Promenade - Spring 2011

PROMENADE

PROMENADE About New York since 1934

NYLUXURY.COM

SPRING 2011

■ Runway Report ■ The Spring Theatre Season ■ Shopping Fifth Avenue ■ Fine Dining ■

OH MY LORD & TAYLOR It’s Vince Camuto, and it’s $118 too!

shopping * Runway Report * Fabulous on Fifth * Artful Jewelry

dining * Greek Inspired * From Farm to Table

a new york spring the arts * Starry Stages

SPRING 2011

FIFTH AVENUE AT 39TH STREET Stop by our Executive office on the 7th floor to get a savings pass to use all day.

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PUBLISHER’S LETTER

Jewelry

Gino Severini’s Red Cross Train Passing a Village at the Guggenheim

Watches

spring in

PROMENADE

Andrew Eccles

A

Theatre

Dining

fter such a harsh winter in New York, it’s time to take pleasure in all this lovely season has to offer. Manhattan springs to its effervescent life in these months, and Promenade will be your guide to it all. From the runways, you’ll see the most fashion-forward designs now in the finest stores and boutiques. Take our shopping tour of Fifth Avenue and find chic indulgences.

Visit the whimsical world of Mackenzie-Childs, one of the most unique purveyors of home furnishings. And read about Sasson Basha on the multi-generational business created by his father, Aaron Basha, designer of the iconic “Baby Shoe” collection.

Theatre in New York is always a star-studded experience and this season is no exception. On the boards are Joel Grey in Anything Goes, Chris Noth and Kiefer Sutherland in That Championship Season, Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed, plus Edie Falco, Sutton Foster, Ben Stiller, Robin Williams and so many more – see our Theatergoers Guide for the complete rundown. Catch up on the many modern dance companies filling the stages at the Joyce and other venues around town; and at the Met, view an Emperor’s private garden from China’s Forbidden City.

Meet Executive Chef Jim Botsacos, whose fine Greek cuisine at the 3-star Molyvos is extraordinary. Learn about Aureole and other fine restaurants serving the freshest local ingredients…from farm to table. See what’s on the spring menu at The Four Seasons Restaurant and read about David Burke Kitchen, the chef’s newest restaurant, at The James New York Hotel in Soho.

Travel with Promenade to England’s lush Lake District and the dramatic Jurassic Coast. Savor the sublime at exclusive spas we’ve selected. And use our up-to-date guides for shopping, dining, theatre, museums, galleries, performing arts and sightseeing to enjoy New York at its best.

Visit nyluxury.com, where you’ll find the most current listings, news from behind the scenes on Broadway and off, expert shopping tips and designer sample sales. Have a great spring!

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David L. Miller Publisher­ PROMENADE I

DEDICATED TO THE AFFLUENT NEW YORK CITY VISITOR

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About New York since 1934

PROMENADE

nyluxury.com Spring 2011

finds on fifth

Shopping New York The Runway Report 20 From fruit-inspired prints to biker chic to plunging hemlines, the looks for spring mix it up.

The Whimsical World of MacKenzie-Childs 26 With a new line in bloom, the company continues to expand one of the most unique brands in home furnishings.

Taking the Fifth 28 Avenue, that is. The grand shopping street that has it all.

true treasures

The Style Interview 32 Sasson Basha – the son of Aaron, who designed the famous “Baby Shoe” collection – on the family business. best bags

Women and Their Handbags 34 Why we simply can’t have enough of them.

Editor’s Picks: Watching Time Fly 16 The latest in tick-tock splendor.

The Virtual Voyager 18 Topflight tips for the discerning traveler.

The Best Places 36 Great suggestions for successful shopping.

simply stunning

on the cover Clockwise from top left: Oscar de la Renta, Spring/Summer 2011 collection; Bracelets, Frey Wille; The bar at Molyvos; Brics’s luggage; Harvey Fierstein in La Cage aux Folles; Sutton Foster in Anything Goes; The lounge at The Continental’s Club & Spa. Photo credits: Harvey Fierstein, Josh Lehrer; Sutton Foster, Andrew Eccles; The Continental, dbox.

check mate

put a ring on it

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About New York since 1934

Spring 2011

Andrew Eccles

Alison Dyer

PROMENADE

nyluxury.com

broadway lights

On the Town Theatre

The Theatregoer’s Guide: Spring Edition 48 A blue-chip buffet of new shows with Chris Noth, Kiefer Sutherland, Daniel Radcliffe, Sutton Foster, Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Edie Falco and more.

Talking With: Joel Grey 50 The actor is wearing two hats–as a performer on Broadway in Anything Goes and a photographer with a show at The Museum of the City of New York.

Albert Watson

opera

opera fun

A Wonderful Tale of Lust and L’Amour 62 For the first time since it was written in 1828, Rossini’s delightful Le Comte Ory is staged by the Met. DANCE

Martha’s Children 64 The contemporary companies who live with Graham’s legacy are flourishing all over town this spring.

graham’s legacy

Museums

The Forbidden City’s Private Paradise 70 A new show at the Met features 90 treasures from the Qianlong Garden, the retirement enclave built by the 18th-century Emperor who ruled China.

REAL ESTATE

Striking Structures in the Sky 80 See what the biggest names in New York City architecture have recently added to the horizon.

Travel

lush landscapes italian heritage

Gloriously Green England 82 The lush Lake District and the dramatic Jurassic Coast.

Dining

Promenade Picks 90 The Four Seasons Restaurant and Abboccato.

From Farm to Table 91 Serving the freshest ingredients from local greenmarkets and fisheries.

The Restaurant Interview: Jim Botsacos 106 Molyvos’ executive chef approaches his 3-star Greek cuisine in a very modern way.

The Most Up-to-Date Guides:

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Theatre Performing Arts Museums Galleries Sights in the City Dining

forbidden beauty

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About New York since 1934

PROMENADE Spring 2011

PUBLISHER David L. Miller CO-PUBLISHER Eli Marcus ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Lisa Ben-Isvy SALES & MARKETING

VP Sales & Marketing VP Community Relations Director of Marketing Senior Account Manager

Vincent Timpone Janet Z. Barbash Susan Fine Fred Moskowitz

EDITORIAL

Editor Listings Editor Style Editor Theatre Editor Assistant Editor

Phyllis Singer Colin Carlson Ruth J. Katz Griffin Miller Christine Tarulli

Contributing Editors Kaitlin Ahern Martin Bernheimer Marian Betancourt Rachel Brodsky Kristopher Carpenter Sylviane Gold Karin Lipson Research Assistant Peter Bradley Art Director Jiyon Son PUBLISHING OPERATIONS

General Manager Thomas K. Hanlon Director of Distribution Linda Seto Moi Online Content Manager Alexia Innis Administrative Frank Kirsner Denise Marcovitch Traffic Heather Gambaro Dana Golia Events Manager Rebecca Stolcz Sales Assistant Enrico Yee FINANCE

Credit Manager Elizabeth Teagarden Shaquon Cates Curtis Chaffin Diedra Smith Bookkeeper Fran Giovinco Assistant Bookkeeper Socehira David PROMENADE | DEDICATED TO THE AFFLUENT NEW YORK CITY VISITOR

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Chief Executive Officer: David L. Miller Quarterly circulation is audited by BPA Worldwide NO PORTION OF THIS MAGAZINE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ARTICLES, LISTINGS, MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISION OF THE PUBLISHERS. Copyright: 2011 by Davler Media Group LLC. 212.315.0800.

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For circulation inquiries, call Thomas K. Hanlon, 646.736.3604 All rights reserved.

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EDITOR’S PICKS

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watching

time fly

The SIHH Show, or the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, was just mounted in Geneva in January. It is the premier event in the calendar year for the watch brands of the Compagnie Financière Richemont, SA (including luxury companies like A. Lange & Söhne, Piaget, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, and Panerai, among others). So it is, therefore, the time of year that serious watch collectors—and even neophytes to the world of tick-tock splendor—start scoping out hot, new objects of desire for their wish lists. In March the rival show, BaselWorld, will be staged, and committed watch aficionados will once again start slavering over more wrist eye candy to add to their treasure troves. Here are a few watches that have recently hit the marketplace. By Ruth J. Katz

From the Vacheron Constantin collection of “Overseas” watches, the “Dual Time Steel and Titanium” features two subdials, one for a second time zone with a day/night indicator and the other for the date; it also comes with two straps—gray alligator and black rubber. $14,400.

Wempe, 700 Fifth Avenue (55th Street); 212-397-9000; 800-513-1131; wempe.com, vacheron-constantin.com/en2/

▼

▼ A. Lange & Söhne’s Richard Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” houses a highly intricate movement, with a pivoting dial. $175,000.

Wempe, 700 Fifth Avenue (55th Street); 212-397-9000; 800-513-1131; wempe.com, alange-soehne.com/cms/en/

]

▼ From the Vintage 1945 XXL series, which is a reinterpretation of classic Girard-Perregaux styles, updated with 21st-century flair. This self-winding model features a 48-hour power reserve and is crafted in 18-kt. rose gold. $23,100.

Girard-Perregaux, 701 Madison Avenue (62nd/63rd Streets); 646-495-9915; girard-perregaux.com

Typical of the brand’s design ethos, the stainless steel Jacquet Droz “1169” sports a clean, modern, black-onyx face; the watch is self-winding and provides 68 hours of power reserve. $9,200.

Tourbillon Boutique New York, 45 Wall Street (William/Broad Streets);212-797-2503; tourbillon.com

▼

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Promenade - Spring 2011: Aaron Basha advertisement (Right Hand Read)

Aaron Basha Boutique • 680 Madison Avenue • New York • 212.935.1960 • w w w. a a ro n b a s h a . co m Athens

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editor’s picks

Topflight Tips for the Discerning Traveler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

virtual voyager

the

The Royal Collection (c) 2010, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

t

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The Speakers Corner

t

Barely the size of a book, this sleek Portable Speaker System rates high among travelers who prize technology that’s a) compact and b) can multi-task. This particular docking device for iPods and iPhones definitely fits the bill with two powerful built-in speakers and dual-alarm and snooze functions allowing you to kick back and listen – or wake up to – your favorite music tracks. Adding to its allure is the way the speaker system folds down for easy packing. A top-of-the-line Sharper Image product, this compact must-have is $79.99. sharperimage.com

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By Griffin Miller

Breakfast During The Royal Wedding: An Invitation

Prince William and Kate Middleton may be taking their vows in Great Britain, but two of Manhattan’s most majestic hotels are making it possible for un-commoners like ourselves to celebrate the nuptials live amongst fellow Anglophiles via giant-screen TVs while dining on five-star breakfast cuisine.

On the East Side, the aristocratic backdrop is the New York Palace Hotel, sister property to The Dorchester in London where Prince Philip held his bachelor party prior to marrying William’s grandmum, Queen Elizabeth II. Six-plus decades later – on April 29, 2011, to be exact – guests of the Palace will gather in The Drawing Room, housed in the hotel’s historic Villard Mansion, for a traditional British breakfast of scones with marmalade, kippers, fried eggs and bangers. (Service begins at 6am to correspond with the wedding’s 11am London start time. The festivities will end with a champagne toast at 8am.)

The $150-per-person price includes a commemorative wedding favor: a scented glass candle embossed with a crown logo. And, to ensure guests are suitably cozy throughout, pillows, blankets and slippers will be available upon arrival. newyorkpalace.com.

Across town, New York’s other palatial breakfast comes wrapped in a brilliant single-night package: The Trump Royal Wedding Experience.

Hosted by Trump International Hotel and Tower New York (Central Park & Columbus Circle), it includes a luxurious night in a guest room designed by Ivanka Trump followed by breakfast (starting at 5am) at the internationally acclaimed Jean Georges restaurant. While watching William and Kate exchange rings, guests will toast the happy couple with sparkling mimosas as they dine on scrambled eggs with caviar, mini-French toast, and pains au chocolat.

The package, priced at $1,075 for a City-view suite and $1,425 for an executive Park-view suite, comes with a most coveted take-home keepsake: a piece of official Royal Wedding china commissioned by The Royal Collection. trumpnewyorkhotel.com.

The Gold Standard for In-Room Pets

While hotel perks for pampered pets are growing in popularity, most vacationers find themselves unable to share their travels with their feathered, finned or furry friends. Thinking outside the box (and inside the fishbowl), the upscale Kimpton Hotel Group has come up with a charming and sophisticated solution: in-room goldfish.

Fifty-one of Kimpton’s 55 boutique hotels across the U.S. offer Guppy Love, a unique and whimsical program allowing guests to request a live goldfish to share their suite throughout their stay. (Hotel staff takes care of feedings and daily upkeep.) Kimpton – already known for its hosPETality, designating all pets welcome in their hotels regardless of size, weight, kind or breed – embraced goldfish companionship after research was released indicating “watching colorful fish swim gracefully to and fro actually calms nerves, reduces anxiety and lowers blood pressure.” A fish story with a happy ending. fourseasons.com/lanai/

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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Styl e?

The Unpredictable

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rUnWaY reporT, sprIng/ sUmer 2 011 From fruit-inspired prints to biker chic to plunging hemlines, the looks for spring mix it up.

Issey Miyak e Prada

L’Wren Sco tt Escada

orange: darIng or a dasH

By Ruth J. Katz

S

pring fashions usually erupt with bright, peppy colors—explosions of gaiety on fabric—and glorious, but predictable prints, like polka dots, florals, stripes, and geometrics. But this season, the usual suspects are in hiding—the polka dots, stripes, delicate flowers are all under wraps. It’s not that there were no prints this season, but they were not the expected blossoms. At Stella McCartney, patterns were ablaze with a citrus-inspired theme: lemons, oranges, limes, and grapefruit! And Miuccia Prada championed bananas!

And it’s not that there was no color this year. But the bold colors you’d expect with spring’s silhouettes were not all-pervading. Orange found its calling in almost every collection: It burst upon the fashion scene with a vengeance in all the runway shows three years ago, and it just does not want to slink back into a Pantone color chart and hibernate. Even designers who showed no head-to-toe ensembles in ginger offered a flash of carrot here (like a ribbon on a shoe), or a dash of poppy there (as in an unexpected splash in a model’s tresses).

There were “costumes” on the runway. “Biker chic” looks—edgy, asymmetric, with tough-girl sass—even at places like Hermès and Bottega Veneta.

Ralph Lauren and L’Wren Scott featured a Western cowgirl flavor, Erin Fetherston offered a safari theme, and there was a decidedly Korean influence at Carolina Herrera, where the sensational runway looks were accessorized with high-crowned, flat-brimmed hats, and garments sporting ethnic-inspired Dorae knots and classic Korean bow-sashes.

Hemlines took a dip this season, starting just at the knee and plummeting from there. In contrast, last spring, bare legs ruled the runway, with minidresses and short shorts leading the leggy parade. Perhaps it’s gam-backlash, but this spring’s frocks are more prim and “ladylike,” skimming the knee and the calf...except for the dresses with irregular hemlines, and those with a fishtail sweep that offer a peek-a-boo glimpse of a knee, and then cascade down to a mermaid flourish in the back.

Expect to see a palette of neutral tones and white, white, white. Lace and see-through macramé made a comeback, and many permutations of a lace-look were visible—slashed fabrics, laser-cut sleeves, and diaphanous sheers. And as if those treatments were not gossamer enough, the bedroom inspired a host of lounging pajamas, caftans, negligee looks, ethereal goddess dresses, and at-home ensembles—including cutesy-pie, Lolita-look baby-dolls. The ’70s disco ethos resurfaced, and if you think Saturday Night Fever when getting dressed, you’ll have the look down to a T, which only underscores that everything old is new again—that is to say, when creating the look is in the hands of the fashion geniuses who know how to reinvent and drape a bolt of cloth. ■ 21

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RUNWAY REPORT, SPRING/ SUMER 2 011

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LACY LOOKS

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STYLENEW YORK

[C lockwise from top left: The new Underpinnings Furniture Collection mingles the brand’s signature Courtly Check pattern with fresh ticking stripes; New Flower Market enamelware (pictured here in plum) sets the table in shades of spring; All nine dinnerware and serving patterns of the Taylor Ceramics line are made to mix and match in playful harmony; Rebecca Proctor, Creative Director, and Lee Feldman, CEO ]

the whimsical world of MacKenzie-Childs With a new spring line blooming in its flagship store in midtown, the company continues to expand one of the most unique and exciting brands in the home furnishings market.

By Kaitlin Ahern

S

tep into the MacKenzie-Childs flagship store at 14 West 57th Street and you may feel as if you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole.

Immediately recognizable from Fifth Avenue by its bold awning (adorned in the brand’s signature Courtly Check® pattern), the MacKenzieChilds store transports visitors to a colorful, imaginative world filled with happy oddities, such as intricately painted chairs that hang suspended from the wall, lamp-topped mannequins that preside over tea party settings, and plump ottomans that resemble oversized pincushions. Echoing the awning outside, the Courtly Check® pattern is everywhere, bringing to mind a most erratic game of chess—fitting, since the best word to describe the atmosphere here is simply “playful.” But juxtaposed with those bold black and white squares are splashes of vibrant color, the majority of which are contained within pretty, if somewhat untraditional, floral patterns.

Founded in 1983 and known best for its unique ceramics and other home

furnishings, MacKenzie-Childs introduces a new design collection every six months. The spring line that debuted in late January is perhaps its most floral yet, featuring a complete collection of outdoor furniture that represents the brand’s recent foray into garden furnishings and accessories. In keeping with MacKenzie-Child’s surprising and delightful designs, the new line throws the spotlight on bright, bouncy colors—most notably, a tasteful hot pink.

The new focus on garden accoutrements is one example of the company’s ever-expanding reach in the luxury home market, which has been accelerated within the last few years, due mostly to a change in ownership. “I think I can say with complete candor that right now is the most exciting time for MacKenzie-Childs that I’ve ever witnessed,” says Creative Director Rebecca Proctor, who’s been with the company for 20 years, serving the last nine in her current position. “Our new owners [at Twin Lakes Capital] share our vision for the collection, and the design team has a lot of freedom right now to ex-

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The Reign of the Court(ly) Jester

[ Courtly Campaign furniture is handsome, refined, and ever-so MacKenzie-Childs ]

plore different product categories.” Among these, Proctor lists the introduction of home fragrances and last year’s addition of a Christmas collection, which will be revamped with 350 new products for the upcoming fall/winter season, when the store will again be enveloped in a whimsical holiday wonderland.

While the flagship store couldn’t be more well suited for its luxurious midtown home—just steps away from Central Park and The Plaza Hotel New York—MacKenzie-Childs hails originally from a small town in the Finger Lakes region of Central New York, where the company’s 65-acre dairy-farmturned-design-campus is located. Overlooking Cayuga Lake in scenic Aurora, NY, the estate houses the company’s production studio and retail shop along with a Second Empire farmhouse, greenhouse, “Chicken Palace,” horse barn, duck pond, and acres of fields and gardens. It’s here, in this most impressive setting, that the company’s design team, spearheaded by Proctor, conceptualizes its visions and brings many of them to life. All of the company’s ceramics are handmade in Aurora and its furniture is hand painted and finished there.

Other products are designed in Aurora then sourced all over the world, such as its glass Christmas ornaments, which are mouth blown and hand painted in Poland.

“When you see the place, it gives you a completely different perspective on our work,” says Proctor, who admits that the region’s landscapes show up in a large amount of the company’s designs. “We’re in a beautiful barn, and right outside my own window is a beautiful pond, I can see the Chicken Palace, and I have a view of willowy trees—every view out of every window is magnificent.

We’re all very inspired by our surroundings.”

Though it’s far from any beaten path, the company’s unique home attracts about 60,000 visitors every year, most of which are dedicated collectors for whom it’s somewhat of a Mecca. “We have very passionate collectors because we stand for something different in the market,” says CEO Lee Feldman, who believes the brand’s whimsical and eclectic nature reflects on its followers.

“They’re the creative ones in their social circles. They know what exhibits are at the museums and what’s playing at the theatre; they set a beautiful table and they know how to throw a great party. They tend to be involved in their own creative pursuits, and they look to MacKenzie-Childs for inspiration.”

Proctor says the brand’s collectors, in turn, serve as inspiration for its designers. “Our mission is to make our MacKenzie-Childs customers very happy. And I say that 212-570-6050; mackenzie-childs.com really seriously,” Proctor says. “We enjoy being the product that puts a smile on people’s faces. There are so many choices on the market, we make it our mission to be the exception to the rule, to be over the top and really have fun with the product. Otherwise, why bother?” n

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[ I nviting in black and white, the Courtly Check® enamel serving ware collection’s hand-painted checks reveal a spectrum of accent colors ]

Owing to its playful nature, the MacKenzie-Childs brand has often been hailed as the Court Jester of the Tabletops, a title from which the company’s signature pattern, Courtly Check®, draws its name.

The black and white checks first appeared as a minor decorative detail on an armoire in the early ’90s, when it was originally dubbed “Roasted Marshmallow.” In the mid ’90s the team decided it would be fun to put the pattern on an enamel dinnerware collection, and the rest is history. “It caught on very quickly,” Proctor remembers. Soon, due to popular demand, the pattern started appearing on everything from furniture to glassware to gift-wrapping ribbon.

“What’s distinctive about it is there are really lovely colors dragged through the black and white checks,” Proctor says. And because of the different materials used to create the pattern on different products, there will always be subtle variations, which allows it to be formal yet playful—an idea that truly encapsulates MacKenzie-Childs.

This spring, Courtly Check® shares the spotlight with a black and white mattress ticking pattern on the company’s new Underpinnings Collection, an American-made furniture line finished with upholstery-grade fabrics imported from Austria and hand-painted accents.

Admirers of Courtly Check® might also be interested to know that MacKenzie-Childs will unveil a similar pattern, called Parchment Check®, in its upcoming fall/winter collection. Proctor describes the new white-on-white pattern as a softer tabletop expression than its courtly cousin. “If you’ve ever used parchment paper…it has a sense of importance and permanence about it reminiscent of old books. It’s romantic and very elegant.” – K.A.

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streets, g in p p o h randest s g ’s ld r o w ne of the O . is t a h t , e The Avenu

has it all

Fifth Avenue is touted and feted in so many ways…as the site of Gotham’s many parades – especially the annual Easter day stroll – as home to the tree at Rockefeller Center during the Christmas season, and as simply one of the most burnished of shopping destinations in the world. Its aura spreads to the side-street tributaries that shoot off of the celebrated thoroughfare; and in fact, the Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District also includes the rarified retail turf on 57th Street. According to Faith Hope Consolo, the Chairman of the Retail Leasing, Marketing, and Sales Division of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate, and the go-to oracle for all things retail, “Fifth Avenue is looking more and more like the Champs-Elysées these days – with storefronts aglitter with imposing glass facades, and a fascinating mix of exciting retail, all housing the most cherished and sought-after retail names in the world.” Consolo allows that soon Fifth will host a new Louis Vuitton high jewelry boutique as well as a shop from well regarded Spanish jeweler Tous. Here is a sampling of merchandise from on and off this legendary street of dreams. By Ruth J. Katz A newcomer to the city, the ultra-prestigious Connor New York custom-crafts extraordinarily elegant, personal writing paper. From $2,000.

Connor New York at The Shops at The Plaza, 1 West 58th Street, Galleria Level (Fifth/Sixth Avenues); 212-756-8690; connornyc.com

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Fun blue and white glasses from Prada.

Price upon request.

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Prada’s hot orange-and-black striped wedgie. $595.

Prada, 724 Fifth Avenue (56th/57th Streets); 212-664-0010; 575 Broadway (Prince Street); 212-334-8888, 888-977-1900; prada.com

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From the Van Cleef & Arpels’ “Les Voyages Extraordinaires” collection, the “Astre” ring, with diamonds and sapphires, set in 18-kt. white gold. Price upon request.

Van Cleef & Arpels, 744 Fifth Avenue (57th Street); 212-644-9500; vancleef.com

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Jeweler Axel Russmeyer creates stunning earrings out of handcrafted new and vintage beaded beads. From $1,100 to $1,750.

Kentshire Galleries at Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Avenue (57th/58th Streets); 212-872-8653; kentshire.com

South Sea pearl, diamond, and onyx cuff-style bracelet, set in combination of platinum and 18-kt. white gold. $110,000.

Ellagem by appointment only; 212-398-0101; ellagem.com

Wempe’s 18-kt. white-gold “Zebra” bracelet with brilliant-cut diamonds and black lacquer. $20,125.

Wempe, 700 Fifth Avenue (55th Street); 212-397-9000; 800-513-1131; wempe.com

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Earrings with head-turning, blazing-white 11mm. South Sea pearls, accented with dangling aquamarines and diamonds, set in platinum, from Mikimoto. $47,000.

Mikimoto, 730 Fifth Avenue (56th/57th Streets); 212-457-4600, 888-701-2323; mikimotoamerica.com

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A luxurious, silk-twill “Seascape” scarf by Bulgari. $345.

Bulgari, 730 Fifth Avenue (57th Street); 212-315-9000, 800-BULGARI; 783 Madison Avenue (66th/67th Streets); 212-717-2300; bulgari.com

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SHOPPINGNEW YORK

A charming pitcher from MacKenzie-Childs’ “Flower Market” enamelware collection, including bowls, plates, and serving platters ($34 to $128.) $68.

MacKenzie-Childs, 14 West 57th Street (Fifth/Sixth Avenues); 212-570-6050; mackenzie-childs.com

Designer Jay Strongwater’s “Canaray Collection” at Saks Fifth Avenue features frames that combine whimsy and opulence, in a whirl of crystals and elaborate metalwork. $2,900.

Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 Fifth Avenue (49th/50th Streets); 877-551-7257; 212-753-4000; saksfifthavenue.com, jaystrongwater.com

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Swarovski’s crystalline cocktail glasses. $390/set of two.

