Summer's delights

Strange Delight, Bourbon Steak, Michael Mina, Libertine, best wallets, The Seagram Building, bankers' hours, MORE

May 28, 2024

∙ Paid

RESTAURANTS • First Person

When the Strange go marching in

“I didn’t plan that, I swear,” laughed Anoop Pillarisetti. The entire Brooklyn United marching band — all 50-some-odd members — had just finished performing on the sidewalk right outside of Strange Delight, the new New Orleans-inspired seafood spot Pillarisetti (a Momofuku empire alum) co-owns with Michael Tuiach (Moonburger, Shake Shack) and chef/recipe developer Ham El-Waylly. It’s smack in the middle of one of Fort Greene’s busier thoroughfares, and a fair filled the streets that day.

And yet it would’ve been fitting if Pillarisetti had planned the spectacle. Despite its plentitudes, New York’s restaurant scene hasn’t had much success translating the Crescent City’s legendary, distinct foodways. That changes at Strange Delight, a vibey, fun seafood spot that wouldn’t be out of place in the city that inspired it. Consider it FOUND’s first contender for Restaurant of the Summer.

The space is divided into two parts: in front, a few standing tables and a counter facing an open kitchen forwalk-ins; in the back, an airy dining room with a massive skylight, lined with tables, booths, and banquettes, along with a marble bar for seating at the far end, which is where we landed. While the cocktail menu is still a work in progress (the restaurant is only soft-open through June 5), by the looks of what was behind the bar, expect at least a very, very good Sazerac to complement some excellent wines by the glass.

As a soundtrack of disco, soul, and rap filled the room (at the perfect, non-conversation-interfering volume), we made a gameplan with the formidable menu — sectioned off by oysters, shrimp, a seafood tower (that can be ordered as a single!), a few snacks, two sandwiches, some sides, and three larger, composed fish plates. Notes explain the inspirations behind the dishes: legendary Bourbon Street lunch spot Galatoire’s, the Magazine Street institution Casamento’s, Sheepshead Bay spot Randazzao’s, among others.

We opted for the BBQ shrimp (“derivative of Pascal’s Manale”), served head-on, in a murky pool of the sauce that’s a dead-ringer for the real artifact, savory, spicy, rich, delerium-inducingly good. They’re a must-order, on a slate chock full of them.

Like our three spinach-filled and Herbsaint-tinged oysters Rockefeller, marinated crab claws served in a small mason jar of their crabby-oil with confit tomatoes, and a chinese broccoli salad topped by nutritional yeast dressing, one of the more offbeat but no less excellent surprises in the menu’s far reaches. A fish dip with fried saltines, for example, might not be compelling on first-glance, but had we been on a four-top, we would’ve cleaned right through two. Same for hush puppies, in all their corn-fried glory, which can also be ordered with smoked trout roe, an add-on we won’t forego next time.

To finish, a fried shrimp loaf — that aforementioned Casamento’s tribute, served on milk bread. Were they to only serve those out of a window, there’d be lines around the block. Once word gets out about the profound, absurd pleasures of Strange Delight, there may be lines anyway. –Foster Kamer

→ Strange Delight (Fort Greene) • 63 Lafayette Ave • full-service starts Wed, June 5, walk-ins and reservations • @strangedelight.nyc for details.

RESTAURANTS • Intel

ONE YEAR IN: FOUND subscriber favorite Libertine (West Village) turned one year old last week. The menu has remained mostly steady over that stretch, but chef Max Mackinnon has introduced several new dishes including a dover sole for two, and gnocchi Parisienne with spring peas. And, unlike at this time last year, reservations aren’t particularly hard to come by. Reserve.

NYC RESTAURANT LINKS: Inside Two Fifteen, Ian Schrager and Nur Khan’s new bar at the Public • Raf’s launching a croissant club • A fond farewell for proto-Carbone Italian steakhouse Pietro’s, shuttering in Midtown • Downtown Manhattan restaurant scenes, ranked • How chefs are honoring Floyd Cardoz on their menus • Actually, the Miami restaurant scene is going to be just fine.

WORK • Tuesday Routine

Back in the Big Apple

MICHAEL MINA • chef & founder • MINA Group
Neighborhood you work in: Midtown West

It’s Tuesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
On any given Tuesday, I could be anywhere in the world these days. This week, I’m in New York City working on our new restaurant, Bourbon Steak (at the JW Marriott Essex House). I meet with my culinary and operations leaders each morning to review business across all our restaurants. It’s important that we have a regular cadence of connecting as we can be spread across the country — or globe — at times, so this ensures we’re always connected. When I’m not on the road, I start my morning working from home in Las Vegas.

What’s on the agenda for today?
Today, it’s all about working with our team at Bourbon Steak. After weeks of training and practice meals, we’re finally ready to welcome guests. This is our first Mina Group restaurant in New York, and since I went to culinary school here and started my professional career here, this is a huge moment. I love the energy of openings, and that, mixed with the pace of New York, is exhilarating. It’s also been great to connect with chefs and other friends in the city. New York has always been a playground for me, and now I get to invite people in to dine at my restaurant — what a special moment!

Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
The list of restaurants I plan to visit when I’m in NYC is long. There’s always something new, and yet, I also like to visit friends and some of my favorite spots. Coming up this weekend, I’m planning to go to Le Bernardin, Le Pavillon, Cote, and Marea.

