Rare bottles
Echo Lake, Undercurrent, East Village real estate, Oiji Mi, Dandies, Eastwind Windham, MORE
Did you catch last week’s debut of The FOUND 45, our definitive list of favorite restaurants in New York? Paid subscribers also have access to The FOUND 45s from other FOUND cities. Here’s the full set:
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties that came to market in the East Village in the last 30 days.
→ 111 4th Ave #2FG (East Village) • 2BR/2BA, NA SF co-op • Ask: $2.799M • loft w/ 10-ft-tall west-facing factory windows • Monthly maint/tax: $3240 • Days on market: 22 • Agents: Debbie Zolan & Patrick Burns, Compass.
→ 32 E 1st St #5A (East Village) • 2BR/2BA, 1238 SF condo • Ask: $3.295M • oversized German-engineered Schüco tilt-and-turn windows • Monthly cc: $2647 • Monthly tax: $2467 • Days on market: 24 • Agents: Ryan Stenta & Alessandro Prospato, Elliman.
→ 52 E 4th St (East Village, above) • 2BR/2BA, 1317 SF condo • Ask: $5.595M • full-floor penthouse w/ 1500-SF private rooftop • Monthly cc: $4231 • Monthly tax: $2924 • Days on market: 18 • Agents: Jared Schwadron & Corey Mermelstein, Compass.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: Confusion reigns over eligibility for Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax • Plans for new 21-story Soho tower slated for Canal St. under review • 12-story new development 35 West 14th St. tops out • If Chris Pine can’t get his security deposit back, is there any hope for the rest of us?
WORK • Friday Routine
High marks
MICHAEL HURSA • executive chef • The Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges
Neighborhood you live & work in: Upper East Side
It’s Friday afternoon. How are you rolling into the weekend?
Friday afternoon means a hectic, high-intensity lunch service at The Mark Restaurant, followed by a late dinner rush and a packed bar. We serve the highest number of covers in the neighborhood, and Fridays keep us busy.
In the summertime, Friday also means the kitchen is servicing one of our signature Mark Sails. The Mark Sailboat offers guests a two-hour sail through New York Harbor, supplemented by a luxurious Jean-Georges culinary experience prepared by The Mark Restaurant. We start to check our lists, make our counts, organize our allergen plan, and most importantly, ready all the equipment to cook out of the galley.
When I get off work, if it’s before midnight and I am not exhausted, my wife Sydney (a pastry chef) and I are off to Mezzaluna for a cozy date night.
Where are you drinking or dining this weekend?
Sydney and I always try to check out industry friends’ spots or new restaurants. For example, we just had an amazing meal at Oiji Mi. Most of the time, we like to keep our fingers on the pulse. I think Essential by Christophe is one of the best restaurants in the city. We just went to Gabriel Kreuther, which never disappoints. I have to pick her birthday restaurant soon, maybe César! If it’s less of an occasion, we like to keep it local and close to the apartment on days off, visiting Cafe Alsace after taking a stroll in the park.
Any weekend getaways?
We’re both from the Outer Banks and still have family there, but time moves very quickly in the city and it’s important to rest. I usually have a four- to five-hour flight rule for most vacations, so that we don’t lose a full day in transit. We just got back from Antigua, which was phenomenal. That being said, though, I like to stay in the Upper East Side and in the city.
What was your last great vacation?
My wife and I have fun anywhere we go together. We had an amazing time in Nosara, Costa Rica. It was such an unforgettably peaceful and spiritual place. I wouldn’t recommend that any tourists go there! I also highly recommend Banff in Canada.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Summer Rush
Les Misérables: The Arena Concert Spectacular • Radio City (Midtown West) • Sat @ 2p • orch 4, $194 per
Rush • MSG (Midtown South) • Sat @ 730p • sec 107, $587 per
Marlins v Mets • Citi Field (Flushing) • Sun @ 140p • sec 110 row A, $133
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: Private club Gowanus Golf Club secures Dumbo space • David Zwirner closes Upper East Side outpost • Courtyard at PS1 gets a tranquil garden • 8 NYC artists to watch in 2026 • The 30 best art museums in the US.
GETAWAYS • The Catskills
Fine and dandy
In a getaway town like Windham, NY, it’s rare to find a place where locals and weekenders alike want to hang out, but Dandies threads the needle. On a recent weekend stay at Eastwind, the Catskills retreat where Dandies recently opened, I found that I didn’t want to go exploring for food because Dandies was right there… and so good.
It’s an unconventional setup. The dining room looks like a mid-century greenhouse, and the kitchen is in a converted Airstream trailer parked just outside. Unreasonably good food pulls it all together, with cheffed-up barbecue, like pulled pork sandwiches and meat-and-sides platters. After a three-hour drive up from the city, tucking into half a smoked chicken, perfectly creamy baked macaroni and cheese, and a crisp pilsner felt sublime. The fact that my hotel room was a three-minute walk away made it all the better.
The menu works hard all day. In the morning, I camped out with my notebook to write while I grazed on brisket hash and sweet Norwegian pancakes. And when I wanted something lighter after a long hike, an all-sides meal of things like grilled broccolini and hand-cut fries was just the thing. There’s even a gelato and sorbet bar so you can get dessert without leaving the property.
The combination of consistently excellent food available all day long coupled with extremely comfortable beds and picture-window views of the woods meant that I actually relaxed during my Eastwind weekend. As the kind of person who travels rather than vacations, that was a major win. And since I drive through the Catskills often, it’s nice to know I can always pop into Dandies to have barbecue and chill. –Carina Finn
→ Dandies (Windham, NY) • 5088 Route 23 • Thu-Fri 3-9p, Sat-Sun 8a-9p.
→ Eastwind Windham (Windham, NY) • Windham, NY • Rooms from $299/night.
GETAWAYS LINKS: Mike in Amagansett was more than a fishmonger • On Shelter Island, Marie Eiffel Market Cafe debuts Chez Marie outdoor dinner situation • Montauk General Store puts down permanent roots on Montauk Hwy. • Downtown Greenwich getting first new luxury development in years • Café Boulud opens residency at Washington, CT’s Mayflower Inn.
BARS • First Round
Rum palace
For those in the city during the dog days of summer, perhaps a visit to a new tiki bar is in order.