Grill marks
Isabela, Gramercy listings, Hildur, Pips, DUMBO General Store, Pierre Peters, best Korean BBQ, MORE
GETAWAYS • Hudson Valley
Detour land
The Skinny: Last week, Jose Ramirez Ruiz (of beloved, shuttered Semilla) opened his new spot Isabela in the sleepy Upstate town of Amenia. His first solo project is a departure from the tiny portions and complicated preparations Semilla was known for, instead offering a menu of generous portions in thoughtful presentations. On its first (rainy) Saturday night, Isabela was bustling.
The Vibe: De riguer for an upscale Upstate restaurant these days: uncluttered modern farmhouse. The space is divided into two sections, with the dining room ambiently lit by wax-dripping candlesticks, accented by a large open window exposing the kitchen. Tables are generously spaced, with woodwork and mirrors by local craftsmen. On the other side, there’s a bar area with a few tables open for walk-ins and a more casual, locals-only feel, complete with a TV over the bar.
The Food: Ruiz offers dishes with seasonal produce and flavors, drawing from his Puerto Rican heritage. The snacks are your classic smart bar bites (olives, bresaola, oysters, cheese) plus a large cut of Jose’s sourdough served with a ramekin of butter swimming in buttermilk from a nearby dairy farm. Appetizers are heavy on vegetables, like a punchy salad with a housemade spruce vinaigrette and kale gnudi with beans and subtle guanciale.
At first glance, the main dishes read as run-of-the-mill — chicken, steak, trout — but Ruiz layers on the flavor, turning ostensibly simple proteins into something exceptional. The fluke with salsa verde and the pot au feu served with wasabi-esque mustard pack unexpected punches, setting them apart from the rest of the region's food. If sitting at the bar, I’d just order sides, like those beef-fat purple potatoes, which would go perfectly with the bar-only burger.
There are a few dessert options, but the rice pudding for two is the one that matters. With whipped cream folded in and sides of dulce de leche, juicy elderberries, homemade crumbled crepe cookie, and candied walnuts, it’s their signature finisher for good reason.
The Drink: Cocktails are made with local spirits, including a tipperary with Taconic bourbon on tap. The few non-alcoholic options borrow from the cocktail’s ingredients, including a maple soda and oat “horchata.” There’s also a drinkable apple cider vinegar, in case you forgot that Ruiz came from the world of fine dining.
The Verdict: Amid a growing number of new farm-to-table options in the area, Isabela differentiates itself with bold flavors while successfully capturing small-town bistro charms. Rarely can chefs like Ruiz so effortlessly transition from high-end gastronomic experience to approachable dining, but he pulls it off here. –Sylvie Florman
→ Isabela (Amenia, NY) • 3330 Route 343 • Wed-Sun 5-10p (dinner 530-9p) • Reserve.
GETAWAYS LINKS: New FAA system lets private jet owners make identities private • Is Nobu coming to Sag Harbor this summer? • Checking in on the reopened dining room at Eng’s Chinese Restaurant in Kingston • Fairmont Tokyo taking reservations for 07/01 opening.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties in Gramercy that came to market in the last 20 days.
→ 337 E 18th St (Gramercy) • 7BR/7BA, 4000 SF townhouse • Ask: $4.9M • currently configured as an owner's duplex and four 1 bedroom apartments • Days on market: 4 • Monthly tax: $5268 • Agent: Adam Melnick, Compass.
→ 34 Gramercy Park East, Unit MAF (Gramercy) • 3BR/2BA co-op • Ask: $6.595M • overlooking park with original 1883 detail in The Gramercy • Days on market: 18 • Monthly maintenance/tax: $8640 • Agent: Lynne Lerner, Compass.
→ 111 E 19th St (Gramercy, above) • 4BR/4.2BA, 4917 SF townhouse • Ask: $7.95M • c 1855 historic home ‘re-imagined as a contemporary work of art’ • Days on market: 18 • Monthly tax: $4647 • Agents: Mara Flash Blum & Ashton Monroe, Sotheby’s.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: The $13M Upper East Side co-op bargain • Inside the record-setting $60M downtown condo • Bricking up Robert A. M. Stern’s 16 Fifth Ave • Sneak peek at the redeveloped One Park Row • Greenpoint is ridiculous.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Final 4 Getaway
Trey Anastasio • Count Basie Center for the Arts (Red Bank, NJ) • Sat @ 730p • orchestra right, $309 per
NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four • Alamodome (San Antonio) • Sat @ 609p • section 329, $252 per
Suns v Knicks • Madison Square Garden (Midtown South) • Sun @ 7p • section 107, $510 per
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: When Banksy came to Red Hook • Hopalong Andrew in residence at Whole Foods Tribeca on Wednesday mornings • Uberhot Glengarry revival is ‘weirdly limp’ • Are NFTs back?
