Wine & roses
Lei Wine, Bed-Stuy listings, Anaïs, Hotel Lilien, The Weston, best Vermont hotels, MORE
BARS & RESTAURANTS • First Round
Lei day
Last Monday evening, I arrived at Lei Wine with a pedigreed food writer/cookbook author and FOUND contributor; I ran into another FOUND team member (and former line cook) eating al fresco; Slacking about Lei with the FOUND team after the fact, co-founder Lockhart Steele raved that he “absolutely loved it.” So did I. So did the person I was with. So does, seemingly, everyone.
Opened in June, the wine bar has been picking up heat since. The reasons start with Lei’s location on Doyers Street, on that curved lane in the middle of Chinatown, home to Nom Wah Tea Parlor, once among New York’s most violent passages, now one of its cutest — downtown charm nonpareil.
On approach, dark, cherry wood paneling frames the door and a counter window under a pastel orange and white striped awning. Inside, the cherry woods continue, on countertops and tables, placed in the standard small Manhattan restaurant layout: two-tops lining the sides, larger tables in the middle, a beautiful emerald-green-tiled service bar in the back that seats two. Silver shelves holding bottles of wine climb toward the ceilings, which are lined with panels to dampen the decibels. Lit beeswax candlesticks are on each table and green Sabre chopsticks at each place setting (a touch that especially delighted our ranks).
Owner Annie Shi (of King fame) has, in the press, talked about Lei being a stop-through kind of spot, for people to have a glass and some snacks on their way to a larger dinner in the neighborhood. That’s one way to play it. Lei’s 25-page wine list — prominently full of low-invention, dry bottles meant to pair with the entire menu — is ostensibly the center-of-gravity here. It’s also a profoundly modest undersell. The small-but-mighty 15-item menu’s offerings are, per our collated reports, a hit on just about every level, more than enough to build a night around, some dishes tempting you to order them twice (or at least another side of rice, as we did, to sop up their sauces).
My two-top started light — a snack of pickled cucumbers, tomatoes, and celery tingling with green Sichuan peppercorns, and a rectangle of cool omelette in a pool of neon green scallion oil — before diving straight into the menu’s deep end. There we reveled in fried soft-shell crab slathered in sweet, fiery Singaporean chili sauce, with some purple wax beans and vermicelli; a dish of (hand-rolled!) cat’s ear noodle dotted with cumin-flecked lamb and herbs; and the coup de grace, a massive hunk of “sweet and sour” beef short rib, coated in a deep maroon strawberry jam slick. To clean it up, that aforementioned white rice, made with little diced pieces of sweet potato, more than did the trick (and was far better than it sounds). Dessert was a light, lovely kiwi granita with slices of Frog Hollow Farms pluots.
We sadly missed the riff on beef carpaccio that was on special another night — pounded flat and marinated in chili oil, Chinese black vinegar, and mushroom powder, with a significant circle of chives on top. One of our FOUND colleagues called it one of the best dishes of the year. Others raved about the frito misto of whiting. Some things didn’t work for everyone: On our table, we only wished that omelet was heated; for others, the lamb noodle didn’t quite hit.
But those are minor quibbles. We all agree that in the firmament of New York’s growing (ostensibly casual) wine bar scene, Lei is setting a new standard for punching above one’s weight, a more-than-the-sum-of-its-charms sterling success. –Foster Kamer
→ Lei Wine (Chinatown) • 15-17 Doyers St • Daily 5-11p • Reserve.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale two-family homes in Bed-Stuy that came to market in the last 10 days.
→ 444 Quincy St (Bed-Stuy, above) • 5BR/3.2BA, 2880 SF two-family • Ask: $2.75M • 1899 build with private backyard and roofdeck • Days on market: 8 • Monthly tax: $308 • Agent: Tali Berzak, Compass.
→ 231 Macon St (Bed-Stuy) • 6BR/4.2BA, 4284 SF two-family • Ask: $3.25M • new build with 55’-deep parlor and back garden • Days on market: 3 • Monthly tax: $336 • Agents: Nick Hovsepian & Leslie Marshall, Corcoran.
