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Cha Cha Tang, The Jolie Filtered Showerhead, FOUND 9, One White Street, Daniel, Eleven Madison Park, F&F, reader survey results, One Domino Square, Antidote, MORE

Sep 10, 2024

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RESTAURANTS • First Person

Cha cha cha

Cha Cha Tang on lower Sixth Avenue is modeled on co-founder Wilson Tang’s idea of a Hong Kong diner. The dining room sports pink tablecloths, and the menu reflects Tang’s heritage growing up in Manhattan’s Chinatown (with frequent forays to Hong Kong). It’s not a Hong Kong diner, exactly — more like an American take on a Hong Kong diner. Either way, it’s a lot of fun, the kind of place I want to be dining at as NYC kicks back into high gear for the fall.

When we dined at the new Greenwich Village spot last week, Tang, who has also helped lead Nom Wah Tea Parlor’s resurgence and expansion across New York City and will open Sal Tang’s with Cafe Spaghetti owner/chef Sal Lamboglia in Cobble Hill later this fall, was in the house. Leaping from his bar seat, he excitedly recounted the restaurant’s genesis, a story of two hustling NYC restaurateurs combining forces.

He had known his new partner, restaurateur John McDonald of Lure Fishbar fame, for a while. Earlier this year, McDonald suggested that they do something together at his restaurant Hancock St. Perhaps a pop-up on Sunday and Monday nights, when the restaurant was dark?

That led to a two-month Cha Cha Tang pop-up this spring. Through great word-of-mouth, it proved a tough booking, which encouraged the partners to make a permanent go at it. And last month, they flipped Hancock St. into Cha Cha Tang, rolling seven nights a week.

For starters, cocktails — a lychee martini and a Cha Cha 75, a vodka-based drink with grapefruit, honey, ginger, lime, and prosecco — and dim sum, obviously. In fast succession on our table, a fantastic quenelle of caviar atop scallion pancake ($22 per), followed by turnip cakes and an “original” egg roll. The dim sum was “all on the same plane of delicious,” as my dining companion put it.

There are a lot of ways to run with the menu from here, including a gala Cantonese roast duck ($110 per), or forays into noodles, rice, and offbeat diner fare, like a scrambled-egg burger club. We went more straight-ahead, opting for the XO fried rice and steamed branzino, along with a side of garlic eggplant, and enjoyed every bite.

One absolute must, however, comes at dessert: a thick slab of Cantonese french toast, which, when cut into, oozes a river of taro cream. Having thought we were full, we greedily sopped it all up.

Throughout, a soundtrack of 1990s New York City hip-hop (McDonald, of course, was in the restaurant too, “turning up the music and turning down the lights,” as Tang put it), a reminder that, though Hong Kong in inspiration, Cha Cha Tang is a creation of NYC, through and through. –Lockhart Steele

→ Cha Cha Tang (Greenwich Village) • 257 6th Ave • Sun-Thurs 5-10p, Fri-Sat 5-11p • Reserve.

GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Sponsor

The beauty of a good shower

Ryan and Arjan here, the co-founders of Jolie, a beauty wellness company focused on purifying the quality of one’s shower water for better skin and hair. We’re both fans and readers of FOUND, which is why we decided to sponsor this newsletter to reach like-minded folks like you.

Jolie was founded with one simple goal in mind: to purify your shower water for better skin, hair, and wellbeing. That's what we do.

The quality of our shower water is fundamental to the quality of our hair and skin. And the Jolie Filtered Showerhead helps you address all your skin and hair concerns starting at the source… the water.

We offer a 60-day, no questions asked, money-back guarantee. So if you're generally skeptical (like we are), try it and see for yourself. If you don't love Jolie, we'll refund your money. –Ryan Babenzien & Arjan Singh

→ Shop: The Jolie Filtered Showerhead (Jolie) • available in brushed gold, modern chrome, brushed steel, jet black, and vibrant red • $148.

GOODS & SERVICES LINKS: Farewell, Crest Hardware • NYC dispensary Gotham opens in Hudson • Buy a piece of the famous Hotel Chelsea sign • Oversized coats are the season’s biggest trend • On the tradition of wife-themed fine art • We cannot cross the $1000 sneaker red line • Why khaki should be your new neutral • Insane new trend watch: fridgescaping.

