FOUND: two scoops

Gramercy Tavern, Rocco DiSpirito, coworking Nines, The Belnord, US Open, MORE

Sep 08, 2023

∙ Paid

REAL ESTATE • Summer Sales

Only closed deals in the building

The common wisdom that real estate buyers take summers off might not have held true during peak pandemic, but the old ways look like they’re reasserting themselves. To wit: Luxury sales vacationed in late August, with only 11 contracts signed above $4M during the last full week of the month — the single slowest period since last September, per Olshan. High-end new developments also took a powder: 32 units traded in August, down from a 12-month high of May’s 66 (via MarketProof).

So: What moved? Several apartments in FOUND Developments, One High Line and 50 West 66th Street. Together, the two buildings accounted for eight contracts and over $100M in sales: not too shabby. One High Line is now close to 25% sold in its first year on market.

Further uptown on the Upper West Side, a deal was inked for unit 1101 at The Belnord on West 86th Street, the 213-unit building constructed in 1908 that serves as backdrop to Hulu hit Only Murders in the Building. Robert A.M. Stern redesigned the building’s interiors in 2018. The 3188 square-foot, floor-through condo was asking $8.35 million and features plenty of proper-noun fixtures and views onto the courtyard.

→ The Belnord, 225 W. 86th St., 1103 (Upper West Side) • 4BR/4BA condo, 3138 SF • In contract: 8/22/23 • Closing ask: $8.35M • Common charges: $3055, monthly taxes: $5038 • Listing broker: Maya Kadouri, Elliman.

NYC REAL ESTATE LINKS: Will new rules limit laundering money with high-end NYC real estate? • Banks don’t love jumbo mortgage borrowers as much as they used to • Bespoke bringing 1% seller’s commission model from Hamptons to NYC • Once asking $135M, 432 Park apartment sells for roughly half.

WORK • The Nines

Creative coworking

NeueHouse (Flatiron), culture-centric startup fave
The Malin (Soho/West Village/Williamsburg), chic design-forward spaces
Soho Works (Meatpacking/Dumbo), Soho House’s work offshoot, reduced rates for House members
Work’n’Roll (Chelsea), cannabis-friendly, if that’s your thing
WorkVille (Bryant Park), boutique for teams
Workplayce (Upper West Side), work spaces (and support) for parents
Brass Factory (Williamsburg), member community in a block-long North Williamsburg space
The New Work Project (Williamsburg, above), for creatives, in ex-Vice Media converted foundry
Cocoon (Bushwick), bright loft space with reasonable pricing

Hit reply or email found@foundny.com with additions and subtractions.

GETAWAYS • Out East Report

Rocco DiSpirito IN at Sag Harbor Kitchen

FOUND correspondent Sara Whitney files this report on end-of-summer delights in the Hamptons and North Fork:

SAG HARBOR: The buzz lately at Sag Harbor Kitchen, the newcomer in the old Dockside space, has been famed chef and Hamptons regular Rocco DiSpirito guest-cheffing in the restaurant’s open kitchen. Now, FOUND can exclusively confirm that DiSpirito is taking the helm, his first full-time chef gig since running the Standard Grill in the Meatpacking District for about a year in 2018-19. At Sag Harbor Kitchen, he’s begun the process of reworking the menu into one that better suits his style. He’s cooking his way through this transition nightly, so: Go, now.
→ Sag Harbor Kitchen (Sag Harbor) • 184 Division St. • Resy.

GREENPORT: The best way to arrive at Eddie’s at the recently overhauled Silver Sands motel in Greenport on the North Fork is by boat into Pipes Cove, hard by the oyster beds. From there, Silver Sands will pick you up in a lobster skiff tender (a wooden canoe with a motor) to complete the journey to the motel’s beachside. Outdoor tables dot the beach and surround the central outdoor bar, which pours an incredible Paloma. In addition to the (very) local oysters, chef Ryan Hardy (Charlie Bird, Pasquale Jones) has brought his pizza game out east. See: The clam pie with broccoli rabe pesto, one of the summer’s best bites.
→ Eddie’s (Greenport) • 1400 Silvermere Rd. • mooring: $50 surcharge • Resy.

