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Dining NYC Uncategorized

Marathi Greek Bistro: Bringing Flavors from the Isle of Crete to Tribeca

Marathi Lamp Chops. Photo: Instagram

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

Categories
Dining News NYC Uncategorized

Smorgasburg Returns to WTC Fridays, Beginning April 1

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.

Categories
Culture Music NYC

Westfield WTC, Sing for Hope, bring piano for public playing, to the Oculus

Photo: Westfield World Trade Center

Westfield World Trade Center has partnered with Sing for Hope to display a piano in the Oculus, painted by local artist Lance Johnson. The uniquely colorful piano, titled “Evolve” will be available for anyone and everyone to play, listen, interact with, and enjoy, from March 17 to March 27. At the conclusion of the piano’s public residency, it will be moved to a permanent home in a New York City school or community-based organization, where it will inspire lives for years to come.

In addition to the piano being open for the public to play, there will also be free and professional musical performances over the two weekends of its residency. Piano Soloist, Amir Farid, winner of the 2006 Australian National Piano Award, performs on March 19 and 26 from noon to 2:00 pm. The Sing for Hope Quintet will present performances of piano, violin, viola, and cello on March 20 and 27 from noon to 2:00 pm.

Local artist Lance Johnson poses with piano he painted, Evolve, as part of a project with Sing for Hope. Photo: Sing for Hope


The Sing for Hope Pianos program began in New York City in 2010. Today, it is one of the world’s largest annually recurring public arts programs, with more than 570 one-of-a-kind piano artworks in public spaces spanning from The Bronx to Beirut, and from Aspen to Athens. In addition to Westfield World Trade Center, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) will display pianos at Westfield UTC in San Diego, as well as Westfield Topanga and Westfield Century City in Los Angeles. 


“New York City is one of our world’s most inspiring, resilient cities, and we’re thrilled to work with URW to share hope and healing through these beautiful community instruments,” said Monica Yunus, Sing for Hope Co-Founder. Continued Sing for Hope Co-Founder Camille Zamora, “Music and art bring people together, and as the world continues to emerge from the pandemic, the Sing for Hope Pianos continue to spread vital moments of joy, connection, and arts for all.”
“We are so excited to host Sing for Hope at Westfield World Trade Center,” said Diana Grasso, Vice President, URW. “As we continue welcoming commuters, office workers, and local residents back to the Oculus, the power and joy of live music will further enhance our guests experience as they visit, shop, and dine with us.”

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Business Fashion Lifestyle NYC Uncategorized

New York-Based, Woman-Owned, Bay 2 Swimwear Sale Celebrates Int’l Women’s Day

Photo: Ally B. Martin

New Yorker Jillian Bardo recently her unveiled her Bay 2 Swimwear line at a pop up at The Rockaway Hotel.

A former lifeguard at Riis Park, Bardo sought to develop an elegant, minimalist style line of swimwear that is New York made. She launched Bay 2 Swimwear in Nov. 2021, offering both two piece and single piece suits, ranging XS-XL. Pieces can be mixed and matched.

Photo: Lourenso Ramautar

“The ocean has always been my happy place. I constantly found myself searching for the ideal swimsuit—one that looked great and stayed put in the waves. I love swimwear and was often disappointed by my purchases that turned out to be made of uncomfortable fabric, see through when wet, or just not conducive to activity. This search eventually led me to create Bay 2 Swimwear, a unique line inspired by my experiences living and working on the beaches of New York City and the East Coast.  All of the swimsuits are designed with double lined luxe fabrics that flatter and support all body types and inspire confidence without sacrificing comfort.  The suits are sustainably designed and produced in New York City.” 

For the week of March 7-March 13, in support of International Women’s Day, Bay 2 will be donating 20% of proceeds from sales to Girls Inc. Foundation.

In June, Bardo will unveil Bay 2’s Summer 2022 line, that will include environmentally-friendly suits, made from recycled fabrics.

For more information, visit bay2swimwear.com

Categories
Art Culture Featured NYC

Tix on Sale for Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure Exhibit

Poster/design: Christopher Makos

Tickets are on sale now for the much anticipated Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure exhibit, opening April 9, at RXR’s Starrett-Lehigh Building in West Chelsea.

The exhibit, which will span over 15,000 square feet, will feature over 200 never before and rarely seen paintings, drawings, ephemera and artifacts. All of the work comes from the family’s collection. Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure© will also feature recreations of his NYC artist studio on Great Jones St. and the Michael Todd VIP Room of NYC’s iconic Palladium nightclub for which Jean-Michel created two paintings.