RESTAURANTS • Fine Dining Report

Our fine dining correspondent Lee Pitofsky dines at Per Se as often as most civilians order delivery. Here, now, his latest New York City report for FOUND:

ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE: The multi-floor restaurant located in a Tribeca townhouse, One White Street, now allows guests the option to dine à la carte anywhere in the building, including the upstairs chef’s counter. On a recent visit, chef Austin Johnson’s summer foie gras made its way into my favorite dishes there to date, served chilled, perfectly tempered with black mission figs, aged balsamic, and warm sunflower pain de mie. Decedent and delicious. The brand new duck set is worthy of a visit alone. Honey-roasted and cooked to perfection, it comes with a sidecar of duck fried rice, confit egg yolk, and black and white garlic glaze that I’m still craving.
→ One White Street (Tribeca) • 1 White St • Sun-Thurs 5-9p, Fri-Sat 5-10p • Tasting menu $168 per or à la carte.

RAISE THE FLAGSHIP: It’d been several months since my last dinner at Daniel Boulud namesake and flagship Restaurant Daniel, and word of recent changes piqued my interest for a return. Indeed, they’ve removed some tables, increased the standard menu format from four courses to five, acquired new plateware, and added more tableside presentations and interaction. But how was the food? Executive chef Eddy Leroux is as good as ever. Red mullet crudo, cured “escbèche” style, comes with Cinco Jotas Iberico jamon (which has no equal) and an emulsion from anise hyssop and aged banyuls wine (above). Excellent. A “fricassée” of seafood is presented as a large open “raviolo” with Hokkaido uni and braised cuttlefish and abalone underneath. It’s finished with a sauce marinière-yuzu. My final savory (and favorite) course of the night was an impossibly tender veal tenderloin along with its sweetbreads, covered in a pecorino cheese soubise, somehow far lighter than it sounds. The new five-course choice menu runs $234 per, and the nine-course chef’s tasting menu is now $334 per.
→ Daniel (Upper East Side) • 60 East 65th St • Daily 5-930p • Nine-course tasting, $334, five course tasting $234.

LIKE A FAIRYTALE: As I sat down for my 57th visit to Eleven Madison Park, I thought about the restaurant’s remarkable evolution over the years. Particularly since the dramatic move to become fully plant-based, chef Daniel Humm and his team have taken strides that can only be understood by tasting them. The summer menu shows just how far they’ve come. A celebration of tomatoes, served three ways — a tea, a tart, and cold soba noodles — showcase a mastery in product and texture. Fairytale eggplant, tempura-fried with spiced panisse, Thai bird chilies, nepitella mint, and date jam was all about balance. And the star of the menu for me was the agedashi tofu made from fresh soy milk from Fong On in Chinatown (itself in operation for nearly 100 years). Soft and supple on the inside, and firm and crisp on the outside, it’s served alongside artichokes barigoule, finger lime, fresh wasabi, and mushroom-bamboo broth that will have you picking up the bowl with two hands. –Lee Pitofsky
→ Eleven Madison Park (Flatiron) • 11 Madison Ave • Mon-Wed 530-10p, Thurs-Fri 5-11p, Sat-Sun 12-2p, 5-11p • Full tasting $365 per.

NYC RESTAURANT LINKS: In Ozempic-era NYC, the return of the clubsteraurant is nigh • The Franks’ F&F Pizzeria coming to Manhattan via Midtown food hall • Seaport’s historic, long-shuttered Bridge Cafe finally has life again… as a Netflix prop • BonApp’s 20 best new restaurants of 2024 includes Corima on LES • Going deep on the salt at Lord’s • Dave Arnold has reentered the chat.

WORK • Feedback Loop

Don’t ever change

The results of the first FOUND NY reader survey are in, and… you’re in good company! Here’s a quick snapshot:

As expected, FOUND readers dine out — 80% spend at least $500 per month on average, and 38% spend at least $1000
FOUND readers also travel — 91% expect to take at least two leisure trips in the next 12 months and 46% expect to take at least five
They’re frequent recommenders themselves — 64% often recommend products/services/experiences to friends/family/colleagues and another 30% sometimes do

Of course, none of you can be reduced to a series of numbers, but here’s an idea of the demo:

30% are 35-44 years old, 25% are 25-34, and 21% are 45-54
55% earn annual household income of $250K+; 7% earn $1MM+
57% have net worth of $1MM+; 12% have $10MM+

Fifty percent live in Manhattan, 27% in Brooklyn, and 7% in the suburbs. More than half own a home, and 18% own multiple homes. Top work fields? Technology (20%), media (17%), law (9%), and finance (8%).

Meanwhile, here’s a sampling of our favorite responses to our fishing expedition, “What is your favorite part of FOUND?”

First person reporting feels like a note from a friend — rather than a traditional, expected "critique" by a "professional" paid, reviewer
The super local recommendations! Things that are in my neighborhood and on my mind. It's one of the few Substacks I receive that I read all the way through the DAY I receive it.
Makes me feel like I have an insider's edge and can make reservations or buy tickets in advance to feel in-the-know
I like that it seems human-driven, no-frills
The mix between real estate, hospitality, and an overall curation of the “right” things that I likely want to read or know about
The personal touch, it feels curated with love
I love the mix of content and everything is perfect length. Long enough to have substance but not so long I skip any of it. I literally read every one top to bottom.

