Lights aglow
Seed Library, UWS classics, Cafe Mutton, Morocco, The Wine Cellar by Popina, Christmas reservations, MORE
BARS • First Round
In the stacks
One of the most exciting new bar openings in New York City since Sip & Guzzle debuted in early 2024 is Seed Library, which opened last month in the basement of Hotel Park Ave, brought to the city by London’s legendary bar operator Ryan Chetiyawardana (better known as Mr Lyan). With a refined speakeasy vibe, the bar’s sexy orange glow, modern lines, tan upholstery, and polished wood accents create a warm, intimate atmosphere where each table feels deliberately secluded.
The drinks are exceptional, creative without veering into the overly experimental, and clearly the result of meticulous, high-effort preparation. Take the C.R.E.A.M. Margarita: Lalo tequila, mezcal, a chile-and-passionfruit atom, lime, and clarified cream. The result is a rich, full-bodied margarita with just the right amount of spice to add depth and intrigue.
Seed Library’s signature Unfiltered Martini pushes the boundaries of classic cocktail technique, combining Haku vodka with fermented potato. Cloudy, aromatic, and texturally creamy, it delivers a completely new martini experience without sacrificing balance or elegance. To finish, the Koji Hardshake is a knockout: Johnnie Walker Black, miso, koji, cream sugar, and a touch of lemon for brightness. Garnished with a torched marshmallow, it’s simultaneously nostalgic and inventive — fittingly, much like this bar. –Lee Pitofsky
→ Seed Library (Nomad) • 51 E 30th St • Sun-Thu 5p-12a, Fri-Sat 5p-1a • Reserve.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale apartments with ample living rooms in classic Upper West Side buildings that came to market in the last 30 days.
→ 300 Central Park West #2J (El Dorado, above) • 3BR/3BA, NA SF coop • Ask: $3.25M • 27’ north-facing living room • Days on market: 11 • Monthly maint: $5016 • Agent: Frances Katzen, Elliman.
→ 225 W 86th St #608 (The Belnord) • 3BR/3BA, 2264 SF condo • Ask: $5.0M • 32’ living room facing planted courtyard • Days on market: 10 • Monthly cc: $2389 • Monthly tax: $3845 • Agents: Lisa Lippman & Gerald “Scott” Moore.
→ 235 West 75th Street #723 (The Astor) • 5BR/5.1BA, 3788 SF condo • Ask: $7.95M • 41’ living/dining room overlooking Broadway • Days on market: 17 • Monthly cc: $5925 • Monthly tax: $6924 • Agents: Kyle Egan, Katherine Gauthier & Wilfredo (Will) Rivera.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: Parents buy $20M apartment on behalf of their 22-year-old • 51-story new development The Brook wraps up construction in downtown Brooklyn • Appreciating Frank Gehry’s stamp on downtown Manhattan.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
Harvest pace
ALIX BECKER • grower & owner • Farmstead Hudson Valley
Neighborhood you live in: Hudson, NY
It’s Friday afternoon. How are you rolling into the weekend?
We grow specialty produce and flowers on our Upstate farm, and we’re right in the middle of the harvest season. Friday is defined by the pace of the harvest. I’m usually out in the field early in the morning picking with the team; then supervising order preparation and delivery to our restaurant and farm share customers. By Friday afternoon, as the relentless pace begins to slow, I’m looking forward to a quiet dinner at home, usually centered around what we harvested that morning.
Any restaurant plans?
We’re fortunate to live somewhere good food is accessible, and where restaurants value and support local farms like ours. We have our favorites, like The Aviary in Kinderhook, and the list keeps growing. I’m recently obsessed with the excellent, meat-forward menu at Cafe Mutton in Hudson. The head cheese is absolutely out of this world. Via Cassia, also in Hudson, serves cozy Italian fare in a warm trattoria-like space that feels transportive.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Upstate is a hot spot for art and performance, and my husband David is a painter, so we spend a lot of free time out and about at galleries and art venues. There’s always something to see here, both on and off the well-beaten path. Close to our home in Columbia County, there are a host of new and established contemporary art venues and galleries showing world-class work, including The Campus, The School, and Art Omi. I loved Sky High Farm’s Biennial last summer, staged in a cavernous industrial space on the Hudson River just south of us.
Any weekend getaways?
