Ask FOUND 1.0
Our new AI tool, Golden Ratio, Upper East Side townhouse, Vermont's Stissing House, Valentine's Day chocolates, MORE
ABOUT FOUND • Launches
FOUND: recommendation engine
Launching today in beta for paid FOUND subscribers (and linked after the paywall below): Ask FOUND, an AI-powered chat tool fed exclusively by FOUND’s on-the-ground coverage of New York City and surrounds. Use it to generate recommendations for dining, shopping, travel, and more — or simply to search FOUND’s archives. Onward, to a brave new FOUND world. (Read to the end for that link.)
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUNDLISTING
Modern maintenance
CUSTOM SKINCARE FOR EVERY FACE: Hi, I’m Rachael Gallo, chief operating officer at Silver Mirror Facial Bar and a nationally licensed master esthetician. From the start, my goal has been to bring science, personalization, and consistency to professional skincare, without ever losing the human touch.
Every Silver Mirror treatment is curated, tested, and backed by science to deliver effective, customizable facials for every skin type. Our 30-, 50-, and 90-minute facials are designed to support your personal skincare journey with consistent professional care, allowing treatments and routines to evolve as your skin changes over time. Real results come from regular treatments, expert guidance, and an approach rooted in consistency.
This approach is what led us to develop our Silver Mirror Skincare line, which has been created by our expert estheticians after years of treating our guests. The esthetician-backed line ensures the progress you make with each service extends beyond the four walls of our facial bar to your at home routine.
→ Book a facial to start your skincare journey at any of our NYC locations (Upper East Side, Flatiron, Bryant Park, Manhattan West, and Upper West Side). [spon]
BARS • First Round
Balancing act
The Skinny: Named for bartenders’ shorthand for a perfectly balanced cocktail, Golden Ratio slid into a compact corner space on Greene and Grand Aves. in Clinton Hill in December, translating the restrained, seasonal cooking philosophy from the team behind Place des Fêtes (down the street) and Cafe Mado (in Prospect Heights) into liquid form. The result is a botanical bar built around singular ingredients, with each of its 15 drinks offered in both full-proof and non-alcoholic versions.
The Vibe: Golden Ratio looks lifted straight out of Copenhagen: spare, modern, and covered in raw natural materials. Matte gray concrete walls flow into a matching bar, creating the feeling of a single, continuous surface. Illuminated, earthy, lime-hued tiles glow beneath the bar, contrasted by five rust-colored leather stools. Vintage modern touches like Harry Bertoia wire chairs introduce a subtle midcentury feel.
The austerity is offset by the room’s communal design. Simple wooden banquettes with gray cushions line the front windows, positioned to create little drinking nooks; a spacious perched table in the back is equipped with eight stools. But the best seats in the house are at the lone oversized booth tucked in the middle.
The Drink: While Golden Ratio isn’t a Japanese bar, it adheres to several of the principles that define seasonal Japanese cocktail making. The drinks are ultra-pure, tightly focused on the flavor of a singular ingredient, and dialed toward restraint — never too sweet, finished with little to no garnish. They’re also mostly served in delicate, thin-lipped glassware.
Many of the drinks with alcohol are lower ABV, and every spirited cocktail is mirrored by a thoughtfully constructed booze-free counterpart. The bar’s bottle lineup is also strikingly spare by design. The team partners with nearby Acid Spirits to create bespoke base spirits, like spicebush and finger lime, around which each drink is built. So, for better or worse, don’t try to walk in and order Fortaleza tequila on the rocks.
Drinks typically honor classic categories. For example, the creamy parsnip is served over pebbled ice and is the closest thing to a tiki cocktail; steamed parsnips are blended with enzymes to release their sugars; then, that liquid is clarified and shaken with lime, mezcal, and gins. (The N/A version calls for the same parsnip base, along with Douglas Fir syrup and centrifuge-spun purple carrot juice.) Those who fancy a martini might consider the floral Persimmon, served in an elegant elongated martini glass and made with a centrifuged persimmon-gin blend with a quinine-flavored wine-based aperitif and a house-made persimmon vermouth.
The Food: The same wine bar-ish, bright, globally inspired approach to small plates found at the group’s other restaurants is at play here. Helmed by culinary director Daniel Martignon, it’s a tight, produce-forward lineup of just ten savory dishes, but ample enough for a full dinner.
Start with the very Marco-Pierre-White-esque toasts: planks of sourdough toast packed with a quarter-inch of good butter seasoned with anchovies, topped with salty anchovies and pickled pearl onions. Each bite is equal parts rich, creamy, salty, and umami — you could call it the golden ratio of savory starters. From there, dive into the salad of blush-toned, subtly bitter castelfranco radicchio leaves tossed in a zingy, creamy sake kasu dressing with a bit of ginger and baby shiso leaves.
As for the hake, it’s a work of art. The fish’s (gluten-free) breading itself is a case study in weightlessness, rivaling the best tempura I’ve eaten in Tokyo. Tucked inside its dusty red achiote-stained shell, the hake steams, producing almost gelatinous, flaky flesh that’s buttery without being greasy.
The Verdict: A neighborhood spot that punches well above its weight, Golden Ratio is the kind of bar you could drop by every day — the days you need a drink and the days you don’t. –Kat Odell
→ Golden Ratio (Clinton Hill) • 216 Greene Ave • Wed-Fri 530p-12a, Sat-Sun 3p-12a • Reserve.