How about a little leisure or culture?
I’m a big sports fan — specifically, San Francisco teams — but since I’ve been spending so much time this spring in New York, I’ve enjoyed going to Yankee Stadium. I was even able to celebrate my son’s birthday with him at a game earlier this month. My two sons are now out of college, so any time I can spend with them is cherished.

Any weekend getaways?
Living in Las Vegas, my favorite weekend getaway is riding my dirt bike to Red Rock Canyon.

What was your last great vacation?
Any chance I get to take a vacation, it’s always to Hawaii with my family. I’ve been traveling to Hawaii for years, and even if it’s for work (I have two restaurants in Hawaii, Mina’s Fish House, and StripSteak), I feel immediately relaxed the moment I step on the island. My favorite thing to do while I’m there is go fishing, and my spot is a sandbar in Kaneohe on Oahu.

WORK • RTO Wars

Bankers’ hours

Men (and women) in suits have been driving a strong office market in certain parts of Manhattan, including Park Ave north of Grand Central. The Seagram Building, for instance, is 98% occupied, up from 90% last year.

But it’s still tough times in other parts of Midtown, including Park Ave south of Grand Central, where building vacancy rates of 20% are the norm. As Gabe Marans, vice chairman at real estate brokerage Savills, told Crain’s: “North of the station, people wear suits to work, and south, it’s jeans and T-shirts. The jeans and T-shirt wearers haven’t come back as much.”

In support of their giant lease obligations, financial firms have been vocal in their push to require workers to return to the office. Last week Citi, HBSC, and Barclays said they were bringing some employees back five days a week. The proffered reason? New monitoring regulations set to go into effect May 30. The regs — which were relaxed during Covid to allow for remote work — require (among other things) periodic workplace check-ins with certain types of staff, namely revenue-generators like traders and investment bankers.

But the government entity behind the rules, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), isn’t taking the blame.

“FINRA has seen recent statements from firms stating that new, stringent rules from FINRA will require them to bring their workforce back to the office full time,” the regulator said Wednesday. “This is incorrect.”

The watchdog says there’s always been room for monitoring home office employees and that the new regs “are intended to provide member firms greater flexibility — not less.”

Whether banks hold the line or make the effort to comply with the regs and allow WFH may depend on how many of their rainmakers cede their Fridays (and Mondays) in Westchester. In either case, they may need a new scapegoat. –Josh Albertson

WORK LINKS: Inside the battle for the right to build NYC’s casino • Credit Union buys landmarked Hopper House on 2nd Ave in East Village • Report: Employers plan to hire 6% fewer new grads this year • After ETH approval, more crypto ETFs are coming • AI is coming for CEOs • Night nannies: a work perk too far?

GOODS & SERVICES • Accessories

Check, please

Wallets need to be functional, of course, but even if they’re hidden away in a pocket or handbag, there’s no reason for them not to be gorgeous. I learned this years ago, when I was in Florence, Italy, and stumbled into a small shop featuring wallets with clasps made from tiny golden hands.

If you love wallets that are just as unusual, you may be one of those New Yorkers who’ve been visiting Tusk on West 20th Street for over 30 years. “We make all of our leather goods in our factory in India, and we try to represent the many different vibrant colors of Indian culture,” Hiten Manseta, the owner of Tusk, told me. “We’re not just interested in quality, but in making beautiful wallets, too.” Their wallets and billfolds, in small, medium, and large sizes, come in a wide variety of hues, color combos, and textures.

So even if your bag is overstuffed with daily necessities, you won’t mind digging around for your favorite wallet when the waiter hands you the check. –Karen Moline

→ Shop: Double Zip Wallet (Tusk) • $168.

GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines

Wallets

Big Bag (Upper West Side), wonderfully patterned, colorful wallets from large to small
Royce (Upper East Side, 1st floor @ Bloomingdales), classic wallets in all sizes for men and women, made custom with gratis monogramming
TUSK (Flatiron), Indian-made leather wallets and billfolds, in vibrant colors
Village Tannery (West Village), longtime downtown favorite; VT ponyskin wallet is a keeper
Jutta Neumann (Lower East Side), custom wallets in choice of leathers and colors
Peter Hermann (Soho, above), uniquely patterned wallets with traditional Japanese lacquer appliqué
Min & Mon (Soho), fun, funky, and delightfully colorful wallets
Sam Swick Leather (Wall Street), huge assortment of classic wallets with custom engraving in gold, silver, or blind (no ink)
Lauren Bostick (online only), former artisan painter for Goyard, now creating fantastic one-of-a-kind paintings on wallets

GOODS & SERVICES LINKS: How to wear black in summer • Rimowa’s vanity case for beauty travel • Highlights from an afternoon at NYCxDesign • Inside the HQ of NYC’s biggest throne retailer • Abolish jean shorts.

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RESTAURANTS • The Nines

We’ve been asking new subscribers to tell us their favorite restaurant right now since we launched in April 2023. One year in, we’ve come to these broad conclusions: 1) FOUND subscribers have good taste and 2) NYC has a lot of favorite-worthy restaurants (80% of named spots have been named only once). But the repeats are also piling up. Here, the most-named spots one year in: