CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
JESS SHADBOLT & ANNIE SHI • co-founders, chef & beverage director • King
Neighborhoods you work: Soho & Rockefeller Center
Neighborhoods you live in: Fort Greene & Upper East Side
It’s Friday afternoon, how are you rolling into the weekend?
JS: We recently opened for lunch at King on Fridays, and it certainly kicks off the weekend feeling in the restaurant! Something about a long lunch to start the weekend feels so luxurious. Now that we’re into spring and the weather is getting good, I tend to close out the week catching up with the chefs on the terrace, talking through weekend menus, and ordering produce from the market while podding peas and fava beans.
AS: I just opened my wine bar in Chinatown, Lei. Back when we were in construction, I would plan my check-in around groceries from the neighborhood — soft tofu from Fong On, lap cheong and some zong zi from Sun Ming Jan to have for breakfast the next morning, and always the freshest greens from the street stands. If I'm feeling ambitious, I walk to Di Palo's in Little Italy, where we buy our ricotta at King, to pick up fresh mozzarella and bresaola for an aperitivo snack plate to share with my husband.
Where are you drinking or dining this weekend?
JS: Having spent most of the week in restaurants — either King, or our sister restaurant Jupiter — I tend to spend weekends at home, cooking in my kitchen. I've loved introducing my New York friends to the British tradition of Sunday lunch as a reminder of home. Usually I’ll prepare a rib of beef, yorkshire puds, horseradish cream — the works!
AS: We go to Eli's Table at least once a week — it’s our local Upper East Side spot and we couldn't be more lucky to have access to Eli's incredible cellar right underneath our apartment. Thibault is the wine director there, and is exceptionally talented — he can always meet the brief with something delicious.
Any weekend getaways?
JS: I love to visit Sara and Sohail at Brushland Eating House in Bovina whenever I’m Upstate. I stay at The Owl’s Nest, feast on one of Sohail's celebratory dinners, and bask in the warmth of this beautiful dining room amongst great people. It’s forever my favorite place outside of the city.
AS: Like everyone else in New York, we love going away Upstate too. Some hotel prices have gone through the roof in recent years, but the White Hart Inn in Salisbury, CT remains reasonable. Check out Black Squirrel Antiques if you’re in the neighborhood for some great gems.
What was your last great vacation?
JS: Nothing beats a trip back to the U.K. to see family and friends. Aldeburgh in Suffolk is a small coastal town on a pebble beach on the North Sea. When I’m there, my days usually consist of windy walks, fish and chips, a pint of Adnams at the pub, lunch at The Greyhound Inn, dinner at The Suffolk, and a morning swim (if I can brave the freezing water).
AS: We have a tradition of taking our newborns on an international trip — it's when sleep is meaningless no matter where you are and jetlag’s not yet an issue. I had been itching to get back to Champagne and Burgundy, so we took our two-month-old daughter there. It was an absolute dream. We saw ten different producers in the two regions, and they were so welcoming. A highlight was seeing Cedric Bouchard, my favorite Champagne producer, and tasting in his home and cellar. In Paris, our best meal of the trip was Dandelion in the 20th arrondissement. It's a little bit of a trek but so worth it. I still think about French onion soup with foie gras and Comté from chef Antoine Villard. His partner, Morgane Souris, runs the wine program and on our visit, we polished off a bottle of Beau Paysage 2021 — possibly the best Merlot I've ever had.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
JS: Wallpaper. No wall is now safe, and it appears to be a surprisingly expensive addition, but I think it's the Brit in me. Trustworth Studios is perfect in every way.
AS: The U.K. design firm, Pinch, recently popped up in Tribeca. They had a sample sale afterwards (no U.K. shipping or VAT!), and I got some gorgeous black American walnut shelves and the Anders light pendant. The shelves are still in storage awaiting a future home, but the Anders light is going into the wine bar.
What store or service do you always recommend?
JS: Head straight to PORTA on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn and buy everything in the store! The owners, Alice and Francesca, source beautiful heritage crafts with contemporary design from across Europe, resulting in a homeware collection like no other.
AS: On the Upper East Side, Schaller & Weber is one of our favorite old-school German delis and butchers, and a place we love bringing family and friends who come to visit. We always go for the incredibly hot mustard, bratwurst, and sauerkraut. They also have great marzipan fruits and in the wintertime, the best Haribo advent calendars.
Where are you donating your time or money?
JS: I feel so lucky to be part of the chefs committee for the childhood cancer foundation, Cookies for Kids Cancer.
AS: We have become good friends with Steve and Lisa who run The Here And There Collective, a non-profit that supports artists from the Asian diaspora. And I feel lucky to have been a part of Prep for Prep, which changed my life.