In the early-to-mid-2000s, what was then the equivalent of today’s influencer crowd would gather at one restaurant above all others: chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market in the Meatpacking District. 

Serving lychee martinis and the sort of Asian-inspired food that had yet to drench the city’s entire culinary purview, Spice Market eventually closed in 2016, to the consternation of the high-end crowd that enjoyed weekly standing reservations on site.

Nearly a decade later, Vongerichten is ready to use the space at 403 West 13th Street by Greenwich Street again, this time launching a private club dubbed Chez Margaux that, according to Eater, includes “a restaurant that serves modern French cuisine, private dining areas, a library, a lounge with a Japanese-inspired menu and space for caviar service and late-night bites that transitions to Gaux Gaux, an after 10pm club.”

No word yet on when the club will open but New Yorkers with a flair for the fancy can already apply for membership right here.

Unlike other area clubs like Zero Bond, the pricing model at Chez Margaux actually takes into account lifestyle differences. According to a brochure that’s posted online, the UN membership applies to folks 21 to 31 years old and includes a $1,000 fee in addition to $1,800 in annual dues.

Membership DEUX, on the other hand, applies to people who are 32 or older. The option consists of a $2,000 initiation fee followed by $2,6000 in annual dues.

The above-mentioned brochure also includes a slew of sketched renderings that convey a vibe reminiscent of all things Vongerichten: think rouge curtains, carpets and couches, a golden bar and a private dining room with a lush banquette.

According to Eater, members will have to abide by a number of rules: no iPad or laptops are allowed on premise, photos can’t be taken and guests will have to follow a dress code that prohibits them from wearing sandals, flip flops, ripped jeans or baseball hats.

Taking all into account, we have one question in mind: is the Meatpacking District about to become cool again?

* This article was originally published here

New York City first got a taste of Maison Ladurée‘s pretty, pastel-hued confections back in 2011 with Upper East Side storefront, followed by a Soho spin-off with a full-service restaurant in 2014. And now the acclaimed Parisian pâtisserie is bringing even more of its world-famous macarons to NYC, with a brand-new outpost opening inside The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards on Saturday, May 4. 

RECOMMENDED: The 10 best French bakery spots in NYC for croissants, baguettes and more

Set on the first level of 20 Hudson Yards, the new Ladurée location “meets the modern needs of gourmets pressed for time,” said Mélanie Carron, the Managing Director of Maison Ladurée. “It offers a delicious and elegant interlude with all Maison Ladurée’s well-established authenticity.” 

There will, of course, be those famous macarons, Eugénie and viennoiseries, as well as a range of new gourmet drinks, sweets and snacks available for takeaway. There will be signature lattes like the “Ispahan Latte” (flavored with rose, raspberry and lychee) and the “Plaisir Sucré Latte” (sweetened with chocolate, hazelnut and praline.) “With the creation of these first gourmet drinks, our aim is to evoke our iconic patisseries and surprise our customers with flavours that they have never tasted in this way,” said Ladurée’s executive pastry chef Julien Alvarez. 

The team is also adding three new cookies to the menu, each for $5.50: a Peanut Cookie (peanut cookie dough, peanuts and caramel salted butter), a Pistachio Cookie (pistachio cookie dough, dried fruit mix and almonds) and a Chocolate Buckwheat Cookie (chocolate cookie dough, hazelnuts, macae and caramel). There will also be a selection of Finger Pâtisserie ($9.50 each), pretty layered treats that are enveloped in a chocolate shell and available in iconic Ladurée flavors like Vanilla Pecan, Mango Yuzu, Chocolate Hazelnut Caramel and more. 

Check out some of the new menu offerings below, alongside renderings of the new space, which is dressed up in vichy checkered details and Ladurée’s signature green:

* This article was originally published here

It seems like everything is expensive in New York City these days, from rent to restaurants to even the subway fare. And while it may at first seem like you’d have to figure out time travel to get a decent drink in this city for less than twenty dollars, you actually don’t have to Hot Tub Time Machine yourself to enjoy a cheaply priced but still thoughtfully made quaff. In fact, you can still find that illusive $10-and-under cocktail at some of the best bars in NYC. See proof (literally) below!

