Endless weekend
SEA, Nomad listings, Bar Oliver, Copenhagen, Rome, Hotel Saint Vincent NOLA, Thanksgiving reservations, MORE
THE ASK: We’re seeking contributors for our forthcoming European editions: FOUND London and FOUND Paris. These are very flexible freelance roles that don’t necessarily require a professional writing background — mostly passion and impeccable taste. Is that you, or a friend? (We’re also always looking for contributors for our U.S. editions — NY/LA/SF/MIA.) Drop us a line at found@foundny.com.
RESTAURANTS • Field Report
Making waves
The Skinny: Opened late August two blocks south of Penn Plaza, SEA is chef Jungsik Yim’s buttoned-down follow-up to his heralded Tribeca tasting menu spot Jungsik.
The Vibe: Sleek, sharp, and cavernous, but with a few touches that bring warmth and intimacy to what could otherwise code as quasi-clubstaurant. The 70-seat space opens with a 10-stool bar for walk-ins at the door, mirrored with a corridor of tables that opens to more seating in the rear, including a few half-moon booths for larger parties.
Vintage maps and illustrated prints from (and of) southeast Asia line the walls, as a mixture of textures (wicker seatbacks, tiled walls, straw and brass lampshades) give some depth to the room, but well-spaced tables lit with dramatic overhead spots and pendant lamps trade some of that much needed warmth for intimacy and drama. A sign pointing downstairs ominously reads SEA LAB — that’ll open sometime in 2025, hosting tasting menu pop-ups with rotating chefs. Service on our visit was stiff and overly scripted — this is a restaurant still settling into its groove.
The Food: High-low pan-Asian with occasional Euro-American twists. Asian fusion cuisine: Feels like we’ve seen it all, and it’s a fine line separating the excellent from the suburban strip mall. Yim’s take on Southeast Asian is a precise, fun hybrid of Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean, and then some, but occasionally invokes other cuisines in form and function. For example, from France: Crudites come with a tom yum cashew dip, while a raw bar platter comes with whole sweet shrimp and oysters accompanied by herb granita and nam jim. Sriracha pork ribs with a soy glaze are frenched, leaving fall-off-the-bone meat a la St. Louis.
Other highlights include fried rice generously chunked with crab meat and topped with a thin crab omelet, dry tom yum noodles (a twist on Korean spicy mixed noodles, engineered with the hallmark Thai flavor), and a zabb-spiced fried heritage chicken served with som tum and white rice. For dessert, a pineapple sorbet with lime and thai basil won over an otherwise sweets-agnostic table.
The Drinks: A funky, punchy cocktail menu features a sparkling paloma flavored with tea and a banana cream martini (with espresso, amaro, and vodka), while the mostly European wine list assembled by Jungsik sommelier Jamie Schlict has surprising depth and range across vintners and price points.
The Verdict: An excellent option for upscale a la carte southeast Asian from a renowned, phenomenally talented chef in a relatively casual setting — if you (or it) can clear a few vibe hurdles. –Foster Kamer
→ SEA (Midtown South) • 151 W 30th St • Tues-Sat 5-11p • Reserve.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale condos in Nomad that came to market in the last 30 days.
→ 13 E 30th St PH (Nomad) • 2BR/2BA, 1446 SF condo • Ask: $2.25M • classic loft with roof rights • Days on market: 29 • Monthly taxes: $2924; Monthly cc: $1075 • Agents: Nicole Hechter & Asaf Bar-Lev, Corcoran.
→ 277 5th Ave #17A (Nomad) • 2BR/2BA, 1343 SF condo • Ask: $3.995M • corner unit with Chrysler Building views in Rafael Vinoly building • Days on market: 23 • Monthly taxes: $2488; Monthly cc: $1934 • Agent: Beth Benalloul, Corcoran.
→ 88 Lexington Ave LOFT (Nomad, above) • 4BR/4.1BA, 3348 SF condo • Ask: 5.749M • duplex loft with 22’ ceilings and casement window • Days on market: 21 • Monthly taxes: $5217; Monthly cc: $4653 • Agents: Iman Bacodari, Gabrielle Corrao, & Gabriela Bodkin, Elliman.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: In Meatpacking District, new Gansevoort Square proposal would bring 600 apartments and Whitney expansion • Mystery snack piles return on Upper West Side • ODA’s 126 East 57th tops out in Midtown East • Considering what’s next for those 122 acres along Columbia St Waterfront and Red Hook up for redevelopment • Cleaning up Gowanus is making things smell even worse.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
Weekend (un)filtered
ARJAN SINGH • co-founder • Jolie
Neighborhood you live in: Lower East Side
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
One of my favorite activities is having a good conversation — with an old friend or someone new. I’ve noticed that I tend to have more of these on Fridays, and ideally not just one, but several. If the weather’s nice, I love sitting in the backyard of Saturdays NYC on Crosby Street, which is also a nice nostalgic trip for me (it was my first job when I was 16). I also love Flynn McGarry’s newest café and home goods store, Gem Home. It just opened last weekend on Mott Street. The library style tables in the back are perfect for a catch-up, and the apple lovage juice is my new go-to drink.