→ 322 Putnam Ave (Bed-Stuy) • 4BR/3.1BA, 3000 SF two-family • Ask: $3.995M • renovated Renaissance Revival with original woodwork • Days on market: 3 • Monthly tax: $252 • Agents: Fredrik Eklund & John Gomes, Elliman.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: Developer of Blue on Lower East Side buys site of Tribeca building collapse • Inside a classic Bowery loft asking $4M • Renderings revealed for Robert A.M. Stern-designed expansion at 809 Madison.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
Fresh air
SANDY SANCHEZ • writer/brand strategist • Headspace / Small Pleasures
Neighborhood you live and work in: Carroll Gardens
Where are you drinking or dining this weekend?
If I’m staying in the area for drinks, I’m going to Anaïs for natural wine, DAE for interesting cocktails and a quiet environment, Barely Disfigured for the backyard, or Elsa for a great Negroni. For dinner, I have my go-tos. Long Island Bar for deviled eggs, little gem salad, and chicken sandwich. Ingas Bar for the burger and whatever seasonal dish they have. And Al Badawi for incredible Palestinian food.
If I’m meeting up with friends in Williamsburg or Greenpoint, I’m 100% either going to Taqueria El Chato, Esse Taco, or Allswell for the chicken sandwich and an IPA. But if it’s an East Village night? I’m eating Puerto Rican food at Casa Adela or tacos at Carnitas Ramirez. And I’ll usually end the weekend with a visit to the Carroll Gardens outpost of The Meat Hook on Sunday so that I can cook something delicious and comforting that evening.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I love going to the movies and try to see one every week. I usually go to Metrograph, Film Forum, Nitehawk (love their burger and chicken sandwich — clearly, I love a chicken sandwich), or Cobble Hill Cinemas. The last movie I saw was Pedro Almodóvar’s Law of Desire (1987) at Metrograph and it was fantastic. A lot of these independent theaters will curate movie series every season, so I like going on their websites and seeing what they’ve got lined up for the month.
Any weekend getaways?
I try to go to the Catskills every season. For this upcoming trip, I’m doing two days at a cabin near Livingston Manor and two days at Hotel Lilien in Tannersville. The Catskills region is so big, and sometimes my favorite spots are one to two hours away from each other, but I’ve got a lot of favorites I always go back to.
Callicoon area: I still haven’t found a sourdough in NYC that’s as good as the one at Roger That Bakery.
Livingston Manor area: The entire Main Street is a must. And make sure to experience the James Turrell exhibit at the Catskill Art Space. If you’re into fly fishing like my partner, visit Dette Flies.
Liberty area: Stop by Town & Country Antiques for one of the best curations.
Hunter/Tannersville area: Go to Fellow Mountain Cafe, shop at the Tannersville Antique & Artisan Center, and stay at Hotel Lilien (or just go for dinner and drinks).
Catskill area: Eat the pulled pork sandwich and donuts from Gracie’s Luncheonette, and browse the books at Magpie Bookshop.
What was your last great vacation?
My last big vacation was a year ago when I went to Mexico City for my birthday. I love Mexico City, but there was a heat wave that week and I got sick. So I’m going to backtrack and say that my last great vacation was actually two years ago when I was in Europe for three months. I was primarily in Florence. My partner and I were both freelancing, so we did an extended stay. It was our first time being in Italy and getting to stay for a long time allowed us to fall into a beautiful routine, befriend the cafe owners across the street, and become regulars at shops and bars.
My favorite Florence spots:
Salumeria Pirgher Marzio for cheese and cured meats. The owner, Sandro, is the sweetest and we’d communicate with each other through Google Translate and my Duolingo-level Italian.
L’Arte di Dory for spaghetti aglio e olio and the most delicious food in general. It’s run by the kindest family.
Langolino for cocktails and cozy bar vibes. One night, we met some Florentines who explained to us what it was like to grow up in Florence and how when you grow up surrounded by beauty, you almost take it for granted.
Santo Spirito Flea Market for the most interesting, unique, and vintage finds.
S.forno for pastries, pizza, bread, and grocery goods. And for a fancier meal, their sister restaurant, Il Santo Bevitore.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
The Freda Salvador Elba Penny Loafers. Loafers are my everyday shoe and every couple of years, I invest in a nice, high-quality pair.
