What time does summer '24 start?
Hamptons rentals, Vinyl Steakhouse, Mimi Cheng's, Desert Ridge, holiday bars, Art Basel, MORE
REAL ESTATE • Hamptons Report
Settling in on the South Fork
With only 209 days until July 4, it’s time to start thinking about summer getaways. For the next three weeks, FOUND checks in on the rental markets in key localities. First up: the Hamptons.
Another season removed from the I’ll-pay-anything throes of the pandemic, the Hamptons rental market continues to slow. That’s due in part to some East End homeowners’ unwillingness to give up on Covid-era rents, along with another year of soft Wall Street bonuses. But the biggest shift is the continued move to shorter-term rentals.
“When I first entered the real estate business, probably 80% of Hamptons summer rentals were Memorial Day through Labor Day,” Corcoran’s Peter Moore tells FOUND. “Today, full summer rentals are few and far between — the predominance of rentals are for one month or less.”
Exacerbating that trend is Airbnb and its ilk, something the town of East Hampton is fighting to stop (though it recently lost a court ruling when it sought to subpoena homeowners’ short-term rental histories). Still, if this coming summer is like this past one, there will be shorter-term deals to be had.
But there’s something about the peace of mind that comes from having a big chunk of your summer sorted before the spring thaw. Here now, three south-of-the-highway Hamptons rentals that caught our eye, each asking $75k for July 2024:
→ 2749 Montauk Hwy. (Bridgehampton, above) • 4BR/3.5BA, 2930 SF • 1800s barn transformed into modern house, with pool • Listing brokers: Kyle Rosko and Marcy Braun, Douglas Elliman.
→ 127 Seascape Ln. (Sagaponack) • 3BR/3.5BA, 2500 SF • Shingled home walking distance to Sagg Pond and Sagg Main Beach • Listing brokers: Leslie Hillel and David Tenenbaum, Brown Harris Stevens.
→ 12 Further Ln. (East Hampton) • 5BR/4BA, 3000 SF • Views across the Maidstone Club golf course to Hook Pond • Listing broker: Bill Williams, Compass.
NYC REAL ESTATE LINKS: Given recent changes, does a buyer in NYC need to pay a broker fee? • Are property values eroding at One57 on Billionaire’s Row? • THE 74 closes in on final stories on Upper East Side • 325 Bergen St. tops out in Boerum Hill • What an NYC doorman thinks about holiday tipping.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
Friends and family
MARIAN CHENG, co-founder, Mimi Cheng’s
Neighborhood you live in: Soho
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
A non-negotiable for me is always having a playlist on as I navigate my day (except for Zoom calls, of course). My sister (and business partner) and I are moving into the next phase of our business, so Fridays usually involve wrapping up a few meetings from the week.
I’ll make an afternoon pick-me-up, either a drip coffee with beans procured from a trip, or Kettl Matcha with all the accouterments (collagen powder, golden milk powder, and cashew milk) to get me hyped up for my favorite workout at S10 Training with my trainer, Nick. It’s a highlight of my week and balances all of my dining out.
Any restaurant plans?
This Friday, my dining partner-in-crime and I are going to ILIS in Greenpoint. We went during the preview, and it was absolutely fantastic. They have an evolving menu that I’ve been salivating over through my screen, so I’m looking forward to tasting the updates.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I grew up playing sports and love going to live games. Our newest Mimi Cheng’s location is in Cobble Hill, convenient for getting over to Barclays Center to down a few slices of Fini Pizza before I cheer on the Nets.
Any weekend getaways?
Always! Wanderlusting is innate for me, and I’m ecstatic to go somewhere international, even for a weekend. For something more local, driving to Upstate New York is a favorite, especially with my pandemic pup and the foliage. We’re always in search of an adventure. A great day trip only about an hour from the city is Nyack, where there’s a hiking trail and a delicious pasta shop, DPNB Pasta & Provisions. You can’t go wrong with anything on their lunch menu, but my go-tos are house greens, special pasta, and a perfectly roasted chicken.
What was your last great vacation?
Was pining over Harbor House in Elk, CA, for years and finally went. It’s a three hour drive from San Francisco, which passes quickly because of the beautiful surroundings of redwoods and the Pacific coastline. The inn has a stunning view and is home to a two-star Michelin restaurant. It was great to unplug, ride horses on the beach, and enjoy their delectable breakfast service.
GETAWAYS • Spring Break Report
Desert Ridge, spiced up
This post originally appeared in yesterday’s edition of FOUND LA. Looking for a little more West Coast in your life? Subscribe to FOUND LA, with new issues dropping each Thursday.
