Field notes
Il Gattopardo, 53, Achilles Heel, more Tokyo pizza, Fort Greene restaurants, best earplugs, New Rochelle, The Leopard at des Artistes, MORE
ABOUT FOUND • Help Wanted
FOUND NY is looking to add new contributors with good taste to our mix. In particular, we’re seeking shopping obsessives who know the NYC retail scene inside-out (if you remember the NYT’s Critical Shopper column, you’re getting the idea). But those harboring any obsession about living in and around NYC, and the desire to write about it, are welcome. Hit reply or email found@foundny.com and tell us about yourself. We’ll follow up quickly.
RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table
Southern charm
The Backstory: Set in the Rockefeller Townhouses on West 54th, the Italian restaurant Il Gattopardo opened up the block in 2001. More than two decades on, it remains one of Midtown’s most reliable spots for excellent Italian cooking.
The Experience: Enter the townhouse’s ground floor a few steps down from street level. A cozy bar with wood-paneled ceiling sits to the left, and several small bar tables offer a nice spot for a drink or to wait for dining companions. The host stand to the right gives way to a bright but appealing dining room, mostly unadorned except for a long mirror running the side of the room. At peak capacity, as it was on my evening visit last week, the room is boisterous and loud, with a fun cross-section of New Yorkers young and old.
The food here is Southern Italian, comfortable without being too casual. Off the winter menu, for starters, I enjoyed the crispy seasonal salad of radicchio, frisée, fennel, carrots, and radishes, then was delighted by the zucchini parmigiana, served warm with fior di latte and topped with a splash of olive oil.
But it’s the pastas that should comprise the center of a meal at Il Gattopardo, each one of the nine options more intriguing than the last. Spaghetti with grey mullet bottarga tasted of the briny sea, garlicky with a punch from red pepper flakes. Even better was a homemade pappardelle with rabbit and morel mushrooms, tender and nourishing on this freezing evening.
It’s entirely fine and forgivable to leave the savory courses after the primi. For those forging on to secondi, keep it on the lighter side with simply prepared steamed branzino or broiled striped bass, or go big as we did with the ribeye steak for two. Made with Snake River Farms American wagyu, the strips of medium-rare meat are accompanied by fingerling potatoes, another simple perfection.
Appropriately, the wine list here is all Italian, leaning on Southern Italian whites and reds. We loved the 2021 Alberelli di Giodo, a medium-bodied Sicilian wine from the Nerello Mascalese grape variety that easily stood up to the stoutest dishes Il Gattopardo had to offer.
Why It’s FOUND: A restaurant so reliable that I often recommend it to friends visiting New York City from out of town, Il Gattopardo hasn’t lost a step even as the city’s dining scene has evolved around it. It’s a modern classic and a Midtown go-to. –Lockhart Steele
→ Il Gattopardo (Midtown) • 13-15 West 54th St • Mon-Fri 12-11p, Sat 1130a-11p, Sun 1130a-10p • Reserve.
