Minds blown
Minds blown
Tokyo Listening Room, fall getaway hotels, best spicy margarita in the world, West 80s listings, Hellbender, Ridgewood restaurants, airport report, All Things Go tix, MORE
BARS • First Round
Keep it spicy
Restaurants and bars turn over frequently in New York, though not often at the hands of the same operator. But Ariel Arce — who partnered with the Roscioli team to bring Rome’s storied standby to Manhattan last year — isn’t one to dwell on the past. Earlier this year, she flipped her solo debut venue Air’s Champagne Parlor into Tokyo Listening Room, a more suitable companion for her omakase-experience Tokyo Record Bar downstairs. And last month, the establishment finally procured its full liquor license.
Early on an evening this week in the then-uncrowded upstairs Listening Room, the mixologists were making the most of their newfound freedom while one of the rotating DJs spun from his spot at the end of the bar. Our first round of cocktails — Japanese spins on a French 75, with gin, yuzu sake, Veuve Clicquot, and a gin and tonic fashioned with gin, Nigori sake, palo santo, and soda — were impossibly subtle and delicious, perfect drinks to start the night. (If cocktails aren’t your mood, consider Champagne; the new venue inherited much of the sublime bubbles list that Arce built for the space’s previous iteration.)
But it was our next round, when we both ordered what the menu calls a “Spicy” Margarita, that our minds were blown. Made from infused Casa Dragones Blanco tequila and boasting the floralness of green Szechuan peppercorns, the drink led my partner to wonder aloud if we were drinking the best spicy margarita in the world.
Along with the drinks, we ate Japanese-inflected bar snacks, including popcorn flavored with seaweed salt, hamachi over rice with nori and pickled vegetables, and karaage (deep-fried) chicken with three dipping sauces, all excellent. Another night, we’ll return to the boisterous Tokyo Record Bar in the basement for the seven-course omakase ($85 per), but on this evening, we finished those life-changing spicy margs and slipped back into the early fall air. –Lockhart Steele
→ Tokyo Listening Room (Greenwich Village) • 127 Macdougal St • Mon-Sat 530p-close • Reserve (walk-ins welcome).
GETAWAYS • The Nines
Hotels, fall getaway
Today’s Nines are courtesy our friends at Way to Go, the excellent weekly travel newsletter by the discerning founders of Fathom. You should subscribe to Way to Go for many reasons, chief among them its obsessive commitment to surfacing great hotels. (BONUS: 25% off for FOUND readers!)
The Vanderbilt (Newport, MA), stately and stylish; dining takes center stage, $1592
Miraval Berkshires (Lenox, MA), journey with intention to spa for all seasons, $1860
Troutbeck (Amenia, NY, above), stone manor house with Champalimaud design, literary flavor, $652
Inness (Accord, NY), what happens when downtown vibes go upstate, $679
Hutton Brickyards (Kingston, NY), Shaker modernism in cabins, with sought-after river views, $269
Piaule (Catskill, NY), severe design meets serene landscape for forest bathing, $1618
Wildflower Farms (Gardiner, NY), luxe retreat with cutting edge spa and dining, $1940
The Maker (Hudson, NY), lush and moody, in the heart of town, $1195
Hotel Anna & Bel (Philadelphia, PA), Fishtown’s 1769 Italianate mansion, $456
All rooms November weekend night. Subscribe to Way to Go.
GETAWAYS • Airports
JFK: As part of its drive to attract spendier travelers, JetBlue plans to open its first-ever airport lounge inside Terminal 5 late next year. While the design hasn’t yet been released (or, likely, yet designed), JetBlue says it will cover 8,000 square feet and have three separate areas, dubbed Play, Work, Lounge. Who will get access? Those with top-tier (Mosaic 4) status, travelers flying Mint to Europe, or holders of a forthcoming premium JetBlue credit card. Annual passes will also be available, though pricing hasn’t been set.
JFK: Meanwhile, work continues on the new Terminal 6 next door (above), expected to open in 2026. The first dozen food vendors have just been revealed, including Dave Chang’s fried chicken spot Fuku, an outpost of Midwood’s DiFara Pizzeria, plus Hanoi House and Alidoro Cafe.
JFK: The WSJ spent a day inside Terminal 4’s new 39,000 square foot super-premium Delta One Lounge, which opened in June. Turns out the 140-seat brasserie in the center of it all (in collaboration with restaurateur Danny Meyer) is the thing (don’t miss the dark chocolate soufflé). Also on offer: 15-minute head and neck massages (though, NB, those do book up). The second Delta One Lounge, at LAX, opens October 10.
JFK/LGA/EWR: Recent routing notes of note: Delta cutting daytime JFK-CDG route as of Oct 26 • JetBlue adding Mint service to BZN (Bozeman) for peak ski season • American adding new UVF (St. Lucia) flight from JFK in Dec.
GETAWAYS LINKS: New York’s hotel restaurants are (yes) getting better • New boutique/listening lounge Zebra Room opens in Germantown • The Nantucket home buyers betting against losing it all • Comparing this season’s ski pass offerings from Epic, Ikon, et al • What the World’s 50 Best Hotels list left out • Les Deux Magots preps for a new generation — and an NYC outpost • Just how nice is business class on Turkish Airlines?
