Tag: opening

Categories
Beauty Health

Pisterzi: Cutting Through the Chaff

Pisterzi Italian Grooming Art changes the way New York men look at grooming with a unique approach to the barbershop experience.

  

An unlikely shelter hides in the heart of downtown. Freezing winds, erratic snows, and city stress fall away in Pisterzi Italian Grooming Art’s latest Atelier, an authentic Italian barbershop in SOHO that brings new levels to the barbershop experience. Italian Master Barber Gian Antonio Pisterzi, the company’s founder, created Pisterzi Italian Grooming Art to make his own mark with an Italian style unique to the city with locations in Milan and NYC. His newest location, at 367 W Broadway, is the first to match with the colors and textures of his brand, a space that he can claim as his own. The new space embraces an intimate boutique feel of a sanctuary, which Pisterzi aims to enhance with the shop’s two private rooms where clients can enjoy one-on-one services and get pampered by the expert hands of Pisterzi barbers. Pisterzi wants to create a bubble that lets both parties focus on the barbershop experience, and to let all else fall to the wayside. 

“The grooming market has grown in the past years” says Gian Antonio Pisterzi. “More men are now taking time for themselves and do not look for a simple haircut anymore. Throughout my experience, I came to know and understand better the desires and needs of customers and I have been trying to translate them into the services we provide at the ateliers. Opening a second location in the Big Apple was a step that I was longing to take, and doing it in the energetic heart of New York, felt like the right choice to make.”

Pisterzi Italian Grooming Art has also launched a new line of high-end products, which includes gels, serums, conditioners for beard and hair, cosmetics with multiple functions, and more specific treatments. The launch will also include three fragrances entirely created and produced in Italy. Born within an elegant and sophisticated Italian lifestyle, the products will also be sustainable: they will use 100% recycled paper, post-consumer aluminum, and will have reusable, refillable containers. 

Pisterzi is a graduate of the prestigious Steiner Academy in London and a beholder of extensive experience as an international Master Barber in luxury brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and Acqua di Parma. Just recently, he added to his board Andrea Pirlo, the Internationally renowned soccer champion. Pirlo, who is a big aficionado of cosmetic products for personal care and well-being, faces this new challenge with enthusiasm: “I had the pleasure of personally meeting Gian Antonio Pisterzi in New York and I was struck by the culture expressed by his know-how and unique care that Barberia Pisterzi offers to its customers. I immediately wished I could be the protagonist of this enterprise which, today, evolves through a range of high-level products and a restyling of the barbershops in a sustainable way.”

Pisterzi’s other NYC atelier is located at Cipriani Club 55 in Wall Street. Check out their website for more.

Categories
Fashion Featured Industry News

Whoopi Goldberg Opens Shop in the American Dream

Whoopie Goldberg Opens Shop in the American Dream

The new “Whoopi = American Dream” store in East Rutherford, New Jersey got a big surprise yesterday when the star herself showed up for its opening. The eponymous store owner and co-host of The View hosted a two-hour public appearance at East Rutherford’s American Dream, from 1 pm – 3 pm. While there, she met with fans and signed purchased merchandise. “Whoopi = American Dream” is Goldberg’s first stand-alone retail experience. 

. The eponymous store owner and co-host of The View hosted a two-hour public appearance at East Rutherford’s American Dream, from 1 pm – 3 pm. While there, she met with fans and signed purchased merchandise. “Whoopi = American Dream” is Goldberg’s first stand-alone retail experience. 

Whoopi’s granddaughter, Amarah Skye, was also on-site hand painting purchased DUBGEE fashions–Goldberg’s fashion line. American Dream future tenant, Sephora, hosted three Mini Lip Service stations outside the space to offer guests festive touch-ups.

Whoopi = American Dream

The shop’s interior is inspired by Whoopi’s home, with saturated walls and Art Deco furniture, creating a residential setting – décor pieces were sourced and curated from her personal collection. A DUBGEE fashion salon lives in the center of the space, allowing guests to browse and try on pieces from the collection, as well as a hand-selected assortment of her holiday sweaters. A holiday dining table is featured towards the back of the shop, inspired by “The Unqualified Hostess.”

Guests will have the opportunity to experience the Whoopi = American Dream Dream Drop from November 11, 2019 – January 2020. 

Hours of operation will be 11 AM – 7 PM, Monday – Saturday.

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Categories
Dining Featured Restaurants

Downtown’s Areppas Survival Guide

Areppas
Photo credit Oleg March
Areppas
Photo credit Oleg March

A second Areppas restaurant has opened in Downtown Manhattan. We at Downtown are offering our readers an Areppas survival guide to help you celebrate.

What are arepas?

Every culture has its flatbread food. If you’ve heard anyone argue whether “tacos are sandwiches,” that is the truth they’re approaching. Arepas are a flatbread food common in Columbia and Venezuela. It’s a bit like an english muffin made from corn, but more flat and less crumbly. Arepas are cut open into pockets and stuffed with…well, let your imagination soar.

  • Arepa from Areppas. Photo credit Oleg March.
  • Areppas
    Bowl from Areppas. Photo credit Oleg March.