Any restaurant plans?
I’m looking forward to returning to Le Veau d’Or. The meal was excellent and classic, true French food. Some new places I’m curious about: Bar Oliver, opening tonight by the team behind MIMI, and also the just-opened Smithereens in the East Village, as I love seafood.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I recently went to the Collectible design fair that opened up at WSA the first week of September. The fair is originally from Brussels, and this was its first time in New York. As much as I love art, I prefer a design fair — they’ve always felt less showy to me, more about the craft. I was excited to see my friend Ian Felton’s furniture there. I also went to the Air concert at the Beacon Theatre and thought the set design was so cool and the concert so soothing on a Tuesday evening. What I’m overdue on is an off (or off-off) Broadway play, if anyone has a recommendation.
Any weekend getaways?
I recommend an extended weekend getaway to Copenhagen, where I used to live. Believe me, a weekend trip is possible. Take Scandinavian Airlines SK910 Thursday night from Newark, arriving in Copenhagen at 7:15a, and do the following:
Have a cheese hotdog with raw onions, fried onions, pickles, chili ketchup, mustard and remoulade immediately upon arrival (yes, I know it’ll be early)
Rent a bike or use their version of Citi Bike, Donkey Republic, and just bike around town, people-watching, stopping to pop into stores or grab a coffee
Spend some time on Værnedamsvej and try the juice of the day at Italo Caffé and an ice cream at Østerberg Ice Cream
Go for a classic Danish lunch at smartly dressed (both in design and crowd) Restaurant Møntergade ... paired with schnapps, of course
Have dinner at Baka d’Busk — super fun and incredibly tasty, and all plants everything
Take the 12:25p flight on Monday back, working from the plane, arriving in NYC at 2:55p.
What was your last great vacation?
Rome. L’angolo Divino 1946 wine bar. Ask for Massimo, the owner. Great wine, great food, even better conversation with him. Then, head two minutes down the road to Ristorante Camponeschi for a drink with locals. Continue on another two minutes down the road to Pierluigi for an upscale seafood dinner.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I think I was wrongly invited to a private intimate dinner by Hesse Flatow gallery this summer. The space happened to be down the block from where I live in Amagansett, so I decided to stop by, unsure if the invite was for real or not. I’m happy I did, because I fell in love with this painting by Delphine Hennelly the moment I walked in. I knew nothing about the artist or the work itself, just that I knew I wanted it.
What product or service do you always recommend?
It’s not a product, but I’d call this a service for yourself. And I recommend it often: Take yourself out to dinner. Solo. At the bar. And put your phone away.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Moving On
The String Cheese Incident • Capitol Theatre (Port Chester) • Sat @ 7p • loge left right, $130 per
Maria Bamford • The Bell House (Gowanus) • Sat @ 7p • GA, $52 per
Rangers v Islanders • Madison Square Garden (Midtown South) • Sun @ 1p • section 107, $450 per
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: Renovated Frick to reopen in spring 2025 • Massive Marian Goodman Gallery opens in Tribeca • At The Art Show at the Park Avenue Armory, something for everyone • How to manage your art collection on your superyacht.
GETAWAYS • New Orleans
When the Saints
The thing about New Orleans: You can visit again and again, and have a different experience each time. A mere three-hour flight from NYC makes it a doable long-weekend destination (or even fit for a 36-hour jaunt).
On a recent trip, my group settled into Hotel Saint Vincent, which opened three years ago in the Lower Garden District, just a few blocks away from bustling Magazine Street and its heavenly homes. The building, a former asylum, was re-imagined by hotelier queen Liz Lambert of El Cosmico (Marfa) and Saint Cecilia (Austin) fame, with just as much design flair and attention to detail as those Texas properties.
While it’s hard to justify eating at your hotel in one of the food capitals of the country, the on-site options are solid. My favorite was a stand-alone coffee and bánh mì café — a mini offshoot of the French-Vietnamese cafe Elizabeth St. — in the front courtyard. There, you can pick up pastries and a latte, or grab something like a sticky rice bowl or Dan Dan Noodles later in the day. Within the hotel, there’s San Lorenzo and Paradise Lounge, an all-day restaurant offering myriad oyster options and good cocktails.
To round out the trip, we all did tarot card readings and a ghost tour to get into the metaphysical spirit and learn more about New Orleans’s history and fabled past. Whether or not you choose to believe in the lore, there’s little debate to be had about the city’s powerful past and extraordinary present — all on grand display at Hotel Saint Vincent. –Zoe Schaeffer
→ Hotel Saint Vincent (Lower Garden District, New Orleans) • 1507 Magazine St • Weekend king rates from $523.
GETAWAYS LINKS: United closing invite-only EWR restaurant in favor of Polaris Lounge expansion … and it unveils changes to 2025 premier status • American Airlines launches boarding group enforcement tool • Costa Rica hotel El Mangroove debuts Autograph Collection residences.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Thanksgiving, ticketed
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of NYC's best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@foundny.com.
Le Rock (Rockefeller Center, above), three-course prix fixe, $185 per, reserve