RESTAURANTS • Intel
LAST ROAR: Since 2011, the Il Gattopardo team has also operated The Leopard at des Artistes, the mural-adorned space on the Upper West Side inside the apartment building Hotel des Artistes which for nearly a century was home to the famed restaurant Cafe des Artistes. But last week, the restaurant announced on Instagram that it will close permanently after service this Sunday. The news has been met with much consternation on the hyperlocal blog West Side Rag, with commenters bemoaning the loss of a more elegant New York. No word yet on the future of the space and its landmarked murals. –Lockhart Steele
TOKYO TAKEOVER: On the heels of Pizza Studio Tamaki’s pop-up at Moody Tongue comes another Tokyo pizza invasion: Seirinkan, one of that city’s best pizzerias, is popping up in New York Feb. 24-28 (5-8p), at the Lower East Side’s Sake No Hana on the Bowery. Expect shokunin pizzaiolo Susumu Kakinuma’s iconic pies like his ultra-purest margherita, marinara, and a white pie topped with wasabi. Beyond pizza, Sake No Hana chefs Jason Hall and Yoshi Kojima plan to team up on small Japanese-Italian plates like a Parmigiano Reggiano-laced snow beef tartare and a riff on carbonara. Reserve. –Kat Odell
RESTAURANTS • Field Notes
SUBTERRANEAN REFUGE: Jean Nouvel’s sculptural luxury apartment tower 53 West 53 rises 77 stories to the skies on the same block as the Museum of Modern Art. But descend down a staircase from the street instead and find the restaurant 53 (above), opened in 2022 by the Altamarea Restaurant Group, its first foray into Asian cuisine. Despite its seat below grade, the cleverly designed space benefits from the light from large street-level windows cascading into the dining room below. Seeking a solo spot for lunch last week, I was delighted to find the long bar along the back of the room nearly empty at peak lunch hour. My meal: Hainanese chicken and rice, served bento-style with miso soup and two sauces, ginger and hot. Simple perfection. Reserve. –Lockhart Steele
NYC RESTAURANT LINKS: Following Super Bowl, Greenpoint bar Achilles Heel closes for the last time • Eddie Huang reopening Baohaus in the East Village • Houseman team readying new restaurant Zoli to open next month in East Williamsburg • Can you trust Michelin?
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Restaurants, Fort Greene
The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of NYC’s best.
Sailor, recently expanded knockout restaurant designed w/ nautical undertones from chef April Bloomfield and restaurateur Gabe Stulman, intel, reserve
Roman’s, Italian fare built around local ingredients, hard-to-snag reservation over a decade after opening, reserve
Walter’s, neighborhood anchor good for people-watching nearby Green and Maker Markets; bonus Japanese izakaya, Karasu, through secret back door, reserve
Colonia Verde, garden-level Latin American notable for sharp margaritas, greenhouse interiors, transportive back patio, reserve
Strange Delight, New Orleans comfort food on busy intersection, seafood platters included, intel, reserve
Miss Ada, share-plate-heavy modern Mediterranean beloved by FOUND subscribers, reserve
Theodora, more bang-on Mediterranean with fish-forward menu from Miss Ada team, open-fire kitchen, delightful interiors, intel, reserve
Evelina, something-for-everyone menu, plus bonus summer gelato cart, reserve
Margot, worthy burger and martini special during weeknight apero hours, plus Italian-adjacent dinner nightly, reserve
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Object
Sound bites
Earplugs are among the least sexy accessories, and as someone who’s never been an avid concert-goer, I’ve never had much use for them. That is until I started commuting on Amtrak, where the soundtrack of loud, rickety tracks and coughing and kids negotiating more iPad time turned what I’d always imagined would be a productive two-hour ride into the city into distracted, lost time. When I received a pair of Loop earplugs, that all changed.
I can confidently say Loops are the sleekest earplugs on the market. They come in a tiny AirPod-esque case that perfectly fits the smartly shaped ear pieces. Each pair comes with a variety of sized silicone tips, which attach to a round base. They actually stay in your ears. The design also looks more akin to a pair of earbuds than the nerdish earplugs of yesteryear, so I have no shame wearing them in public.
The version I have, the Loop Switch 2, is designed to keep out just the right amount of noise, with three different settings that block out more noise progressively. Never one to work in complete silence — and as I’ve always appreciated the hum of a coffee shop — the Engage mode blocks out the mumble of the train and other passengers without being completely disorienting. It’s the type of wellness trick you might not see the obvious effects of until you feel the difference (or have better hearing than everyone else in ten years). –Sylvie Florman
→ Shop: Loop Switch 2, $59.95.
GOODS & SERVICES LINKS: 10 fashion plates on city’s best vintage shopping • Enfants Riches Déprimés opening first U.S. store on Franklin St. • I need some new jeans • How to wear two pairs of pants.