Swarovski, 30 Rockefeller Center (49th/50th Streets); 212-332-4300; swarovski.com

The eye-candy, limited-edition book, Windows at Bergdorf Goodman (Assouline), is a must for anyone who has admired the cleverness of the astounding vitrines at the eponymous emporium. $550.

Assouline at The Shops at The Plaza, 1 West 58th Street, Lobby Mezzanine Level (Fifth/Sixth Avenues); 212-593-7236; shopassouline.com; Bergdorf Goodman, 754 Fifth Avenue (57th/58th Streets); 212-753-7300, 800-558-1855; bergdorfgoodman.com

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The Art of the Interior (Rizzoli) is a sumptuous homefurnishings book from interior design genius Richard Gillette. $60.

Rizzoli, 31 West 57th Street (Fifth and Sixth Avenues); 212-759-2424, 800-52Books; rizzoliusa.com

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taking the fifth

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Tiffany & Co.’s “Fifth Avenue” playful bone china box, celebrating Gotham’s legendary destination. $95.

Tiffany & Co., 727 Fifth Avenue (57th Street); 212-755-8000, 800-526-0649; 37 Wall Street (Nassau/William Streets); 212-514-8015; tiffany.com

Smythson of Bond Street’s sumptuous iPad covers, in various, sumptuous leathers and textures. $290 to $350.

Smythson of Bond Street, 4 West 57 Street (Fifth/Sixth Avenues); 212-265-4573; smythson.com

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From designer Tommy Hilfiger’s Spring 2011 line, a vibrant men’s ensemble.

Tommy Hilfiger Fifth Avenue, 681 Fifth Avenue (53rd/54th Streets); 212-223-1824; tommy.com

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Bottega Veneta’s intrecciato napa-leather eye mask, ideal for travel. $190.

Bottega Veneta, 697 Fifth Avenue (54th/55th Streets); 212-371-5511, 877-362-1715; bottegaveneta.com

A millinery fantasy from Brenda Waites Bolling, in snow-white horsehair and braided Sunbrella, and festooned with floral opulence. $1200.

Brenda Waites Bolling at The Shops at The Plaza, 1 West 58th Street, Galleria Level (Fifth/Sixth Avenues); 212-935-9500; brendawaitesbolling.com

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2/23/11 6:21 PM

STYLENEW YORK

talking with Sasson Basha The son of Aaron Basha, designer of the iconic “Baby Shoe” and “Evil Eye” collections, discusses his family’s multi-generational jewelry business and its philosophy of whimsy and fun.

By Rachel Brodsky

L

uxury shoppers frequenting Aaron Basha’s flagship store on Madison Avenue may already be familiar with his idiosyncratic pieces, but a closer look at this family business reveals a long history in jewelry and a warm friendliness that shines through in every product he creates. Stroll into the New York store and you’ll see attractive displays of the iconic, fanciful pendants and often get a greeting from the patriarch himself, Aaron.

Originally from a long line of jewelry traders, Basha’s parents were pearl dealers whose clients included royals in the Middle East.

Today, Aaron Basha’s jewelry is available in 16 countries while he and his children work hard to dream up fresh, whimsical designs that recall a Middle Eastern philosophy, motherhood, childhood, and innocence.

About 15 years ago, the Basha brand gained an international presence with of the arrival of the “Baby Shoe” collection to commemorate the birth of Aaron’s first grandchild. These dainty, colorful charms are each encrusted with tiny sparkling diamonds while some contain additional jeweled embellishments with pink or blue sapphires. The Basha brand is also well known for its “Evil Eye” collection, which tends to be made up of white or yellow gold and diamonds, while some boast multi-colored sapphires. Other Basha creations include playful ladybug charms, frogs, and zodiac signs,

worn by a number of celebrities, including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Demi Moore, Heidi Klum, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, and others.

Promenade sat down with Sasson Basha, Aaron’s son and the president of the company, to talk about his family’s history, the everpopular baby shoe collection, and how his family’s values play into the Basha brand.

Promenade: I’m very interested in your company’s background; I’d love to get a better sense of its history.

Sasson Basha: It’s actually a third generation of family jewelers... [my] father was in the business for over 60 years. He understands this business very well from the bench work, the diamond setting, and cutting. We were really born into this business, so we have a very strong understanding about the trade.

Promenade: When did you first start working in the business?

SB: I started when I was born; I was already in the family business.

Basically as a teenager, I was always working and getting exposed to the jewelry, to the elements.

Promenade: The company’s background is Middle Eastern, correct?

SB: Yes, absolutely. We’re from the Middle East. My grandmother used to be the private jeweler to the royals in the Middle East. And

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[ The fanciful jewelry designed by Aaron Basha, Sasson’s father, is inspired by Middle Eastern folklore and a child-like innocence, as seen in the brightly colored designs of his collections: Evil Eye, opposite page, Zodiac, above, and Baby Shoe, right ]

that’s how we started. She was more into traditional jewelry, you know – diamonds, pearls and heavy pieces…nothing like what we’re doing today. Today we are more whimsical.

Promenade: How did the company cross over into more whimsical territory?

SB: Well that happened about 15 years ago. Aaron was looking to celebrate the birth of his first grandchild. He and my mother decided to create the “baby shoe” and present it to their daughter to celebrate her new child and their new grandchild. So it took off from there, basically. [The baby shoe] came out so [beautifully] that many of our customers loved it and wanted us to make some things as well.

Promenade: What about your new “Evil Eye” designs? What’s the background there?

SB: The Evil Eye is basically [from] a Mediterranean culture, and is buried in the philosophies of life. It covers many countries: Greece, Turkey, all the countries throughout the Middle East…even in Bulgaria there is a very strong belief in the Evil Eye, which is a protection against bad energy. [For] the wearer, it’s all about good luck, good fortune, and protection against evil. It’s quite amazing…we did not create it, but [our designs] are our interpretation of a contemporary look. [The evil eye] applies to so many people through so many cultures throughout the world, and it has been adopted by North Americans, Europeans, and South Americans. It crosses over the borders. It’s quite amazing. We make [the jewelry] in Italy in the finest quality possible. Our designs are simple, classic, yet very contemporary and elegant. It’s worn by many, many, many people.

Promenade: I see that you have a lot of celebrity fans.

SB: Absolutely, absolutely. Our jewelry is worn by a lot of celebrities. A lot of Hollywood moms. It’s quite magical. I would say almost every Hollywood mom [has worn our jewelry], like Demi Moore and Celine Dion.

Promenade: There’s definitely a major theme of youth, family, and innocence. Would you say that your designs are playing to your and your family’s personal values?

SB: Absolutely. We’re very whimsical and Aaron’s philosophy of life is all about happiness, all about smiling; it’s all about fun. We take it very

seriously. That’s what it’s all about. Our work is an interpretation of our life’s philosophy. It definitely touches a chord throughout many other families; it represents their lifestyle. It’s very happy. It’s about people celebrating their special moments. A lot of our customers are collectors and every time there is a new event or a new celebration, they will want to symbolize that with a piece of [Aaron’s] jewelry. The jewelry is very childlike, but it’s not childish. There’s a big difference. It’s an interpretation of the different elements of everyone’s growth. If it’s ladybugs for good luck, if it’s butterflies, fish, frogs…all of these fables and myths are coming into play.

Promenade: I can see how the jewelry would help an adult reconnect to a forgotten, younger side of themselves.

SB: The amazing thing is that there’s really no border. Our message is global and people adore it whether they’re in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Mexico City, or L.A. or New York. It’s quite incredible.

Promenade: How is your family involved in the process? How do you collaborate in the creative process?

SB: We all work together, but each of us has separate responsibilities and fields that we specialize in. Aaron is in the store a lot. He’s been in retail for over 50 years so that’s where you can find him—meeting and greeting customers. I have three more sisters and we’re all involved. One of my sisters, Regine, is involved in the technology aspect of the business…with the Internet and the PR activities. My other sister, Osi, is very involved in retail operations, like selling and meeting and greeting customers all over the world. I have another sister, Tali, Aaron Basha Boutique who is involved in creating all of 212-935-1960; aaronbasha.com our advertising internationally and generating the way we look to the world. And I am involved in the distribution and marketing of the product throughout the world. I’m more in the wholesale and distribution. I travel around the world to visit all of our clients.

Promenade: I actually read that Regine has her own line of handbags.

SB: Absolutely, everybody [in my family] is very creative. They graduated from design school or are involved in other different aspects of fashion. Together we collaborate and have a lot of fun. ■ 33

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2/23/11 6:29 PM

SHOPPINGNEW YORK

alez nancy gonz

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2/23/11 6:31 PM

Jonathan Hökklo

women and

their luxury bags: a love story

cha nel

By Ruth J. Katz

J

ust what is it about handbags that makes women go a little over the top, or become – shall we say – downright loopy? What is it about pocketbooks that can spawn an article like the one in The Wall Street Journal a few years back entitled, “The Psychology of the $14,000 Handbag?” Or that elicits the “need” for websites such as purseforum.com (which boasts nearly 300,000 members in its “baggy” community) bagsnob. com, and the most wonderful site of all (a sort of e-lending-library that could be considered the Netflix of pocketbooks), bagborroworsteal.com. (Don’t get tricked into going to the “poor” stepsister site, bagstealorborrow.com).

At bagborroworsteal.com, those whose personal wardrobes and wallets are handbag-challenged can, for a modest $32 for a week (there is a nominal monthly membership fee, as little as $5), rent a desirable Gucci “GG” canvas bag, or for a somewhat more hefty $325 a month, tote around a coveted Chanel Rue Cambon-logo bag. (You could actually rent a different bag every week and turn all your co-workers into green-with-envy voyeurs.)

Karen Galland, a fashion-forward consumer who for more than 20 years has been producing private-label clothing for some of the city’s major department stores and swanky boutiques, considers a handbag the most important accessory a woman can carry. “For men, it’s shoes and a watch, but for women, it’s a handbag,” she observes. “I do believe that if you are walking into a restaurant, your bag has to precede you.” (And, it might even get you seated at a better table, she notes with a wink.)

And speaking of handbags and restaurants, celebrity chef Alain Ducasse, while chided at first, supplied gloriously upholstered petite, velvet, tableside stools for women’s purses at his much-anticipated debut Manhattan eatery at the Essex House. And while the press smirked, women were delighted— so much so that although Ducasse decamped from Central Park South, at his new chic watering hole, Adour, he still offers women discreet, pull-out “shelves” for their bags. (Fairway, take heed: I recently observed a woman asking for napkins to put on the floor, where she was resting her handbag.)

Fashion-industry pros aren’t alone in their passion for handbags.

Maryjane Kevlin, a 20-something public relations executive, has been obsessed with bags since she was a tot. She remembers that her grandmother always had the most elegant purses, and she thought, “It’s just part of being a girl. Bags were always in my life; I carried a bag to school, even when I was little and I still remember one of my favorites—it had a unicorn on it and it was blue with yellow polka dots.” Kevlin ultimately graduated to Coach as a teenager, and fondly reminisces, “I remember my first bag from that time—a classic print, with the Coach logo, hobo style. I loved that bag.”

Today, Kevlin has so many pocketbooks that they are stored not only at her home, but also at a friend’s. At any given time, she says, she might own 150 bags (she is always attracted by “interesting” hardware) and it’s not unusual for her to change handbags a few times a day, depending on her outfit and activities. Galland says that she could easily change bags three or four times a week, depending on her appointments and her clothing.

What do women want in a bag? Santiago Barberi Gonzalez, president of Nancy Gonzalez, a luxe line of bags priced from about $700 to $20,000, available at luxury vendors like Bergdorf-Goodman and Neiman Marcus, observes that today, “We have to make a creative, beautiful object that is both exciting and functional. We don’t let anything out of the factory unless it’s highly practical—and gorgeous. Bags have to be lightweight, have various cell phone and make-up pockets, convertible straps, and they have to be easy to ‘pack up.’”

He underscores that Gonzalez’ designs are often perennials. The company was founded by his mother, who first walked into Bergdorf’s some 12 years ago with a mere seven styles. Today, Gonzalez produces three collections a year, with 115 styles per collection (available in something like 300 colors!), most often marrying exotic skins like bison, ostrich, and python to Gonzalez’ designs. “At the end of the day, our bags function because clients have asked for something.”

Colleen Sherin, Women’s Fashion Director at Saks Fifth Avenue (most bags here range from about $1,000 to $3,000, although there certainly are models that are a few hundred dollars), knows all too well what it is to please customers and stock inventory that will sell. “Useful details—anything that can make gadgets and necessities more readily available—are becoming more important.” She notes, “For spring, the most popular style has a flap, but it’s not as deep as a messenger bag; there is a bit of ’70s inspiration, some structure.” She stated that this style was prevalent among many designers’ collections—Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Prada, and elsewhere. She also underlines that some lines transcend fad: “Chanel is always timeless.”

And so it is, flashy trends may come and go, but a classic Hermès Kelly or Birkin, a perennial Chanel 2.55 bag, or one of Tomas Maier’s Cabat intrecciato totes, will always stand you in good stead. One woman interviewed, who admits to spending a “fair amount” on bags, allows that if she really loves a purse, price is no object. Perhaps, however, she’d draw the line at—despite the fact that it’s aspirational and to-die-for—Bottega Veneta’s $80,000 Cabat (shown on the opposite page). Alas, if I had that princely sum, that very bag would be in my closet! ■ 35

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For those seeking the rare and highly collectible, Fiona Druckenmiller’s charming emporium— which opened last fall—is the mother lode, showcasing the collector’s mix of stunning merchandise. The vintage pieces (about 75% is vintage, and it is mostly 20th century, but there are some Georgian and Edwardian jewels) line the pedestal display cases and the wall units—so many gleaming gems, you won’t know where to look first. There are also ancient objets adorning the periphery of the shop—Asian sculptures that are from the first century—and as counterpoint, a very fine cache of vintage Hermès and Chanel handbags.

But it is the glittering goods in the vitrines that customers will find riveting—Cartier, Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, René Boivin, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent...and on and on. In one case there is a staggering collection of sought-after men’s Patek Philippe watches and in another case, a display of contemporary, highly collectible jewelry from both Munich’s renowned Hemmerle and Indian genius Viran Bhagat.

If you’re curious about pricing (from about $300 to over a million), Druckenmiller has piles of auction catalogues (and even has them on a huge touch-screen console and linked-in iPads around the store) that underscore that these rare treasures are also—in two words—well priced.

21 E. 65th St. (Fifth-Madison Aves.); 212-772-2440; fionasescape.com — Ruth J. Katz

neW YOrK

SHOPPING

art anD antiQues Center44 – A unique and dramatic shopping experience with 70 extraordinary international antiques dealers featured in a blocklong showroom of open-room settings, with aisles of antiquities (from ancient to the 19th century), 20th-century design—including Deco, Modernism, and Futurism—and unique contemporary art and objects. On-site skilled artisans provide furniture and art restoration, as well as traditional upholstery. 222 E. 44th St. (SecondThird Aves.), 212-450-7988; center44.com Imperial Oriental Art – A distinguished name in the field of Chinese ceramics and works of art specializing in fine quality work over a range of various dynasties, including Ming and Qing.

Also offered is an extensive selection of Blue and White, Famille Rose, Famille Verte and the finest quality of Qing monochomes in America.

790 Madison Ave. (66th-67th Sts.), Third Floor, 212-717-5383; imperialorientalart.com

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Showplace Antique + Design Center – Over 250 galleries located on 4 spacious floors featuring Art Deco, Art Nouveau, mid-century Modern, bronze, silver, jewelry, vintage clothing & accessories, ceramics, art glass, antiquities, period furniture & lighting. Don’t miss the 3rd floor designer

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room settings and over 50 showcases filled with an eclectic range of decoratives and collectibles.

Mon.-Fri, 10am-6pm; Sat.-Sun., 8:30am-5:30pm.

Silversmith, Espresso Bar & Café on the premises.

40 W. 25th St., 212-633-6063; nyshowplace.com

Department anD specialty stores Barneys New York – Long identified with New York chic and sophistication, Barneys features international men’s and women’s fashion designers ranging from the classically understated to the flamboyantly avant garde. Accessories, formal wear, cosmetics, and shoes are also offered in a variety of styles. Their restaurant, Fred’s at Madison Avenue, is open for brunch, lunch and dinner. 660 Madison Ave. (61st St.), 212-826-8900; barneys.com Bergdorf Goodman – Among the nation’s most prestigious shops, featuring women’s fashion designs from Armani, Chanel, Versace and Ferre, to Tyler, Galliano, and Westwood. 754 Fifth Ave. (57th-58th Sts.), 212-753-7300; the men’s store is located at 745 Fifth Ave. (58th St.), 212-339-3310; bergdorfgoodman.com Bloomingdale’s – One of the world’s most famous landmark department stores. The best

international fashions and home furnishings are brought together under a single Art Deco roof, in a store that encompasses a full city block and more than 500 departments. 1000 Third Ave. (59th60th Sts.), 212-705-2000; The SoHo branch is located at 504 Broadway (Spring-Broome Sts.), 212-729-5900; bloomingdales.com Hammacher Schlemmer – The landmark store for America’s longest-running catalog, offering unique products that solve problems, further your lifestyle, or represent the only one of their kind.

147 E. 57th St., 212-421-9002; hammacher.com Henri Bendel – This ultra-chic, elegant Fifth Avenue retailer features Lalique windows, in-store Lalique history and displays, and multiple dramatic spiral staircases. It makes for a wonderful backdrop for the high-end goods, including top women’s labels. 712 Fifth Ave. (56th St.), 212-247-1100; henribendel.com Lord & Taylor – Generations have shopped year-round at this, their flagship store, established in 1914, attracted by their focus on the American look and American designers, offering a vast selection of reasonably priced sportswear in all sizes, and particularly fine high-quality shoes and accessories. 424 Fifth Ave. (39th St.), 212-391-3344; lordandtaylor.com

2/23/11 6:36 PM

SHOPPING SPOTLIGHT

art and antiques p.36

MacKenzie-Childs - The flagship store featuring the full collection of whimsical and unique handcrafted home and garden accessories and gifts, including hand-painted ceramics, dinnerware, tableware, glassware and home furniture.

14 W. 57th St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), 212-570-6050; mackenzie-childs.com Macy’s – “The world’s largest store,” and one of NYC’s most visited landmark attractions. The world’s first department store maintains a huge stock of everything from sofas to caviar, clothing, and everything in between. Broadway & 34th St., 212-695-4400; macys.com

luggage p.43

212-267-2400; 346 Madison Ave. (44th St.), 212-682-8800; brooksbrothers.com Burberry – This luxury brand, synonymous with its signature house check–the camel, black, red, and white pattern–offers men’s, women’s, children’s, and babywear lines, fragrances, golf, eyewear, and home collections. Their made-toorder coat service has customized style and color options. 160 Columbus Ave. (67th St.), 212-595-0934; 444 Madison Ave. (49th St.), 212-707-6700; 9 E. 57th St., 212-371-5010; 131 Spring St. (Greene St.), 212-925-9300; burberry.com

Saks Fifth Avenue – This venerated symbol of class and elegance began in 1924 as the brainchild of Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel.

Their flagship “dream store,” a New York City landmark since 1985, features nine floors of grand luxury, stocked with exclusive items for men and women. 611 Fifth Ave. (49th-50th Sts.), 212-753-4000; saksfifthavenue.com

Calvin Klein Collection – This monument to elegant modernity showcases its selection of women and men’s clothing, shoes, and accessories, and the home collection, including china, flatware, glassware, and linens, plus exclusive gift items. Minimalism and simplicity defines women’s and men’s apparel this spring.

654 Madison Ave. (60th St.), 212-292-9000; calvinklein.com

Fashion AND Accessories

The Carlisle Collection – Stylish women make appointments for an exclusive and personalized shopping experience with couture-quality clothing that can’t be found in stores, including everything from power suits for the executive office to elegant dresses for the evening. 16 E. 52nd St. (Madison-Fifth Aves.), 16th Floor, 212-751-6490; showroom@carlisleny.com; carlislecollection.com

Aéropostale – High-quality, active-oriented casual apparel and accessories for 14- to 17-year-old young women. Broadway & 45th St., 212-3024172; Manhattan Mall, Sixth Ave. & 34th St., 212-239-5201; 15 W. 34th St., 212-239-4968; aeropostale.com Balenciaga – A futuristic, luxurious environment, with fashions that meld the avant-garde with classically wearable designs. Stores boast houndstooth patterns, mismatched neon lace, and faux leather this season. 542 W. 22nd St., 212-206-0872; balenciaga.com BCBG Max Azria – Modern and chic suits, separates, jeans, coats, dresses, handbags, and accessories for fashion-forward women. It’s all about feminine simplicity this season, with light silk dresses, embroidery, and lace. 770 Madison Ave. (66th St.), 212-717-4225; 120 Wooster St. (Prince St.), 212-625-2723; bcbg.com Brooks Brothers – Classically modern business and casual clothing for fashionable men and women, including dress shirts, ties, pants, sweaters, and polos. 1 Liberty Plaza (Broadway),

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Carolina Herrera – Elegant, ultra-feminine, up-to-the-minute women’s dresses and fragrances.

CH Carolina Herrera (802 Madison Ave. (68th St.), 212-744-2076) has clothing for men, women, and kids, as well as travel accessories.

This season was inspired by two things: traditional clothes of Korea and botanical patterns. 954 Madison Ave. (75th St.), 212-249-6552; carolinaherrera.com Catherine Malandrino – High-end couture fashions that blend the energy of Manhattan and the romance of Paris, and are a favorite among celebrities. Spring is filled with romantic “handcrafted” fashion offering macrame, patchwork, beading, and embroidery. SoHo: 468 Broome St. (Greene St.), 212-925-6765; Meatpacking District: 652 Hudson St. (13th St.), 212-929-8710; catherinemalandrino.com

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Chanel Boutique – Featuring the classic elements of Coco Chanel’s renowned style, showcasing handbags, accessories, shoes, cosmetics, and readyto-wear by Karl Lagerfeld. Distressed fabrics, unfinished details, and feathered trims can be found this season. 15 E. 57th St., 212-355-5050; 139 Spring St. (Wooster St.), 212-334-0055; chanel.com Derek Lam – Classic American fashion for women: elegant, modern, and ready-to-wear, plus limited-edition pieces, custom-made furniture, and more. 12 Crosby St. (Grand St.), 212-929-1338; dereklam.com Diane Von Furstenberg – Signature wrap dresses to flirty sportswear, swimwear, accessories, and more from the fashion icon. Find draped dresses, easy sportswear, tapered pants, and accessories galore in brazen patterns of brown, lime green, yellow, and sky blue this season. 874 Washington St. (14th St.), 646-486-4800; dvf.com DKNY – Lifestyle clothing, accessories, and more embracing the fun styles of New York from Donna Karan. Patterned scarves, and flirty ruffles and tiers give this practical, tailored collection some feminine sophistication. And men will have their pick of comfy, easy-going trousers and tees this season. 420 West Broadway (Spring St.), 646-613-1100; 655 Madison Ave. (60th St.), 212-223-3569; dkny.com Dolce & Gabbana – Ultra-modern Italian fashions, including men’s formalwear and more adventurous women’s fashions. Stores will be filled with white lace for the ladies, and light, white suits for guys. 825 Madison Ave. (69th St.), 212-249-4100; dolcegabbana.com Donna Karan – This three-story home to the famed designer’s timeless collection is where simplicity meets glamour. The spring collection embraces nature with delicate, weightless dresses and skirts in soft neutrals. 819 Madison Ave. (68th St.), 866-240-4700; donnakaran.com Dooney & Bourke – Designer handbags and small leather goods featuring trendy animal prints, soft suede, and their trademark logo. 20 E. 60th St. (Madison-Park Aves.), 212-223-7444; dooney.com

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Eileen Fisher – Classic women’s fashions promoting simplicity, versatility, beauty, and creativity. Known for her outstanding fabrics and comfort, Eileen Fisher supplies her stores with breezy and gauzy looks in subdued grays and off-whites this spring season. 395 West Broadway, 212-431-4567; 521 Madison Ave. (53rd-54th Sts.), 212-759-9888; 341 Columbus Ave. (76th St.), 212-362-3000; 314 E. 9th St., 212-529-5715; 1039 Madison Ave. (79th-80th Sts.), 212-879-7799; 166 Fifth Ave. (21st-22nd Sts.), 212-924-4777; eileenfisher.com Elie Tahari – Women’s ready-to-wear fashions and accessories, including suits, cutting-edge sportswear and dresses. This season features safari-themed apparel for women, while the men’s collection offers soft tonal suiting.

417 West Broadway (Spring St.), 212-334-4441; elietahari.com Emilio Pucci – Women’s clothing, hats, and shoes featuring brightly colored, often psychedelic, ultra-mod prints. 24 E. 64th St., 212-752-4777; 701 Fifth Ave. (54th St.), 212-230-1135; emiliopucci.com ESCADA – The German-based company offers high-end, modern, and elegant women’s apparel and accessories. ESCADA SPORT represents understated city chic. The company brand also encompasses licenses for eyewear and fragrances. 715 Fifth Ave. (56th St), 212-755-2200; escada.com.

Façonnable – Designed in France, Façonnable offers classic men’s and women’s clothing and accessories made with exclusive fabrications and impeccable craftsmanship. 636 Fifth Ave. (51st St.), 212-319-0111; faconnable.com Giorgio Armani – The Italian designer’s four-level flagship features understated suits, elegant sportswear, outerwear, and exquisite evening wear for men and women. Shades of midnight and navy define the spring collection for

women, while men can find lightweight suits and casual wear in neutral tones.