Phoenix has no shortage of luxury resorts for travelers looking for a dose of desert magic. Often, when it comes to the on-property restaurants, the trick falls flat. But JW Marriott’s newly renovated Desert Ridge Resort & Spa is a notable exception, with two excellent options for a getaway dinner.
Angelo Sosa, a Jean-Georges protégé and Top Chef alum, is behind the stove at both Tia Carmen, the property’s Southwestern-leaning flagship, and the Asian-inspired Kembara, which opened this week.
With its wood-fire grill and Instagram-candy plating, Tia Carmen drew near-universal praise from critics and locals alike when it opened last year. But Kembara is clearly where Sosa is having more fun, leaning into his love of Asian street food, pushing the boundaries of what a hotel setting might lead you to expect.
There’s a bit of a nightclub feel to the space, with graffiti-esque murals and neon rope lights, which, frankly, fits the mood at the sprawling resort. (The property has a bit of everything: kids screaming down a giant waterslide, almost four dozen pickleball courts, and a massive spa with an adults-only pool and turquoise massages.)
But the food hasn’t been neutered to appease timid tourists. I was pleasantly caught off-guard when instructed to eat the fish head curry, ladled over a banana leaf tableside, with my hands; ditto the fiery black pepper lobster, served in the shell alongside disposable plastic gloves so I could pick the meat from every last crevice. The chicken larb was so spicy that I downed my miso-enhanced mezcal cocktail in one go.
This is the kind of property — a half-hour drive from Phoenix’s downtown, designed with every comfort in mind — that it doesn’t make sense to leave once you’ve checked in. How nice, then, that now you won’t want to. –Jamie Feldmar
→ Kembara (Phoenix, AZ) • 5350 E. Marriott Dr. • Reserve.
→ Tia Carmen (Phoenix, AZ) • 5350 E. Marriott Dr. • Reserve.
GETAWAYS LINKS: More snowmaking and new chairlifts among this winter’s New England ski resort upgrades • Western ski resort expansions at Aspen, Steamboat, and Keystone going higher • Vail Resorts acquires second ski mountain in Switzerland as part of European expansion • The blue horizon: bonefishing in the Bahamas • Two new Japanese boutique hotels that are doing it right.
RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table
Deep cuts
As Vinyl Steakhouse owner Kevin Flannery poured me a glass of Inspiration 1818 Champagne, the powerful synth notes of Prince’s “1999” filled the room. “Since you ordered this Champagne, I put this record on,” Flannery said. “It’s the perfect accompaniment — they’re both nicely balanced with a bit of funk and have a nice long finish.”
That’s the novelty at Vinyl Steakhouse. As you graze on a dry-aged porterhouse, the staff plays one of the restaurant’s 2,000 records (often at the request of diners), occasionally paired with whatever you might have ordered.
In a city of steakhouses, Vinyl, which opened last spring in Flatiron, is relatively off the radar. Maybe it shouldn’t be. The steaks are serious, the burger is good, and there are a few standouts outside the typical steakhouse menu, like the excellent short rib potstickers. The service matches the rock-record-collection vibe.
After the first side of “1999” was over (they only play entire sides here), side three of Led Zeppelin's “Physical Graffiti” came on just as my sizzling porterhouse hit the table. Perfect music to eat steak by. –David Farley
→ Vinyl Steakhouse (Flatiron) • 35 W. 19th St. • Reserve.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Miami Art Week
Art Basel, Miami Beach Convention Center (Miami Beach), Thurs.-Sun., premium, $630 per
Art Miami, One Herald Plaza (Downtown Miami), Tues.-Sun., VIP, $285 per
Art With Me, Virginia Key Beach Park (Virginia Key), Fri.-Sun., 3-day premium, $399 per
CULTURE LINKS: Strong sales at Art Basel Miami Beach despite ‘subdued’ start • Artists breathe life into vacant downtown storefronts • Guggenheim laying off 10 as museums face fiscal challenges • French interior designer Pierre Yovanovitch opens a penthouse gallery in Chelsea • 12 art shows to see in New York this month • Off-Broadways shows feel the squeeze.
BARS • The Nines
Holiday bar pop-ups
Jingle Jangle (Wall Street, above), Irish Christmas at The Dead Rabbit; garland galore plus adult whiskey-spiked gingerbread men
Sippin’ Santa (Lower East Side/Williamsburg), tropical holiday tipples from the Miracle team and tiki expert Jeff “Beachbum” Berry at Thief LES