WORK • Tuesday Routine
Madam mayor
YADIRA RAMOS-HERBERT • mayor • City of New Rochelle
Neighborhood you live & work in: City of New Rochelle
It’s Tuesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I chair the City Council meetings, which take place on the second and third Tuesdays of the month. After dropping my kids off at school, I arrive at City Hall around 830a with a cup of coffee in hand, and my day starts with a final review of the agenda for the evening alongside the City Manager and Corporation Counsel to review executive session items and any remaining questions.
This year, I launched Coffee with the Mayor, a monthly pop-up conversation series hosted in local cafés, small shops, senior buildings, and neighborhood hubs across New Rochelle. No big speeches, no agendas, and no barriers, just real talk with residents about what excites them, what challenges them, and what they want to see next in their city.
What’s on the agenda for today?
This morning, I’m meeting with the City Manager to discuss some ongoing capital projects. We’re preparing to welcome more than 15,000 new residents downtown over the next decade, so we’re making sure our public realm, infrastructure, and retail landscape can meet that demand. We are also working on a comprehensive stormwater management program, where we identified and designated resources for 120 city-wide projects in a proactive effort to upgrade infrastructure, reduce flooding, and protect our neighborhoods for existing and future New Rochelleans.
Later, I’m meeting with a prospective business that’s very interested in expanding its footprint with a new location in downtown New Rochelle. One of the most exciting efforts we’re leading right now is our Vanguard Initiative, a bold plan to attract new retail, restaurants, entertainment, and services that residents have been asking for, to our bustling business district.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Lately, my family and I have really enjoyed Taco Project, a new restaurant opened near Iona University. My go-to is a steak bowl, tres leches and a mango margarita. During the week, I love checking out Juiiicy, a new downtown restaurant for a chicken breast tartine, plantain chips and a mango maracuya juice. On the weekends, I usually stop by Cafetero (my go-to order is a latte and an empanada), Harpoon Hannas (where my go-to is a French roast and ricotta toast), or Casaroma (cafe con leche with one of their croissants).
How about a little leisure or culture this week?
New Rochelle has so many great parks and trails that our Parks and Rec Department does a wonderful job of maintaining, so I’ll often join my family for a walk or bike ride at Five Islands or Huguenot Park. In the fall, our Parks Department hosted a new event, Views and Brews, right at Hudson Park. There was live music, a beer garden, outdoor games for all ages, and views of the Sound — it was a perfect family event and a nice way to close out the summer season.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
In public life, “purchases” are often more institutional, but in a personal capacity, I’ve invested not so much in an item but an experience – specifically, tennis lessons and clinics. I learned how to play as a kid in Queens through a phenomenal organization called the New York Junior Tennis League. I currently play out of Yonkers Tennis Center, I love the coaches, the camaraderie of the women I play with, and I love the challenge.
As a city, we recently received about a million dollars for a solar array installation project at the New Rochelle Transit Center that will generate renewable energy. This is one of the first steps in another major development project as we reimagine the NRTC into a true multi-modal hub with better connectivity. We’re the second busiest stop on the New Haven line (second only to Grand Central), and in a few years, when we add Penn Station service and become the only station in Westchester to do so, ridership will increase further.
What store or service do you love to recommend?
I love shopping in New Rochelle and highlighting our local businesses for those who might not know about our bustling retail hub. A few favorites:
ZenShu Spa is my go-to for a mani/pedi and some time to recharge.
SuggarPlums for amazing soul food.
Our Closet Consignment, a great place to find some great deals on pre-loved consignment retail.
18th and Ward, a great spot to grab an IPA that also hosts live music, trivia night and comedy night.
Where are you donating your time or money?
I work closely with the Boys and Girls Club of New Rochelle, Hope Community Services, and the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence to participate in a myriad of student center programs and forums. My role isn’t just to serve the community, it’s to work alongside them. As a mom with children involved in many of New Rochelle’s great programs and resources, it’s even more important to pour what I can back into the city.
WORK LINKS: The old Kickstarter office is now a ‘Soho House for creators’ • Shvo says Core Club isn’t checking IDs at his 711 Fifth Ave. • Trending: reverse recruiters.
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