What is Areppas?

Areppas with two p’s is a restaurant in the sandwich shop style: Bread -> Protein -> Toppings -> Sauce. You pick as you go down the line. In addition to their signature arepas, they also have a number of other snack options, as well as arepa bowls. Arepa bowls work a lot like burrito bowls, except that you can add treats like platanos (plantains).

They also have dessert options.

The arepas and more

There are plenty of protein options for your arepa, from beef and chicken to short rib (I had the short rib). There’s also a veggie option that I was grateful to see was a lot more involved than “we cut up some vegetables for you.”

You have to be careful when you reach the toppings. The rigidity of the arepa means limited space. The number of arepa combinations is a little intimidating, especially with options that you might not be familiar with in a sandwich, like beets and chickpeas. If you’re not familiar with arepas, I would recommend going with one of the premade options, all of which looked delicious. If you’re the kind of person who loves to load up on toppings, I would recommend the bowl instead. If you’re already an expert, then you do you. Don’t let me stop you.

While you’re there, don’t forget to grab something on the side. Check out the empanadas and tequenos (think South American mozzarella sticks).

Dessert

Dessert is here so that I can talk about one thing and one thing only: the churros. Oh boy. This might be one of the best churros of my life. This would be true even if it wasn’t drizzled with chocolate sauce and sprinkles and then jammed into soft-serve ice cream. It is rich and substantive while still keeping a nice crunch. The ice cream is pretty standard fare, but it’s really just there to be scooped up by the churro. 

Conclusion

Areppas is a treat that I didn’t know existed. It’s a small chain that works to stay authentic to the food’s roots. The arepas themselves can get over-packed, but that is as much because of the number of options as it is because of the nature of the bread. Check out the new Areppas location at 115 East 23rd Street, New York, NY. 

Categories
Dining Featured Restaurants

Feast on High End, Homestyle Italian Dishes at Osteria at Avena Downtown

Avena, the modern Northern Italian restaurant from acclaimed Italian chef/owner Roberto Deiaco, is on the move Uptown, but at Avena Downtown the new, more casual menu at Osteria at Avena Downtown is more than ready to fill the gap. The more formal Avena Ristorante and Bar opened this past January, and Osteria opened just this month, both in the iconic former Da Silvano space. Chef Deiaco is highly trained and has cooked in renowned kitchens such as the Rainbow Room, Armani/Ristorante 5th Avenue, and his own spot East 12th Osteria. He’s bringing all of that talent to the more relaxed menu at Osteria at Avena Downtown.

Photo by Morgan Ione Yeager

The bread basket is addictive, and with good reason: all the breads and pastas are handmade with unbleached, organic Italian flour throughout both lunch and dinner service. The pizzettes are not to be missed, especially the elegantly simplistic “casertana” with sun-ripened tomatoes and fresh bufala cheese. Antipasti and other appetizers range from a salumi and cheese plate to soups, salads, and raw fish and meat preparations.

Photo by Morgan Ione Yeager

It would be a mistake not to order pasta at a place cranking out homemade varieties like maltagliati, casoncei, and a variety of spaghetti like strands all clinging to highbrow ingredients such as smoked salmon, calabrian saffron, and veal jus. Beyond pasta, Osteria offers whole fish, mixed seafood dishes, duck two ways, whole roasted chicken and suckling pigs, and even a burger. Daily specials like stewed venison and dover sole filets round out the old world, homestyle menu featuring elevated touches. And be sure you save room for dessert, like the homemade tiramisu or chocolate fondant paired with pandan ice cream, neither of which are to be missed.

Photo by Morgan Ione Yeager

Osteria at Avena Downtown
260 Sixth Avenue
11:30 AM – 2:00 AM, Daily

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Uncategorized

NYC’s New Milk & Cookies Kids Salon & Spa

Photo: Courtesy of Milk & Cookies Kids Spa and Salon

Photo: Courtesy of Milk & Cookies Kids Spa and Salon
Photo: Courtesy of Milk & Cookies Kids Spa and Salon

 

Upscale salons usually offer coffee, tea, or a cocktail to customers upon VIP treatment. While you expect a cocktail while being pampered, your kids dream of a delicious dessert during the hour they usually dread while getting their haircut. Kip Morrison & Associates would like to introduce the public to New York City’s Milk & Cookies Kids Salon & Spa, coming soon!

To make the new salon and spa more of a dream, Milk & Cookies offers part packages for both boys and girls. Packages include the Glitzy Glam package and the Tough Cookie package. The Glitzy Glam package for girls includes spa manicures, pedicures and yummy facials. The Tough Cookie package for boys allows for them to play video games and air hockey, while getting a haircut and Slimy Booger Manicure.

Cousins, Jataon and Teychenne Whitley have created a dream place for kids where they can have fun, get beautiful, and indulge in their favorite desserts. The spa works to create the ultimate experience for kids to get pampered while enjoying a cold glass of milk and freshly baked cookies. Milk & Cookies Kids Salon & Spa makes for a perfect birthday bash or an easy haircut experience for both parent and child.

-by Deirdre McAndrew