Linger: The Mercer
Off a cobbled corner in Soho find the mahogany clad Christian Liaigre lounge at The Mercer where photographer David Strettel has lent his curatorial eye on a monthly edit of rare photography and art literature.
The founder of Dashwood Books (he also edits a selection for Gucci’s NYC flagship) might stack up a first edition of Cigarettes by Irving Penn or POLART by Nobuyoshi Araki to browse over a morning matcha … or an evening martini.
The Mercer remains a pillar of 90s pared back glamour and it celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary this year with the launch of its first in-house restaurant. Alfred Portale is the new culinary director of the yet unnamed eaterie that is awaiting its baptism this Spring.
147 Mercer St. New York, NY 10012
Blow Out: David Mallett NYC
Whether seeking an audacious power bob or a laissez faire blowout for a wedding at The Plaza, uptown and downtown girls alike turn to trusted David Mallet who plies his scissors from The Ritz Paris, and also in the penthouse above Soho’s Webster Boutique. Clients from Natalie Portman to Charlotte Gainsbourg are ‘on the list,’ at this discreet ‘anti-salon.’
29 Greene St. New York, NY 10013
David Mallett Salon NYC
@davidmallett // Press
Dine: at Estela
“All I want to do is toast life with an Antica vermouth on the rocks and a plate of ricotta gnocchi at the bar of Estela… every night,” says Andrea Czachor of Estela restaurant - the fourteen seater in Nolita that is still one of NYC’s hottest reservations.
Uruguayan-born chef Ignacio Mattos earnt his chef spurs working under the legendary Alice Waters and Francis Mallman. At Estela, the menu is inspired by the Portuguese notion of ‘saudade’ or nostalgia and offers a fusion palette of Spanish, Italian and Middle Eastern flavours. Mattos has also opened The Corner Bar at the newish Nine Orchard hotel where you can indulge in classics like shrimp cocktail and profiteroles.
47 E Houston St. New York, NY 10012
Can-Can: Ella Funt
Housed in the old haunts of NY’s legendary cabaret Club 82, man about town Lounes Mazouz opens his neo-bistro and performance space, Ella Funt named after Salvador Dali’s favourite cabaret dancer. Dali, Elizabeth Taylor and Judy Garland were amongst the crowd who frequented Club 82’s outrageous flamboyant stage shows in the 1950s.
The reinvention is timely and the son of the Sketch founder Mourad Mazouz, has hospitality in his veins and an eye for creating a spectacle. He has pulled chef Nick Koustefanou from Paris’s experimental Le Servan to deliver expertly crafted, seasonal dishes to entertain the pre-cabaret palette.
82 E 4th St. New York, NY 10003
