Optimism loop
Fairfield County listings, Lucciola, Glenmere Mansion, San Francisco restaurants, NYC Ballet, ski hotels, MORE
REAL ESTATE • Fairfield Report
Border crossing
Suburban shoppers seeking relief from the Westchester listings drought won’t find it in Connecticut’s Fairfield County, in the southwest corner of the state. It’s bone dry in those parts, too. There were (a record low) 895 listings on the market in Q4, down 27% over last year and 77% from pre-pandemic levels, per Jonathan Miller’s Q4 Elliman Report.
As in the New York suburbs to the west, the few listings that actually do make it to market are greedily ingested, lasting only 45 days on average. In over half those Q4 sales, bidding wars raged.
There’s even less refuge in the luxury market ($1.895M and up), where the 196 Q4 Fairfield listings were down 39% from last year. And yet, hope remains for a big spring selling season. Here, three properties listed in 2024 for those starting early:
→ 10 Maher Ave. (Greenwich) • 3BR/2.1BA, 2342 SF • Ask: $2.655M • Renovated 1933 colonial on small lot • Days on market: 2 • Agent: Krissy Blake, Sotheby’s.
→ 716 Cheese Spring Rd. (New Canaan, above) • 5BR/5.1BA, 5076 SF • Ask: 2.875M • Renovated farmhouse on three acres • Days on market: 16 • Agent: Doug Bross, Coldwell Banker.
→ 329 Green Farms Rd. (Westport) • 6BR/6.3BA, 9235 SF • Ask: $4.699M • Traditional new construction on acre lot • Days on market: 2 • Agent: Doug Bross, Coldwell Banker.
NYC REAL ESTATE LINKS: New 35-story residential building Monogram New York nears completion in Midtown East • In Chelsea, 11-story The Elisa also close to complete • And final street-level work wrapping up at tallest, darkest Brooklyn Tower • In Brooklyn Heights, St. Ann’s School converting former bank into school hub • Back Bay in Boston: America’s priciest nabe.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
Club dining
JULIE RUSSAK • founder/CEO • Russak Dermatology Clinic
Neighborhood you live in: Upper West Side
It’s Friday afternoon; how are you rolling into the weekend?
I shift gears from my usual patient consultations to reflect on the week's accomplishments and tie up loose ends. As someone with a type-A personality, this ritual is crucial for me. Friday evenings are reserved for much-needed downtime at home, which sets the stage for a relaxed and fulfilling weekend that I usually start at the Union Square Greenmarket, for shopping and a kind of a meditation.
Any restaurant plans?
When it comes to dining out, my friend and I have embarked this year on a culinary adventure by creating a restaurant club. We've curated a list that includes both cherished old favorites and exciting new spots we're eager to try, always on the lookout for fresh additions. (For a snapshot of our club's recommendations: Uzuki, Ilis, Roscioli, Four Twenty Five, Yoshino, Konban, Bangkok Supper Club, Café Carmellini, Noksu, Le Bernardin, Meju, Kochi, Ito, Torien, Libertine, and l’abeille.)
Locally, my go-to spot is Lucciola (above) — a small Italian restaurant on Amsterdam Ave. right in my neighborhood — for homemade pastas and an exceptional wine list.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I often find solace and peace in the serene ambiance of the Neue Galerie. There's something incredibly centering about spending time in front of the Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. It also helps that Café Sabarsky has the finest Wiener Mélange.
Any weekend getaways?
For a slice of Tuscany a stone’s throw from New York, I highly recommend heading upstate to Glenmere Mansion. It is meticulously crafted and has a beautiful hammam, and a great restaurant.
What was your last great vacation?
A sailing trip in Croatia, nothing short of magical. The highlight was our time spent at Krka National Park, renowned for its breathtaking waterfalls. My boys learned to love uni (by collecting sea urchins).