760 Madison Ave. (65th St.), 212-988-9191; giorgioarmani.com Gucci – A name synonymous with haute couture and classic sophistication, the Italian luxury-goods company’s flagship store features five floors of cowhide sling-back chairs, up-to-the-minute handbags, signature jewelry, and men’s and women’s shoes and apparel. With a nod to the ’70s, this glamorous collection includes bold colors, embellishments, and funky patterns. 725 Fifth Ave. (56th St.), 212-826-2600; 840 Madison Ave. (70th St.), 212-717-2619; gucci.com Hugo Boss – With its brands BOSS and HUGO, Hugo Boss covers all the main fashion areas for women and men. Shoes and accessories, fragrances, glasses, watches and more. Shops at Columbus Circle, 212-485-1900; 401 W. 14th St., 646-336-8170; hugoboss.com John Varvatos – Home to the Varvatos lifestyle collection, including men’s designer suits, shoes, bags, belts, cologne, and more. 315 Bowery (Bleecker St.), 212-358-0315; 122 Spring St. (Greene St.), 212-965-0700; johnvarvatos.com Krizia – Superbly tailored Italian clothing for men and women, including suits, knitwear, ties, shirts, gowns, handbags, shoes, pants, skirts for day and for evening, as well as fragrances. This season’s collection features dramatic ruffles, pleats, and folds in glistening Italian fabrics. 769 Madison Ave. (66th St.), 212-879-1211; krizia.net Louis Vuitton – A showcase for the timeless elegance of the famed line of classic men’s and women’s fashions, handbags, watches and jewelry, and shoes.

The “overly stylized” spring collection packs a punch with bold color, embellishments, fringes, Lurex, and pure glam. 1 E. 57th St., 212-758-8877; 116 Greene St. (Prince St.), 212-274-9090; louisvuitton.com

ESCADA: natural palette, soft draping for Spring/Summer Known for its premium fabrics, unusual combinations of colors and patterns, and elegant, feminine designs, ESCADA ranks as one of the world’s fashion leaders of high-end women’s apparel and accessories. Named after an Irish racehorse, the company was founded by Margaretha and Wofang Ley in 1976 in Munich. With Margaretha as chief designer, ESCADA eventually conquered the U.S. luxury market in 1982 and became a red-carpet staple with its glitzy evening gowns.

In 2009, 17 years after Margaretha’s death, the ESCADA Group—housing ESCADA and ESCADA SPORT—its new owner, Megha Mittal and a new Board of Management, completely revamped the company. Now, more functional everyday clothes are available in their fashionable stores…jeans, casual suits and knitwear, less bling and opulence. And although the sportier designs appeal to a new generation of shoppers, femininity, sophistication, and elegance remain the ever-present theme.

With the spring/summer 2011 collection, ESCADA captured the beauty of the natural world, drawing from the documented travels and work of landscape photographer Peter Beard. Worlds away from the Fall 2010 designs, which gave nod to 1930s glamour, the ESCADA design team’s current lineup of prints and easy shapes was prompted by nature’s elements—land, water, and fire.

The natural color palette is accented with pops of bold color like “pacific” blue and “hot lava” red. Desert-colored solids are offset by batik, animal, and ocean inspired prints, while silhouettes remain soft and draping, almost ethereal.

ESCADA’s seasonal collections are available in close to 500 locations in 60 different counties. The New York flagship store, located at 715 Fifth Avenue and 56th Street, is a chic shopper’s dream. With three floors of luxe fashion, accessories, shoes, handbags and couture , this Midtown East establishment is filled with the same femininity and style that defined the label when it started over 30 years ago. – Christine Tarulli

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Center44, a unique shopping experience in 25,000 square feet is located in the heart of Midtown. It brings together 75 extraordinary international antiques dealers in a block-long showroom of open-room settings. Pictured here is a 19th-century Irish walnut armchair from Center44 dealer Patrick Bavasi, featuring scrolled eagle carved supports with carving at the knees and ending in paw feet. The aisles include 20th century, Deco, Modernism, Futurism and more. Open to the public from Mon.-Sat., 10am-5pm. 222 E. 44th St., 212-450-7988; center44.com

Marc Jacobs – Casual-chic fashions for men and women including simple dresses, classic tailored suits, and formal wear. The ’70s are in the air for women, with fun silk prints, bold colors, and fabulous glitter platforms, while the guys can go a little casual-preppy. 163 Mercer St. (HoustonPrince Sts.), 212-343-1490; 385 Bleecker St. (Perry St.), 212-924-6126; marcjacobs.com Michael Kors – Polished, classic-chic sportswear and accessories for men and women. Life’s a beach in this light and easy warm-weather collection.

974 Madison Ave. (76th St.), 212-452-4685; 101 Prince St. (Greene St.), 212-965-0401; michaelkors.com Moschino – This flagship store offers an array of notions, shoes, and accessories from their Moschino, Moschino Cheap and Chic, Love Moschino, and Moschino Uomo lines.

401 W. 14th St. (Ninth Ave.), 212-243-8600; moschino.com Mulberry – British luxury bags, womenswear, menswear, and interior design. 605 Madison Ave. (58th St.); 387 Bleecker St. (Perry St.), 212-835-4700; mulberry.com Paul Stuart – Men’s and women’s clothing exclusively designed with a distinctly American viewpoint, as well as outerwear, furnishings, shoes, and made-to-measure apparel. Madison Ave. & 45th St., 212-682-0320; paulstuart.com

On March 7, famed Viennese jeweler and master enameller Frey Wille opened their U.S. flagship store on Madison Avenue. A worldwide jewelry powerhouse since 1951, the family-owned enterprise is renowned for creating timeless and highly collectible masterpieces of decorative art inspired by sources as varied as painters Gustav Klimt, Claude Monet, Alphonse Mucha and Hundertwasser, and designs from historical periods such as the Viennese Secession of the late 19th century. They also offer a wide-ranging array of accessories for women and men, including elegant timepieces, silk scarves, handbags, neckwear, cufflinks, and belts. Pictured here: MISS and ULTRA bangles, made from handcrafted enamel set in a 24k gold plated mounting (MISS: $895; ULTRA: $760). 727 Madison Ave. (63rd-64th Sts.), 646-682-9030; frey-wille.com

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Created in 1993, Imperial Oriental Art is a distinguished name in the field of Chinese ceramics and works of art.

Imperial Oriental Art specializes in fine quality work over a range of various dynasties, especially Ming and Qing. Pictured here is a rare pair of Famille Verte Food Dogs mounted on French Ormolu (from the Kangxi Period, 1662-1722).

790 Madison Ave. (66th-67th Sts.), Third Floor; 212-717-5383; imperialorientalart.com

Peter Elliot – High-end tailored men’s clothing from formalwear to cashmere sweaters geared toward power-lunching businessmen. The cuff-link department is a must-stop. Peter Elliot Women is located at 1071 Madison Ave., 212-570-1551; 1070 Madison Ave. (81st St.), 212-570-2300 Polo/Ralph Lauren, Madison Avenue – The jewel in the crown of the more than 145 stores worldwide, with authentic antique furniture, women’s wear, accessories, leather goods, home furnishings, and antiques. Cowgirl couture takes over this spring, with leather, fringes, and bull’shead belt buckles. Ralph Lauren’s first men’s-only store is located across the street at 867 Madison Ave. (72nd St.), 212-606-2100. 888 Madison Ave. (72nd St.), 212-434-8000; ralphlauren.com Prada – This specialist in minimalist fashion offers a range of men’s and women’s ready-towear, shoes, bags, leather goods, and furnishings, as well as other exclusive products. Shop suits, dresses—even stoles—in electric orange, green, blue, and violet bring an instant pop this spring.

841 Madison Ave. (70th St.), 212-327-4200; 45 E. 57th St., 212-308-2332; 724 Fifth Ave. (56th St.), 212-664-0010; 575 Broadway (Prince St.), 212-334-8888; prada.com Roberto Cavalli – A boutique with “funky, sexy stuff” from the Italian designer that is always fresh, dramatic, and innovative. The more economical Just Cavalli is located at 665 Fifth Ave. (53rd St.).

711 Madison Ave. (63rd St.), 212-755-7722; robertocavalli.com

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Searle – Best known for shearlings, classic coats and luxurious leathers, Searle offers their own collection and many designer labels appealing to fashion-forward women, from the latest in accessories, handbags, and apparel to swimwear and beauty. 1051 Third Ave (62nd St.), 212-838-5990; 635 Madison Ave. (60th St.), 212-750-5153; 1296 Third Ave. (74th St.), 212-717-5200; searlenyc.com Stella McCartney – The trendy boutique featuring au courant, animal-friendly fashions for women in the heart of the fashionable Meatpacking District. The spring collection gives a nod to the ’70s, offering high waist pants, oversized caftans, slit-paneled skirts, and light pantsuits. 429 W. 14th St., 212-255-1556; stellamccartney.com St. John Boutique – High-end knitwear, using their signature blend of wool and rayon. For special service, please ask for James Palazza. 665 Fifth Ave. (53rd St.), 212-755-5252; sjk.com Theory – Hip, classic work-friendly attire for men and women. 40 Gansevoort St. (Greenwich-Hudson Sts.), 212-524-6790; 151 Spring St. (W. B’way-Wooster St.), 212-226-3691; 230 Columbus Ave. (70th-71st Sts.), 212-362-3676; theory.com Timeless Beauty from american estate Michael Galmer reveres natural beauty, and it’s this appreciation that serves as the main inspiration for his designs.

The Queens-based silversmith is a master of repousse—a technique that involves hand-molding a design into clay, which is then pressed into silver (the term literally means “pushed from the back”); the resulting product is then finished with hand engravings. Galmer has been perfecting the technique since 1981, when he arrived in New York City from Russia with a degree in electrochemical engineering and a desire to follow his passion for the arts. Recently, Galmer has taken on the role of premiere designer with American Estate Jewelry, where he captures the vibrancy of nature—specifically in the delicate petals and intricate beauty of its blossoms—in a stunning collection of cuffs.

Galmer’s appreciation for natural beauty shows twofold in his work. The classic, somewhat conservative (though undoubtedly striking) character of his jewelry simply complements a woman’s natural beauty, he says. “She doesn’t need anything flashy or vulgar. She’s so beautiful already,” he explains, in a thick Russian accent. He gesturers to a photo of a young woman adorned in his artwork, while giving the impression that he’s referring to the entire female population.

Like a woman, each of Galmer’s designs is unique. “When you hold it, it’s like an artwork. You know the person spent a lot of time on it,” he says of his pieces, which are all made by hand in his Long Island City workshop. “This…isn’t mass production.

And it’s made in the USA, which stands for quality.”

Wearers can further personalize their cuffs by choosing whether to let them oxidize naturally or keep them at a high shine—the resulting difference in appearance is essentially a product of the amount of time spent polishing the sterling silver exterior. Notably, the interior of each cuff is lined in 24 karat gold, and some designs include 24 kt gold accents.

Though the company’s signature is the sterling cuff, Galmer is also in the process of expanding the line to necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and pendants.

American Estate Jewelry is currently available at Works Gallery (1250 Madison Avenue). For more information, visit americanestatejewelry.com or forevercuff.com. – Kaitlin Ahern

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tibi – The renowned contemporary dress line, plus a complete shoe line, swimwear, and home accessories. Longer hemlines, flats, and head-to-toe matching pieces in cream silk and herringbone linen make this an easy spring collection. 120 Wooster St. (Prince St.), 212-226-5852; tibi.com Tommy Hilfiger – Featuring the American fashion icon’s collections for men, women and children, including accessories and shoes. 681 Fifth Ave. (54th St.), 212-223-1824; 372 West Broadway (Broome St.), 917-237-0983; tommyhilfiger.com TSE – All things cashmere, for men and women—usually. But, after experimenting with silk, linen, cotton and technical yarn, the spring collection offers shoppers much more. 120 Wooster St. (Prince St.), 212-925-2520; tsecashmere.com Vera Wang – Featuring some of the finest bridal gowns in the world.

991 Madison Ave. (77th St.), 212-628-3400; 158 Mercer St. (Prince St.), 212-382-2184; verawang.com Yves St. Laurent – Refined, modern, elegant, and upscale men’s and women’s apparel, from tailored suits to refined knits. T3 E. 57th St., 212-980-2970; ysl.com

FURS Maximilian at Bloomingdale’s – Offering an extensive collection of premier designer furs of the highest quality and design. 1000 Third Ave. (60th St.), 212-705-3335; maximilian.com

Jewelry and Watches Aaron Basha - A family-owned and -run Madison Avenue staple, Aaron Basha has made its name with high-fashion jewelry pieces, most notably their distinctive jeweled baby shoes and assortment of baby charms (including frogs, ladybugs, flowers, teddy bears, you name it). They feature heirloom-quality jewelry as well, including bracelets, clasps, cuff links, chains, and much more.

680 Madison Ave. (61st St.), 212-935-1960; aaronbasha.com Cartier - A name synonymous with jewelry since 1847. Peruse the coveted classic gold jewelry, innovative new boutique pieces and the complete range of watches, clocks, leather goods, china, and crystal. 828 Madison Ave. (69th St.), 212-472-6400; 653 Fifth Ave. (52nd St.), 212-753-0111; cartier.com Cellini - Rare, one-of-a-kind jewelry and legendary collection of the world’s finest watches. Its reputation goes far and wide with watch connoisseurs, who also know it as a resource for limited edition timepieces. The window displays

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inside the Waldorf=Astoria flagship have long been one of NYC’s most beautiful fixtures. 301 Park Ave. (49th St.), 212-751-9824; 509 Madison Ave. (53rd St.), 212-888-0505; cellinijewelers.com Chanel Fine Jewelry - The international luxurygoods company’s stand-alone shop for jewelry, which carries the core line of the collection. Take a peek at a modern interpretation of the screens in Coco Chanel’s Parisian apartment. 733 Madison Ave. (64th St.), 212-535-5828; chanel.com F.D - With a luxurious, salon-like space that features a fireplace and a library, jewelry collector/art enthusiast/philanthropist Fiona Druckenmiller’s F.D offers a unique environment for seeking out jewelry, fine art, glass and sculpture from acclaimed designers and craftsmen, including Cartier, Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, René Boivin, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and more. 21 E. 65th St., 212-772-2440; fionasescape.com Frey Wille USA - Since the 1950s, Frey Wille has produced artistic jewelry of precious enamel, utilizing its unique design concept. An exceptional design philosophy, innovative artistic creations, and brilliant color from the creative team of artists, goldsmiths and experts of fine enameling make for exquisite exclusive jewelry for enthusiasts across the world. 727 Madison Ave. (63rd-64th Sts.), 646-682-9030; frey-wille.com Georg Jensen - Trendsetting, luxury jewelry and watches, faithful to the unique Danish design language and committed to high quality and craftsmanship. The collection focuses on gold and sterling silver jewelry. 687 Madison Ave. (62nd St.), 212-759-6457; 125 Wooster St. (Prince St.), 212-343-9000; georgjensen.com Girard-Perregaux - With a history of watchmaking dating back to 1791, Girard-Perregaux just opened its first U.S. store, a Madison Avenue luxury boutique on the Upper East Side. It’s a beautiful showcase for their authentic Swiss watches for men and women, including the Vintage 1945, ww.tc, Haute Horlogerie, and Girard-Perregaux 1966 collections. 701 Madison Ave. (62nd-63rd Sts.), 646-495-9915; girard-perregaux.com Harry Winston - America’s premier jeweler and one of the world’s largest and most prestigious jewelry empires, famous for their huge diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires of the highest quality in handmade platinum settings. 718 Fifth Ave. (56th St.), 212-245-2000; harrywinston.com Maurice Jewelers - A family-owned business offering custom designed, one-of-a-kind pieces ranging from diamonds and sapphires to rubies and emerald, as well as rare stones such as pink and blue diamonds. Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Cir. (59th St.), 212-823-9393; mauricejewelersny.com Reinstein/Ross - Pairing vibrant precious stones and classical goldsmithing techniques, Reinstein/ Ross jewelry is designed and hand-fabricated in New York City, in their Madison Avenue shop.

Reinstein/Ross jewelry is distinctly contemporary,

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but reminiscent of Etruscan, Indian and Egyptian jewelry and art, and has a timeless quality. Often featured in magazines, movies and fashion events, the work of Reinstein/Ross has influenced an entire generation of jewelry designers. Custom orders are welcome, including setting your stones in their signature style. 122 Prince St. (Wooster St.), 212-226-4513; 29 E. 73rd St. (Madison Ave.), 212-772-1901; reinsteinross.com Sobral - Energetic and playful, Sobral’s collections of jewelry and home accessories feature bold geometric shapes and lines and vibrant colors, and utilize environmentally friendly techniques.

412 West Broadway (Prince-Spring Sts.), 212-226-2710; sobralusa.com Stephen Russell - Offering one of the most important and carefully chosen vintage jewelry collections available today, complemented with a collection of original contemporary designs. 970 Madison Ave. (76th St.), 212-570-6900; stephenrussell.com Tiffany & Co. - The world-renowned jewelry store offers luxurious merchandise with the tradition of quality, showcasing a wide variety of stones including diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, pearls, and the gold and silver signature collections.

Other items include china, crystal, silver, watches and clocks, and fragrances. 727 Fifth Ave. (56th St.), 212-755-8000; tiffany.com Tourneau - America’s leading luxury-watch store features over 8,000 styles from more than 100 world-famous brands. You can even trade in your old watch for a new one. The TimeMachine on 57th St. is a state-of-the-art watch emporium.

The Shops at Columbus Circle, 212-823-9425; 12 E. 57th St., 212-758-7300; 500 Madison Ave. (52nd St.), 212-758-6098; tourneau.com Wempe - With over 125 years of tradition and experience, Wempe offers an impressive selection of fine timepieces and clocks, exquisite 18-karat gold and diamond jewelry, cufflinks, and watch straps. Among the brands in its European-style salon with an elegant and inviting atmosphere, are Patek Philippe, A. Lange and Söhne, Rolex, TAG Heuer, Cartier and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Wempe has earned its strong reputation for exceptional customer service with its state-of-the-art service center with three full-time watchmakers.700 Fifth Ave. (55th St.), 212-397-9000; wempe.com Yael Sonia - Known for cutting-edge designs and taking a modern approach to jewelry making, Yael Sonia has become synonymous with innovation and sophistication. All pieces are handmade at Sonia’s studio/showroom in Sao Paulo, Brazil and available at the first Yael Sonia art boutique (and the only one in America), located on Madison Avenue.

922 Madison Ave. (73rd-74th Sts.), 212-472-6488; yaelsonia.com

LUGGAGE & LEATHER GOODS Bric’s Madison - The company’s first freestanding store in the U.S., carrying a selection of Bric’s

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Generations have shopped at Lord & Taylor’s flagship store, established in 1914, attracted by their focus on the quintessential American look and talented American designers, offering a vast selection of sportswear in all sizes, reasonably priced, and particularly fine high-quality, moderately priced shoes and accessories.

March 15-28, Lord & Taylor will donate a minimum of 5% of every regular-price denim purchase, with a guaranteed minimum contribution of $20,000 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. For more info, go to redcross.org. In April, Lord & Taylor is proud to support Autism Speaks, this Autism Awareness month; you can get involved and help generate funds for Autism Speaks by visiting facebook.com/lordandtaylor. And join them for a sensational prom event on Saturday, April 9 from 1-5pm on the 3rd floor and receive 25% savings on any prom dress purchase and get a free gift, watch a prom fashion show and more.424 Fifth Ave. at 39th St., 212-391-3344; lordandtaylor.com

Bric’s Madison represents Bric’s U.S. flagship as well as the company’s first freestanding store in the United States. The store carries a selection of Bric’s merchandise including luggage, handbags and small accessories, which are currently sold at Barney’s New York, specialty luggage stores, and other luxury department stores.

A family-owned business founded in 1952 by Mario Briccola in Comasco, Italy, Bric’s has evolved into a strongly established brand, aiming to meet the demands of fashion while staying true to multiple trends. 535 Madison Ave. @ 54th St., 212-688-4490; brics.it

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Maurice Jewelers—located in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle— is one of the city’s finest shops to find stunning, highquality jewelry and accessories. Their one-ofa-kind pieces utilize a wide range of stones, including diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, as well as rare varieties of stones such as blue and pink diamonds. Custom work and customer care is their specialty, and Maurice Jewelers will take the time to listen to your needs and offer advice on modifications and new designs. While this is the place to go for expert jewelry restoration, appraisals, and repair, Maurice also features other fine jewelry collections, such as Pandora Jewelry and Deakin & Francis, while focusing on their own pieces. 10 Columbus Circle in the Time Warner Center; 212-823-9393; mauricejewelersny.com

merchandise including luggage, handbags and small accessories, which are currently sold at Barney’s New York, specialty luggage stores, and other luxury department stores. 535 Madison Ave. (54th St.), 212-688-4490; www.brics.it Hermés - Classic leather handbags, as well as accessories, jewelry and watches, fragrances, home furnishings, and more. 691 Madison Ave. (62nd St.), 212-751-3181; 15 Broad St. (Exchange Pl.), 212-785-3030; usa.hermes.com

Shoes Bally - Leather products featuring old-world artistry blended with modern design, including footwear, handbags, executive cases, luggage, and small leather goods. 628 Madison Ave. (59th St.), 212-751-9082; bally.com Cole Haan - Designer shoes, bags and fine leather accessories, renowned for their timeless luxury.

667 Madison Ave. (61st St.), 212-421-8440; 620 Fifth Ave. (50th St.), 212-765-9747; Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Cir. (59th St.), 212-823-9420; 128 Prince St. (Wooster St.), 212-219-8240; colehaan.com Jimmy Choo - Favored by movie stars, celebrities, and elegant women in the know, the Jimmy Choo shoe lines include house, evening, bridal, sandals, as well as matching handbags in equally sumptuous leathers and unique stylings. 716 Madison Ave. (63rd-64th Sts.), 212-759-7078; 645 Fifth Ave. (51st St.), 212-593-0800; jimmychoo.com Manolo Blahnik – One of the world’s most influential international footwear designers. 31 W. 54th St., 212-582-3007; manoloblahnik.com Musette – The Romanian-based footwear brand’s first U.S. flagship store, featuring one-of-a-kind luxury shoes and bags. 438 West Broadway (Prince St.), 917-691-0012; musettegroup.ro Salvatore Ferragamo - Men’s and women’s shoes crafted from superb leathers, from classic business and formal footwear to casual styles with a European flair. 655 Fifth Ave. (52nd-53rd Sts.), 212-759-3822 Stuart Weitzman – Elegant, high-fashion shoes and handbags for women. Also a wide selection of bridal and casual footwear. Shops at Columbus Circle, 212-823-9560; 625 Madison Ave. (59th St.), 212-750-2555; 2151 Broadway (76th St.), 212-873-0983; stuartweitzman.com

CHILDREN LOL Kids - A fun, friendly shop in the fashionable Flatiron District catering to NYC’s hippest girls and boys, size 1 month-size 18. The finest European designer brands such as Sonia Rykiel Enfant, Miss Grant, Magil, Monnalisa, and ZaZieZen. 22 W. 21st St. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), 212-929-6521; lol-kids.com

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Monnalisa - Since its inception in 1968 in Italy, Monnalisa has become the world leader in the high-fashion children’s wear market. The company distinguishes itself with cutting-edge designs, and collections that feature elegant hand-finished details, embellishments, and adornments. Ultra-chic and ultra-feminine, the premier Italian brand brings its sophisticated style to NYC’s glamour girls from size newborn through size 18. 1088 Madison Ave. (81st-82nd Sts.), 212-249-9040; monnalisashopny.com Spring Flowers - The premier shopping destination for the finest European brands of clothing and shoes for girls and boys ages newborn to 12 years.

907 Madison Ave. (72nd-73rd Sts.), 212-717-8182; 538 Madison Ave. (54th-55th Sts.), 212-207-4606; springflowerschildren.com

doctors and Dentists Jan Linhart, D.D.S., P.C. - Cosmetic dentist Dr. Jan Linhart has been listed as one of America’s top dentists by Castle Connolly Consumer Guide and by the Consumers’ Research Council of America.

Dr. Linhart has mastered the various modern, painfree cosmetic dental techniques and procedures that can transform your smile, giving you a renewed sense of self-confidence and well-being. 230 Park Ave. (46th St.), 212-682-5180; drlinhart.com NY Hotel Urgent Medical Services - New York City’s premier 24-hour urgent care center, fullservice travel medicine center and house call service.

Medical care is provided in the comfort and safety of your hotel room. Dr. Ronald Primas has over 20 years of experience as one of NY’s finest internists.

952 Fifth Ave. (76th St.), Suite 1D, 212-737-1212; travelmd.com

SPAS & SALONS Phyto Universe - Unlike traditional spas, Phyto Universe does not offer a menu of wraps and massages; rather, it specializes almost exclusively in hair, scalp and facial treatments based on founder Patrick Ales’ lines of botanical hair products.

715 Lexington Ave. (enter on 58th St. btw. Lexington & Third Aves.), 212-308-0270; phytouniverse.com

Electronics/PHOTO The Apple Store - All things Apple. For technical support, head straight to the Genius Bar. The Fifth Avenue location is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 767 Fifth Ave. (59th St.), 212-336-1440; 103 Prince St. (Greene St.), 212-226-3126; 1981 Broadway (67th St.), 212-209-3400; 401 W. 14th St., 212-444-3400; apple.com DataVision - NYC’s largest computer and video retailer with 3 levels and 30,000 square feet of savings. They feature a full selection of computers, software, peripherals, digital cameras, camcorders, MP3 players, DVDs, and more. 445 Fifth Ave. (39th St.), 212-689-1111; datavis.com

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Maximilian at Bloomingdale’s features an extensive collection of premier designer furs of the highest quality and design, including this black brisa shearling lamb coat with anthracite dyed blue fox collar and cuffs ($3,635). One of the world’s top fur retailers, Maximilian’s salon offers a variety of services such as custom restyling, repairs, and alterations. And as the seasons change and the weather gets warmer, utilize their advanced, climate-controlled storage and cleaning to keep your fur looking fabulous for years to come.

