Ortzi Restaurant, Photo Credit: Luma Hotels
As the weather warms up, New York City buzzes with new and exciting prospects. Head to the city this spring and check out the latest hotels, restaurants and art shows. From Irving Penn at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the newest Thompson Hotel concept to a swish cocktail bar in Midtown, now is the time to head to the Big Apple.
José Andrés’s New Restaurant
Beloved chef José Andrés plans to unveil his first NYC restaurant this spring. Though it’s yet to be named, the eatery will open inside the SLS Park Avenue, a Philippe Starck-designed hotel, and will showcase the Spanish chef’s native cuisine. The food will also speak to American dishes found in New York, the first place Andrés landed when he moved to the United States.
“Irving Penn Centennial” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Come celebrate the great American photographer Irving Penn by checking out this retrospective of his vast catalog of work. Expect to gaze at more than 200 of the artist’s prints, from images of his fashionable wife, Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn, to Quechua children in Peru and portraits of urban laborers.
There are also Penn’s famous portraits of cultural figures, a list that includes Truman Capote, Picasso and Ingmar Bergman. The show runs April 24 through July 30.
The F & R Cloud, Photo Credit: Fine & Rare
Fine & Rare
Murray Hill just got another great cocktail bar. Enter, Fine & Rare, the newest place by Flatiron Room’s Tommy Tardie and his team of crackerjack mixologists. The focus of this Old-World-style joint is rare spirits, and on the shelf you will find more than 1,000 exceptional bottles.
Not only can you get a superb drink here, but it also has a stage ripe for nightly live performances featuring Prohibition-era jazz.
Ortzi Restaurant
Coming this spring, you will be able to dine on Basque fare at award-winning chef Jose Garces’ latest project, Ortzi. (Garces owns Philadelphia Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Volvér Restaurant among other establishments.) Located in the new Luma Hotel Times Square, the restaurant will feature dishes cooked in the cazuela, a Spanish pot made out of terra cotta that’s traditionally used to prepare rich stews.
Expect exceptional food, wine and signature cocktails from this star chef as he branches out even more from his Philly home base and opens his second NYC eatery.
The Beekman, A Thompson Hotel, Photo Credit: Thompson Hotels
The Beekman, A Thompson Hotel
Once the heat kicks in, cool off a little in the latest Thompson Hotel addition: The Beekman, which debuted in summer 2016. Designed by Martin Brudnizki, the property resides in an 1881 skyscraper complete with a nine-story Victorian atrium and a stunning skylight.
Of course, there’s luxury accommodations as well as world-class dining with Augustine, a French restaurant by Keith McNally, and Fowler & Wells, an American eatery run by Tom Colicchio. The latter also features The Bar Room, the perfect place to end a spring evening with an Oaxacan Old Fashioned or George Combe (vodka, orange shrub, lemon, prosecco and Angostura bitters).
Dale Chihuly’s “Boathouse Neon,” Photo Credit: New York Botanical Garden
Dale Chihuly at the New York Botanical Garden
It’s been roughly 10 years since this world-renowned artist has showcased his glass sculptures in a New York garden. But come April 22 through October 29, you can see nearly 20 installations, drawings and early works highlighting Chihuly’s creative process scattered about the property.
The garden will also host Chihuly Nights, special programs through the fall where you can wander the conservatory and grounds to see the artist’s works lit up and sparkling, while also enjoying live music, food and themed cocktails.
DeKalb Market Hall
At the end of April, Brooklyn will join the food hall craze as Anna Castellani opens the DeKalb Market Hall downtown. With 40 unique, New York-focused food vendors, it’s sure to be the place to shop, eat and hang out this spring, especially for visitors looking to get a real taste of the city.
So far, establishments include a wholesome butcher shop, a fresh fish stall, an artisanal cheese counter and a bakery. There won’t be a single chain store in sight within this 33,000-square-foot food mecca — unless, of course, you count the Trader Joe’s opening up next door.