CULTURE & LEISURE • Fancy Free
NYC Ballet: Tribute to Robbins, winter season opening weekend, David Koch Theater (Lincoln Center), Fri @ 8p, first ring, $230 per
The Winter Show, Park Avenue Armory (Upper East Side), Fri @ 530p, connoisseurs night, $50 per
Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life, Prudential Hall at NJPAC (Newark), Sat @ 6p, orchestra, $110 per
CULTURE LINKS: The Veselka documentary opens at the Village East on Feb. 23 • At Pratt, The New Village: Ten Years of New York Fashion • Poets House in Battery Park City reopens Saturday • Pier 26 Science Playground opens in Tribeca • The best of Paris Design Week 2024 • Whitney Biennial picks ‘dissonant chorus’ of artists for 2024 exhibition.
THE ASK • FOUND SF
Here’s a scoop: FOUND is launching in San Francisco later this year. It’s never too early to get on the list. We’re also looking for Bay Area-based contributors. If that’s you, hit reply or email found@foundny.com with FOUND SF in the subject line and we’ll chat.
GETAWAYS • San Francisco
Optimism loop
A trio of new restaurants worth visiting on upcoming trips to the Bay Area:
A PIZZERIA, REBORN: The Flour + Water team recently moved their Mission District pizzeria to the North Beach space that previously housed ‘90s icon Rose Pistola, and the new restaurant is easily one of the Bay Area’s best pizza parlors. Chefs Thomas McNaughton and Ryan Pollnow are using electric ovens to fire pizzas with crisp, bubbly crusts — just like you’d expect from a wood-fired oven — but the dough is heartier and more flavorful than most Neapolitan-style pies. You can’t go wrong with any of the pizzas, but I’m partial to The Conrad, topped with whole roasted garlic cloves, taleggio, mushrooms, kale, and aged mozzarella. An adjoining slice shop sells thin, flat squares with crispy frico crusts, plus natural wine to-go.
→ Flour + Water Pizzeria (North Beach, above) • 532 Columbus Ave. • Open daily 11:30a-10p • Reserve.
BLUE WHALE WATCHING: Stuffed with Ibérico ham, the soup dumplings at Blue Whale are a good example of what the team behind Chinatown’s Empress by Boon is trying to do at this ambitious new restaurant. In addition to dim sum, find pristine seafood dishes and colorful cocktails served in a modern space that includes a snug barroom, spacious main dining room, and multi-tiered garden/patio. Blue Whale is a bit of an anomaly in Cow Hollow, the land of juice bars, gyms, and trendy boutiques. But judging by the crowd gathered here on a recent weekend afternoon, it looks like the locals are ready to embrace this mix of high-roller dim sum (the Iberico xiao long bao are $22 for three) and lowkey clubstaurant vibes.
→ Blue Whale (Cow Hollow) • 2033 Union St. • Open Tues.-Thurs. 11:30a-9:30p, Fri.-Sat. 11:30a-10:00p, and Sun. 11:30a-9:00p • Reserve.
PALM CITY, ASCENDING: Is Palm City Wines the most popular restaurant in San Francisco? On a recent Saturday afternoon, it certainly felt that way, as every table at this Outer Sunset destination was full 30 minutes after opening, and throngs of hungry people queued up outside. Palm City opened during the height of the pandemic, and its appeal, then and now, is easy to understand: It’s a laidback bottle shop by the beach that serves massive gourmet hoagies. The Italian American and roast pork sandwiches are understandably famous, but the Au Poivre hoagie — stuffed with thinly-sliced top round, Comté, apples, arugula, and peppercorn aioli — is also superb. Palm City Wines is the perfect first stop after landing at SFO, or last stop before jumping back on the plane. –Greg Morabito
→ Palm City Wines (Outer Sunset) • 4055 Irving Street • Open Wed.-Sun. 12:30p-8p, Mon.-Tues. 4p-10p • Order.
GETAWAYS LINKS: First look inside Chase Sapphire’s new JFK lounge at T4 • Meanwhile, at Chase’s new LGA lounge, there’s already a line • Gordon Ramsay opening new Miami restaurant next week • In Tokyo, creating the perfect Campari Soda.
LOST & FOUND • Behind the Paywall
Dispatches from the frontline, for FOUND paid subscribers:
Ahead, Nine hotels for your spring skiing out west (did you know paid subscribers have access to the full set of FOUND Nines, like Tuesday’s Valentine’s Day reservations Nines, which we’re also dropping below?), but first, a handful of favorite NYC restaurants from new subscribers.