1000 Third Ave. (60th St.), 212-705-3335; maximilian.com

Known for cutting-edge designs and taking a modern approach to jewelry-making, Yael Sonia’s collections are as unique as the women who wear them. Inspired by children’s toys, Yael’s kinetic jewelry is comprised of rolling spheres, swinging pendulums and spinning tops. It’s jewelry that comes alive with its wearer as the melodic sounds are perpetually emitted when the fine gemstones and pearls meet the art of handcrafted 18K gold structures. Taking her cue from early childhood pleasures, Yael’s interactive kits are a personal invitation from her to participate in the fun of designing, a grown-up chance to recapture a bit of that early childhood innocence. Pictured here: Hearts in Motion necklace in 18K gold with rubelite and diamond (available in all diamonds) ($9,200). 922 Madison Ave. btw. 73rd & 74th Sts., 212-472-6488; yaelsonia.com

Davidoff of Geneva is one of the most popular cigar and accessories shop in America, with two warm and welcoming top-of-the-line shops in Manhattan, and the most comfortable smokers’ lounges in the city. (Speaking of smoking lounges, Davidoff will be shortly upgrading their flagship by re-locating just a few blocks away to 515 Madison Ave. at 53rd St., where their re-launch will accommodate an even bigger walk-in humidor and a 300-square-foot smoking lounge.) Davidoff products—which include lighters, cigar cutters, ashtrays, humidors, cigar cases, pipes, and much more—unite craftsmanship, dedication, and understanding culminating in elegant, innovative, and functional pieces. Davidoff’s glass-walled walk-in humidor also features the best cigars and cigarillos available anywhere—over 1,000 to choose from more than 50 different brands including Davidoff, Winston Churchill, Zino Platinum, AVO, The Griffin’s, Super Selection, Zino, Private Stock, Alec Bradley, Ashton, and many others. 535 Madison Ave. (54th St.), 212-751-9060; The Shops at Columbus Circle, 10 Columbus Cir. (59th St.), 212-823-6383; davidoffnewyork.com

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SHOPPINGNEWYORK

Sony Style - High-tech meets high-touch in this flagship store for sophisticated electronics. In the Home Entertainment Lounge, relax in individual seating areas while sales counselors wheel customized entertainment systems to you. The Showcase area displays smaller electronics, as well as the latest in interactive technology. 550 Madison Ave. (55th-56th Sts.), 212-833-8800; sonystyle.com

CIGARS and ACCESSORIES Pairing vibrant precious stones and classical goldsmithing techniques, Reinstein/ Ross jewelry is designed and hand-fabricated in New York City, in their own shop, just off Madison Avenue. Their jewelry is distinctly contemporary, with a timeless feeling.

The collection is extensive, ranging from hoop earrings with interchangeable drops, to necklaces, bracelets and signature showpieces. Often featured in magazines, movies and fashion events, Reinstein/Ross has a widespread reputation for offering wonderful choices in engagement rings, wedding bands, and other occasional jewelry. “We’ve known many women who have chosen their rings here even before they’ve found a husband.” says Brian Ross. Reinstein/Ross also has a wide selection of bridal jewelry, wedding party pieces, and an excellent collection of hand-fabricated cufflinks and studs for the groom.

Custom-made jewelry is extremely popular at Reinstein/Ross. The experienced staff is always happy to work with you to design a meaningful piece of jewelry. Bring in stones you would like to reset and your heirloom jewelry for a consultation. To experience Reinstein/ Ross fully, visit them and ask for a tour of the workshop. 29 E. 73rd St. (Madison Ave.), 212-772-1901; 122 Prince St. (Wooster St.) 212-226-4513; reinsteinross.com

Established in New York City in 1848, Hammacher Schlemmer is America’s longest-running catalog, offering unique products that solve problems, further their customers’ lifestyle, or represent the only one of their kind. Their landmark store in the heart of Midtown’s shopping district features many of the items sold in their catalog. Pictured here is The Camcorder Projector, a high-definition camcorder that instantly projects video or still pictures onto any flat surface. The camcorder captures 720p HD video and 8MP still photographs and projects a 5” to 65” image for instantly sharing a just-captured moment with intimate or large gatherings. 147 E. 57th St., 800-421-9002; hammacher.com

The “one-stop dental perfection” approach of Jan Linhart D.D.S., P.C. combines two elements: exceptional, cutting-edge dental treatment in a stateof-the-art facility, and the total patient experience.

With multiple specialists, you can get on-the-spot evaluations, diagnoses, and proposed treatments with their areas of expertise including implants, orthodontics, periodontal surgery, and endodontics (root canal). Dr. Linhart can take care of all of your general and cosmetic dental needs as well. 230 Park Ave. (46th St.), 212-682-5180; drlinhart.com

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Davidoff of Geneva - One of the most popular cigar and accessories shop in America, with two warm and welcoming top-of-the-line shops in Manhattan, and the most comfortable smokers lounges in the city. Davidoff products—which include lighters, cigar cutters, ashtrays, humidors, cigar cases, and pipes—unite craftsmanship, dedication, and understanding culminating in elegant, innovative, and functional pieces.

535 Madison Ave. (54th St.), 212-751-9060; The Shops at Columbus Circle, 10 Columbus Cir. (59th St.), 212-823-6383; davidoffnewyork.com

SPORTING GOODS New York Golf Center - Manhattan’s premier golf shop, providing golf enthusiasts with everything they need, on and off the course. With over 13,000 square feet of space, carrying the most comprehensive selection of golf equipment, accessories, clothing and shoes for men, women and children. 131 W. 35th St., 212-564-2255; nygolfcenter.com

Bookstores Imperial Fine Books – This store welcomes collectors, decorators, architects and browsers to view their selection of fine and decorative leather-bound sets, fine bindings, children’s, illustrated, first editions and rare books. Imperial also does custom bookbinding and appraisals, and offers a color catalogue. 790 Madison Ave. (66th-67th Sts.), 2nd Floor, 212-861-6620; imperialfinebooks.com

TOYS FAO Schwarz - Their famed NY flagship is just steps away from Central Park, and is the ultimate destination for children and their families. The toys are amazing and FAO Schwarz has their own ice cream parlor with sundaes that you can design yourself. Guests can also see and play on the giant piano that was featured in the Tom Hanks movie, Big. 767 Fifth Ave. (58th St.), 212-644-9400; fao.com Toys“R”Us Times Square - The giant toy store features a 60-foot indoor Ferris Wheel, a 4,000-square-foot Barbie dollhouse, a 20-foot animatronic T-Rex dinosaur & more.

1514 Broadway (44th St.), 800-869-7787; toysrustimessquare.com

2/23/11 6:37 PM

day

spas

…Savor the Sublime

By Griffin Miller Spa Editor

Forget robin red breasts and wee buds in bloom. The essential harbinger of spring is self-regeneration: the shedding of snow-and-ice-tortured skin cells within the serene walls of Manhattan’s most exclusive spas….Vernal rhapsody at its most indulgent.

Poised for Pampering Long anticipated, The Chatwal Spa by Kashwére opened its doors in September, 2010 and promptly emerged as the theatre district’s ultimate boutique spa. From its below street level location within the jaw-droppingly art deco Chatwal Hotel (formerly the Lambs Club), this miniature oasis has three treatment rooms and three all-inclusive changing rooms (unparalleled privacy along with multi-jet steam showers). Yet despite its intimate size, the space registers expansive.

Home to the hotel’s gift shop, a small workout room, comfy relaxation area, saltwater plunge pools (hot and cold) and a saltwater lap pool, every element here is laced with distinctive surprises. The manicure/pedicure room, for example, is filled with lush touches like gold life-size deco figures and what spa director April Greenwood calls the spa’s crowning jewel: a perfect circular light fixture embedded with Swarovski crystals.

The spa focuses on eco-friendly/organic products from the product lines Intraceuticals, SwissClinical, spa Technologies and Body Bliss. Expect to be wowed by treatment offerings. Highly recommended: the signature Chatwal Luxe Massage that morphs effortlessly between Swedish massage, reflexology, gentle stretches and acupressure.

As for the Kashwére connection, it all comes down to the robes. The Chatwal offers two: the standard two-fabric shawl collar spa robe and Kashwére’s coveted cocoon-like wrap made of Chenilla yarn (the one that soared to celebrity status when Oprah put it on her list of Favorite Things). Available for purchase at the gift shop, the robe (which trust me, you’ll have to have!) has recently been joined by several other Kashwére must-haves including baby, travel, and fullsized blankets, hooded mini-robes and socks. (kashwereathome.com/) 130 West 44th St. (between 6th & 7th Avenues), 212-764-5900, thechatwalny.com/spa

When The Spa’s The Limit An incubator of innovation, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental New York is where state-of-the-vanguard massage, facials and wraps are business as usual. This Zen-like retreat with its panoramic views of Central Park and outstanding staff courts return clientele by regularly upping the ante on its distinctive menu. Which brings me to their latest passion: groundbreaking customized facials.

Topping the list is the highest of high-end: a two-hour anti-aging experience from eminent Brazilian cosmetic surgeon to stars, royalty and socialites, Dr. Ivo Pitanguy. A serene splurge with a phenomenal pay off, the aptly named Opulent Rejuvenesence Facial utilizes over 10 Beauty By Clinica products as well as the dernier cri of equipment: the High Frequency Current Wand and the Opal Sonic Infuser. And while the facial concentrates on the face, neck and décolleté, it also features a heavenly hand and foot massage.

Insider Info: Coming in May is another, yet-to-be-named facial using French-Japanese Evidens de Beaute products. 80 Columbus Circle (at 60th St.), 212-805-8880, mandarinoriental.com.

Spring Loaded…

SPA WEEK, 2011

Optical Illusion at Bloomingdale’s April 11th through April 17th

The 14th edition of Spa Week – the crème de la celebration of pampering, beauty and wellness – offers euphoria-seekers countless signature treatments that traditionally run from $100 to $300 for a mere $50. For example, at Manhattan’s Completely Bare Spas you can become bikini-ready for a fraction of their normal fees, while at Clarins Skin Spa (both Madison and Columbus Avenue locations), their $150 Tri-Active facial is 1/3 the cost.

And for a year-round gift of R&R, check out Spa Week’s Gift Cards (accepted at over 2,000 spas nationwide). They come in $25, $50 and $100 increments and never expire.

For up-to-the-minute info on participating spas, the treatments being offered and the Gift Cards, visit spaweek.com. Keep in mind that many Spa Week participants extend the special rate beyond seven days!

Leave it to Bloomingdale’s to offer one of the spa-world’s most valued items: the eye-specific Opal Sonic Infusion System by Clarisonic.

A key to the New York Mandarin’s Opulent Rejuvenescence Facial and a by-request option (puffiness be gone!) at the elegant Spa at Trump SoHo, the Opal infuses serum deep into the delicate area around the eyes for strikingly firmer skin and a brighter outlook in just a few weeks. Compact size makes it ideal for travel. $245.

Bloomingdales.com

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Alison Dyer

THEATRENEW YORK

l Radcliffe; Chris Rock; Brian Cox; Jim Gaffigan; Chris Noth; Danie [ From left: Jason Patric; Kiefer Sutherland;

a theatregoer’s

guide:

Sutton Foster ]

2011 Spring Edition

Loosen your belts, theatre lovers: this spring, Broadway is serving up a blue-chip buffet of sumptuous new shows and stars, including a hefty influx of celebrity comics and stage icons.

By Griffin Miller

broadway

* Tony Award Winner

the shows

the stars

+ Tony Award Nominee

the scoop

The Addams Family

* Roger Rees

Casting alert: On 3/22 Roger Rees takes over for Nathan Lane as Addams paterfamilias Gomez.

FYI: Rees and BeBe Neuwirth (Morticia) were both cast members on Cheers.

Anything Goes

* Sutton Foster * Joel Grey + John McMartin Laura Osnes Jessica Walter

Cole Porter’s 1934 musical set aboard an ocean liner debuted with Ethel Merman and starred Patti LuPone when it won 1987’s Best Musical Revival Tony. In this edition, it’s Sutton Foster front and center, backed by a cast of Broadway’s finest. FYI: Walter played Jeffrey Tambor’s (La Cage) acidic wife on Arrested Development; Osnes won the lead in 2007’s revival of Grease on Grease: You’re the One that I Want!.

Arcadia

* Billy Crudup Grace Gummer + Raúl Esparza Bryon Jennings + Lia Williams

A revival casting coup for Sir Tom Stoppard’s 1995 Tony-winning time-shifting comedy/drama exploring mathematics, physics and history with Billy Crudup, whose last Broadway role (in Stoppard’s The Coast of Utopia) brought him a 2007 Tony. FYI: Esparza played the Emcee in the revival of Cabaret – the role that catapulted Joel Grey (Anything Goes) to fame in 1966; Meryl Streep’s daughter Grace Gummer makes her Broadway debut.

Baby It’s You!

* Beth Leavel

A musical bio with a feminist twist about Florence Greenberg, the housewife who discovered The Shirelles. FYI: Leavel won her Tony as Sutton Foster’s (Anything Goes) “Drowsy Chaperone.”

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

Robin Williams

A 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Rajiv Joseph’s play unleashes Robin Williams onto Broadway as a tiger trolling the streets of Baghdad in search of the meaning of life. FYI: Williams’ brother in Mrs. Doubtfire was played by La Cage author/star, Harvey Fierstein; Williams and Born Yesterday’s Robert Sean Leonard costarred in Dead Poets Society.

Currently running

Previews 3/10; opens 4/7

In previews; opens 3/17; thru 6/17

Previews 3/26; opens 4/27

Previews 3/11; opens 3/31; thru 7/3

The Book of Mormon

Josh Gad In previews; opens March 24 Andrew Rannells

This is the musical offspring of a trio of subversive creative types: Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the gleefully blasphemous duo behind South Park, and Robert Lopez, a writer of the unhinged, puppet-propelled, Tony-winning Avenue Q. FYI: Robin Williams (Bengal Tiger…) performed the Best Song nominee “Blame Canada” from South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut at the 1999 Oscars.

Born Yesterday

Nina Arianda Jim Belushi + Robert Sean Leonard

Garson Kanin’s 1946 comedy blockbuster was revived in 1989 with Madeline Kahn and Ed Asner.

FYI: Asner and Belushi provided voices for TV’s animated Gargoyles; Arianda will appear in the upcoming Ben Stiller (House of Blue Leaves) film Tower Heist.

Catch Me If You Can

* Norbert Leo Butz + Kerry Butler Linda Hart + Tom Wopat

Composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman were so fascinated by real-life con artist Frank Abagnale, Jr. they recruited playwright Terrence McNally to pen the book of their musical based on the 2002 film. FYI: Butz and Joel Grey (Anything Goes) costarred in Wicked; Butler, Hart and Harvey Fierstein (La Cage) were in the original cast of Hairspray (score by Shaiman and Whitman).

Fat Pig

Playwright/director Neil LaBute’s 2004 award-winning Off-Broadway comedy hits Broadway with a smartly eclectic gathering of hot young talent. FYI: Comic Cook starred in the film Dan in Real Life with Catch Me if You Can’s Norbert Leo Butz and House of Blue Leaves’ Alison Pill; Hamilton and John Leguizamo (Ghetto Klown) both voiced characters in Ice Age.

Ghetto Klown

+ John Leguizamo

Previews 3/31; opens 4/24

Previews 3/11; opens 4/10

Previews 4/12; opens 4/26

In previews; opens 3/22; thru 6/22

Dane Cook Josh Hamilton Heather Jane Rolff Julia Stiles

Every season needs a solid (preferably funny) solo show, and this spring actor/comic Leguizamo is it, tracking his career from Queens to L.A. FYI: Actor Fisher Stevens directs -- the two met acting, and evidently misbehaving, in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

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Good People

Becky Ann Baker Tate Donovan + Frances McDormand + Estelle Parsons

New play, big bang courtesy of Pulitzer-winning playwright David Lindsey-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) and Oscar winners McDormand and Parsons. FYI: McDormand was up for the role of Martha in the 2005 revival of Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, losing to Kathleen Turner (High); Donovan made his film debut in 1984 in No Small Affair with Jeffrey Tambor (La Cage).

High

+ Stephen Kunken + Kathleen Turner

Her Broadway credits may include a potty-mouthed intellectual (…Virginia Woolf) and a cougar who bares it all (The Graduate), but in Matthew Lombardo’s new drama Turner plays a nun. FYI: Kunken earned a Tony nomination in Enron with Norbert Leo Butz (Catch Me If You Can).

The House of Blue Leaves

Edie Falco + Mary Beth Hurt Jennifer Jason Leigh + Alison Pill Ben Stiller

John Guare’s loopy Tony-winning comedy returns to Broadway starring Ben Stiller as a zoo keeper/wannabe songwriter. Interestingly, Stiller made his stage/Broadway debut in the 1986 production playing his current character’s son. FYI: Ben’s mom, Anne Meara, costarred in the original 1971 Off-Broadway production; Falco (The Sopranos) was cast in the TV pilot version of the film Fargo in the role that brought Frances McDormand (Good People) an Oscar.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

+ Tammy Blanchard Anderson Cooper (voice-over only) John Larroquette Daniel Radcliffe

This Tony- and Pulitzer-winning show is back on Broadway for its 50th anniversary starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter films; Equus) in his musical-comedy debut. With its ’60s corporate gestalt, H2S has a certain Mad Men feel. FYI: Multiple Emmy winner Larroquette (Night Court; Boston Legal) is making his Broadway debut, as is Emmy- and Peabody-winning journalist Cooper, whose “narrator” voice was pre-recorded, just as Walter Cronkite’s was for the 1995 revival.

Jerusalem

Mackenzie Crook + John Gallagher Jr. * Mark Rylance

With Jez Butterworth’s London triumph now on Broadway, Mark Rylance could face off against himself at this year’s Tonys: Valere in La Bete vs. Rooster in Jerusalem. FYI: Crook is known for playing the pirate Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony

Kathy Griffin

Up close, uncensored and unpredictable, the redhead with opinions to spare goes solo for a single week on Broadway. FYI: In 1999, Griffin appeared in Muppets in Space with Jeffrey Tambor (La Cage).

La Cage aux Folles

* Harvey Fierstein Jeffrey Tambor

Broadway’s new power couple: Harvey Fierstein (succeeding Douglas Hodge as Albin) and Jeffrey Tambor (The Larry Sanders Show; Arrested Development) replacing Kelsey Grammer as Georges. FYI: Between their expansive careers, trophies and award nominations, Fierstein and Tambor are this season’s “Six Degrees of Separation” title-holders!

Master Class

* Tyne Daly Sierra Boggess

Terrence McNally’s Tony-winning tour de force for Zoe Caldwell, Patti LuPone and Dixie Carter returns with Tyne Daly as opera great Maria Callas. FYI: Tyne’s brother is actor Tim Daly; former Little Mermaid Boggess recently starred in Phantom sequel Love Never Dies in London.

The Motherf**cker With the Hat

Previews 3/22; opens 4/11

+ Bobby Cannavale Chris Rock Annabella Sciorra

This blistering new drama stars the très versatile Chris Rock in his Broadway debut. FYI: Cannavale and Sciorra have a real-life romantic backstory, while Sciorra and Chris Noth (That Championship Season) played (platonic!) partners on Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

The People in the Picture

* Donna Murphy + Lewis J. Stadlen

A new musical about a former Yiddish Theatre star comes to Broadway with heady credentials: Tony winner Donna Murphy and a score by Mike Stoller and Artie Butler. FYI: Both Murphy and Jeffrey Tambor (La Cage) provided voices for the recent animated film Tangled.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Nick Adams Tony Sheldon + Will Swenson

* Victoria Clark * Whoopi Goldberg (producer) Patina Miller

The glitz and glam of the musical based on the 1994 cult film The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert has made it to the Great White Way! FYI: Aussie Sheldon is making his Broadway debut, Adams is a former La Cage Cagelle, and Swenson scooped up raves as Berger in Hair.

That Championship Season

In previews; opens 3/6

Newsflash: this revival of yet another Pulitzer/Tony-winning combo is both high profile and high octane. FYI: Patric and Sutherland (The Lost Boys, 1987) remain good friends even though Patric dated Julia Roberts days after she canceled her 1991 wedding to Sutherland; veteran actor Cox worked with Stephen Kunken (High) in Stoppard’s Rock ‘N’ Roll; and “Mr. Big” Noth is long overdue for a Broadway run, his last being Gore Vidal’s The Best Man in 2000.

War Horse

Seth Numrich

This riveting import from the U.K. still plays to capacity crowds in London. It features an epic WWI backdrop and galloping life-size horses. FYI: Numrich is fresh from playing Lorenzo in Broadway’s The Merchant of Venice, where he performed with Arcadia’s Byron Jennings.

Wonderland

Janet Dacal Darren Ritchie E. Clayton Corneilus

A contemporary eye-popping musical re-imagining of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” books and characters. FYI: In 1999, composer Frank Wildhorn had three simultaneously running Broadway shows: Jekyll & Hyde, The Scartlet Pimpernel and The Civil War.

In previews; opens 3/3; thru 4/24

Previews 3/25; opens 4/19

Previews 4/3; opens 4/25; thru 7/23

In previews; opens 3/27; thru 7/24 Previews 4/2; opens 4/21; thru 7/24

Opens 3/11; thru 3/19 Currently running with two notable replacement stars

Previews 5/24; opens 6/21

Previews 4/1; opens 4/28; thru 6/19

In previews; opens 3/20

Sister Act

Previews 3/24; opens 4/20

Previews 3/17; opens 4/14

Previews 3/11; opens 4/17

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Brian Cox Jim Gaffigan Chris Noth Jason Patric Kiefer Sutherland

A megahit in London, Olivier-nominated Patina Miller reprises her role as Dolores Van Cartier in this musical take on Whoopi Goldberg’s “divine” film comedy. FYI: Miller belted “Aquarius” in the Delacorte’s production of Hair (Will Swenson, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert); Goldberg briefly took on the role of Mother Superior during the London run.

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THEATRENEW YORK

CELEBRITY PROFILE:

Joel Grey

The former Joel Katz of Cleveland, Ohio is currently double-dipping -- creatively speaking -- as a performer on Broadway in Anything Goes and a photographer with a high-profile exhibit at The Museum of the City of New York.

By Griffin Miller

Photos: (c) 2011 Roberta Fineberg

T

he image of Joel Grey as the Emcee in the original production of Cabaret – slicked-back-hair, Clara Bow lips, rouged cheeks, leering smile, spiffy tux – is, was, and always will be among Broadway’s most indelible. And though makeup artists and dressers could undoubtedly get the veteran actor “Willkommen”-ready in under an hour (“There is no age for that character, you know,” he says), Grey won’t be re-strutting the stage of the Kit Kat Klub anytime soon. He’s already booked passage on the S.S. American in the new Broadway revival of Anything Goes at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, and he couldn’t be happier.

“I never thought I was going to do eight shows a week again – never,” he says over soup and espresso at one of his favorite Greenwich Village restaurants, “but the show’s director [Tony winner Kathleen Marshall] came to me and said, ‘There’s this part and we want you to do it.’ And I said ‘no.’ And she said, ‘I promise you’re going to have a good time.’”

A few more persuasive carrots were waved in Grey’s direction, including the chance to work with his good friend John McMartin (who plays Wall Street banker Elisha Whitney) and reconnecting with musical director Rob Fisher, with whom he’d worked on Chicago.

“To be with somebody you totally trust, somebody who gets you and you get them – that sort of clinched it.”

In Anything Goes, Grey plays Moonface Martin (a.k.a. Public Enemy Number 13), a comedic rogue who spends much of the show disguised as a minister – and clearly he’s living the “good time” Marshall promised him – and then some – thanks to his on-stage chemistry with Sutton Foster, who plays evangelist-turned-nightclub-singer Reno Sweeney. (In the duet “Friendship, the two are so well-matched, you’d swear – except for the age gap – they were separated at birth.)

Grey first began performing at the age of nine. “I did a couple of children’s theatre things at the Cleveland Playhouse and then I auditioned for a part there in a great play called On Borrowed Time that had the most amazing role for a nine-year-old,” he recalls.

But his hometown career was cut short when his family moved to Los Angeles, the result of his dad – Mickey Katz, a clarinetist and pioneer Yiddish comic – joining Spike Jones’s band.

“My father was a musician and… musicians are a whole other world from actors. They think differently, they live differently, and so I was sort of an oddity to my father. He loved me, but did not know what made me tick,” says Grey. “But he was very supportive and loving. He was a great man.”

While in L.A., Grey bided his time acting, singing and dancing. He had a brief New York interlude at 11, when his mother (whom he refers to as a “Mama Rose” type), took him East to audition for the Broadway comedy Life With Father. “I never forgot what New

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[ George M, 1967; as the Wizard of Oz in Wicked; as the Emcee in the film version of Cabaret, 1972 ]

York smelled like, what it looked like, and what it felt like,” he said, adding that, although he wasn’t cast, the time he spent going to theatre here made an impact. “I was stamped – and I kept coming back; I’m still coming back.”

Interestingly, the person who finally brought Grey to the Big Apple on a permanent basis was Eddie Cantor. He discovered the 18-year-old Grey in Mickey’s legendary English-Yiddish stage revue The Borscht Capades.

After paying his dues at various theatrical venues in New York, Grey made his Broadway debut as a replacement in Neil Simon’s Come Blow Your Horn (1961). Other roles followed, but it wasn’t until 1966, after Hal Prince offered him what would become his signature role in Cabaret, that the theatre community realized the prize they had in the versatile performer.

And while he’s played countless roles on the stage, screen and television, shuttling from one coast to the other, he is adamant about what he considers to be the ultimate compliment: being recognized as a New York actor.