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
Fredagsmys
EMELIE KIHLSTROM & ELISE ROSENBERG • co-owners • Hildur, Colonie, Pips
Neighborhood you work in: Dumbo/Brooklyn Heights
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
EK: I avoid plans on Fridays. All I want to do is cook a nice meal, drink a chilled Gamay, eat some candy from Bon Bon, and watch a movie. It’s a Swedish Friday tradition called fredagsmys or “Friday coziness.”
ER: Exercise is my favorite form of self-care and stress relief, so I'm biking over the Manhattan Bridge to a reformer class at New York Pilates to fire up those endorphins and get my mind right after a busy workweek. If I'm hitting a yoga class, I head to Souk, a beautiful studio in Nomad (designed by Home Studios).
Any restaurant plans?
EK: My favorite restaurant in the city, Thai Diner. Ann and Matt are great friends; they’re such talented chefs. I never get tired of eating there.
ER: Place des Fêtes is my favorite Brooklyn restaurant, so that's a big staple for me. I also love checking out new natural wine bars. Cellar 36 was a recent standout.
How about a little leisure or culture?
EK: My daughter and I saw this Swedish pop star this weekend at Irving Plaza. Love seeing shows there.
ER: I'm so lucky to live in Brooklyn with so many local theater and music venues nearby. St. Ann's Warehouse always has an amazing lineup of shows, and it's literally a block from Hildur. I'm excited to check out Brooklyn Paramount, I have tickets to Kim Deal in a few weeks.
Any weekend getaways?
EK: I’m going to New Orleans for the weekend to look at a college with my daughter. Staying at Peter and Paul and having dinner at Arnaud’s.
ER: Upstate. I love staying at Woodstock Way in Woodstock. Such a beautifully designed hotel, and walking distance from Silvia, my favorite Upstate restaurant.
What was your last great vacation?
EK: Blue Spirit in Costa Rica. They draw such excellent meditation teachers there. It's a magical spot and a beautiful way to kickstart the year.
ER: I was blown away by my trip to Budapest last fall. Stunning city, and so fun. Stay at the Collect, eat at Esca and Tati, drink natural wine at Doblo and Marlou.
What store or service do you always recommend?
EK: I love recommending Poppy’s. We often get catering inquiries that we can't accommodate and they do such a beautiful job.
ER: I'm all about supporting neighbors of my restaurants. A few doors down from Colonie, Make-A-Frame on Atlantic Avenue is an amazing framer. A few blocks up from Hildur, DUMBO General Store is a really special, artfully curated store. As for a service: The natural wine app Raisin. It's a great way to find natural wine bars and restaurants, whether you're traveling or just hitting up a new neighborhood.
WINES • FOUND Bottle
Growth industry
On a recent trip to the Maldives, my partner and I were generously offered a bottle of Champagne to kick off our second evening — and I was blown away by the bottle placed on our table.
Generally speaking, most hotels tend to keep their guest-offered Champagne selections to bottles sourced from well-known brands — big names, even bigger quantities of wine. So when I saw the Pierre Péters L'Esprit Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2017 label staring back at us from a bath of ice, to call myself pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. There’s a ton to say about Pierre Péters as a domaine, but the main takeaway here is the notion of “grower Champagne.”
Contrary to the bigger houses — Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon, etc. — Pierre Péters operates as a family-owned winery, and creates wines from vineyards that they own and farm themselves (rather than purchasing fruit from numerous growers like the big names do). Beyond the scale of production, Champagne grower-producers also embrace vintage variations and climate conditions. Thus, rather than seeking to create a consistent product year in and year out (as the big houses do), the resulting bottles are more artisanal and authentic, more reflective of the time and place of origin.
L'Esprit Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2017 is made entirely from Chardonnay grown in grand cru-designated vineyards in the villages of Avize, Cramant, Le Mesnil, and Oger, and is aged for four years sur-lie prior to release. Pale gold in color, the wine strikes the hard-to-achieve balance of creamy-yet-refreshing, and promises to pair well with sunsets, snacks, and salty ocean air. –Vicki Denig
→ The bottle: Pierre Péters L'Esprit Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2017 • Grape Variety: Chardonnay • Region: Champagne (Côte des Blancs), France • Vinification: Grand cru-designated fruit vinified and aged 4 years on the lees prior to release • Tasting notes: Creamy yet refreshing with notes of citrus, dried fruits, and toasted brioche.
Shop: Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe (ships to NY, $99), Acker Merrall & Condit Retail (2018 vintage, $105)
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Dinner, Korean BBQ
The Nines are FOUND's distilled lists of NYC’s best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@foundny.com.
Cote (Flatiron), NYC/Miami/Vegas’s gilded new KBBQ standard, $225 “steak omakase,” caviar flights