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties on the Upper East Side that came to market this week.
→ 220 E 73rd St #6D (Lenox Hill) • 3BR/3.1BA, 2600 SF co-op • Ask: $3.995M • renovated in Emory Roth prewar • Days on market: 2 • Monthly tax/maint: $7367 • Agents: Catherine Juracich & Tom Ventura, Corcoran. Open house Sun 1130a-1p by appt only.
→ 1050 5th Ave PHB (Carnegie Hill) • 2BR/2.1BA, NA SF co-op • Ask: $9.985M • sweeping Central Park views and winged 2BR layout • Days on market: 2 • Monthly tax/maint: $7099 • Agents: Stan Ponte & Matthew Fox, Sotheby’s.
→ 44 E 82nd St (Upper East Side, above with 46) • 4BR/5.2BA, 6310 SF townhouse • Ask: $13.8M • between Madison and Park and ‘newly reimagined’ by Diego Delgado-Elias • Days on market: 3 • Monthly tax: $6715 • Agents: Carrie Chiang & Andres Perea-Garzon, Corcoran.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: Don’t look now, but Hudson Yards is creeping north towards Hell’s Kitchen • Conversion plans set for Sophia Brothers Warehouse in Tribeca • Renderings revealed for RAMSA’s 200 West 88th St on Upper West Side • Penthouse at Dumbo’s Olympia has gone to contract • Coming to Brooklyn Heights: ‘the most amenitized building Brooklyn has ever seen.”
CULTURE & LEISURE • Storm Conditions
Jimmy O. Yang • Radio City (Midtown West) • Sat @ 7p • orch 4, $210 per
St John’s v UConn • Madison Square Garden (Midtown South) • Fri @ 8p • sec 107, $457 per
Natalie Bergman • Music Hall of Williamsburg (Williamsburg) • Fri @ 8p • preferred mezz, $66 per
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: 10 shows to see Upstate this month • Ticking off all the city’s clocks • How an NYU econ prof built his Picasso-rich collection.
GETAWAYS • Vermont
Small-town chic
After a day of skiing the Green Mountains (particularly nearby Sugarbush and Mad River Glen), there’s no more inviting restaurant than The Tillerman in Bristol, Vermont. Upon arrival, you’ll find a parlor with comfortable seating and a blazing fireplace, an Italian wood-fired oven churning out bubbly-crusted pizzas, and a well-equipped bar, all of which make for a welcome respite from the bitter cold.
Although The Tillerman is a relative newcomer to the area, having opened in 2021, it occupies a farmhouse dating back to the 1790s and carries on the legacy of Mary’s, a beloved farm-to-table inn and restaurant that preceded it. Today, The Tillerman operates as a restaurant, inn, and wedding venue, blending small-town charm with city-quality food. Think of it as Vermont’s answer to Stissing House: a historic space with inventive, seasonal cuisine.
The pizzas stand out. With a sourdough crust, rotating seasonal toppings, and a focus on fresh, local ingredients, the pies reflect a Vermont-meets-California sensibility. It makes sense: The owners are Californian hospitality veterans who relocated to Vermont at the end of the pandemic. Take, for example, the profoundly satisfying potato pizza, adorned with rosemary, house mozzarella, and toum, a fluffy Lebanese garlic sauce.
Pair your pizza with a salad, especially one with spinach, sourced from nearby Footprint Farm. Its delicate, naturally sweet leaves are a delight. Or consider the wintry watermelon radish and crispy puffed rice, dressed simply with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. For specialty Italian products like these, The Tillerman works with Gustiamo, a Bronx-based purveyor of premium Italian pantry staples. The result — Vermont-grown produce paired with the best Italian ingredients — is something special.
Whether stopping by for dinner after a day on the slopes, planning a weekend getaway, or seeking a charming overnight stay, The Tillerman delivers on every front. The combination of seasonal cuisine, historic accommodations, and a welcoming atmosphere makes it a memorable Vermont destination. –Phoebe Fry
→ The Tillerman (Bristol, VT) • 1868 N 116 Rd • Rooms from $270.
GETAWAYS LINKS: JFK updates: JetBlue offering lounge day passes for purchase at T5… Eataly opens outpost in T8 • Capitol One lounge access changes take effect this week… Amex says it will change Centurion Lounge access rules in July.
GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines
Valentine’s Day, chocolates
The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best.
Dandelion Chocolate (above), Bay Area-based chocolatier, single-origin bars and bonbons, plus new chocolate-dipped Japanese-style strawberries
Fruition Chocolate Works, Hudson Valley gem making phenomenal, ultra-floral single-origin bars and more
Melissa Coppel, bonbons and haute candy bars crafted by former L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon chef
État de choc, serious and playful bars packed w/ chili corn, miso, more
Black Jaguar Chocolate, Nicaraguan cacao made into fruity bars, flavors like passion fruit and kiwi
Dark Matter Chocolate, Dark Matter Coffee offshoot known for petite bars made from Mexican cacao, highlighting unique terroirs
Goodnow Farms, the cashmere of chocolate
Meurisse, Belgium-born bars, flavored w/ ingredients like roasted hazelnuts and orange
Vigdis Rosenkilde, nuanced, floral chocolates made with just 2 ingredients and premium Peruvian beans
ASK FOUND • Behind the Paywall
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