When the season quiets, we tend to head to NYC for the weekends. We’ll take in the Chelsea galleries or a couple of museums. I love to wander around the West Village, perhaps for a light lunch at Via Carota or a late-night burger at Buvette. I love Officina 1397, a little jewel box of a shop on Grove Street. There’s something to discover around every corner.
What was your last great vacation?
We took an epic road trip in Morocco last fall, starting in Tangier and then to Fez where we stayed at the beautiful Riad Laaroussa. From there, we went to Marrakech for a few days at the incredibly sensual El Fenn. Their rooftop bar was an evening oasis after days spent shopping and sightseeing around the city. From Marrakech, we drove to the Atlas Mountains, where we stayed at the restored Kasbah du Toubkal, a rustic hostel set high in the mountains. Finally, over our last few days we drove to the desert cities of Taroudant and Essaouira, where we took in views of the sea and ate fish on the ramparts of the city’s ancient port.
GETAWAYS LINKS: What’s new and cozy in Savannah this winter • Club Med planning ski-in/ski-out resort at Mont Tremblant • Yes, you can still find a villa in St. Barths for the holidays.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop
Poppin’ bottles
One of the highlights at Popina, the excellent neighborhood restaurant on Columbia Street in Brooklyn, is owner James O’Brien’s wine list. It’s fresh and fun, with bottles for every price point. A restaurant’s wine selections, however, can only run so deep.
To solve that problem, O’Brien opened The Wine Cellar by Popina down the block. The small shop, an outgrowth of the restaurant’s pandemic-era success as a general store, offers a few hundred bottles running from a Fattoria Rodano, Poggialupi Toscana IGT NV ($15) to a Domaine Dujac Clos De La Roche Grand Cru 2023 ($850). Inside, there’s wine on vertical shelves to your left, a $30-and-under table in the middle, and two framed maps of wine regions on the right. Each bottle has its own story a staff member will be happy to tell.
While many of the selections are Italian (O’Brien’s specialty), there are plenty of additional old and new world options. I left with The Set Pinot Noir (for the very specific price of $38.63) for a friend who loves wines from the Santa Rita Hills, La Carbonera Malpastor Reserva DOCa Rioja ($28) for my wife who loves rioja, and Chiussuma Farinel Rosso ($36) for me, because I thought the squirrel on the label was cute. If you need something harder, there’s a small selection of spirits, including Popina’s proprietary Negronis ($50).
The Columbia Street Waterfront District continues to evolve, and two months after opening, The Wine Cellar fits in already. –Noah Davis
→ The Wine Cellar by Popina (Columbia Street Waterfront) • 153 Columbia St • Daily 12-8p.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Seasonal
The Nutcracker • Koch Theater (Lincoln Center) • Fri @ 8p • orch center, $334 per
Canadiens v Rangers • MSG (Midtown South) • Sat @ 7p • sec 107, $426 per
REVELATION: The Knocks x Dragonette x Aquaria • Irving Plaza (Union Square) • Sat @ 7p • The Loft, $155 per
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: After two years, Stephen Friedman to close Tribeca gallery • In Queens, MoMA PS1 going free for next 3 years • Best of 2025: NYC exhibitions… defining artworks • Calibri designer: ‘There’s nothing woke in it, maybe just a friendliness’ • Want SNL tix? Get in line.
LOST & FOUND • Behind the Paywall
Dispatches by FOUND subscribers, for FOUND subscribers.
→ Regarding our recent Caviar Nines, a FOUND subscriber emails, “Just putting in a plug for the nines caviar list for my favorite domestic caviar, Marshallberg Farm. I forget where I had it originally, guessing it was either at the Baccarat Hotel bar or at Bar Centrale above Joe Allen’s, though I’m not sure those spots still serve it. In any case, I wish it were cheaper!”
→ And in re Holiday card and stationery Nines that ran Tuesday, another subscriber emails: “Incredible custom stationery, invitations, and all other paper needs from Paper Outlet in Chelsea. They also make those beautiful, heavy-weight menus for many FOUND favorite restaurants (Shukette, Huso, etc on samples when I last visited). And Andrew can match any paper. Not affiliated but a very happy customer!”
→ A handful of favorite NYC restaurants from new subscribers: Bea’s (Midtown West), Grotta Azurra (Little Italy), Up Thai (Upper East Side), Juban (Chelsea), F&F (Carroll Gardens).
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Christmas Day, ticketed
The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@foundny.com.
The Grill (Midtown East), feast w/ ham, prime rib, turbot, and grasshopper buche de noel, $215 per, reserve