First mover
First mover
Plus de Vin, The Pink House, Nami Nori, Demo, new West Village listings, best breweries, All-In at Union Square Cafe, MORE
BARS • First Round
Naturally yours
The opening of a new natural wine bar outfitted in the pale wood aesthetic likely wouldn’t cause a ripple in Fort Greene or Clinton Hill. But on an upper stretch of Graham Ave. in East Williamsburg, it’s something of a happening. Plus de Vin, which opened last month in the space formerly occupied by shuttered neighborhood restaurant Pheasant, is the work of a trio of pedigreed industry vets: husband and wife Carenn Mackinnon (previously of Estela and Frenchette) and Max Mackinnon (current chef and partner at Libertine), along with Chad Carey, who runs a San Antonio restaurant group.
I dropped by one night earlier this week to find a ‘Snacks Menu’ about a dozen items in length hanging on the wall by the front register. Order there, then find a seat inside near the wall of smartly selected natural wine bottles or, as we did, in the roofed-in back garden. The food arrived quickly, starting with an excellent slice of country paté, served with spicy mustard and cornichons, and a fun plate of parm, salami, piparras peppers, and crunchy crackers. Then, peekytoe crab toast with celery and pork sausage, a less-serious little sister of sorts to Libertine’s justly famous saucisse purée. Here, instead of pureed potatoes, the sausage link sits atop a pile of fries. It’s a casual delight, a phrase that also nicely sums up Plus de Vin itself. –Lockhart Steele
→ Plus de Vin (East Williamsburg) • 445 Graham Ave • Mon-Fri 4p-, Sat-Sun 1p-.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Dad Rock
All-In • fall fest to benefit Drive Change, Emma’s Torch, and the Food Education Fund featuring food from Bangkok Supper Club, Caffe Panna, Cesare Casella, Dame, Naks, Penny, Theodora & more • Union Square Cafe (Gramercy) • Sun @ 3p, $105 per
Bob Mould - Solo Electric • SOPAC (South Orange, NJ) • Fri @ 8p • orchestra, $35 per
The National, The War on Drugs, and Lucius • Forest Hills Stadium (Flushing) • Fri @ 545p, section 601, $125 per
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: What’s on Broadway this fall? Celebrities! And 16 new openings! • Upright Citizens Brigade reopens tonight in East Village • ABC No Rio director confident in 2026 re-opening (construction watch here) • Brooklyn Museum rebrand: sans serif, overlapping Os.
GETAWAYS • Litchfield County
Ain’t that America
The Skinny: It’s not every day that one of NYC’s Michelin-starred chefs decides to lay roots in a very rural town previously most famous for its historic covered bridge. But that’s exactly what Gabe McMackin (who earned that star at The Finch in Clinton Hill) has done at the just-opened The Pink House in West Cornwall, CT, where he’s the chef and co-owner (alongside Marina Munoz).
The Vibe: Nestled in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town center, the building’s barn exterior and picnic tables belie the sophisticated, modern space inside. There’s a square bar equally adept for eating or drinking, tables ringing the edge of the room, a community table, and a singular round banquette, the jewel perch from which to survey the Connecticut country crowd.
The Food & Drink: McMackin takes pride in highlighting local produce. Everything with vegetables was a winner, including a simple (and simply delicious) salad of little gem lettuces, roasted and raw carrots with goat cheese, and kirby cukes with serranos and cider vinegar. Among the starters, deviled eggs, chicken liver crostini, and hamachi crudo were all excellent. And a smoked steelhead trout, topped with smoked trout roe and accompanied by whipped eggs, garlic confit, and potato chips, provided the most memorable bite of the evening.
Entrees veer into familiar ground — branzino with pole beans, roast chicken, cavatelli with garlic scapes and spinach — but the smoked pork ribs are revelatory. Given the surroundings, you may be tempted to use a knife and fork, but it’s best to pick them up and go for it. Chase with the sole side on the menu, “very special fries” dusted with nutritional yeast and served with Kewpie. Special indeed.
On the tight cocktail menu, look to a winning Sour Cherry Something Something and a slightly lighter but no less winning New Bergamonster, made with vodka, green tea, Bergamot, and honey.
Finally, don’t skip dessert, perhaps a delectable lemon tart or a fresh berry panna cotta. For maximum impact, consider “the chocolate situation,” a decadent mashup of chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, hazelnuts, EVOO, and sea salt. It’s a fitting payoff for those vegetables you started with.