Charles the First, 1982, The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Licensed by Artestar, New York


The family commissioned internationally acclaimed architect David Adjaye to be the exhibition’s designer. He is the founder of Adjaye Associates, which operates globally, and designed The National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, DC. The exhibition’s identity has been created by Abbott Miller of visionary design firm Pentagram. He has previously collaborated with cultural clients including the Guggenheim Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum. Rizzoli Electa will release the accompanying book, also titled Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure©, to coincide with the exhibition. The book was authored by Jean-Michel’s sisters Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux and his stepmother Nora Fitzpatrick.

The address of Starrett-Lehigh Building is 601 W. 26th Street. Tickets can be purchased at kingpleasure.basquiat.com Follow on the exhibit’s Instagram page for more.

Categories
Fashion Industry News NYC

Nolcha Shows NYFW Nods to American Themes in SS2022 Presentation

Fashion is Back

A beautiful sunny day made for a welcoming beckon into New York City for fashion week. It seemed as though Mother Earth was, too, celebrating the return of the beloved event like the rest of us. Sunday, September 12th marked the return of Nolcha Shows – the award-winning fashion event held during New York Fashion Week for independent fashion brands.

American Spirit at Fashion Week

The show nodded to the themes of Americana and patriotism that are emanating from the big apple this week, with the 20th remembrance of the American tragedy 9/11, a Met Gala theme appropriately titled “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”, and an almost complete return to American life and tradition after the pandemic. Fashion Week, and this show, in particular, was surely an indicator of the latter. Cheers swelled from the crowd when Nolcha Co-Founder Arthur Mandel stood before them, acknowledging that the shows were finally back after two years. 

The show began with a performance of the national anthem from the beautiful voice of Army spouse Deidra Lee Stubbs. Over the loudspeaker played the American classic, “Old Time Rock & Roll” by Bob Seger during the opening looks. Sitting front row was not only Miss USA and Miss Universe, but also a group of women deservingly recognized for their contribution to the safety of the country: military spouses. Nolcha Shows and in partnership with InstaSleep Mint Melts routinely recognizes these women as highly deserving individuals who sacrifice so much to be a part of the framework of the military and behind-the-scenes heroes. 

Miss USA  Asya Branch and Miss Universe Andrea Meza at Nolcha Shows NYFW 2021

 

Nolcha Shows NYFW Presented the Following Fashion Brands at the SS2022 Show: 

KavenLiu DIMOR 

The looks at KavenLiu DIMOR floated down the runway in silky blues, whites, and shades of shiny black. The collection, centered around the celebration of the female form married with elements of structure and architecture, made for delicious juxtaposition and an understanding of women’s bodies. The flattering silhouettes were complemented by what they were made up of: silk, hemp, and cotton.

Photo by Jess Lugo

Nolcha Shows NYFW Spring Summer 2022
KAVENLIU DIMOR

KAVENLIU DIMOR

KAVENLIU DIMOR

 

KOREANO

The looks at KOREANO showed versatility, playfulness, and sophistication. Deep burnt oranges and antique patterns hinted at a potential for 70s inspiration. Different iterations of the little black dress revealed a keen understanding of what women seek to wear, no matter the occasion. The modern woman is sure to find her ideal look in this collection alone.

Photo by Jess Lugo

Nolcha Shows NYFW Spring Summer 2022
KOREANO

KOREANO

KOREANO

 

KLOVA

Minimalism is KLOVA’s middle name, and this collection was a signifier of just that. This collection in particular, centered looks around two legs. Long flowy pants and jumpsuits swooshed around ankles in a beautiful display of exquisite tailoring and textile choice. Comfort, grace, and peace were all celebrated elements in this KLOVA collection.

Photo by Jess Lugo

Nolcha Shows NYFW Spring Summer 2022
KLOVA

KLOVA

KLOVA

 

The 5th Season

Inspired by birdlike elements, The 5th Season got playful this season with patterns, unique textures, and explorative jewelry. Complementary blues and oranges made the collection contrast yet unify in a delightful manner. Tailored garments were crafted exquisitely and with precision. The 5th Season proved their collection to be born from rebirth, elegance, and freedom.

Photo by Jess Lugo

Nolcha Shows NYFW Spring Summer 2022
THE 5TH SEASON

THE 5TH SEASON

THE 5TH SEASON

 

The above collections were complemented by stunning jewelry from Calista and Ashton Jewelry. Diamonds poured off of earrings, eyeglasses, and necklaces and dusted the shoulders of those strutting the catwalk. Stunning pearls dropped down from ears. Golden rings glittered at waistlines.

The show wrapped and patrons exited jubilantly and with a distinct satisfaction. Fashion is back – and better than ever – and New York couldn’t be happier.

For more on Nolcha Shows from Downtown, click here.