cook,” says Chef Kluger, who has cooked in some of New York’s beloved restaurants, such as ABC Kitchen. Using simple ingredients, he creates dishes with a complex layer of flavors, textures, and colors, like the Grilled Strawberry Salad with sungold tomatoes, cucumbers, and red wine vinaigrette. For the fall, Chef says customers can expect several dishes with ingredients such as butternut squash and brussels sprouts. The famous beets and zucchini “fries” are changing to butternut “fries,” which he is always excited to bring back to the menu, says Kluger.
Local eateries made the best of a bad situation back in the cold, cold winter months with an excuse to try out all the first-rate dining rooms with the generous deals found during Restaurant Week: Two- and three-course prix fixe meals ranging from $29 to $39 to $59.
The promotion begins Tuesday, January 18, through Sunday, February 13 and, per NYCGo, the deals run Monday through Friday (not Saturdays) and it’s up to each restaurant whether they honor the rates on Sundays. You can read more details at the Restaurant Week site but for your convenience, the following are the participating restaurants below Chambers Street:
Anassa Taverna (104 North End Avenue)
Bareburger (155 William Street)
Batard (239 West Broadway)
Blue Smoke (255 Vesey Street)
Capital Grille (120 Broadway)
Felice (15 Gold Street)
Front & Wall Street (110 Wall Street)
The Fulton (89 South Street)
Gran Morsi (22 Warren Street)
Industry Kitchen (70 South Street)
La Pizza & La Pasta A Colori (101 Liberty Street)
Mad Dog & Beans (83 Pearl Street)
Malibu Farm (89 South Street)
MarkJoseph Steakhouse (261 Water Street)
Merchants River House (375 South End Avenue)
Morton’s The Steakhouse (136 Washington Street)
Route 66 Smokehouse (46 Stone Street)
Sant Ambroeus (200 Vesey Street)
Schilling (109 Washington Street)
Treadwell Park (301 South End Avenue)
Vino e Grano (101 Liberty Street, Eataly NYC Downtown)
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 designerRomeo 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
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
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
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
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.