“You couldn’t say anything more wonderful to me… seriously,” he concludes. “That’s all I ever wanted to be.” n

grey matters  G rey tells this story about his “wonderful, divine, dancing daughter” Jenni-

fer’s appearance on Dancing with the Stars last year. Someone had Googled asking why he (Grey) hadn’t appeared with her on the show. “Are they fighting? Is there something wrong?” they wanted to know. According to Grey, the answer came via the next post: “He’s dead.” Fortunately there was a follow-up: “Are you crazy? He’s going to be in Anything Goes.”  I n 1984, Grey was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and has received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  I n 1993, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis presented Grey with the Municipal Arts Society medal naming him a Living New York Landmark.  A s for “the role that got away” – Grey says it was in the film Jaws. “I thought I had the Richard Dreyfuss part but it was one of those things… I never figured out what happened.” And then with a smattering of crocodile tears and a rim shot on the table, he adds: “It was horrible – don’t talk to me about it.”

Gotham a la Grey

Photos: Courtesy of the photographer

Joel Grey/A New York Life is The Museum of the City of New York’s exhibition highlighting the art, artistry and passion of the celebrated actor’s career trajectory. Through objet d’ Grey, the actor, as well as an impressive representation of his original photographs of his “chosen city” of New York, this visual display (ok, homage) has equal appeal to artists, photographers and fans of his iconic stage and screen achievements.

The exhibit, a rare opportunity to track Grey’s performing legacy, features a treasure-trove of personal artifacts, including posters, playbills, original Hirschfeld caricatures, costumes (yes, his seminal Emcee costume from Cabaret), and examples of his proficiency as a photographer that unmask his fascination with Manhattan through such details as life-on-the-street minutiae, graffiti and architectural particulars.

Observes Susan Henshaw Jones, the Ronay Menschel Director of the Museum, “Joel Grey has transformed himself, through his extraordinary talent, into characters that seduce, surprise, and [ J oel Grey, Village Crossing, 2009 ] [ J oel Grey, Diane’s Building, 2008 ] amaze us. This exhibition provides a The Museum of the City of New York rare glimpse into the performer’s psyche, in which we can see that New York City has seduced, April 12 through August 8th 1220 Fifth Avenue; 212-534-1672; mcny.org surprised and amazed him. We are thrilled to share this work with our audiences.”

Having begun his photographic odyssey in the 1970s, Grey has spent the new millennium sharing his passion for the art form with three monographs: Pictures I Had to Take (2003), Looking Hard at Unexamined Things (2006), and 1.3: Images from My Phone (2009).

On the latter, Grey is quick to point out, “I’m not just a phone photographer, you know. I just happened to forget my camera one time.” And while he ingeniously parlayed that lapse into some of his favorite works, he admits, “I can’t take any pictures with my phone now because it’s broken.” Still, the experience ignited a new respect for the latest technology. “I’m finally going digital after 40 years – I’m getting a Nikon.” – GM

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ON THE TOWN

New York

THEATRE

HARVEY’S ON “FIER” IN LA CAGE Question: How do you keep a hit musical running after an iconic duo departs? [Douglas Hodge, who won a 2010 Tony for his portrayal of Albin/Zaza in the Tony-winning revival of La Cage aux Folles, and Kelsey Grammer of Frasier fame who played Georges, bowed out in February.]

Answer: You bring in another “must-see” twosome. A very must-see twosome.

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And for you trivia buffs out there, in another brilliant casting coup, it was Fierstein who presented his predecessor-to-be Hodge with his 2010 Tony statuette! Now playing at the Longacre Theatre, 220 W. 48th St. For tickets, call 212-239-6200 or visit lacage.com.

Josh Lehrer

La Cage is currently putting on the glitz with four-time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein, once again bewigged and bedazzling as ZaZa, and Jeffrey “Hey, now!” Tambor (The Larry Sanders Show; Arrested Development) as his dapper “other half.” And while Tambor is a familiar Broadway presence (Glengarry Glen Ross), it’s Fierstein’s nearly 30-year connection to La Cage that makes his debut as a leading performer in the show – for which he won the writing Best Book of a Musical Tony in 1984 – a groundbreaking moment in Broadway history.

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PERFORMING ARTS p.66

Please call the box offices for showtimes.

All listings subject to change BROADWAY The Addams Family - (Musical) Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth stars as Morticia in a musical based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams. Roger Rees steps into the role of Gomez on 3/22. Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, 205 W. 46th St., 212-307-4100; theaddamsfamilymusical.com American Idiot - (Musical) Based on the Grammy Award-winning album of the same name, American Idiot follows working-class characters from the suburbs to the city to the Middle East, as they seek redemption in a world filled with frustration—an exhilarating journey borne along by Green Day’s electrifying songs. St. James Theatre, 246 W. 44th St., 212-239-6200; americanidiotonbroadway.com Anything Goes - (Musical) All aboard for this new production of Cole Porter’s musical romp across the Atlantic starring Tony Award winners Joel Grey and Sutton Foster, featuring songs like “You’re the Top,” “Blow, Gabriel, Blow,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and “Anything Goes.” Stephen Sondheim Theatre, 124 W. 43rd St., 212-239-6200; roundabouttheatre.org (Previews begin 3/10 for a 4/7 opening) Arcadia - (Drama) Billy Crudup, Raúl Esparza, and Margaret Colin star in Tom Stoppard’s critically acclaimed, dazzling, witty work of misunderstanding and quest for knowledge, resonating across centuries. Directed by five-time Tony Award nominee David Leveaux. Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th St., 212-239-6200; arcadiabroadway.com (In previews for a 3/17 opening) Baby It’s You - (Musical) This new musical tells the inspiring story of Florence Greenberg, the woman who changed the recording world forever when she discovered The Shirelles and created Scepter Records, becoming the music industry’s first female powerhouse. Starring Tony Award winner Beth Leavel, and written

by Tony-nominated book writers Mutrux and Colin Escott (Million Dollar Quartet). Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St., 212-239-6200 (Previews begin 3/26 for a 4/27 opening) Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo - (Play) Robin Williams makes his Broadway debut

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MUSEUMS p.74

in Rajiv Joseph’s darkly comic tale narrated by a tiger held captive in the Baghdad Zoo. The play follows the intertwined lives of two American marines and one Iraqi gardener as they search through the rubble of war for friendship, redemption and a toilet seat made of gold. Richard Rodgers Theatre, 226 W. 46th St., 800-745-3000; bengaltigeronbroadway.com (Previews begin 3/11 for a 3/31 opening) Billy Elliot: The Musical - (Musical) Set against the backdrop of a struggling English coal-mining town, the show—a celebration of a young boy’s dream to follow his passion for dance despite all odds—is a study in inspirational and entertaining musical theatre. Peter Darling choreographs, Sir Elton John wrote the score, and three young talents alternate in the title role. Imperial Theatre, 249 W. 45th St., 212-239-6200; billyelliotbroadway.com The Book of Mormon - (Musical) South Park’s Matt Stone and Trey Parker join forces with Avenue Q’s Tony-winning co-creator Robert Lopez to make their musical-writing debut, about a pair of mismatched Mormon boys sent on a mission to a place that’s about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get. Eugene O’Neill Theatre, 230 W. 49th St., 212-239-6200; bookofmormon onbroadway.com (In previews for a 3/24 opening) Born Yesterday - (Comedy) Jim Belushi and Nina Arianda head the cast of Garson Kanin’s award-winning comedy about sex and politics.

A timeless and timely story of a not-so-honest businessman and a not-so-dumb blonde out to “capitalize” on everything Washington has to offer. Cort Theatre, 138 W. 48th St., 212-2396200; bornyesterdayonbroadway.com (Previews begin 3/31 for a 4/24 opening) Catch Me If You Can - (Musical) The astonishing true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr., a world-class con artist who passed himself off as a doctor, a lawyer, and a jet pilot—all before the age of 21. With straight-arrow FBI agent Carl Hanratty on Frank’s trail, we’re off on a jet-setting, cat-and-mouse chase, as a jazzy, swinging-’60s score keeps this adventure in constant motion. Neil Simon Theatre, 250 W. 52nd St., 877-250-2929 (Previews begin 3/7 for a 4/10 opening) Chicago - (Musical Revival) Kander and Ebb’s long-running “musical vaudeville” follows murderous vixen Roxie Hart, who gains notoriety from prison and locks horns with prison diva Velma Kelly when they both vie for the attentions of the hottest lawyer in town: Billy Flynn.

Courtesy of the artist

ON THE TOWN SPOTLIGHT

SIGHTSEEING p.86

Ambassador Theatre, 219 W. 49th St., 212-239-6200; chicagothemusical.com Driving Miss Daisy - (Play) Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones star in a revival of Alfred Uhry’s classic play, a timeless, searing, funny, and ultimately hopeful meditation on race relations in America told through the complex relationship between two of popular culture’s most enduring characters: a widowed, 72-year-old Jewish woman living in midcentury Atlanta and an African American man who serves as her chauffeur. Golden Theatre, 252 W. 45th St., 212-239-6200; daisyonbroadway.com (Through 4/9) Fat Pig - (Play) Neil LaBute’s razor-sharp comedy tells the story of Tom (Josh Hamilton), a very eligible bachelor who falls for the beautiful, bright and plus-sized Helen. Tom is overjoyed with his new relationship but his shallow co-workers are less enthusiastic. Tom shrugs off their objections but eventually the cruel jabs of his acerbic friend Carter (Dane Cook) and Jeannie (Julia Stiles), a former flame, force him to question his own values and the importance of conventional good looks. Belasco Theatre, 111 W. 44th St., 212-239-6200 (Previews begin 4/12 for a 4/26 opening) Ghetto Klown - (Comedy) This new solo show is the next chapter in John Leguizamo’s hugely popular personal and professional story. It follows in the unabashed, uncensored, and uninhibited tradition of his Mambo Mouth, Spic-O-Rama, Freak, and Sexaholix...a Love Story. In Ghetto Klown, Leguizamo takes audiences from his adolescent memories in Queens to the early days of his acting career during the ’80s avant-garde theatre scene, and on to the sets of major motion pictures with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Lyceum Theatre, 149 W. 45th St., 800-432-7250; ghettoklown.com (In previews for a 3/22 opening) Good People - (Play) Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire’s latest is set in Southie, a Boston neighborhood where a night on the town means a few rounds of Bingo, where this month’s paycheck covers last month’s bills, and where Margie Walsh (Frances McDormand) has just been let go from another job. Facing eviction and scrambling to catch a break, she thinks that an old fling (Tate Donovan), who has found success outside of Southie, might be her ticket to a fresh start. Samuel J. Friedman Theater, 261 W. 47th St., 212-239-6200; mtc-nyc.org (Through 4/24) High - (Play) An exploration of the universal themes of truth, forgiveness, redemption and human fallibility. When Sister Jamison Connolly

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(Kathleen Turner) agrees to sponsor a 19-year-old drug user and help him combat his addiction, her own faith is tested. Struggling between the knowledge she possesses as a rehabilitation counselor and a woman of religious conviction, she begins to question her belief in miracles and whether people can find the courage to change. Booth Theater, 222 W. 45th St., 212-239-6200; highonbroadway.org (Previews begin 3/25 for a 4/19 opening) The House of Blue Leaves - (Play) Ben Stiller and Edie Falco return to Broadway in John Guare’s comic masterpiece. Stiller is a zookeeper and wannabe songwriter who is trying to cope with a schizophrenic wife, an impatient girlfriend and a visit from the Pope, all while sustaining his dream of hitting it big. Jennifer Jason Leigh also stars in this satirical take on celebrity, religion, and the frequent merging of the two. Walter Kerr Theater, 219 W. 48th St., 212-239-6200; houseofblueleaves. com (Previews begin 4/4 for a 4/25 opening) How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - (Musical) Following the advice of a book, a young window-cleaner (Daniel Radcliffe) begins a meteoric rise from the mail-room to Vice President of Advertising at the World-Wide Wicket Company. Featuring Frank Loesser’s famous score and an array of hit standards. Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 226 W. 46th St., 212-2396200; howtosucceedbroadway.com (In previews for a 3/27 opening) The Importance of Being Earnest - (Play) The fabulous Brian Bedford directs and stars as the formidable Lady Bracknell in this Stratford Shakespeare Festival import of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy of mistaken identity skewering Victorian codes of propriety and etiquette. The plot centers around two dashing young friends, John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, and their convoluted courtships of Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. American Airlines Theatre, 227 W. 42nd St., 212-719-1300; roundabouttheatre.org (Through 7/3) Jersey Boys - (Musical) Based on the life story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, this musical chronicles the rise to superstardom of a group of blue-collar kids from the wrong side of the tracks during the 1960s. Filled with just about every major Four Seasons hit, from “Sherry” and “Rag Doll” to “You’re Just Too Good to Be True.” August Wilson Theatre, 245 W. 52nd St., 212-239-6200; jerseyboysbroadway.com

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Jerusalem - (Play) Tony and Olivier Awardwinning star Mark Rylance recreates his wildly acclaimed, multi award-winning performance as Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron in the Royal Court Theatre production of Jez Butterworth’s new play. In the woods of South West England, Byron, former daredevil motorcyclist and modern-day Pied Piper, is a wanted man. The council officials want to serve him an eviction notice, his son wants to be taken to the country fair, a stepfather wants to give him a serious kicking and friends want his ample supply of drugs and alcohol. Music Box Theatre, 239 W. 45th St., 212-239-6200; jerusalembroadway.com (Previews begin 4/2 for a 4/21 opening)

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Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony - (Solo show) Emmy-winning comic Kathy Griffin hits Broadway to dish on all pop culture and shine a light on inappropriate water cooler conversations. Featuring all new observations and tales of run-ins with celebrities. The show’s material is subject to change, depending on just what she decides is “news of the day.” Belasco Theatre, 111 W. 44th St., 212-2396200; kathygriffin.net (3/11-3/19) La Cage Aux Folles - (Musical) A tale of an unusual nightclub and the extraordinary characters whose lives and relationships revolve around it, in which a man and his lover pretend not to be gay just to meet his son’s prospective parents-in-law. Starring Harvey Fierstein and Jeffrey Tambor. Longacre Theatre, 220 W. 48th St., 212-239-6200; lacage.com The Lion King - (Musical) The Tony- and Olivier Award-winning stage version of Disney’s celebrated animated feature follows the lion cub Simba as he struggles to accept the responsibilities of adulthood and his destined role of king of the jungle. Filled with colorful characters and Grammy-winning numbers by Elton John and Tim Rice. Directed by Julie Taymor. The Minskoff Theatre, 200 W. 45th St., 866-870-2717; disneyonbroadway.com Lombardi - (Play) A new play by Oscar winner and Steppenwolf Theater Company member Eric Simonson—based on the best-selling biography by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Maraniss— that brings the audience into the life and times of one of America’s most inspirational and mercurial personalities, Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi. Starring Dan Lauria and Judith Light.

Circle in the Square Theatre, 235 W. 50th St., 212-239-6200; lombardibroadway.com Mamma Mia! - (Musical) Set on a Greek isle, this clever hit musical romance incorporates 22 ABBA songs (“Dancing Queen,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You”) into a story about a single mother and her daughter on the eve of the daughter’s wedding— and three men who could be the bride’s father.

Winter Garden Theatre, 1634 Broadway (50th St.), 212-563-5544; mamma-mia.com Mary Poppins - (Musical) Based on the P.L. Travers stories and the Oscar-winning film, this fast-paced, heartwarming musical about the world’s most famous nanny boasts numbers from both the original film as well as new songs

by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. New Amsterdam Theatre, 214 W. 42nd St., 866-870-2717; disneyonbroadway.com Master Class - (Play) Terrence McNally’s awardwinning play about Maria Callas (Tyne Daly) takes us to one of her famous master classes where, late in her own career, she challenges the next generation to make the same sacrifices she did, making her the most celebrated—and the most controversial— singer of her time. Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 W. 47th St., 212-239-6200; mtc-nyc.org (Previews begin 5/24 for a 6/21 opening) Memphis - (Musical) From the dance halls of Memphis, Tennessee comes this “hot and

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bothered” Tony-winning musical set in the turbulent south of the 1950s. It tells the story of Huey Calhoun, a white radio DJ whose love of good music transcends race lines and airwaves.

Shubert Theatre, 225 W. 44th St., 212-239-6200; memphisthemusical.com Million Dollar Quartet - (Musical) A musical inspired by the famed 1956 recording session that brought together four of the most legendary figures in the history of rock n’ roll—Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley.

Nederlander Theatre, 208 W. 41st St., 212-307-4100; milliondollarquartetlive.com The Motherf**ker with the Hat - (Play) A new high-octane, verbal cage match about love, fidelity, and misplaced haberdashery from playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis. Jackie and Veronica have been in love since the 8th grade. But now, Jackie is on parole and living clean and sober under the guidance of his sponsor, Ralph D, while still living and loving with his volatile soul mate Veronica who is fiercely loving, but far from sober. Nothing can come between them—except a hat. Starring Bobby Cannavale, Chris Rock, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Annabella Sciorra and Yul Vázquez. Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 W. 45th St., 212-239-6200; themfwiththehat.com (Previews begin 3/15 for a 4/11 opening) The People in the Picture - (Musical) Once the darling of the Yiddish Theatre in pre-war Poland, now a grandmother in New York City, Bubbie (Donna Murphy) has had quite a life. But what will it all mean if she can’t pass on her stories to the next generation? Though her tales enchant her granddaughter, her daughter will do anything to keep from looking back. Studio 54, 254 W. 54th St., 212-719-9393; roundabouttheatre.org (Previews begin 4/1 for a 4/28 opening) The Phantom of the Opera - (Musical) Gaston Leroux’s famous period thriller now reigns as Broadway’s most legendary grand dame, having broken countless records as it continues to thrill new generations of theatregoers. Majestic Theatre, 247 W. 44th St., 212-239-6200; thephantomoftheopera.com Priscilla Queen of the Desert - (Musical) Olivier Award nominee Tony Sheldon, Tony Award nominee Will Swenson and Nick Adams star as the trio of friends who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship in the middle of the Australian outback and end up finding more than they could ever have dreamed. With a dazzling array of outrageous costumes and featuring a score of dance-floor classics, Priscilla is a sensational journey to the heart of fabulous. Palace Theatre, 1554 Broadway (47th St.), 877-250-2929; priscillaonbroadway.com (In previews for a 3/20 opening)

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Rain - A Tribute to The Beatles on Broadway - (Musical) This multimedia concert recaptures the era through all phases of The Beatles’ musical career including Shea Stadium, the psychedelic late ’60s, and their long-haired, hard-rocking rooftop days. Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 256 W. 47th St., 212-307-4100; raintribute.com

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Rock of Ages - (Musical) This show is a true crowd-pleaser with its high-energy retro score made up of 1980s hits by Journey, Bon Jovi, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Asia and Whitesnake. Set at a Hollywood rock club, the show tracks an aspiring young rocker and a small-town girl chasing her dreams. Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 W. 44th St., 212-239-6200; rockofagesmusical.com (From 3/24) Sister Act - (Musical) Based on the feature film, Sister Act features an original Alan Menken/Glenn Slater score with a vast inspiration of musical styles from Motown, soul and funk to great big disco anthems and Barry White-inspired musical comedy.

Broadway Theatre, 1681 Broadway (53rd St.), 212-239-6200; sisteractbroadway.com (Previews begin 3/24 for a 4/20 opening) Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark - (Musical) Julie Taymor (The Lion King) directs this new take on the mythic tale of Peter Parker, who’s bitten by a radioactive spider and wakes up with supernatural powers. With music and lyrics by Bono and the Edge of U2. Foxwoods Theatre, 213 W. 42nd St., 800-745-3000; spidermanonbroadway.com (In previews for a 3/15 opening) That Championship Season - (Play) On the anniversary of their victory in the state championship game, members of a small-town Catholic high school basketball team gather with their coach to re-live their youthful glory. As the night progresses, long-buried grudges and secrets surface, threatening not just their solidarity, but the meaning of their victory. Starring Chris Noth, Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Jim Gaffigan and Brian Cox. Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, 242 W. 45th St., 212-239-6200; thatchampionshipseason.com (Through 5/29) War Horse - (Play) At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a mission to find him and bring him home. Vivian Beaumont Theatre, 150 W. 65th St., 212-239-6200; warhorseonbroadway.com (Previews begin 3/15 for a 4/14 opening) Wicked - (Musical) Set in Oz before the arrival of Dorothy, this knock-out production follows the friendship between two girls—one smart, misunderstood, with green skin; the other beautiful, popular, and ambitious—who grow up to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch. Gershwin Theatre, 222 W. 51st St., 212-307-4100; wickedthemusical.com Wonderland: A New Alice. A New Musical (Musical) A new spin on the classic story of Alice and her Looking-Glass world, Wonderland is about a modern-day woman who goes on a life-changing adventure far below the streets of New York City, where a colorful cast of strange but familiar characters help her rediscover what’s really important.

Featuring a fresh, contemporary pop score from the

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creator of Jekyll and Hyde. Marquis Theatre, 1535 Broadway, 877-250-2929; wonderlandonbroadway.com (Previews begin 3/21 for a 4/17 opening)

OFF-BROADWAY Angels in America - (Play) Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play is set during the first wave of the AIDS epidemic. Characters include: lawyer Roy Cohn; an African-American male nurse; a Mormon housewife; a prophecybearing angel; the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg—all played by a company of eight actors. The play’s two parts perform in repertory (call or visit website for schedule). Signature Theatre Company, 555 W. 42nd St., 212-244-7529; signaturetheatre.org (Through 3/27) Avenue Q - (Musical) Singing puppets and their human neighbors make up the residents of Avenue Q, a fictional New York City street where a collection of twenty-somethings struggle to find their way in the world. New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., 212-239-6200; avenueq.com Benefactors - (Drama) An architect’s urban renewal plan leads to a revision in his marriage, and his neighbor’s. The show’s first New York revival; written by Michael Frayn, author of Copenhagen and Democracy. Clurman Theatre, 410 W. 42nd St., 212-239-6200; keencompany.org Black Angels Over Tuskegee - (Play) Layon Gray’s historical drama based on true events. Six men explore their struggle with Jim Crow, their intelligence, patriotism, dreams of an inclusive fair society, and brotherhood as they become the first AfricanAmerican fighter pilots in the U.S. Army Air Forces.

St. Luke’s Theatre, 308 W. 46th St., 212-239-6200 Black Tie - (Play) A.R. Gurney’s world-premiere comedy. The father of the groom wants to make a memorable toast, but before he does, he must defend the time-honored ways of his past, including his attire. Cultures clash when a surprise guest is announced, threatening to throw convention out the window. 59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th St., 212-279-4200; primarystages.org (Through 3/27) Blue Man Group - (Spectacle) Best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows, the trio of post-modern clowns known as Blue Man Group combines music, comedy and multimedia theatrics to produce a totally unique form of entertainment.

Astor Place Theatre, 434 Lafayette St. (so. of Astor Pl.), 212-254-4370; blueman.com Broadway’s Next Hit Musical - (Musical Comedy) Taking suggestions from the audience, the cast of this fully improvised show hosted by Greg Treggs brings to life an actual mock awards show, complete with made-up show tunes and genuinely witty banter, followed by a performance of the evening’s “Phony” Award Winning musical.

Triad Theatre, 158 W. 72nd St., 212-868-4444; broadwaysnexthitmusical.com (Through 4/21)

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Cactus Flower - (Comedy) The story of a handsome, middle-aged Park Avenue dentist

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and bachelor (Maxwell Caulfield) who, to evade commitment, tells his much younger girlfriend that he is married. When she demands to meet his fictional wife (Lois Robbins), hilarity ensues.

Westside Theatre, 407 W. 43rd St., 212-239-6200; cactusfloweronstage.com (Through 5/29) Carson McCullers Talks About Love - (Play) Written by Suzanne Vega, this play features the iconic McCullers talking and reminiscing about love and art and life. Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, 224 Waverly Pl., 212-868-4444; rattlestick.org (Previews begin 4/20 for a 4/28 opening) The Divine Sister - (Comedy) This outrageous comic homage tells the story of St. Veronica’s indomitable Mother Superior (author Charles Busch), who is determined to build a new school for her Pittsburgh convent. Along the way, she has to deal with a young postulant who is experiencing “visions,” sexual hysteria among her nuns, a sensitive schoolboy in need of mentoring, a mysterious nun visiting from the Mother House in Berlin, and a former suitor intent on luring her away from her vows. SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam St., 212-6911555; divinesisteronstage.com (Through 4/30) Double Falsehood - (Play) A long-lost play of Shakespeare’s? They called it an “out-and-out forgery” when it was first unearthed in the 18th century, but now many Shakespearean authorities agree that his hand can be discerned in this intriguing tale of love, betrayal, madness, and redemption. Classic Stage Company, 136 E. 13th St., 212-352-3101; classicstage.org (3/11-4/3) The Fantasticks - (Musical) A romantic classic centered on the simple love story of a boy, a girl, two fathers, and a wall. Snapple Theater Center, 1627 Broadway, 212-307-4100; thefantasticks.com The Flying Karamazov Brothers - (Comedy) Four times triumphant on Broadway, the awardwinning Flying Karamazov Brothers are back in an unforgettable spectacle of music, comedy, dance, theater and juggling. Minetta Lane Theatre, 18 Minetta Ln. (Sixth Ave. & MacDougal St.), 800-982-2787; fkb.com Fuerza Bruta: Look Up - (Spectacle) Breaking free from the confines of spoken language and theatrical convention, this new show from the creators of De La Guarda immerses performers and audience in an environment that floods the senses and makes the imagination soar. Daryl Roth Theatre, 20 Union Square E. (15th St.), 212-239-6200; fuerzabruta.net ImaginOcean - (Musical) John Tartaglia’s amazing musical for families takes audiences on an underwater journey full of surprises and special effects.

