Evolution by David Bouley: Miami Beach, Florida
With a name derived from Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis (“There are no shortcuts in evolution”), David Bouley’s Miami Beach restaurant is a temple to the elevated and evolved. Ensconced in the fabled Morris Lapidus-designed diLido Hotel (1953, and…
Portrait Suites: Rome, Italy
Let’s be perfectly clear here: this is the best room we’ve encountered during the past five years. These are more than rooms—and more than suites, even. Rather these accommodations are private apartments—to further the impression that you are indeed…
Le Jardin de Russie at Rome’s Hotel de Russie
Ah, Roma—in August…. When the tourists have descended and the locals have fled. And you find yourself there on a holiday weekend, a Sunday at that—when many dining establishments have closed—for the season. There’s only one choice: head to le Jardin de…
Hotel Art by the Spanish Steps: Rome, Italy
Much like staterooms on a Cunard line, the shipshape rooms with their parquet hardwood floors and Florentine leather headboards make for a cozy refuge from the hustle of the (Piazza di Spagna) neighborhood. Everything has its place—and, in fact, there…
Le Grainne Cafe: New York, New York
Remember that afternoon in Paris? You’d been walking along the Seine, worn down a little by your morning at the Louvre—and you turned a corner, and there was this little café. A bottle of Sancerre and a salade nicoise, some bread, some butter—and…
The Stanton Social: New York, New York
Dolled up like a South Beach hotel lounge, the Stanton Social nonetheless fits perfectly into its raffishly chic Lower East Side locale. A beautiful three-level space fitted out with leather handrails and lizard skin banquettes, as well as belt-strapped…
La Palapa Cocina Mexicana: New York, New York
Just saying the name is fun—la palapa—and even more so if you know what it means: a palm-thatched shelter on a beach. Almost immediately, your mind conjures an idyllic scene: you and your sweetie oceanfront, your toes in the water, ice cold beverages…
5 Ninth Restaurant: New York, New York
Friday night in the Meatpacking District, well after ten pm—and the hordes are out. Buddha Bar has a ninety-minute wait and Buddakan is Grand Central. Over at Fig & Olive, the music is nightclub loud. The streets are a parade of stilettos and limos.…