RECOMMENDED: The 15 best cheap happy hours at dive bars and lounges in NYC

1. Emerald Martini at Dante 

We’ll admit, we’ve become a bit numbed by the thought of the $30 martini. But there are still some A-plus cocktail bars in the city offering the timeless quaff for well under $20—in fact, Dante’s serving them up for only an Alexander Hamilton during its daily Martini Hour. Between 3pm and 5pm, you can get a ten-buck ‘tini like the Emerald Martini, which gives the classic a fresh, vegetal update with Rutte celery gin, Dolin Dry, Manzana Verde, celery bitters and black pepper. 

2. Pineapple Daiquiri at Holiday Cocktail Lounge

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Holiday Cocktail Lounge (@holidaycocktaillounge)

Call it a cheat—we call it strategy. The large-format “Bulk Order” cocktails at that East Village favorite Holiday Cocktail Lounge serve four to six folks and are priced at $60. Do the math: gather five of your favorite drinking buddies to share a summery Pineapple Daiquiri (Ten to One Dark Rum, piña cordial and lime) and you’ll each get to enjoy a ten-dollar tipple. 

3. Mai Tai at Zombie Hut

One of the city’s best tiki bars is also home to some of the most budget-friendly bevs in New York City: Smith Street standby Zombie Hut pours tropical creations like Singapore Slings, Planter’s Punch and a simple but mighty Mai Tai (made with pineapple, rum and amaretto) for less than a tenner each. 

4. Café Martini at Holiday Bar

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BODY (@drinkbody)

Not to be confused with Holiday Cocktail Lounge, Holiday Bar usually pours out cocktails in the $20 to $25 range—except on Tuesdays, where night day long you can get the martini of your choice for $10 a pop, including this Casamigos-splashed take on an espresso martini. 

5. Frozen Margarita at Botanica Bar

From peach Frosé to piña coladas, the frozens over at lovably shabby downtown dive Botanica Bar are already very cheap by New York standards at $11 each. But they’re mind-bogglingly marked down even more during happy hour (held every day until 7pm), when you can get a frozen marg for a cool eight bucks. 

* This article was originally published here

Break out some faux fur, feathers, fangs, flippers, tentacles, scales, and sequins to transform into a creature of the Gowanus Canal at this new parade—the weirder, the better. Think: Freaky fish, jaunty jellyfish, harried heron, radioactive rats, rabid raccoons, poised porpoises, the legendary Sludgie the Whale, or any other fantastical canal creature that strikes your fancy. 

All are welcome to dress in their most inventive, most Gowanus-y outfit for the first-ever Gowanus Art Parade on Saturday, June 1. It’s hosted by Arts Gowanus as a way to bring joy to the neighborhood and uplift what makes the community so special.

RECOMMENDED: Giant puppets will parade through NYC to celebrate climate solutions

“All of the physical changes currently happening in Gowanus have many locals worried about losing the neighborhood they know and love. We hope that this will be an uplifting event that reinforces community spirit, and reminds everyone that people—our friends and neighbors—are what make Gowanus special,” the organization’s special projects director Pam Wong tells Time Out New York. 

More than 500 artists live or work in the area, and she hopes they’ll concoct spectacular artwork and outrageous costumes, too.

Plus, she added, the event offers a chance to celebrate the Gowanus Canal, which is “teeming with wondrous creatures both real and imaginary.” The 1.8-mile-long canal was built in the mid-1800s, then gas plants, paper mills, tanneries, and chemical plants dumped waste into it. The waterway also endured pollution from sewer overflows. All of that combined to make the “one of the nation’s most seriously contaminated water bodies,” per the EPA.

Now a superfund site, a significant cleanup effort is underway. Work so far has included sampling groundwater, water, and even fish tissue. 

We want to pay tribute to the resilient and tenacious wildlife that lives in and along the canal. 

“We want to pay tribute to the resilient and tenacious wildlife that lives in and along the canal,” Wong says. 

In addition to dressing like a real or imaginary canal creature, parade-goers are welcome to to bring along their artwork—posters, sculptures, puppets, banners, flags, and even effigies—to carry in the procession.

To get in on the fun, meet in the alleyway between 543 Union and 280 Nevins at 2:30pm on Saturday, June 1 before the march kicks off at 3pm. The route will traverse an iconic Gowanus bridge, traipse along the waterfront, and end at a community street festival at 2nd Street outside the Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse. The festival features Mookntaka’s interactive sculpture Hedgehog, crocheted critters courtesy of the 4th Ave Yarn Collective, live music, and an afterparty. 

* This article was originally published here