New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., 212-239-6200; newworldstages.com The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures - (Play) The New York premiere of Tony Kushner’s play about a retired longshoreman who summons his children to the family’s Brooklyn brownstone for a series of shocking announcements.

The play explores revolution, radicalism, marriage,

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sex, prostitution, politics, real estate, unions of all kinds and debts both repaid and unpayable. The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., 212-967-7555; pulictheater.org (Opening 3/22) La Barbería - (Play) This new Spanglish comedic drama by David Maldonado and Ari Maniel Cruz is a funny, yet emotional journey of hope, identity, and assimilation. Performed mostly in Spanish.

New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., 212-239-6200; newworldstages.com Line - (Play) Israel Horovitz’s classic comedy about five people standing in line has been playing Off-Off Broadway for many years—in fact, it’s inching up on the 40-year mark and has become the longest-running play in Off-Off Broadway history. 13th Street Repertory, 50 W. 13th St., 212-352-0255; 13thstreetrep.org Love, Loss and What I Wore - (Play) Written by Nora and Delia Ephron, this collection of vignettes and monologues based on the best-selling book

by Ilene Beckerman, as well as on the recollections of the Ephrons’ friends, features rotating celebrity cast of five lending their talents to this femalecentric show. Westside Theatre, 407 W. 43rd St., 212-239-6200; lovelossonstage.com A Minister’s Wife - (Musical) Conceived and directed by Michael Halberstam, with music by Joshua Schmidt and lyrics by Jan Tranen, the show is based on the 1898 version of Shaw’s play, and explores the fires burning beneath the surface of a seemingly ordinary marriage. Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, 150 W. 65th St., 212-239-6200; lct.org (Previews begin 4/7 for a 5/5 opening) Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating, & Marriage - (Play) Based on Abigail Grotke’s popular book that promises “classic advice for contemporary dilemmas.” Miss Abigail (played

by Eve Plumb, Jan on The Brady Bunch) takes you back to a simpler time, before booty calls and speed-dating, back when the divorce rate wasn’t 50 percent and “Fidelity” was more than an investment firm. Sofia’s Restaurant Downstairs Theater, 221 W. 46th St., 877-964-7722; missabigailsguide.com Murdered by the Mob - (Interactive) Join a private audience with the Don, mingle with mobsters and molls, and meet the new “Boss of Bosses.” It’s the party of the year celebrating the induction of the newest crime boss and everyone’s invited. Amo Dinner Theatre, 141 W. 38th St., 800-MURDER-INC; murdermysteryinc.com My Big Gay Italian Wedding - (Comedy) Two handsome grooms, one overbearing Italian mother, a jealous ex-boyfriend, the wedding planner from Hell, and an assortment of kooky family and friends all gather for this new comedy St. Luke’s Theater, 308 W. 46th St., 212-239-6200; biggayitalianwedding.com

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Naked Boys Singing - (Musical) Hunky guys in the altogether perform 16 musical numbers. New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., 212-239-6200; newworldstages.com

2/23/11 6:56 PM

Perfect Crime - (Mystery) The long-running hit cat-and-mouse thriller about a wealthy female psychiatrist who has returned to America and a bizarre murder. Snapple Theater Center, 210 W. 50th St., 212-307-4100; perfect-crime.com Peter and the Starcatcher - (Play) An imaginative new play based on the best-selling novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. In it, a company of 12 actors play some 50 characters on a journey to answer the century-old questions: How did Peter become The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up? New York Theatre Workshop, 79 E. 4th St., 212-279-4200; nytw.org (Through 4/3) School for Lies - (Play) Playwright David Ives and director Walter Bobbie reunite for their sparkling comic take (in hilarious comic verse) on Molière’s immortal comic classic The Misanthrope. Classic Stage Company, 136 E. 13th St., 212-352-3101; classicstage.org (4/12-5/22) Siudy: Between Worlds - (Play) Between Worlds bursts through artistic and cultural boundaries, transporting audiences to a future where water has all but disappeared and desperate tribes war with each other and the elements for survival.

Twenty-two performers from around the globe drum and dance in a kinetic and provocative blend of Flamenco, urban dance and percussion to create a multi-sensory theatrical experience for the whole family. New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., 212-239-6200; newworldstages.com (Through 5/22) Stomp - (Musical) Springing from Brit clubs and an urban aesthetic, this eight-member theatre of percussion has caused sensation after sensation at each of its international appearances—and what can only be called a big bang in the Big Apple.

Orpheum Theatre, 126 Second Ave. (7th St.St. Marks Pl.), 212-307-4100; stomponline.com Through a Glass Darkly - (Play) Academy Awardand Golden Globe Award-nominated film star Carey Mulligan (An Education) stars in the U.S. premiere of a play based on the Academy Awardwinning Ingmar Bergman film and adapted for the stage by Jenny Worton. New York Theatre Workshop, 79 E. 4th St., 212-279-4200; atlantictheater.org (Previews begin 5/13 for 6/6 opening) The Whipping Man - (Play) The New York debut of Matthew Lopez’s acclaimed historical drama about loyalty, deceit and deliverance, featuring a fascinating portrayal of three men, and this country, at a crossroads. New York City Center - Stage I, 131 W. 55th St., 212-581-1212; manhattantheatreclub.org (Through 4/10) Wittenberg - (Play) Trouble brews in the hallowed halls of Wittenberg U. circa 1517.

Doctor Faustus and Reverend Martin Luther vie for the allegiance of their star pupil Prince Hamlet, who can’t decide on a major. While the prince ping-pongs between their contrary advice, the professors debate faith and reason in a zany spin on classic characters. New York City Center Stage II, 131 W. 55th St., 212-581-1212; pearltheatre.org (3/20-4/17)

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Micaela Rossato/Metropolitan Opera

OPERANEW YORK [ Juan Diego Flórez as the Count ]

a wonderful tale of

lust and l’amour

For the first time since it was written in 1828, the Met stages Rossini’s elegant, yet sexy Le Comte Ory, with a great cast in challenging roles.

By Martin Bernheimer

L

e Comte Ory is a wonderful opera – tuneful, funny, elegant yet earthy, sexy and satirical. It offers grateful if demanding roles for at least three virtuoso singers – stylists who can float long, arching lines with grace, explore the vocal stratosphere with ease, and trace patter intricacies with charm. Gioachino Rossini created this daunting challenge in 1828 while

working in Paris. That explains the French text. Now, 183 inexplicable years later, the flagrantly amorous count of the title and his ever-intriguing entourage have finally come to the Metropolitan Opera.

Rossini’s librettists, the justly famous Eugène Scribe and the more obscure Charles-Gaspard Delestre-Poirson, found their inspiration in an

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[ As part of the Le Comte Ory dream cast, Diana Damrau is Countess Adèle.

She is pictured here as Rosina in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. ]

bel-canto tenor of our time, is sure to win all hearts – except that of the Countess Adèle – as the titular Count.

Now 38 and in his ninth season at the Met, Flórez dazzles in florid showpieces beyond the reach of most colleagues. Without a trace of effort, he can spin out endless phrases on a single breath, sustaining purity, poise and ardor in the process. He can execute a bona-fide trill. He can make ornate flights seem Metropolitan Opera like organic extensions March 24, 29, April 2, 5, 9 (matinee), 14, 18, 21 of the basic impulse, Lincoln Center; metopera.org never just decorations.

He confronts vocal complexity with a mischievous grin or a nonchalant shrug. He can be showy without seeming showy.

The highest of high notes are his stock in operatic trade. He delivers them without a droplet of perspiration. In one opera, Rossini’s Zelmira, he actually soars to a lofty E-flat, leaving the audience, if not the singer, breathless.

In 2008 he appeared as Tonio in Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment at the Met and brought down the house with the notorious aria, “Pour mon âme.” This, the hero’s love song, rises to nine – nine! – high Cs. Unfazed, Flórez tossed them off as if they were warm-up exercises. He also held the ascending climax for what seemed like an eternity. Then, responding to a standing ovation, virtually unprecedented mid-scene, he broke the noencore rule and breezed over the obstacle course a second time, accumulating 18 – that’s 18! – high Cs. He made history that night. And, who knows, with a little help from Rossini, he may do something like that as the raunchy nobleman who carouses con brio as a singing-drinking nun. After all, Juan Diego Flórez specializes in revelations. n Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Martin Bernheimer covers music in New York for the Financial Times and Opera magazine. His last piece in Promenade was on the winter classical season.

Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

18th-century Picardy ballad about a historical libertine named Ory. The count, unabashedly libidinous, might have given Don Juan a run for his conquests. Rossini recycled some of his score for Le Comte Ory from Il Viaggio a Reims, a rather obscure pièce d’occasion created for the coronation of Charles X in 1825. This composer wasted little and wanted not.

The action of the opera, occasionally formulaic in essence yet never ritualistic, takes place in the castle of Formoutiers ca. 1200. While the master is off fighting in the Crusades, his chaste, much chased sister, the Countess Adèle, becomes an amorous fixation for the incorrigible, also indefatigable, Ory. In his first inept attempt gain her favor – or at least to attract her attention – he disguises himself and his men as needy hermits.

In his second assault, more preposterous and equally unsuccessful, he and his lusty entourage impersonate nuns. Yes, nuns – nuns who eventually find sonorous solace in the palatial wine cellar.

Ory’s caddish ambitions are complicated, and ultimately compromised, by a rival for the Countess’ affections: his own pageboy, Isolier. In the operatic convention of the period, he is portrayed by a she who looks good in tights. The plot evolves in mild mockery of social manners and operatic mannerisms, culminating in mistaken-identity fiascos. The confusions are neatly delineated, also esthetically elevated, in a parade of arias, set pieces and ensembles, all of staggering complexity and dizzy sophistication.

According to the great, and greatly finicky, critic Henry Chorley (1808-1862), “there is not a bad melody, not an ugly bar” in the opera.

He lauded “a felicitous curiousness in the modulations [and] crispness of finish.” He especially admired the progressive elements, citing the composer’s “wondrous tact in conforming to the taste of the new public he was to fascinate.”

Rossini tended to value intimacy over grandeur. He wrote for slender voices that could rise effectively above a modest if colorful orchestra, voices that could turn acrobatic tricks into expressive comments. The lyric tenor cast as the mercurial Ory must command uncommon suavity and agility as well as an easy top D. The Countess Adèle must convey erotic allure as well as coloratura glee. Isolier, a not-too-distant cousin of Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, must simulate boyish ardor, master musical agitation and rise to climaxes well above a mezzo-soprano’s customary comfort zone.

The Met has assembled a dream cast for a production staged by the celebrated Bartlett Sher, whose credits include South Pacific on Broadway as well as Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Met. The lovely Diana Damrau, originally from Günzberg, Germany, is entrusted with the seductive poses and stratospheric fiorature of Countess Adèle. Joyce DiDonato of Kansas City, Missouri, is in charge of Isolier’s pulsing platitudes, and she certainly commands the proper physique du rôle. Most importantly, Juan Diego Flórez of Lima, Peru, internationally acclaimed as the leading

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Albert Watson

Josef Astor

Albert Watson

DANCENEW YORK

Anna Finke

Mark Hanauer

Julieta Cervantes

Phil Knott

[ Richard Move as Martha Graham in Martha@...The 1963 Interview; Martha Graham Dance Company: Blakeley White-McGuire and Katherine Crockett in Cave of the Heart ]

[ Trisha Brown Dance Company: For MG: The Movie; Doug Varone & Dancers: Netta Yerushalmy and Ryan Corriston in Chapters From a Broken Novel; Armitage Gone! Dance: MeiHua Wang in Three Theories; Merce Cunningham Dance Company: CRWDSPCR, 2007 ]

Martha’s Children Graham left a major imprint on modern dance, say the choreographers whose companies are appearing all over town this spring.

By Sylviane Gold

W

hen audiences settle in to watch the Martha Graham Dance Company at Lincoln Center the week of March 15, they will – perhaps unknowingly – be participating in an American revolution.

It may no longer be so obvious. Nearly a century has passed since Graham began the groundbreaking work that propelled dance into the modern world, and contemporary dance companies now flourish everywhere. But she was an unreconstructed, peculiarly American rebel, and the adventurous audience that followed her into uncharted territory, far removed from the pretty toedancing derived from Europe’s autocratic traditions, was forging a cultural revolution that is still in progress. If, as someone once said, all of Western philosophy is a series of footnotes to Plato, then probably all contemporary

dance can be even more accurately described as footnotes to Graham.

One need only look at the American contemporary dance companies appearing around town this spring to discern multiple branches of the Graham family tree. The late Merce Cunningham (at the Joyce Theater March 22-27), whose company is on its final tour before disbanding in December, began in Graham’s company, as did Elisa Monte (at the Joyce through March 6). The Cunningham Dance Company incubated Trisha Brown (at Dance Theater Workshop March 16-26) and Karole Armitage (at the Joyce April 26 - May 8), and Brown’s company gave rise to Stephen Petronio (at the Joyce April 5-10).

Larry Keigwin (at the Joyce March 8-13) has a different kind of kinship: he’s been commissioned to create a new work on the Graham company.

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Volkmann

Erin Baino

Sarah Silver

[ Stephen Petronio Company: Tara Lorenzen and Julian De Leon in Underland; Armitage Gone! Dance: Drastic-Classicism; Elisa Monte Dance: Rachel Holmes and Prentice WhitlowIndia ]

The fact that choreographers can trace their lineage back to Graham doesn’t necessarily make them disciples. “Merce did his best to eradicate any influence coming from her,” says Armitage. But, she notes, Graham still left an imprint.

“Her introduction of the contraction – using the mobility of the back – as a device to make shapes and to create emotion is very important to me and to all of dance,” Armitage says. “I admire her choreography for its deep focus and directness. She uses only what is essential, and that is a true hallmark of greatness.” And, she adds, Graham “is almost the only woman choreographer in the world to have sustained a company over the long haul.”

Elisa Monte is working on that, too. The choreographer, whose Elisa Monte Dance is celebrating its 30th anniversary, was a leading Graham dancer from 1974 to 1981. She credits Graham as the inspiration who “woke up everything inside of me.” Still, she doesn’t teach the specifics of Graham technique to her own dancers. Instead, she finds herself trying to instill “that groundedness, that connection to the earth so intrinsic to her work.” Today’s dancers, she notes, often don’t know how to shift their weight properly: “It sounds simple, but it’s really complicated. The shift of weight isn’t just a dancer stepping. That shift of weight should drag the audience to where you’re going.”

Stephen Petronio was the first male dancer in Brown’s company, and like her, he rejects many of Graham’s teachings. But he can’t shake her influence completely: “Contraction and release was Martha,” he says. “I’m more flung release – I took half of her equation and flung it.” What he hasn’t flung is her “intense interest in capturing the spirit of the contemporary mind.” And, he also shares with Graham “an interest in fashion and photography as well as dance.”

Even choreographers who emerged from other schools of American modern dance – yes, there are a few – owe something to Graham, says Doug Varone (at the Joyce March 15-20), whose roots lie with Graham contemporary Doris Humphrey. “I think we’re all in many ways direct descendants,” he says of Graham. “I do feel like the beautiful strength of Martha’s work and the sense of storytelling through abstraction are really, really key. I love her sense of narrative, and I feel as if what I make is all about narrative in some way – even the abstract works.”

Whether accepting or rejecting it, today’s choreographers all must contend with Graham’s legacy. But Richard Move (at Dance Theater Workshop March 30-April 2) has gone one step beyond that. Since 1996, he has been portraying Graham. “We have a very special relationship,” he says with a laugh.

His performances tend to be rigorously faithful and intrinsically comic, but the one he’s devised to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the great lady’s

death, on April 1, 1991, is something of a departure. Instead of focusing on “the great genius creator,” “Martha@...The 1963 Interview” re-creates a live onstage interview Graham did with the dance critic Walter Terry when she was almost 69 and preparing, finally, to give up performing.

“She was unbelievably articulate and profound about what it meant to be doing what she was doing,” Move says. “She wrote prolifically and spoke beautifully and very poetically about her art.” The Tony-nominated playwright and actress Lisa Kron will portray Terry, and two dancers, Graham principal Katherine Crockett and former company member Catherine Cabeen, will embody some of the works as they come up in the interview. Asked if Graham herself will be demonstrating, Move responds as if it’s a foregone conclusion: “She will be dancing. She can’t help herself.” n

[ the schedule ] • Elisa Monte Dance in repertory including “Treading,” “Light Lies” and “Dialogue With Vanishing Languages,” March 1-6 at the Joyce Theater • Keigwin + Company in “Dark Habits,” March 8-13 at the Joyce • Martha Graham Dance Company in repertory including “Maple Leaf Rag,” “Embattled Garden” and “Cave of the Heart,” March 15-20 at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center • Doug Varone & Dancers in “Chapters From a Broken Novel,” March 15-20 at the Joyce • Trisha Brown Dance Company in “For MG: The Movie,” “Foray Forêt” and “Watermotor,” March 16 - 26 at Dance Theater Workshop • Merce Cunningham Dance Company in repertory including “CRWDSPCR,” “Quartet” and “Antic Meet,” March 22-27 at the Joyce • Richard Move as Martha Graham in “Martha@...The 1963 Interview,” March 30 - April 2 at Dance Theater Workshop • Stephen Petronio Company in “Underland,” April 5-10 at the Joyce • Armitage Gone! Dance in repertory including “Drastic-Classicism,” “Ligeti Essays” and “Three Theories,” April 26 - May 8 at the Joyce Sylviane Gold has written about the arts for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Newsday and Dance Magazine. Her last piece for Promenade was on ABT’s Gillian Murphy and their new Nutcracker.

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&

New York

PERFORMING ARTS CULTURAL CENTERS

CARNEGIE HALL’s 120th ANNIVERSARY

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Celebrations for Carnegie Hall’s 120th anniversary begin on April 12 when singer/songwriter James Taylor (above) hosts a one-night-only gala event highlighting the many musical and cultural events that have taken place on the Hall’s legendary stages over the past century-plus. Barbara Cook, Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Sting, and members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus are also scheduled to appear. Tickets priced at $2,500 and $5,000 include premier concert seating and an exclusive after-party dinner at The Museum of Modern Art; go online at carnegiehall.org/ jamestaylorgala or call 212-903-9679. This also marks the first concert of Taylor’s four-event Perspectives series at Carnegie Hall, to be followed

by James Taylor: Roots (Apr. 20), James Taylor: Guitar Conversations (May 6), and Quintessential James Taylor and His Band (May 9).

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2/23/11 7:00 PM

ONTHETOWN

Please call the box offices for showtimes.

All listings subject to change.

Beacon Theatre – The Allman Brothers Band (3/10-26); Jeff Beck’s Rock and Roll Party (3/28); What My Husband Doesn’t Know (4/7-10); James Blunt (4/21); Mother’s Day Concert featuring The Whispers & Stephanie Mills (5/8); Adele (5/19); Chelsea Handler (5/21); Elvis Costello & The Imposters (5/22-23). 2124 Broadway (74th-75th Sts.), 212-465-6225; beacontheatrenyc.com Brooklyn Academy of Music – Dance: DanceAfrica 2011 (5/27-30). Music: Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY (4/1-2); Quimbombó (4/22); Telmary Diaz (4/23); The Cuban Cowboys (4/29); The O’Farrill Family Band (4/30); The Nag Champayons (5/28). 30 Lafayette Ave., 718-636-4100; bam.org Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts – 22nd Bi-Annual International ElectroAcoustical Music Festival (3/8-9); All-Star Gospel Concert - Night of Celebration and Praise (3/12); Winter Composers Concert (3/14); Ladysmith Black Mambazo (3/19); ‘S Wonderful - The New Gershwin Musical (3/20); The Faculty Recital Series - After Silence: The Art of Improvisation featuring The Salim Washington/Brian Wilson Quartet (3/22); The Conservatory Wind Ensemble (3/22); Singing Film Stars of Russia (3/26); Soh Daiko, Taiko Drum Ensemble (3/27); The Conservatory Guitar Ensemble (3/29); Francis Poulenc’s Gloria (3/31); Richard Greenberg’s The Violet Hour (3/31-4/2); Opera Favorites (4/1); Music For Strings 1 (4/6); Brooklyn College Conservatory Orchestra (4/7); Afternoon Chamber Music Ensemble (4/7); Betty Buckley Broadway by Request (4/9); The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (4/10); conTEMPO (4/11); Brooklyn College Brass Ensemble (4/12); Fourth Annual President’s Concert (4/14); Gospel Explosion 2011 (4/16); The Russian National Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake (4/17); Brooklyn Dance Spectacular (4/29); Computer Music Showcase (5/2); Brooklyn College Percussion Ensemble (5/3); Conservatory Wind Ensemble II (5/4); Brooklyn College Big Band (5/5); Julius Caesar (5/5-8); Composers Concert 1 (5/9); Conservatory Jazz Ensemble (5/10); Music For Strings 2 (5/11); Afternoon Chamber Music Ensemble (5/12); Computer Music Ensemble (5/12); Composers Concert 2 (5/16); Midnight at Puss Creek (5/21); Beauty and the Beast (5/22).

Brooklyn College, Campus Road & Hillel Pl., Brooklyn, 718-951-4500; brooklyncenter.com Carnegie Hall – Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (3/7); St. Lawrence String Quartet (3/8); Evgeny Kissin (3/9); Ensemble ACJW (3/10); Alarm Will Sound (3/10); Brad Mehldau (3/11); The New York Pops - The Great Judy Garland

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(3/11); Emerson String Quartet (3/12); Deerhoof (3/14); Boston Symphony Orchestra (3/1517); Martha Graham Dance Company - Isamu Noguchi and Martha Graham: A Legendary Collaboration (3/17, 20); Alina Ibragimova (3/18); Yefim Bronfman (3/18); Richard Thompson (3/19); Kodo Drummers (3/20); André Previn and the NHK Symphony Orchestra (3/21); Standard Time with Michael Feinstein (3/22); Bach Collegium Japan (3/22); Midori (3/23); Gal Costa (3/24); Kashu-juku Noh Theater (3/24-26); Yutaka Oyama and Masahiro Nitta (3/25); Toronto Symphony (3/26); Soh Daiko (3/27); Maurizio Pollini (3/27); Columbia Gagaku Instrumental Ensemble (3/29); Juilliard Percussion Ensemble (3/29); MEME Ensemble (3/29); Ensemble ACJW (3/31); Seiji Ozawa Ongaku-juku (4/1); Line C3 Percussion Group (4/2); Juilliard415 (4/3); Aimi Kobayashi (4/3); Maurizio Pollini (4/4); Midori (4/5); Orchestra of St. Luke’s (4/6); Toshiko Akiyoshi (4/6); New Juilliard Ensemble - The New Japan (4/8); Ebène Quartet (4/8); Edie Brickell (4/8); Soh Daiko (4/9); The MET Orchestra (4/10); Tetzlaff Quartet (4/10); James Taylor at Carnegie Hall (4/12, 20, 5/6, 9); St. Petersburg Philharmonic (4/13); Ensemble ACJW (4/14); Making Music (4/15); Chicago Symphony Orchestra (4/15); Septeto Nacional de Cuba (4/16); Standard Time with Michael Feinstein (4/21); soprano Genia Kühmeier, mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink, tenor Michael Schade, bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff, and pianists Malcolm Martineau and Justus Zeyen (4/25); Sophie Karthäuser (4/28); Yuri Bashmet (4/28); Masaaki Suzuki (4/29); Music of Steve Reich (4/30); Christian Tetzlaff & Antje Weithaas (5/1); The Philadelphia Orchestra (5/3); Christian Tetzlaff Young Artists Concert (5/4-5); 120th Anniversary Concert (5/5); Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (5/6); The Toledo Symphony (5/7); Les Violons du Roy (5/8); Albany Symphony (5/10); Ensemble ACJW (5/10); Marc-André Hamelin (5/11); Dallas Symphony Orchestra (5/11); Oregon Symphony (5/12); The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (5/13); Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (5/14); The MET Orchestra (5/15); Kate Royal (5/20); The McGraw-Hill Companies CarnegieKids (5/21); Ensemble ACJW (5/24). 57th St. & Seventh Ave., 212-247-7800; carnegiehall.org Dance Theater Workshop – Rude Mechs - The Method Gun (3/8-12); Trisha Brown Dance Company - For MG: The Movie, Foray Forêt, and Watermotor (3/16-19, 22-26); Richard Move and MoveOpolis! - Martha@...The 1963 Interview (3/20-4/2); Juliette Mapp - The Making of Americans (4/13-16). 219 W. 19th St., 212-924-0077; dancetheaterworkshop.org Dicapo Opera Theatre – Jazz at Dicapo (3/27); Eugene Onegin (4/29, 5/1, 5, 7). 184 E. 76th St., 212-288-9438; dicapo.com The Joyce Theater – KEIGWIN + COMPANY (3/8-13); Doug Varone & Dancers (3/15-20);

Merce Cunningham Dance Company (3/22-27); PHILADANCO (3/29-4/3); Stephen Petronio Company (4/5-10); DanceBrazil (4/12-24); Armitage Gone! Dance (4/26-5/8); Danza Contemporanea de Cuba (5/10-22); Complexions Contemporary Ballet (5/24-29). 175 Eighth Ave. (19th St.), 212-242-0800; joyce.org Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts – Great Performers: Les Arts Florissants, William Christie, conductor; Emmanuelle de Negri, soprano; Ed Lyon, tenor; Alain Buet, bass (3/1112); Nicolas Altstaedt, cello (3/13); Simon Keenlyside, baritone; Emanuel Ax, piano (3/13); Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Sir Roger Norrington, conductor; Steven Devine, harpsichord; Richard Lester, cello (3/16); What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow (3/21); Matthew Polenzani, tenor; Julius Drake, piano (4/30); Paul Galbraith, guitar (4/10); Sarah Connolly, mezzosoprano (4/14); Orchestre National de France, Daniele Gatti, conductor; Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano (4/17). Tully Scope Festival: Tyondai Braxton (3/7); Kayhan Kalhor and Brooklyn Rider (3/9); Louis Lortie Plays Liszt (3/10); Les Arts Florissants (3/11-12); Simon Keenlyside and Emanuel Ax (3/13); Jordi Savall: The Route of the New World (3/14); Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (3/16); Heiner Goebbels: Songs of Wars I Have Seen (3/18). David Rubenstein Atrium Target® Free Thursdays (Broadway bet.