What store or service do you always recommend?
Sonny Molina in the Lower East Side for the best haircuts. I’ve known them for years now. They do a bunch of cool editorial work now and also offer haircuts. And they have a sliding scale for TPOC, sex workers, and single parents.
Where are you donating your time or money?
I’m donating my money to the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. They’re helping those affected by the mass deportations. And I’m donating my time as a mentor for the 4As Foundation Multicultural Advertising Internship Program. I did this program twice in college and it opened up so many doors for me.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Throwin’ Darts
Ryder Cup • Bethpage State Park (Farmingdale) • Fri @ 530a • Samuel Ryder Club, $4215 per (grounds pass, $604 per)
Global Citizen Festival • The Great Lawn (Central Park) • Sat @ 4p • premium VIP, $350 per (GA, $125)
Chargers v Giants • MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford) • Sun @ 1p • sec 113, $816 per (lowest avail, $124)
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: After fall show, Tilton Gallery on UES closing • Red Hook artists begin recovery after warehouse fire (how to help) • Lou Reed mosaic bandit of St. Mark’s returns • The Broadway musical is in trouble.
GETAWAYS • Vermont
Fireplace season
In my trips to Vermont, too often, I’ve had to sacrifice an obsession with eating excellent food in favor of any desire to vacation in a Fragonard landscape. At The Weston, no such sacrifice is required.
At the end of our five-hour drive from the city, my husband and I were greeted in the Weston parking lot with iced tea in cut-crystal glassware, garnished with herbs from the garden a few feet away. From the outside, The Weston looks like any other quaint New England bed and breakfast. Then we were shown to Suite 8 — nearly a thousand square feet of museum-quality paintings and furniture complete with two working fireplaces and Green Mountain vistas outside every window.
Our room felt like it belonged in a Gilded Age townhouse, but we were five minutes away from endless hiking, swimming, and boating. The blend of country convenience and decadent environs makes sense when you consider that The Weston is run by the family behind places like The Carlyle and the Beverly Wilshire. Every detail is fully realized, from the bathroom layout (double sinks, double showers, massive soaking tub with a view) to the chocolate espresso macarons in the parlor that rival ones you’d wait in line for at Ladureé.
But as I said, this sort of setting usually comes at the cost of an on-site restaurant featuring anything better than a menu straight out of a 1990s CIA textbook. But our first dinner at The Left Bank was so good, we returned for every single meal of our stay. It is the single best hotel restaurant I’ve dined in. That’s in large part because chef Bretton Combs works directly with staff farmer Antoinette Kessler to create a constantly changing menu based on whatever’s coming out of the on-property 50-acre, four-season farm.
Farm-to-table isn’t a played-out trope here, it’s the backbone of what makes this a destination-worthy hotel and not just a really nice place to stay. Every guest is invited to tour the farm with Brett and Antoinette to help decide what’s for dinner. So we spent our mornings among the radishes and tomatoes and our afternoons hiking and swimming before lounging in our suite with a pile of books. Each night we headed down to the restaurant’s patio where we ate vegetables we’d selected paired with La Garagista’s funky Field Study ferments and premier grand cru Chardonnay from Chassagne-Montrachet.
This fall, they’re adding a 2,300-square-foot bakery to their culinary arsenal. And, for those gearing up to Ski The East, note that Okemo is a 15-minute drive away, and Stratton a little more than twice that. –Carina Koeppicus
→ The Weston (Weston, VT) • 630 Main St • Fall rates from $686/night.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Mexican spot Coche Comedor closing its doors in Amagansett • Clare de Boer’s fall musts in the Hudson Valley • Just in time for leaf peeping, Blue Ridge Parkway reopens • These Caribbean beach bars come with their own hotels • Inside the new private villa at Ritz Carlton Reserve hotel Nekajui in Costa Rica • The Hertz AI repairs meltdown.
GETAWAYS • The Nines
Hotels, Vermont
The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best of NYC and surrounds. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@foundny.com.
The Hermitage Inn (West Dover), husband-wife owned w/ elevated dining, $375