Nine restaurants for the summer of '23

Harlem and UWS townhouses, North Fork, Festa, Wimbledon

Jul 07, 2023

∙ Paid

REAL ESTATE • Townhouses

Uptown triplex living

It may still feel like an uncertain real estate market in New York City, but last month’s data from Olshan — which tracks luxury ($4m+) transactions — marked June 2023 as the second-best June in sales volume since the firm started keeping records nearly 20 years ago. (All-time best: the pandemic-fueled June of 2021.)

Two multi-family townhouses helped this year’s cause. In Harlem, at 34 Mount Morris Park West, a triplex owner’s apartment (above) shares space with three rental apartments on the fourth and fifth floors; the entire building asked $5.9 million, with all units delivered vacant. At 620 West End Avenue on the Upper West Side, another owner’s triplex also includes 10 units that can be rented out for residential or commercial use, with six of the units coming vacant. It asked $4.25 million. Deals on both buildings closed last week.

→ 34 Mount Morris Park West (Harlem), 8BR/6BA multi-unit townhouse, 5925 SF (entire). Asking price: $5.9 million. Monthly taxes: $756. Days on market: 49. Listing broker: Shina Amwar, Compass.
→ 620 West End Avenue (Upper West Side), 6BR/12BA, 7540 SF (entire). Asking price: $4.2 million. Monthly taxes: $8,700. Days on market: 210. Listing brokers: Richard Pretsfelder and Sophie Smadbeck, Leslie Garfield.

NYC REAL ESTATE LINKS: Plans approved for Midtown skyline amusement ride • Construction resumes on stalled 125 Greenwich St. in Fidi • The Harper launches sales on the Upper West Side • Brooklyn’s tallest, darkest tower offers basketball on the 66th floor • To combine or not combine when selling in NYC?

RESTAURANTS • The Nines

Restaurant of the summer

Sartiano’s (Soho, above), grandma’s Italian from Zero Bond founder
Roscioli NYC (Soho), downstairs restaurant now, upstairs alimentare to follow
Cecchi’s (Village), famed maitre’d takes over sacred Cafe Loup space
Libertine (West Village), dinner in Paris on Greenwich Street
Nomad Girl (Nomad), just-opened breezy southern Italian
elNico (Williamsburg), this summer’s Williamsburg rooftop hotspot
Margot (Fort Greene), charming new neighborhood spot
Gertrude’s (Prospect Heights), Gertie sibling with mememaster Eli Sussman
Bar Vinazo (Park Slope), Spanish wine bar with appealing backyard

Additions or subtractions? Reply to this email or to found@foundny.com.

CULTURE & LEISURE • Tennis anyone?

Last-minute Wimbledon

4th round, Centre Court, Wimbledon Tennis Club, Sunday, from $2539 per
JFK > LHR, departing Sat @ 8a, returning Tues @ 550p, premium, $3313 per
Hotel du Vin Cannizaro House Wimbledon, park view, $1054 per night

CULTURE LINKS: New Louis Armstrong Center opens this week in Queens • The beautiful trash art at 3 World Trade Center • What to see in N.Y.C. Galleries in July • Sotheby’s to test Dutch auction model for NFTs • The eternal joy of Sylvanian Families.

GETAWAYS • Friday Routine

Shuck your own on the North Fork

KATHERINE BARNA, head of PR, Waymo (formerly Google’s Self Driving Car project)
Neighborhood you live in: Mattituck (by way of Williamsburg)

It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
I walk to the beach and back every morning, but since it’s Friday I’ll stop at Southold General to grab an iced coffee to take with me as an extra treat. We have every type of coffee apparatus at home, but I stand by the belief that an expensive iced coffee made by someone else just tastes better. Later in the afternoon, I’ll swing by 8 Hands Farm to pick up some things for the weekend — they have the best pork chops on earth.

Any restaurant plans this weekend?
Friday evening is usually Little Creek (above) for shuck-your-own oysters, or if we’re feeling a smidge fancier, we’ll take the ferry to Shelter Island to dine at Léon 1909, which has truly excellent food (the roast chicken and caesar salad are both slam dunks) and service. We’re also big fans of North Fork Table and Inn and have been enjoying their (slightly more chill) rotating Sunday Suppers tasting menu. We usually do at least one dinner at home over the weekend and will pick up some amazing cheese from The Village Cheese Shop and our fave Little Ram Oyster Company at their roadside stand. Even our 3-year-old is very into oysters.

How about a little leisure or culture?
With a toddler, I have a philosophy on the weekends of “one for me, one for you.” So, weekend mornings I’ll partake in toddler-friendly culture: berry picking at Wickham’s Fruit Farm, riding the antique carousel in Greenport or stopping at one of the visiting tall ships in the harbor. The trade off is that in the afternoon he has to accompany me while I shop at the excellent North Fork Apothecary, go wine tasting at Bedell, or take in some live music at the Soundview Hotel’s Low Tide Beach Bar. Have toddler, will travel!

Do you get away anywhere regularly for the weekend?
The North Fork has always been our getaway, so during the summer that flips and our getaway is Brooklyn.

What was your last great vacation?
We took our first proper family vacation earlier this year at the Andaz Hotel in Maui, and had a fantastic stay. We were also recently in Puerto Rico (sans kid) and stumbled upon La Disquera, which I can only describe as a bar with amazing music and a vibe of Brooklyn by way of Tokyo.

GETAWAYS • Croatia Report

The sea’s bounty

An alternative to bigger Croatian cities like Split, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, and Zadar are tiny, old-world, seaside fishing villages such as Hvar, Murter Skradin, Mljet, Lastovo, and Dugi Otok.

For the full Croatian vibe, dock at the family-owned bohemian Festa resort on Zut Island in the Kornati National Park. Swim, eat, drink, and socialize with fellow travelers. You can only reach this special cove by tender or water taxi. The dock can handle a 25-foot sailboat or a monster yacht.

Festa has one restaurant and one bar — both outdoors. A market sells fresh-baked bread and fritules, which are small, sweet pastries, the Croatian version of doughnuts. There are glamping tents with bare essential and communal showers for rent if you tire of your shipmates.

The restaurant is as good as it gets. They grill and bake their fish, serve it raw and in fish stews and seafood risottos. Much of it is prepared with a few simple ingredients — oil, salt, pepper, and lemon. To drink, consider a Bambus, which is a mixture of local red wine and Coke. They’ve been making wine for 2500 years in Croatia, so you can’t go wrong.

Croatians offer a fresh take on European hospitality. With a firm handshake, they look you in the eye and offer an eager welcome. Not chatty, they’re determined to make you happy. But don’t order off the menu, never curate their ingredients, and don’t bore them with your allergies. At meal’s end, embrace their gift — a shot of homemade Rakija, which is a type of fruit brandy and the county’s national drink. –Brad Inman in Zut Bay

GETAWAYS LINKS: Yolo’s American Islands list • What it’s like flying JetBlue Mint Suites to Paris • Inside La Fantasie, new landmark hotel in Paris • Three new luxury accommodations to consider in Rome • When it comes to summer, nothing beats the Northeast.

LOST & FOUND • Behind the Paywall

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

Re: Grand Central bars: Albert’s Bar (above), from Spaniard/Wilfie & Nell proprietors is a new good spot near Grand Central (East 41st near 3rd Ave.).
A handful of favorite restaurants from this week’s new subscribers: King (Soho) • Dirt Candy (East Village) • Cervo's (Lower East Side) • Rao's (Harlem) • Lilia (Williamsburg)