The Verdict: An instant Litchfield County hit, a close cousin to longtime staple Community Table (with a pinch of Brooklyn for good measure). –Jason Klein
→ The Pink House (West Cornwall, CT) • 34 Lower River Rd • Thurs-Mon 5-9p • Reserve.
GETAWAYS LINKS: In Midtown, Four Seasons New York reopening pushed to November • Germantown restaurant Gaskins to shutter Nov. 24 • Nantucket’s Downyflake to close next month, future uncertain • In East Hampton, Zero Bond is done for the season • Summering in the Hamptons is for the olds • Luxury riverboats are giving superyacht charters a run for their money.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
On a roll
LISA LIMB • co-founder • Nami Nori, Postcard
Neighborhood you live in: Upper West Side
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
Although there really is no “weekend” for a restaurant owner, I do like to take Friday night to unwind with my husband Sebastian. We cut back on drinking during the week so Friday is our night to enjoy a bottle of something nice, usually sake or wine, although right now we’re into a shochu called Daiyame that we were gifted by some friends. It's a sweet potato shochu that has an incredible floral and fruitiness to it, that’s quite unexpected and unique.
Any restaurant plans?
A couple of weeks ago, I was introduced to Demo by my friend Aya Ikeda — a restaurant consultant and industry insider who knows literally everyone — and I’ve been obsessed ever since. I've already been back and am concocting plans to return again. They have the type of menu that’s impossible to order from, because you want one of everything. The team there, Jacob, Q, and Dina, have that genuine hospitality gene that makes it such a warm and memorable experience. And it's right across from our Nami Nori West Village location on Carmine St. Such a welcome addition to the block.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I carve out some “me time” every Monday night when I take a house dance class taught by an amazing teacher, Huu Rock. He's an incredible dancer, but what makes it so enjoyable is that he creates a really welcoming vibe in his class. It's pure joy — and appreciation of the culture of house. And also, an ass-kicking cardio workout.
Any weekend getaways?
I took a quick, two-day trip to Miami for work, and despite the heat, I really recommend going in the offseason. It's a lot easier to book reservations at the hot spots, and room rates are more affordable. You're basically going from one air conditioned space to another and not walking around like in New York, so it's doable. I highly recommend Dante's HiFi, a listening bar in Wynwood, for a cocktail and incredible music (I've never seen speakers that big in my life), then take a short stroll over to Hiden for a top notch omakase experience.
What was your last great vacation?
Japan! Sebastian and I went for New Year’s after not having been in eight years. I don't think there is any way to go wrong there, because the quality of the food, hospitality, and service is unbeatable no matter where you decide to go.
That said, we like to go places that are more local than touristy. We had an amazing stay at the onsen resort Kai in Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture. You can book a room with a private outdoor hot spring. On the way there from the shinkansen train station, we stopped at Ohmine sake brewery in Mine. It’s a Mecca in the region for impeccable sake and design. We got a tour of the brewery, and they gifted us a bottle of freshly made, unpasteurized sake. We enjoyed it later that night while sitting in the hot spring under the moonlight. Pure magic.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale listings that came to market in the West Village this week:
→ 302 West 12th Street #10D (West Village) • 1BR/1BA, NA SF condo • Ask: $2.4M • 10th floor perch with western exposures • Days on market: 1 • Monthly common charges: $1078, Monthly taxes: $1034 • Agent: Brad Ingalls & Brendon O’Rourke, Sotheby’s. Open house Sun 1-3p.
→ 99 Bank Street #5DE/6D (West Village, above) • 2BR/2BA, 1494 SF co-op • Ask: $2.95M • corner duplex with floating staircase • Days on market: 1 • Monthly maintenance: $3589 • Agent: Danielle Sevier, Compass.
→ 719 Greenwich St #3S (West Village) • 3BR/3BA, 3000 SF co-op • Ask: $4.25M (relisting with new broker after originally listing 12/01/23 for $5.995M) • wood-beamed loft in old book depository • Days on market: 3 • Monthly maintenance: $4917 • Agent: Danielle Sevier, Elliman. Open house Sun 230-4p.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: So far, the new broker fee rules are good for sellers • New renderings revealed for RAMSA’s 255 East 77th • Sales launch at The Perrie in Turtle Bay • 1 Java Street two-tower development tops out on Greenpoint waterfront.
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Breweries
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of NYC's best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@foundny.com.
TALEA Beer Co. (Williamsburg), female-founded business with bold graphics and fruit-forward flavors