62nd & 63rd Sts.; lincolncenter.org/atrium): Burnt Sugar (3/10); Daorum (3/24); Electric Kulintang (4/21); Essentially Ellington (4/28); Dave Eggar and Hammerstep (5/7, 12); Flat Earth Society (5/19). Columbus Ave. btw. 62nd & 65th Sts., 212-875-5000; lincolncenter.org Madison Square Garden – Elton John (3/1620); Rod Stewart & Stevie Nicks (3/26-4/6); The Strokes (4/1); LCD Soundsystem (4/2); Juanes (4/8); Rush (4/10). 4 Pennsylvania Plaza (Seventh Ave. & 32nd St.), 212-465-5800; thegarden.com Merkin Concert Hall – Tuesday Matinees: Henry Schneider Scholarship Concert (3/8); Young Concert Artists: Charlie Albright, piano (3/8); Ecstatic Music Festival: Nadia Sirota & Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) with Owen Pallett (3/9); Ecstatic Music Festival: Clogs & Brooklyn Youth Chorus (3/12); LMS/SMS Contemporary Music Festival (3/13); Concertante (3/14); New York Festival of Song: Spanish Gold (3/15); New Sounds Live: Sarah Kirkland Snider & yMusic with Special Guest (3/16); New York Festival of Song: Spanish Gold (3/17); Poppy Seed Players: A Poppy Seed Purim (3/20); Washington Square Contemporary Music: Talea Ensemble (3/24); New York Philharmonic Ensembles (3/27); Malek Jandali Concert (3/27); New Sounds Live: So Percussion & Bobby Previte with John Medeski, Zeena Parkins, DJ Olive & Jen Shyu (3/28); Music Forgotten and Remembered (3/29); Concert Festival Winners (4/2); An die Musik (4/3); Tuesday Matinees: Elena Urioste, violin (4/5); Washington Square Ensemble (4/6); Poppy

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performing artsNEWYORK

Seed Players: Shlemiel Crooks (4/10); New York Philharmonic Very Young People’s Concerts: Treble and Bass (4/11); New Classics for the Flute: Immanuel Davis & Friends (4/11); New York Philharmonic Very Young People’s Concerts: Treble and Bass (4/17); Chinese Music Ensemble (4/24); The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Presents: Meet the Music!

(5/1); Young Concert Artists: Jennifer Johnson, mezzo-soprano (5/2); Tuesday Matinees: Nansong Huang, piano (5/3); Concertante (5/9); LMS/ SMS ChamberFest (5/15); LMS Dance Recital (5/22). 129 W. 67th St., 212-501-3303; kaufman-center.org

THE GREAT JUDY GARLAND On Mar. 11 at 8pm, the New York Pops wrap a concert season that’s included tributes to ABBA and Sondheim with Steven Reineke directing and conducting a 50th-anniversary celebration of Judy Garland’s legendary 1961 debut concert at Carnegie Hall. Broadway luminary Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins), Grammy winner Heather Headley and West Side Story star Karen Olivo help recreate “the greatest night in show-business history” with renditions of songs such as “Over the Rainbow,” “The Trolley Song,” “The Man That Got Away” and more. For tickets, call 212-247-7800 or visit carnegiehall.org.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Nelson Freire, piano (3/11); Tango Buenos Aires (3/12); Vince Giordano (3/18); John Pizzarelli Quartet (3/31); Richard Stoltzman, clarinet (4/1); John Lithgow (4/2); Musicians from Marlboro (4/8); Jon Nakamatsu, piano (4/9); MMA Artists in Concert (4/16); Paul Lewis, piano (4/29); Steve Ross: Fred Astaire (4/30); Musicians from Marlboro (5/6); Dan Zanes & Friends (5/7); Emerson String Quartet (5/11); Simone Dinnerstein, piano (5/13); Sharon Isbin, guitar (5/14); Tiempo Libre (5/20). Fifth Ave. & 82nd St., 212-570-3949; metmuseum.org Metropolitan Opera Company – Roméo et Juliette (3/7, 10, 14, 19, 22, 26); Lucia di Lammermoor (3/8, 12, 16, 19); Boris Godunov (3/9, 12, 17); The Queen of Spades (3/11, 15, 18, 21, 26); Le Comte Ory (3/24, 29, 4/2, 5, 9, 14, 18, 21); Tosca (3/25, 31, 4/4, 8, 12, 16); Capriccio (3/28, 4/1, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23); Das Rheingold (3/20, 4/2); Wozzeck (4/6, 9, 13, 16); Il Trovatore (4/20, 23, 27, 30); Die Walküre (4/22, 25, 28, 5/2, 5, 9, 14); Rigoletto (4/26, 30, 5/3, 6, 12); Orfeo ed Euridice (4/29, 5/4, 7, 11, 14); Ariadne auf Naxos (5/7, 10, 13). 212-362-6000; metoperafamily.org Miller Theater at Columbia University – Music by Charles Ives (3/7); Music by Virgil Thomson (3/8-9); 27th Annual Harmony Sweepstakes - A Cappella Festival / New York Regional Competition (3/19); Seeing Double: Concertos by Bach and Vivaldi (3/26); Japanese Sacred Court Music and Ancient Soundscapes Reborn (3/29); Chaya Czernowin (4/15); Joan Tower (5/5). 2960 Broadway (116th St.), 212-854-1633; millertheatre.com The Morgan Library’s Gilder Lehrman Hall – First Songs: Dawn Upshaw and the Bard Graduate Vocal Arts Program (3/17); Israeli Chamber Project (3/29); Boston Early Music Festival - Chamber Opera: Acis and Galatea

by George Frideric Handel (4/3); The George London Foundation Recital Series (4/10); Meet The Composer’s Three-City Dash: Chicago (4/14); Orchestra of St. Luke’s - Bohemian Rhapsodies (5/4, 6). 225 Madison Ave. (36th St.), 212-685-0008; themorgan.org New York City Opera – The Elixir of Love (3/22-4/9); Monodramas (3/25-4/8); John Zorn’s Masada Marathon (3/30); Family Opera in Concert - Where the Wild Things Are (4/9); Séance on a Wet Afternoon (4/19-5/1); Defying Gravity - The Music of Stephen Schwartz (4/21). David H. Koch Theater, Columbus Ave. & 63rd St., 212-870-5570; nycopera.com

LAND OF THE RISING SONG December saw the debut of the citywide JapanNYC festival—an exploration of current Japanese art, music, and culture—and after a two-month break, the festival returns in March and April with a wide range of artists performing classical, jazz, and traditional Japanese music, contemporary theater and visual art, noh and kyogen plays, modern dance, film, and more. Highlights include: violinist Midori (above) performing both a solo recital (Mar. 23) and a chamber music program (Apr. 5) at Carnegie Hall; the Columbia Gagaku Instrumental Ensemble at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre (Mar. 29); and the acclaimed Kodo Drummers at Avery Fisher Hall (Mar. 20). For tickets and more info, visit carnegiehall.org/japannyc.

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New York Philharmonic – Hungarian Echoes I: Esa-Pekka Salonen & Pierre-Laurent Aimard (3/10-12, 15); Young People’s Concerts: The Ages of Music - Romantic (3/12); Hungarian Echoes II: Salonen Conducts Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra (3/17); Hungarian Echoes III: Salonen Conducts Bluebeard’s Castle (3/18-19, 22); Classic Broadway featuring Kelli O’Hara & Nathan Gunn (3/21); Hungarian Echoes IV: Salonen Conducts The Miraculous Mandarin (3/24-26); Anne-Sophie Mutter & Tchaikovsky’s Second Symphony (3/31-4/2); Young People’s Concerts: The Ages of Music - Modern (4/2); Anne-Sophie Mutter (4/3); The Thomashefskys: Music and Memories of a Life in Yiddish Theater (4/5-6); Sondheim’s Company (4/7-9); Very Young People’s Concerts: Treble and Bass (4/11, 17); Christopher Plummer, Alan Gilbert and the NY Philharmonic (4/11); Masur Conducts Liszt, Gubaidulina, and Brahms (4/13-14, 16); Rush Hour: Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 (4/27); Alan Gilbert, Emanuel Ax, and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony (4/28-30); Batiashvili, Bartók, and Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony (5/4, 6-7); Memorial Day Concert (5/30). Avery Fisher Hall, Broadway & W. 65th St., 212-875-5656; nyphil.org

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New York Theatre Ballet – Signatures 11 (4/8-9, 5/13-14); Exquisite Little Ballets (4/9-10); Sleeping Beauty (5/14-15); Dance on a Shoestring (3/25-26). Florence Gould Hall, 55 E. 59th St., 212-679-0401; nytb.org NY City Center – Youth America Grand Prix International Student Ballet Competition - The Final Round (3/21); Youth America Grand Prix 2011 Gala - Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow (3/22). 130 W. 56th St., 877-581-1212; nycitycenter.org 92nd Street Y – Music: Lyrics & Lyricists™— Stage Door Canteen: Broadway Responds to WWII (3/12-14); Ana Vidovic, guitar (3/19); Family Music, Ages 6+—The Scowling Genius: The Life and Music of Ludwig van Beethoven (3/20); Luciana Souza Trio featuring Romero Lubambo and Cyro Baptista (3/26); Zukerman ChamberPlayers (3/27); Igudesman & Joo: A Little Nightmare Music (3/30); Benjamin Hochman, piano (4/2); The KalichsteinLaredo-Robinson Trio / Pamela Frank, violin / Cynthia Phelps, viola / Liang Wang, oboe (4/6-7); Takács Quartet & Guests (4/9); Dave Brubeck Quartet (4/12); Gil Shaham, violin & Orli Shaham, piano (4/16); A Tribute to Leo Brouwer (4/23); Lyrics & Lyricists™—The Crowd’s at El Morocco: The Heyday of the New York Nightclubs (4/30-5/2); Tokyo String Quartet & Kirill Gerstein, piano (5/7); Lyrics & Lyricists™—Carried Away: Being Comden and Green (5/21-23). Dance: Fridays at Noon (3/25, 4/8, 15, 29, 5/13); 92Y Harkness Danse Festival: jill sigman/thinkdance (3/1113); Jawole Willa Jo Zollar Curates (3/18-20).

Sundays at Three (3/27, 4/17, 5/22). Lexington Ave. & 92nd St., 212-415-5500; 92y.org Radio City Music Hall – Bright Eyes (3/8-9); Steve Harvey Comedy Tour (3/12); Celtic Woman (3/17); Janet Jackson (3/18-21); Cold War Kids (3/24); Furthur (3/25-27); Explosions

in the Sky (4/6); Yanni (4/9); TV on the Radio (4/13); Madagascar Live! (4/15-24). 1260 Sixth Ave. (50th St.), 212-307-7171; radiocity.com St. Bartholomew’s Church – The Apple Hill Chamber Players (3/20); The Choir of Christ Church (4/4); Benjamin Britten - Noye’s Fludde (5/15). Park Ave. & 51st St., 212-378-0248; stbarts.org Symphony Space – Para America Magica (3/10); Kaleidhaphonic (3/10); Theo Bleckmann: Hello Earth! The Music of Kate Bush (3/11); A Tribute to the Famous McNultys (3/11); The Girl of the Golden West (3/13); All Folk Inspired (3/16); Bach, Shakespeare, and Elephants (3/18); World Concertos: Khalife, Hovhannisyan & Krakauer (3/18-19); NY Lyric Opera Theatre’s Don Giovanni (3/19); NY Lyric Opera Theatre’s The Marriage of Figaro (3/19); G&S Fest: Trial by Jury with G&S a la Carte (3/20); Proust’s Court of Love (3/24); Robin Aleman (3/24); Jazz Band Classic: Thad Jones Legacy (3/25-26); Justin Roberts and the Not Ready for Naptime Players (3/26); Sacred Hula: Halau ‘o Keikiali’i (3/26); Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival 2011 (3/28, 4/4, 11, 25); Stony Brook Opera (3/31); Masters of Indian Music: Wasifuddin Dagar (4/1); Rocknoceros (4/2); Dance of the Enchantress: Vijayalakshmi (4/2); Hot Jazz Starring Trumpet Sensation Bria Skonberg (4/4); Meet the Composer: Music from China & The Metropolis Ensemble (4/7); New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra (4/7); Inceptions: The Music of Eneko Vadillo (4/8); Suni Paz (4/9); Tamburitzans in Concert (4/9); Classics Declassified: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 (4/10); Symphony Space’s Access to the Arts Awards Gala (4/11); Classics Declassified: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (4/12); Platero y Yo (4/14); Chamber Music: An Evening Among Friends (4/14, 26); Sahara Blues: Etran Finatawa (4/15); Thunderbird Dancers (4/16); The Magic Flute from La

Scala (4/17); Mom (4/18, 5/13); Salon: John Corigliano & Mark Adamo (4/21); Live Art (4/22); Beyond Tango (4/23); US Pole Dance Championship 2011 (4/29); Sugar Free All Stars (4/30); Once Upon A Time: Stories, Myths, and Legends (4/30); Music Mosaic Festival - Variete (5/1); Trumpeter Byron Stripling’s Hot Jazz Band (5/2); 2011 Choreographers Showcase (5/3); Composition Date: 2011 (5/4); The 4th Annual Concert: Korea 21: Music Here and Now (5/4); Los Munequitos de Matanzas (5/5-7); Cassatt Quartet & Ursula Oppens (5/6); Cuarteto La Catrina (5/12); Wall to Wall Sonidos (5/14); InterSchool Orchestras of New York Spring Concert (5/16-17); Diana Express - The Power of Thought (5/21); G&S Fest: G&S Sing-Along (5/22); The David White Jazz Orchetra (5/27). 2537 Broadway (95th St.), 212-864-5400; symphonyspace.org The Town Hall – Broadway Musicals of 1932 (3/21); Don McLean with special guest Dar Williams (3/25); Garrison Keillor: A Prairie Home Companion (4/2, 9, 16, 23); Peoples Symphony Concerts: Ebene Quartet (4/3); Peoples Symphony Concerts: Mendelssohn Octet (4/10); Chris Cornell (4/12-13); Peoples Symphony Concerts: The Schumann Trio (4/17); Bell’Aria (4/27); Tangos from Gardel to Piazzolla (4/29); Pierre Richard’s Show (5/1); Peter Yarrow & Friends - A Children’s and Family Singalong (5/15); Broadway Musicals of 1982 (5/16); Stupenda! A Loving Tribute to Dame Joan Sutherland (5/17); An Evening With Linda Eder (5/20). 123 W. 43rd St. (BroadwaySixth Ave.), 212-997-1003; the-townhall-nyc.org The Theater at Madison Square Garden – Disney Live! Presents Mickey’s Magic Show (3/17-20); Hot 97 April Fools Comedy Show (4/1); BeBe & CeCe Winans and Mary Mary (4/9); Raphael (4/10). 4 Pennsylvania Plaza (Seventh Ave. & 32nd St.), 212-465-5800; thegarden.com

Cliff Lipson

Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother; pictured far right) follows up his recent Emmy win for his guest turn on Glee to join the New York Philharmonic and an all-star cast for a special staged performance of Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning, groundbreaking musical Company at Avery Fisher Hall April 7-9. Produced and directed by Lonny Price, the man behind last season’s SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert! (pictured right), the show will be conducted

by Sondheim specialist Paul Gemignani, with the original orchestrations for a 35-piece orchestra by the legendary Jonathan Tunick. $65-$225; for tickets, call 212-875-5656 or visit nyphil.org. Tickets are also available in the Avery Fisher Hall lobby (Broadway and 65th St.) Mon.-Sat., 10am-6pm.

Richard Termine

GOOD COMPANY

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ARTNEW YORK [ Interior scene, ink and colors on silk ]

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the

forbidden city’s private paradise

Built as a retirement enclave for an Emperor, the Qianlong Garden has been closed since 1924. Now, a new show at the Met features murals, paintings, and thrones among the 90 treasures from the compound.

M

ost of us, at one point or another, give some thought to where we’ll spend our retirement years. In that sense, the man known as the Qianlong emperor, who ruled China during the apex of its imperial power in the 18th Century, was just like us.

In every other sense, of course, he wasn’t. With his limitless resources—China’s economy under his reign was far greater than that of either England or France—the Qianlong (pronounced chee’enlohng) emperor, who reigned from 1736 to 1796, built a lavish retirement enclave within Beijing’s Forbidden City; he envisioned it as a private paradise that would reflect his accomplishments, scholarship, and devotion to Buddhism.

Known as the Qianlong Garden, this 2-acre retirement compound, encompassing 27 pavilions and galleries, has been closed since China’s last emperor left the Forbidden City in 1924. So, while millions of tourists have traipsed through what was once the Forbidden City and is now known as the Palace Museum, they have never seen the Qianlong emperor’s garden within it, or almost any of the artworks it houses.

Now 90 objects from this sequestered compound have been selected for “The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City,” a traveling exhibition on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through May 1.

The show features murals, paintings, calligraphy, furniture (including three thrones), a wealth of decorative arts, Buddhist icons, architectural elements and even garden rocks. (The Met has comple-

By Karin Lipson mented the exhibition with two installations, from its own collection, of objects and paintings of the period.)

In Beijing, the Qianlong Garden differs in key ways from the rest of the Forbidden City. “What’s so charming about the emperor’s garden,” says Maxwell K. Hearn, of the Met’s Asian art department, “is that it is the one place in the entire Forbidden City that is not laid out symmetrically.”

While the Forbidden City unfolds on a north-south axis in a symbolic reference to the North Star (the Chinese emperor was considered the guiding light—the North Star—of his domain), the pathway through the Qianlong Garden “twists and turns as it passes through rockeries and garden elements,” says Hearn, the Douglas Dillon Curator for Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, who installed the show at the Met. (It originated at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., and will make its last stop at the Milwaukee Art Museum beginning in June.)

The artworks, which have never before left the Forbidden City, are travelling while the Qianlong Garden undergoes restoration by the Palace Museum and the World Monuments Fund, a non-profit organization that preserves endangered historic sites. Following the garden’s projected opening to the public in 2019, the works “will never leave the Forbidden City” again, Hearn says. (For greater context, the exhibition includes photo-murals of the Qianlong Garden and a virtual-reality tour of its first fully-restored building. ) Some highlights, please. These, Hearn says, include a monumental screen with 16 double-sided panels: Depicted on one side are

Metropolitan Museum of Art Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street; 212-535-7710; metmuseum.org. Through May 1

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16 Buddhist holy men, formed by white-jade inlays against a black lacquer background, akin to black-and-white rubbings; on the other side are flowers of the four seasons, painted in gold, also on black lacquer.

Also remarkable, the curator says, are the furnishings of the “Three Friends Bower,” all decorated with motifs of the “three friends”—bamboo, pine and the plum blossom. “The first two stay green in winter, and the plum blossom is the first flowering tree in spring,” Hearn says. “They’re symbols of survival, of endurance, longevity and renewal.”

The plum-tree symbol recurs in another panel that looks like a painting, but actually employs jade, lapis lazuli, malachite, and other materials to create the scene.

The panel comes from the Qianlong compound’s sole already-restored building. “It’s a magnificent example of how the Qianlong Emperor loved to use surprising media,” Hearn says. “He liked to create illusions using unusual materials.”

These “illusions” included the optical trickery of trompe l’oeil works— so realistic as to appear three-dimensional—inspired in part by missionary painters who introduced Western perspective to Chinese art. One large interior scene, for example, suggests that we are looking from an entryway into another room; it “would have originally filled an entire wall,” Hearn says, offering “an expanded sense of space in what is really a very intimate building.”

So many wonders. Yet ironically, the emperor who commissioned and gathered them together never used his private garden as planned. He remained in the official quarters, effectively continuing to rule, even after abdicating to his son.

But he “expressed the wish that the garden would be available for future generations,” Hearn says. The restoration, he points out, “will bring Qianlong’s wish to fulfillment.” n Karin Lipson, a former arts writer and editor for Newsday, is a frequent contributor to The New York Times. Her last article in Promenade was on home and design exhibits at MoMA and the Met.

[ Right: Wei Linghe (1700s); Landscape, ink and colors on paper ] [ Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Throne with foot stool, zitan and cedar; Portrait of the Qianlong Emperor, ink and colors on silk; Screen (sixteen double-sided panels), zitan, lacquer, jade, and gold paint; Bowl, lacquer; Throne, zitan, bamboo, jade, semi-precious stones, and lacquer ]

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forbidden cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private paradise

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New York

© 2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris

museums

The Great Upheaval: Modern Art from the Guggenheim Collection, 1910-1918

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The era covered in this exhibition at the Guggenheim (through June 1) is one of the most fertile in the history of art, leading to movements that marked the modern era. Arranged chronologically, the exhibit ascends the spiral of the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed building, tracing artistic development toward abstraction and underscoring the interconnections between emerging artist groups. Artists featured include Paul Klee, Fernand Léger, Kazimir Malevich, and Franz Marc. Pictured here is Gino Severini’s Red Cross Train Passing a Village (1915). See listings for museum information.

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All exhibits are subject to change American Folk Art Museum – Quilts: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (through 10/16); Eugene Von Bruenchenhein: ‘Freelance Artist-Poet and Sculptor-InnovatorArrow maker and Plant man-Bone artifacts constructor-Photographer and Architect-Philosopher (through 10/9). Closed Mon. $12; students/ seniors, $8; 12 & under, free. 45 W. 53rd St., 212-265-1040; folkartmuseum.org American Museum of Natural History – The Butterfly Conservatory (through 5/30); Body and Spirit: Tibetan Medical Paintings (through 7/17); Brain: The Inside Story (through 8/14); The World’s Largest Dinosaurs (opening 4/16). Open daily. $16; seniors/students, $12; children 2-12, $9. Central Park West at 79th St., 212-769-5100; amnh.org Asia Society and Museum – A Prince’s Manuscript Unbound: Muhammad Juki’s Shahnamah (through 5/1); The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan: Art of Gandhara (3/1-5/29). Closed Mon. $10; seniors, $7; students, $5; under 16, free. 725 Park Ave. (70th St.), 212-288-6400; asiasociety.org Brooklyn Museum – Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera (through 4/10); Tipi: Heritage of the Great Plains (through 5/15); Lorna Simpson: Gathered (through 8/12); Sam Taylor-Wood: “Ghosts” (through 8/14); Body Parts: Ancient Egyptian Fragments and Amulets (through 10/2); reOrder: An Architectural Environment by Situ Studio (3/4-1/15). Closed Mon. & Tues. $10; seniors/students, $6; under 12, free. 200 Eastern Parkway (Washington Ave.), 718-638-5000; brooklynmuseum.org Center for Architecture – Building Connections 2010 (through 3/12); High Bridge: Bronx, Building Cultural Infrastructure (HB:BX) (through 3/26); Jugaad Urbanism: Resourceful Strategies for Indian Cities (through 5/21). Closed Sun. Free. 536 LaGuardia Pl. (Bleecker-W. 3rd Sts.), 212-683-0023; aiany.org Chelsea Art Museum – Closed Sun. & Mon. $8; students/seniors, $4; under 16, free. 556 W. 22nd St., 212-255-0719; chelseaartmuseum.org China Institute – Along the Yangzi River: Regional Cultures of the Bronze Age (through 6/12). Open daily. $7; students/seniors, $4; under 12, free.

Free admission Tues. & Thurs., 6-8pm.

125 E. 65th St., 212-744-8181; chinainstitute.org Cooper-Hewitt, National De­sign Museum – Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels (through 6/5); Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay (3/18-6/5). Open daily. $15; seniors/students, $10; under 12, free.

2 E. 91st St., 212-849-8400; cooperhewitt.org

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The Drawing Center – Drawn from Photography (through 3/31); Dr. Lakra - 3 Wooster Street (through 4/24); Drawing and Its Double Selections from the Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica (4/22-6/24). Closed Mon. & Tues.

35 Wooster St. (Grand-Broome Sts.), 212-219-2166; drawingcenter.org El Museo del Barrio – Luis Camnitzer: A Retrospective Organized by Daros Latinamerica, Zurich (through 5/29); Voces y Visiones: Signs, Systems and the City in El Museo del Barrio’s Permanent Collection (through 12/11). Closed Mon. $9; seniors/students, $5; under 12, free.

Free admission the third Saturday of every month.