MONTAUK: The text in our group chat was clear: “The best food this summer is at the Marram.” And so we made our way to the newish boutique motel in the dunes of Montauk, where the house restaurant, Mostrador Marram, is serving fresh catch cafeteria-style. We grabbed a communal wooden table and enjoyed crusted fluke, crispy root vegetable slaw, and curried chickpeas. The spot is a sister to Mostradors in Uruguay, Argentina, London, and Tribeca (at the Walker Hotel). Also: the text was right.
→ Mostrador Marram (Montauk) • 21 Oceanview Terrace • no reservations.

GETAWAYS LINKS: Soho House reveals more of North America expansion plan • JFK’s new Delta Sky Club hasn’t lessened the lines … so Delta is planning more new restrictions on use • TSA rolls back plan to require all Clear members to show ID • What the Ikon Pass gets you this winter • When are you rich enough to fly private?

CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine

‘Scenesters, beautiful people, and artists’

STEVIE GUTTMAN, director of nightlife and hospitality culture, Carver Road Hospitality
Neighborhood you live in: Soho

It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
Unlike most traditional jobs, the weekend is when work really ramps up for me. On Friday afternoon, my team and I are in full weekend planning, ensuring the guestlist at Starchild Rooftop (on W. 48th St.) will complement the energy and vibe from our handpicked DJ for the night. Our goal is to maintain an eclectic room of scenesters, beautiful people, and artists.

If I’m not in my office or at our restaurant Rosevale Kitchen (downstairs from Starchild), you can find me taking work calls while walking the streets of Soho. I’m sure it’s quite the sight, but there’s no better workout than a cell phone, some sneakers, and hours wandering around the city.

Any restaurant plans?
On the rare occasion I’m not at one of our properties, I’m a creature of habit and go to the same restaurants. The common factor is places that make you feel like family. You can catch me at Raoul’s, Balletto, 12 Chairs, and, if I’m leaving Soho, Avra.

How about a little leisure or culture?
Most cities exist because of their residents, but in New York we exist because of the city. One of my favorite walks is west to the water, then south from Soho to Battery Park. The tranquility of the water mixed with the energy of the city always reminds me how blessed we are to be here.

Besides walking, I love MoMA. There’s nothing better than spending a few hours discussing what emotion an artist wanted to convey on the canvas.

What was your last great vacation?
My trip to Israel last summer, to Jaffa and Tel Aviv for my best friend’s wedding. Stay at Soho House Jaffa. Try as many restaurants in the shuk as possible and get some sun at the beach in Tel Aviv. Make sure you spend a day traveling to the old city of Jerusalem.

CULTURE & LEISURE • US Open

Honey deuce court

Men’s Singles Semifinals, Ashe Stadium (Flushing), Fri @ 7p, section 120, $1057 per
Women’s Final & Mixed Doubles Final, Ashe Stadium (Flushing), Sat @ 12p, section 19, $1555 per
Men’s Final & Women’s Doubles Final, Ashe Stadium (Flushing), Sun @ 1p, section 103, $2523 per

CULTURE LINKS: What to expect at New York Fashion Week • The Met’s new kids science and art play space opens this weekend • Fall 2023 New York art guide • A queer art fair is coming to Bushwick • Five must-see gallery shows in Chelsea during Armory Week • Springsteen postpones September shows to treat illness.

LOST & FOUND • Behind the Paywall

Dispatches from the frontline, from FOUND subscribers for FOUND subscribers:

NYC’s best lunch special is back

Special FOUND correspondent Scott K. submits the above photo with this note: “Some people get excited about the seasonal BLT at Court Street Grocers, but the real star is the BLT and cucumber soup special at Gramercy Tavern. And it’s (barely) under $30! I wonder if this augers the return of the daily soup-and-sandwich lunch special at GT?”

FOUND reached out to the good people at Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, and received a reply that’s certain to brighten your Friday. “The soup and sandwich combo is in fact back at Gramercy Tavern [front room, M-F only]. We change it up monthly, so the BLT is gone, but in its place is an epic duck confit chopped cheese and chilled tomato soup, as seen on GT chef de cuisine Aretah Ettarh’s Instagram.”