A night at the zoo
Eel Bar, Turtle & the Wolf, Little Owl, top summer associate lunches below 23rd, Carreau Club, Bay of Angels sandals, personality hires, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Person
Eel reveal
Eel Bar is an answer to a question we never needed to ask: How to follow-up three of this city’s most reliable, repeat-visit restaurants to open in the last decade? Hart’s, since 2016, is Bed-Stuy’s jewelbox bistro, a restaurant so loveable the idea of someone disliking it is borderline offensive. Around the corner, The Fly, dishing out little else than roast chicken and natural wine since 2019 — not that it needs to, having perfected both.
And since 2017 on the LES, of course, is the Portuguese-ish wine bar Cervo’s. It was where I had my last meal out on the eve of the 2020 lockdown. In the back room that night, under the skylight, I closed my eyes, took in the space’s perfect aural textures and narcotic smells, and thought: Remember this — remember how good a New York City restaurant that hits right on a Thursday night can feel.
This trifecta represents the kind of places that anchor not just neighborhoods, but a certain kind of dining milieu, serving what you always latently crave, vibey, forever great (but also, somehow egalitarian). New York should be lousy with these kinds of places. Instead, they’re an increasingly rare quantity.
And so the moment I found out that Eel Bar, from that same group, was opening this summer I knew I’d be there. On opening night last Thursday, there we were, two at the end of the bar inside the Orchard Street space, scored at 630p with ease. It likely won’t be the case for long, though we were told they’re holding a decent swath of the spots for walk-ins.
That dining bar runs the length of one side of the room, which is bisected in the center by a working bar and open bar-to-ceiling bottle storage. On the other side of it is a smattering of tables, lined against velvety banquettes, under pink and green neon, and strips of tiled mirrors. It’s discreetly stylish, with a few small, distinctly sexy touches of flair.
Much like Cervo’s and Hart’s, the food is wine bar fare, saucy snacks, small plates, and a few mains, with some hyper-seasonal touches, anchored by an Iberian palate (this time, more Basque than Portuguese). We thought we went too heavy on the openers — piquillo peppers stuffed with crab; an order of fried mussels, served on the half shell; a plate of white asparagus over bottarga and mayonnaise — and ended up surprised, each one lighter and more deft than their menu descriptions.
Same went for the potato salad topped with a layer of trout roe that landed in front of nearly everyone down the bar. It was another creamy, briny dish that in lesser hands could play as highbrow-lowbrow schtick, but again: implausibly light, with a peppery kick at the end, the dregs of which we dragged a baguette through, trying to relive as much as possible. For the mains, we ended up with a homey plate of meatballs strewn with french fries soaked in their tomato sauce, and the burger, topped with anchovies, roquefort, and a pile of white onions. At $28, sans-fries, it’s not a cheap entrant to the city’s burger scene, but it’s a deeply funky, savory delicious iteration of a standard that’ll linger, much like with that Cervo’s lamb burger (also, with anchovies). A tipple menu top-heavy with vermouth shouldn’t surprise you, as it (and maybe something from the northern Spanish-heavy wine list) is exactly what you should be drinking with all this.
If none of it sounds conceptually off-the-charts, rest assured that the pleasures here lie in these dishes’ executions and in the way they’ll leave you feeling. Whether or not Eel Bar could be the Restaurant of the Summer feels like a moot question, in that respect — it’ll be the restaurant of many nights, of many, many seasons ahead of us. –Foster Kamer
→ Eel Bar (Lower East Side) • 252 Broome St • Tues-Sat 530-11p • Reserve.
RESTAURANTS • Intel
At the risk of flooding the zone on two-animal-named New Jersey restaurants, a quick suburban date night update: We had our best meal this side of the river in some time at Turtle & the Wolf in Upper Montclair. It was early evening on a Saturday, and the light was hitting just right, reflecting off the wide-plank flooring, up and over the whitewashed clapboard benches onto the sketchbook-art-filled wall.
We started with oysters and a simple salad with crisp greens dressed in a knockout vinaigrette — the kind you get the recipe for, only to realize at home there’s some restaurant magic that’s been lost in transit — then a special swordfish with lemon caper beurre and a delicate, decadent potato pave. We finished with the star among stars, octopus and chorizo with fennel and grapefruit. We apportioned the assembled ingredients into each bite, careful not to leave any of the harmonious flavors behind.
The room was hopping, the service at a level difficult to maintain outside of the city. Nine years in on Valley Road, Turtle + the Wolf remains the neighborhood restaurant you wish was on your corner. Reserve. –Josh Albertson
BIGGER OWL: Essential West Village restaurant Little Owl, ensconced in its corner in the Friends building since 2006, has always been just one perfect little room (and one perfect little bar). Now, with the opening of a new dining room right next door, it’s two. Reserve.
FULL SENDO: We’ve mentioned the forthcoming sushi counter Sendo (Nomad) in this space before, so, know that it’s finally opening tomorrow. The concept: a former Nakazawa chef, Kevin Ngo, goes the affordable sushi route (curated sets of nigiri, handrolls, and kaisendon for $18-$45 per). The counter tallies ten seats. For now, inquire via website for access.
NYC RESTAURANT LINKS: Why American Express is buying Tock: It’s all about the exclusives, baby • In Tribeca, Khe-Yo and Dhom have closed • Behold, the era of the line cook • On the East River, Water Club’s future still murky • All new Boiler Room announces itself on 2nd Ave.
WORK • Tuesday Routine
All’s Wells
SARAH OBRAITIS • co-owner • M. Wells
Neighborhood you work/live in: Long Island City
It’s Tuesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
At our restaurant, the monthly inventories get done by hand and it's always best when it lands on a Tuesday. Doing the wine counts are fun and helpful for me actually — I get to take in all the wonderful labels and practice pronunciations, so I don't screw up tableside and ruin the user experience. Hugue, my French-Canadian husband and the chef of M. Wells, helps with my French.
What’s on the agenda for today?
We’re calling and introducing ourselves to a new list of USDA-certified co-packers and food incubators, and looking to build the right business relationships to start offering M. Wells meat pies around the country. Save the date and check in with us in fall 2024.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
We'll stay local and go to Rosario's — a little Italian eatery and grocer on 31st in Astoria. Great sandwiches and brick oven stuff, and items for the pantry at home.
How about a little leisure or culture this week?
We’re out to Montauk to hang with family and friends who we’re working with to relaunch Dock to Dish, a wholesale business that deals in super fresh, traceable, and biodiverse local catch, and getting it into the hands of chefs in NYC. When we get back, we may dip into Carreau Club, a social hub in Industry City where folks play pétanque, both indoors and outdoors, in spring and summer. Around them, there are a string of bays, with unique shopping and activations, that are always interesting.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
The Lomi, an electrical composter. It helps keep peace in the house, but I do hope we fall out of love with it and can pass it on once we get into a better habit of bringing our organics elsewhere. One community farm, Smiling Hogshead Ranch, does a lovely job of providing that service, and a host of garden events.
What NYC store or service do you love to recommend?
Oh my, so many — but three that come to mind immediately are Evolution, Kinokuniya, and Kalustyans. All three work well for life's routine needs, and are excellent gift shops too!
WORK • Culture
Staffing up
We’ve added a handful of new folks to the FOUND team this month. It feels good — especially since, during our first year, we’d been doing most of the work ourselves (except for our group of excellent regular editorial contributors — love you guys!).
The staffing plan was on purpose, because 1) we wanted to be as hands-on as possible in the earliest stages, 2) media is weird right now and we’re being careful not to get over our skis, and 3) it takes a little while to figure out what you really need. It’s the same idea as living in a house for a year or two before undertaking any renovations.
New work culture memes suggest that, in their own recruitment efforts, some employers are currently focusing mostly on vibes. Per the WSJ:
Skill was king during the talent war of 2021 and 2022, but recent layoffs suggest a lot of companies believe they have enough, or even too many, capable employees.
Enter the “personality hire,” deliverer of sunshine and good times (except when other employees have to do their work). Maybe we’ll get there someday! But for now, there’s enough work to go around, no office to put the vibes in, and a general wariness about building capital-C culture.
All that said, we’re still and always on the lookout for talent. Like more contributors to write about shopping and the retail scene here in New York City. If that’s you, reply to this email or drop us a line at found@foundny.com. Vibes not required. –Josh Albertson
WORK LINKS: New downtown flood plan no longer includes wall on bike path in Hudson River Park • Flex office firm, TheSquare, opening first NYC space on Hudson St • Stripe signs sublease at Liberty • Whatever happened to ‘smart cities’? • Why is LinkedIn so unfunny? • It’s the summer of the finance bro.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Object
Sandals in the name of
Angeleno Denise Morello (wife of Rage Against the Machine rocker Tom Morello) pays homage to her Italian roots with her Bay of Angels sandals, made of 100% vegetable-tanned outsoles and a traditional, hand-carved technique. Ranging in styles from up-the-knee gladiators to pillow-soft slides, each pair is handcrafted in a family-owned factory in the heart of the Caprese region. Just in time for summer break. –Zoe Schaeffer
→ Shop: Bay of Angels collection, $145-275.
GOODS & SERVICES LINKS: 8 media predictions for a changing fashion industry • The largest private wine collection ever auctioned is heading to Sotheby’s • How to keep your Land Rover Defender shipshape • What if your carry-on’s wheels were big and on the outside? • Embrace the summer of retro.
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RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Summer associate lunches, below 23rd
Casa Mono (Gramercy), longtime beloved elevated tapas spot, reserve