Blushing. As for your “what would you like to see less of” responses, sorry, we’re already pushing “perfect length” for this item!

We’ll keep the survey open for another couple days and draw our two subscription upgrade winners at the end of the week. Thanks again for all of the responses and good feedback as we continue building in year two of FOUND. –Josh Albertson

Interested in advertising in FOUND? Hit reply or email us at sales@foundny.com.

WORK LINKS: Amex in talks to anchor 2 World Trade Center, Silverstein’s last World Trade skyscraper • Luxe residential tower 520 Fifth Ave will feature 25 floors of ‘trophy-quality’ offices • A sleek office building in Red Hook? That’s the plan • The weird truth about work is we actually like it.

WORK • Tuesday Routine

Oh, Domino

AARON GOED • director of sales • Two Trees Management
Neighborhood you work in: South Williamsburg

It’s Tuesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m in my third-floor office at One Domino Square, Brooklyn’s tallest waterfront tower, where we’ve just launched sales. The building features the first condominiums in the Domino Sugar redevelopment that has transformed the Williamsburg waterfront. It is really a beautiful place to work with incredible river views.

Selling real estate, we need to be present, but I’m fortunate to live only a block away. I’ve been in Williamsburg for almost 20 years, most of that time traveling to various new developments in Manhattan every day. I always enjoyed biking to work, listening to WNYC every morning, but you really can’t beat this commute. My workplace is bustling with construction activity and sales appointments constantly going on. Today is no different.

What’s on the agenda for today?
My work week starts on Sunday, so Tuesday is my hump day and often my busiest. I start at One Domino Square checking in with the sales team, the marketing team, the construction team — all in preparation for our weekly sales meeting at the Two Trees offices in Dumbo. Simultaneously, I’m managing the offers and contract negotiations, speaking with brokers, attorneys, and lenders to make every deal stick — that takes up a lot of my time.

I still really enjoy taking sales appointments and meeting the buyers. Not every appointment turns into a sale, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad showing at 1DSQ. Everyone is blown away by the views that stretch from the Statue of Liberty to the Upper East Side, the amenities, and the elegant architecture and design by Annabelle Selldorf. We are a seven-day-per-week operation, and we need to accommodate buyers’ busy schedules, so we often stick around pretty late.

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Being in South Williamsburg, a lot of my favorite spots are in a three-block radius. I do love sneaking out to Antidote for lunch when possible (not today!), but after work tonight I’ll be across the street at Missy Robbins’s Misi for dinner and drinks with a broker friend. For a “classic Williamsburg” dinner, Diner and Pies n’ Thighs are my old standbys, and when entertaining, Francie on Broadway is impressive. My anniversary is coming up soon and we plan to spoil ourselves at Aska, my favorite special occasion spot. I also have plans to finally check out Sushi on Me. They do an omakase seating with unlimited sake which sounds like a dangerously good time.

How about a little leisure or culture this week?
I was just in Paris for this epic wedding and my older son and I got to see Marc Rebillet (aka Loop Daddy). Each of his shows is completely improvised and he’s a bit of a madman that really plays off the crowd — quite a show! Locally, I just saw Justice, the French house masters, at the new venue in the Navy Yard, Brooklyn Storehouse, and that was amazing. Our end-of-summer Saturdays are usually spent at our lake house in Vernon, New Jersey, or on the sand in Fort Tilden, my beach hack for about 15 years now.

What NYC store or service do you love to recommend?
I always recommend checking out Beam, a locally owned lifestyle boutique featuring furnishings and housewares with a modern aesthetic. We actually sourced many of the accessories for our model residences from there.

ASK FOUND

Hit reply or or email found@foundny.com with questions and/or answers.

Three FOUND subscriber PROMPTS that require your immediate attention:

Where should I be shopping this season for fall wardrobe upgrades?
Which fall restaurant debut are you excited about?
Where are you booking for this season’s foliage peeping?

RESTAURANTS • The Nines

FOUND 9: NYC Restaurants

We’ve been asking new subscribers to tell us their favorite restaurant right now since we launched in April 2023. Almost a year-and-a-half in, these conclusions hold true: 1) FOUND subscribers have good taste and 2) NYC has a lot of favorite-worthy restaurants (77% of named spots have been named only once). But the repeats are also piling up. Here, the most-named spots:

8(T) Ci Siamo (Hudson Yards), USHG insta-classic