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale listings in the West 80s that came to market priced between $2-$3M in the last seven days.
→ 345 W 88th PH9A (Upper West Side) • 2BR/2BA, NA SF co-op • Ask: $2.35M • skylight atrium and Hudson River views • Days on market: 7 • Monthly maintenance: $3633 • Agent: Marissa Galletti, Compass.
→ 11 W 81st St PHA (Upper West Side, above) • 1BR/1BA, NA SF co-op • Ask: $2.495M • pre-war in The Hayden House with three terraces • Days on market: 1 • Monthly maintenance: $4039 • Agent: Jeremy V. Stein, Sotheby’s.
→ 450 West End Ave 5B (Upper West Side) • 3BR/2BA, 1930 SF co-op • Ask: $2.875M • corner unit estate sale with pre-war details (and mirrored walls) • Days on market: 3 • Monthly maintenance: $3578 • Agent: Claudine O'Rourke, Compass. Open house Sun 12-2p, by appt only.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: Via Carota’s Jody Williams and Rita Sodi put Village apartment up for sale for $2.95M • New renderings revealed for The Henry on Upper West Side • Hudson River Greenway’s Cherry Walk closed for six months for repairs • New public plaza Domino Square opens on Williamsburg waterfront • The Tombs are gone.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
Farm to table
YARA HERRERA • executive chef / partner • Hellbender
Neighborhood you work & live in: Ridgewood, Queens
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
Friday is our busiest night at Hellbender. My morning starts with a big coffee. I open the doors for all the prep cooks, and it’s a day to stay on top of any prep. My sous chef will come in around 2p and we make sure we have a plan of attack for the rest of the night. I’ll usually try to have some type of new dish special for the weekend. This weekend I’m running a short rib barbacoa. Regulars get excited to try new things they haven’t seen before.
Between the hours of 5-11p, I’m usually at the pass, making sure the food is going out to standards. For expediting food, we use a KDS (kitchen display screen). Our style of service is unique in that way. We don’t have a chef verbally expediting orders, we have digital screens that display food tickets on each station. My job is to make sure everyone is following along, tickets aren’t dragging, and the food looks perfect.
Where are you drinking or dining this weekend?
On my days off I love to explore new restaurants and support other friends’ businesses and businesses in my neighborhood. Some of my favorite places to eat currently are Rolo’s, Wildair, Panzon, Dhamaka, Bushniwa, and Decades Pizza.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I’ve been very involved in yoga lately. I go to Everyone Yoga in Ridgewood. It’s hard to find peace and quiet in my day-to-day routine, but yoga helps shut off my brain for a little bit. It’s also nice to get a good stretch in — our bodies go through so much working in a kitchen. I love going to museums, too. New York is such a great place for it. There’s art everywhere.
Any weekend getaways?
Every now and then I drive out to Long Island and hang out with my friends at Hog Farm in Brookhaven. I’ll help pick weeds or wash vegetables whenever I can (above). It’s nice to be outside of the bustling city, and it helps me feel closer to produce and in tune with the seasons. On weekends they have a farmers market open to the public. Stop by!
What was your last great vacation?
Visiting Belize for the first time was amazing. We went to Punta Gorda. It was hard to get there — once you land at the airport you have to take a small jet to the island. There is so much history In Belize and so many butterflies! I believe they have over 700 species. It’s preserved land, the ocean was the most beautiful color blue, the jungle had plants I’ve never seen before. Plus, sugarcanes and rum galore!
CULTURE & LEISURE • Beer Me
All Things Go Music Festival • Chapelle Roan, Muna, Reneé Rapp, et al. • Forest Hills Stadium (Flushing) • Sat & Sun, 2-day VIP super suite, $1270 per
Blocktoberfest • Brooklyn Brewery (Williamsburg) • Sun @ 12p • VIP early entry, $82 per
Conan Gray & Maisie Peters • Madison Square Garden (Midtown South) • Mon @ 730p • section 107, $96 per
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: Alexandre Lenoir on his NYC debut at Almine Rech Tribeca: “Here, people can really see the potential” • Another Tribeca first: Elizabeth Radcliffe’s tapestries at Margot Samel • Filming Darren Aronofsky brings back Benny’s Burritos and Kim’s Video signage in East Village • Trending: Sally Rooney book release parties.
LOST & FOUND • Behind the Paywall
Dispatches from the frontline, from FOUND subscribers for FOUND subscribers.
→ A handful of favorite NYC restaurants from new subscribers: Bangkok Degree (Park Slope) • Christina’s (Greenpoint) • Dirt Candy (Lower East Side) • Hollybrook Lane (Upper East Side) • La Mercerie (Soho) • Leland (Fort Greene) • Montague Diner (Brooklyn Heights) • Caviar Russe (Midtown East).
Piaule is HIGH on my list! Hope to make it there sometime in the Spring for a special occasion.