1230 Fifth Ave. (104th St.), 212-831-7272; elmuseo.org Fraunces Tavern Museum – Revolution and the City: New York’s Place in America’s Fight for Independence (through 6/30). Closed Sun. $10; seniors/children, $5; under 5, free. 54 Pearl St. (Broad St.), 212-425-1778; frauncestavernmuseum.org The Frick Collection – Rembrandt and His School: Paintings, Drawings, and Etchings from the Frick and Lugt Collections (through 5/15); In a New Light: Bellini’s St. Francis in the Desert (5/22-8/28). Closed Mon. $18; seniors, $12; students, $5; pay-what-you-wish Sun., 11am-1pm. 1 E. 70th St., 212-288-0700; frick.org Grey Art Gallery at NYU – Concrete Improvisations: Collages and Sculpture by Esteban Vicente (through 3/26); Art/Memory/Place (4/12-7/9); John Storrs: Machine-Age Modernist (4/12-7/9). Closed Sun. & Mon. $3. 100 Washington Square East, 212-998-6780; nyu.edu/greyart The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum – Found in Translation (through 5/1); The Great Upheaval: Modern Art from the Guggenheim Collection, 1910-1918 (through 6/1). Closed Thurs. $18; seniors/students, $15; under 12, free. 1071 Fifth Ave. (89th St.), 212-423-3500; guggenheim.org International Center of Photography – Wang Qingsong: When Worlds Collide (through 5/8); Jasper, Texas: The Community Photographs of Alonzo Jordan (through 5/8); Take Me to the Water: River Baptism Photographs (through 5/8); The Mexican Suitcase: Rediscovered Spanish Civil War negatives by Capa, Chim, and Taro (through 5/8). Closed Mon. $12; students/seniors, $8; under 12, free. 1133 Sixth Ave. (43rd St.), 212-857-0000; icp.org

3/20); The Roman Mosaic from Lod, Israel (through 4/3); Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand (through 4/10); “Our Future Is in the Air”: Photographs from the 1910s (through 4/10); A Renaissance Masterpiece Revealed: Filippino Lippi’s Madonna and Child (through 4/25); The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City (through 5/1); Commemorating His Majesty (through 5/1); Cézanne’s Card Players (through 5/8); Katrin Sigurdardottir at the Met (through 5/30); Rugs and Ritual in Tibetan Buddhism (through 6/26); Guitar Heroes: Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York (through 7/4); Haremhab, The General Who Became King (through 7/4); Rooms With a View: The Open Window in the 19th Century (4/5-7/4); Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty (5/4-7/31); Pastel Portraits: Images of 18th-Century Europe (5/17-8/14); Reconfiguring an African Icon: Odes to the Mask by Modern and Contemporary Artists from Three Continents (3/8-8/21); Richard Serra Drawing: A Retrospective (4/13-8/28); Poetry in Clay: Korean Buncheong Ceramics from the Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art (4/17-8/30); The Andean Tunic, 400 B.C.E.-1800 C.E. (3/8-9/18); Historic Images of the Greek Bronze Age: The Reproductions of E. Gilliéron & Son (5/17-11/13). Closed Mon. $20; seniors, $15; students, $10; under 12, free.

Fifth Ave. & 82nd St., 212-535-7710; metmuseum.org The Morgan Library & Museum – Mannerism and Modernism: The Kasper Collection of Drawings and Photographs (through 5/1); The Changing Face of William Shakespeare (through 5/1); The Diary: Three Centuries of Private Lives (through 5/22); Illuminating Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands (5/20-9/4). Closed Mon. $12; seniors/students/children under 16, $8; 12 & under, free. Free admission Fri., 7-9pm.

225 Madison Ave. (36th St.), 212-685-0008; themorgan.org Museum of American Finance – Scandal!: Financial Crime, Chicanery and Corruption that Rocked America (through 4/29). Closed Sun. & Mon. $8; students/seniors, $5; under 6, free.

48 Wall St. (William St.), 212-908-4110; moaf.org Museum of Arts & Design – Patrick Jouin: Design and Gesture (through 4/17); The Global Africa Project (through 5/15). Closed Mon. $15; students/seniors, $12; high school students and under 12, free; Thurs., 6–9pm, pay-what-youwish. 2 Columbus Cir. (near Eighth Ave. & W. 58th St.), 212-299-7777; madmuseum.org

Japan Society – Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art (3/18-6/12). Closed Mon. $12; students/seniors, $8; under 16, free; free Fri., 6-9pm.

333 E. 47th St., 212-832-1155; japansociety.org

The Museum of Biblical Art – Passion in Venice: Crivelli to Tintoretto and Veronese (through 6/12); Let Your Light Shine - Bible Printing in Venice During the High Renaissance (through 6/12).

Closed Mon. & Tues. $7; seniors/students, $4; under 12, free. 1865 Broadway (61st St.), 212-408-1500; mobia.org

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Representation/Abstraction in Korean Art (through

Museum of the City of New York – Denys Wortman Rediscovered: Drawings for the World-

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This landmark exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (on view through May 8) unites works from the famous series by Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), also bringing together a majority of the related paintings, oil studies, and drawings. Other exhibitions currently on view at the Met include: A Renaissance Masterpiece Revealed: Filippino Lippi’s Madonna and Child (through Apr. 10); Reconfiguring an African Icon: Odes to the Mask by Modern and Contemporary Artists from Three Continents (Mar. 8-Aug. 21); and Richard Serra Drawing: A Retrospective (Apr. 13-Aug. 28). See listings for more information.

Telegram and Sun, 1930-1953 (through 3/20); Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment (through 5/1).

Closed Mon. $10; seniors/students, $6; under 12, free. Fifth Ave. & 103rd St., 212-534-1672; mcny.org Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art – Closed Mon. $5; 12 & under, free.

594 Broadway (Prince-Houston Sts.), Ste. 401, 212-254-3511; moccany.org Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust – Fire in My Heart: The Story of Hannah Senesh (through 8/7); The Morgenthaus: A Legacy of Service (through 9/5); Last Folio: Remnants of Jewish Life in Slovakia (opening 3/25). Closed Sat. $12; seniors, $10; students, $7; 12 & under, free.

Free Wed., 4-8pm. 36 Battery Pl., 646-437-4200; mjhnyc.org

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Museum of Modern Art – Artifact or Idea? Photography in MoMA Exhibition Design, 1937-1979 (through 3/7); Weimar Cinema, 1919-1933: Daydreams and Nightmares (through 3/7); Andy Warhol: Motion Pictures (through 3/21); Pictures by Women: A History of Modern Photography (through 4/4); Abstract Expressionist New York (through 4/25); On to Pop (through 4/25); Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen (through 5/2); Staging Action: Performance in Photography Since 1960 (through 5/9); Contemporary Art from the Collection (through 5/9); Building Collections: Recent Acquisitions of Architecture (through 5/30); Picasso: Guitars 1912-1914 (through 6/6); Looking at Music 3.0 (through 6/6); Projects 94: Henrik Olesen (through 6/23); Francis Alÿs: A Story of Deception (5/8-8/1); Impressions from South Africa, 1965 to Now (3/23-8/14); German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse (3/27-7/11); Boris Mikhailov: Case History (5/29-9/5); I Am Still Alive: Politics and Everyday Life in Contemporary Drawing (3/23-9/19); Standard Deviations:

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Photo: Patrick Gries/Van Cleef & Arpels

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Stephen C. Clark, 1960

Cézanne’s Card Players

Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels On view through June 5, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum pays tribute to the 20th-century innovations of the Paris-based jewelry-design house with more than 300 jewels, timepieces, fashion accessories and objets d’art, as well as design drawings, commission books, fabrication cards and imagery from the firm’s archives. Pictured here: a bouquet brooch (platinum, rubies, diamonds) from the California Collection (ca. 1937).

Prototypes, Archetypes, and Families in Contemporary Design (3/2-1/30). Closed Tues. $20; seniors, $16; students, $12; 16 & under, free. 11 W. 53rd St., 212-708-9400; moma.org Museum of the Moving Image – Pays homage to the art, history, and technology of film and television, educating the public on its influence in our culture and society. Tues.-Sat., 10am-3pm. $7. 35th Ave. & 37th St., Astoria, Queens, 718-784-0077; movingimage.us Museum of Sex – Comics Stripped! (ongoing); Sex Lives of Robots (ongoing); Action: Sex and the Moving Image (ongoing); Sex Lives of Animals (ongoing).

Open daily. $16.75; students/seniors, $15.25. 233 Fifth Ave. (27th St.), 212-689-6337; museumofsex.com National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution – Beauty Surrounds Us (through 3/31); A Song for the Horse Nation (through 7/7); Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows (3/19-8/21); Infinity of Nations: Art and History in the Collections of the National Museum of the American Indian (ongoing); Small Spirits: Dolls from the National Museum of the American Indian (through 2/29). Open daily. Free. U.S. Custom House, 1 Bowling Green (Broadway), 212-514-3700; americanindian.si.edu Neue Galerie – Birth of the Modern: Style and Identity in Vienna 1900 (through 6/27). Closed Tues. & Wed. $15; students/seniors, $10.

1048 Fifth Ave. (86th St.), 212-628-6200; neuegalerie.org New Museum of Contemporary Art – Museum as Hub: The Accords (through 5/1); George Condo: Mental States (through 5/8); Lynda Benglis

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Courtesy of the artist

© 2011 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Pro Litteris, Zurich

ONTHETOWN

The GLOBAL AFRICA PROJECT This groundbreaking exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design explores the broad spectrum of contemporary African art, design, and craft worldwide, surveying the rich pool of new talent emerging from the African continent and its influence on artists around the world. Featuring over 100 artists working in Africa, Europe, Asia, the U.S., and the Caribbean. Pictured here: Victor Ekpuk’s All Fingers Are Not Equal (2008). On view through May 15.

German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse If the Guggenheim’s Great Upheaval exhibition has you chomping at the bit for more specialized work from the decades that followed, this exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art is an excellent starting-off point. With approximately 250 works by some 30 artists, The Graphic Impulse takes a broad look at German Expressionism in the early decades of the 20th century, from the formation of the Brücke artists group in 1905, through the war years of the 1910s, and extending into the 1920s, when individual artists continued to produce compelling works even as the movement was winding down. Featured artists include Otto Dix, Egon Schiele, Max Pechstein, and many others. Pictured here: Oskar Kokoschka’s Hans Tietze and Erica TietzeConrat (1939). On view Mar. 27-July 11. Also at MoMA: Andy Warhol: Motion Pictures (through Mar. 21); Abstract Expressionist New York (through Apr. 25); Picasso: Guitars 1912-1914 (through June 10); Impressions from South Africa, 1965 to Now (Mar. 23-Aug. 14). See listings for more information.

(through 6/19); Isa Genzken: Rose II (through 11/13). Closed Mon. & Tues. $12; seniors, $10; students, $8; 18 & under, free. 235 Bowery (Prince St.), 212-219-1222; newmuseum.org New York City Fire Museum – Fire-related art and artifacts. Closed Mon. $7; seniors/students, $5. 278 Spring St. (Varick-Hudson Sts.), 212-691-1303; nycfiremuseum.org New York Public Library (Humanities and Social Sciences Library) – Call 212-869-8089 for a recording of all current exhibitions. Open daily.

42nd St. & Fifth Ave., 212-340-0830; nypl.org New York Transit Museum – Steel, Stone & Backbone: Building New York’s Subways 1900-1925 (ongoing). Closed Mon. $6; seniors/children 3-17, $4.

The New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex in Grand Central Terminal presents changing exhibitions. Boerum Pl. & Schermerhorn St., Brooklyn, 718-694-1600; mta.info/museum The Noguchi Museum – On Becoming an Artist: Isamu Noguchi and his Contemporaries, 1922-1960 (through 4/24). Closed Mon. & Tues. $10 (pay-what-you-wish first Fri. of the month); students/seniors, $5; under 12, free. 9-01 33rd Rd. (Vernon Blvd.), Long Island City, Queens, 718-204-7088; noguchi.org The Paley Center for Media – A center for the cultural, creative, and social significance of television and radio. Closed Mon. & Tues. $10; seniors/ students, $8; under 14, $5. 25 W. 52nd St., 212-621-6600; paleycenter.org

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The Rubin Museum of Art – Embodying the Holy (through 3/7); Grain of Emptiness (through 4/11); The Nepalese Legacy in Tibetan Painting (through 5/23); Body Language: The Yogis of India and Nepal (through 5/30); Patterns of Life (4/8-8/22); Quentin Roosevelt’s China (5/13-9/19); Gateway to Himalayan Art (through 1/1/12); Masterworks (3/11-12/31/12).

Closed Tues. $10 (free Fri., 6-10pm); seniors/students/artists with ID, $7; under 12, free. 150 W. 17th St., 212-620-5000; rmanyc.org Scandinavia House – Nordic Models + Common Ground (through 3/9); Nordic-by-New York: A Look at the Art of Today (4/14-8/19). Closed Sun. & Mon. Free. 58 Park Ave. (37th-38th Sts.), 212-779-3587; scandinaviahouse.org The Studio Museum in Harlem – Harlem Postcards (through 3/13); StudioSound: Matana Roberts (through 3/13); Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Any Number of Preoccupations (through 3/13); Mark Bradford: Alphabet (through 3/13); Inside the Collection (through 3/13); VideoStudio: Changing Same (through 3/13). Closed Mon.-Wed. $7 (free on Sun.); seniors/students, $3; under 12, free. 144 W. 125th St. (Lenox Ave.-Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.), 212-864-4500; studiomuseum.org Whitney Museum of American Art – Modern Life: Edward Hopper and His Time (through 4/10); Slater Bradley and Ed Lachman: Shadow (through 4/10); Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection (through 5/1); Glenn Ligon: AMERICA (3/10-6/5). Closed Mon. & Tues. $18 (pay-what-you-wish Fri., 6-9pm); seniors/students, $12; 18 & under, free.

945 Madison Ave. (75th St.), 212-570-3600; whitney.org

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New York

art galleries All exhibits subject to change Artists Space - One of the first alternative spaces in New York, founded in 1972 to support contemporary artists working in the visual arts.

Mark Morrisroe: From This Moment On (3/9-5/1).

Tues.-Sat., noon-6pm. 38 Greene St., 3rd Floor, 212-226-3970; artistsspace.org Bonni Benrubi - 20th-century and contemporary photography. Karine Laval: Mis en Abyme (through 3/19); Who’s That Girl? Georges Dambier: Fashioning the Fifties (3/24-4/30).

Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. 41 E. 57th St., 13th Floor, 212-888-6007; bonnibenrubi.com Campton Gallery - Contemporary international and American art. Paul Balmer (3/5-31); James Wolanin (4/9-30); Jane Maxwell (5/7-31).

451 West Broadway, 212-387-0208; camptongallery.com James Cohan Gallery - Contemporary art. Hiraki Sawa - O (through 3/26); Folkert de Jong - New Work (4/1-5/7); Simon Evans - New Work (5/136/11). Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. 533 W. 26th St., 212-714-9500; jamescohan.com CRG Gallery - Well-established and emerging contemporary American/European artists. Tomory Dodge (through 4/2). Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm.

548 W. 22nd St., 212-229-2766; crggallery.com CUE Art Foundation - Exhibitions featuring under-recognized artists. Hope Ginsburg (3/24-5/19); Simon Leung (3/24-5/19). Tues.-Fri., 10am-5pm; Sat., 11am-5pm. 511 W. 25th St., 212-206-3583; cueartfoundation.org

Courtesy of Forum Gallery

D’Amelio Terras - Contemporary art featuring international emerging and mid-career artists.

Dario Robleto (through 4/16); Roland Flexner and Chloe Piene (through 4/16); Robert Moskowitz (4/23-6/4). Tues.-Fri., 10am-6pm. 525 W. 22nd St., 212-352-9460; damelioterras.com

IMAGES OF A BYGONE ERA

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Montgomery, Alabama’s The Empire Theater—the site where Rosa Parks kick-started the Civil Rights Movement—is the subject of Empire, new works by Robert Cottingham on view at Forum Gallery through April 9. The nine paintings and drawings (many of which are monumental in size) depict the theater’s marquee in oil, watercolor, gouache, and graphite. See listings for gallery info.

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Foley Gallery - Contemporary photography, painting, sculpture. Henry Leutwyler - Neverland Lost: A Portrait of Michael Jackson (through 4/2); Hikari Shimoda (4/7-5/7); Edward Mapplethorpe (5/12-6/18). Tues.-Sat., 11am-6pm. 548 W. 28th St., 2nd Floor, 212-244-9081; foleygallery.com Forum Gallery - Modern and contemporary figurative art. Robert Cottingham (through 4/9).

Tues.- Sun., 10am-5:30pm. 730 Fifth Ave. (56th57th Sts.), 2nd Floor, 212-355-4545; forumgallery.com

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ONTHETOWN

James Graham & Sons - 19th- & 20th-century American paintings, American & European sculpture. Joe Fyfe (through TBD). 32 E. 67th St., 212-535-5767; jamesgrahamandsons.com Greenberg Van Doren - Contemporary fine art. Cameron Martin - Bracket (through 4/23).

Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. 730 Fifth Ave. (57th St.), 212-445-0444; gvdgallery.com Stephen Haller Gallery - Contemporary paintings.

Gregory Johnston: XV (through 4/2). Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. 542 W. 26th St., 212-741-7777; stephenhallergallery.com Hasted Kraeutler - Contemporary photography from emerging and established artists.

Michael Benson - Beyond (through 3/26); Andreas Gefeller - The Japan Series (3/31-5/14). Tues.-Sat., 11am-6pm. 537 W. 24th St., 212-627-0006; hastedkraeutler.com Paul Kasmin Gallery - Contemporary and modern art. Will Ryman - The Roses (through 5/31); Iván Navarro - Heaven or Las Vegas (3/3-4/2).

Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. 293 Tenth Ave. (27th St.); 511 27th St., 212-563-4474; paulkasmingallery.com Alan Klotz Gallery- Fine-art vintage, modern, and contemporary photography. From the Picture Press (through 3/31). Wed.-Sat., 10am-6pm.

511 W. 25th St., 212-741-4764; klotzgallery.com Knoedler & Company - Contemporary and sculpture works. Helen Frankenthaler - East and Beyond (through 3/11). Tues.-Fri., 9:30am-5:30pm., Sat., 10am-5:30pm. 19 E. 70th St., 212-794-0550; knoedlergallery.com Kouros Gallery - Modern and contemporary sculpture, painting, photography, and works on paper. Wlodzimierz Ksiazek - New Paintings (3/3-4/2); George Negroponte (4/7-30); Virva Hinnemo - Recent Paintings (4/7-30); Emanuele de Reggi (5/5-28). Mon.-Fri., 11am-6pm. 23 E. 73rd St., 212-288-5888; kourosgallery.com

L & M Arts - Paintings, drawings, and sculptures by first-generation Abstract Expressionists. Günther Uecker The Early Years (3/8-4/16). Tues.-Sat., 10am-5:30pm. 45 E. 78th St., 212-861-0020; lmgallery.com

The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology - His and Hers (through 5/10); Vivienne Westwood, 1980-89 (3/8-4/2). Tues.-Fri., noon-8pm; Sat., 10am-5pm. Seventh Ave. at 27th St., 212-217-4558; fitnyc.edu

Lehmann Maupin Gallery - International contemporary painting, sculpture and photography.

Chrystie St.: Angel Otero - Memento (through 4/10). Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. 540 W. 26th St., 212-255-2923; 201 Chrystie St., 212-254-0054; lehmannmaupin.com

The Pace Gallery - 20th-century art, including works by Calder, LeWitt, Nevelson, Noguchi, Picasso, Rauschenberg, Rothko, and many others.

534 W. 25th St.: Donald Judd: Works in Granite, Corten, Plywood, and Enamel on Aluminum (through 3/26). 510 W. 25th St.: Tara Donovan: Drawings (Pins) (through 3/19). 32 E. 57th St., 212-421-3292; 534 W. 25th St., 212-929-7000; 545 W. 22nd St., 212-989-4258; 510 W. 25th St. 212-255-4044; thepacegallery.com

Luhring Augustine - Late-19th century to contemporary American and European paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography and video works.

Rachel Whiteread (3/26-4/30); Martin Kippenberger (5/7-6/18). Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. 531 W. 24th St., 212-206-9100; luhringaugustine.com Marlborough Gallery - Important contemporary masters. 57th St.: Tom Otterness - Animal Spirits (through 3/26). Mon.-Fri., 10am-5:30pm.

40 W. 57th St., 212-541-4900; 545 W. 25th St., 212-463-8634; marlboroughgallery.com Barbara Mathes Gallery - 20th-century, and contemporary American and Euro­pean masters. Sculpture: Fontana, LeWitt, Melotti, and Puryear (3/1-31). Tues.-Fri., 9:30am-6pm.; Sat. 10am-5pm. 22 E. 80th St., 212-570-4190; barbaramathesgallery.com McKenzie Fine Art - Contemporary art.

Tues.-Fri., 10am-6pm.; Sat. 11am-6pm. 511 W. 25th St., 212-989-5467; mckenziefineart.com Yossi Milo Gallery- Contemporary photography.

Sze Tsung Leong - Cities (through 4/2). Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. 525 W. 25th St., 212-414-0370; yossimilo.com Mitchell-Innes & Nash - Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary art by American and European artists. 26th St.: Martin Kersels (through 3/12); Leon Kossoff (May-June). Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm.

534 W. 26th St., 212-744-7400; miandn.com

Yancy Richardson Gallery - 20th century and contemporary photographs. Victoria Sambunaris The Border (through 4/9). Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm.

535 W. 22nd St., 646-230-9610; yancey richardson.com Perry Rubenstein Gallery - Solo exhibitions by international artists. Kamrooz Aram (through 3/26); Richard Woods (4/7-5/21); Robin Rhode (5/127/31). Mon.-Fri., 10am-6pm. 527 W. 23rd St., 212-627-8000; perryrubenstein.com Spanierman Modern - Modern and contemporary paintings, watercolors, works on paper, drawings, and sculpture. Dan Christensen: The Stain Paintings (through 3/12); Clifford Smith (3/15-4/9); Jasmina Danowski (4/12-5/7); Jack Roth - 1927-2004 (5/106/11). Mon.-Sat., 9:30am-5:30pm. 53 E. 58th St., 212-832-1400; spaniermanmodern.com 303 Gallery - Contemporary photography, film, paintings, and sculpture. Karen Kilimnik (3/11-4/23); Florian Maier-Aichen (4/29-6/11).

Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. 547 W. 21st St., 212-255-1121; 303gallery.com Mike Weiss Gallery - Contemporary art. Marc Séguin: Art Failures (3/24-4/30). Tues.-Sat., 10am-6pm. 520 W. 24th St., 212-691-6899; mikeweissgallery.com

SOFA NEW YORK: A Splendid Show SOFA New York is an amazing annual show of fine craft art; the acronym stands for Sculptural Objects and Functional Art. Running from April 13th (Wednesday night is the opening gala) through the 17th at the Park Avenue Armory (Park Ave. & 67th St.), the exhibition has long been heralded as the nation’s premier fair for outstanding cutting-edge and contemporary decorative arts and design. The show will feature 55 galleries from around the world displaying some of the most remarkable work—jewelry, fiber art, glass, wood, ceramics, paper, and who-knows-what-else. This is a serious show for collectors, but it’s also a magnet for browsers who want to be educated, and for shoppers who might want to pick up, say, a one-of-a-kind beaded necklace from German jewelry designer Axel Russmeyer, or museum-quality glass sculpture from the important glass artists handled by the Heller Gallery. Look for fanciful photo works from artist Lucy Feller at Ferrin Gallery that tell a family history or celebrate a personal milestone. And this year there are new international galleries presenting their artists: Korean Craft and Design Foundation; Litvak Gallery (Tel Aviv); Gallery S O; and Sarah Myerscough Fine Art (both from London).

The opening night, private-view gala on Wed., April 13 is by invitation only, between 5:30 and 7pm; the public vernissage, 7 to 9pm, requiring a ticket ($100). Hours: Thurs. & Sat., the 14th and the 16th, 11am-7pm; Fri. the 15th, 11am-6pm, and Sun., the 17th, noon-6pm. Tickets: $25 for a single day/general admission and $40 for a four-day pass (including the catalog). sofaexpo.com; 800-563-SOFA (7632). — Ruth J. Katz

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See what the biggest names in New York City architecture have recently added to the horizon.

By Kaitlin Ahern

Copyright dbox

REAL ESTATENEW YORK

striking structures in the sky

[T he Continental’s clean lines, left, are a tell-tale mark of its architect, Costas Kondylis; Starchitect Frank Gehry found inspiration for New York in the classical draping work of 17th-century Italian sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini ]

L

egendary “starchitects” like Philip Johnson, Richard Meier and Jean Nouvel helped to define New York’s luxury real estate market over the years. Though these players aren’t part of the game anymore, New York is never short on architectural brilliance. On the scene, redefining the skyline today, are master designers such as Costas Kondylis, Ismael Leyva, I.M. Pei. and Frank Gehry. Have a look at their latest endeavors: Kondylis’ Continental In his career, architect Costas Kondylis has accumulated more than 70 New York City buildings to his name and has been referred to as a “trailblazer” among his peers for more than two decades. The septuagenarian is perhaps best known for his work on the Trump World Tower and The Plaza Hotel and Residences. New among the stretch of city skyline trademarked by Kondylis is The Continental at 885 Sixth Avenue (between 31st and 32nd Streets), a 53-story, 338-unit luxury rental tower that began signing leases in mid January.

“With certain architects that have a reputation for good designs, their name carries weight,” says Cliff Finn, managing director of new development marketing for Citi Habitats Marketing Group, the exclusive marketing and leasing agent for The Continental. “People want to pay more money for something that’s designed better. They come in expecting and assuming the product is superior, and in this case it certainly is.”

The building’s glass façade resembles a curtain wall, and features Kondylis’ signature clean lines. Apartments boast floor-to-ceiling tinted windows, ceilings as high as 11 feet, white oak flooring throughout, and personal washers and dryers. With its soaring height and many apartments with corner exposure, the building provides sprawling views in all directions, including the Empire State Building. “People come to a location like this, in the center of Manhattan, and by definition they want to be able to see everything,” Finn says.

In terms of amenities, The Continental is the only building on Sixth Avenue to have a pool—a 50-foot indoor infinity-edge lap swimming pool, no less, with heated hydrotherapy spa and landscaped sun terrace, plus a health club with a fitness/cardio center and yoga studio. The building also offers Abigail Michaels concierge service, a 24-hour doorman, valet, and on-site parking.

Units, which include studios, one-bedrooms, one-bedrooms with a home office, and two-bedrooms, reside on floors 9 through 53. Monthly rental prices range from $2,550 to $8,000.

Arquitectonica and Leyva Team Up at Mima The 63-story mixed-use complex at 440 West 42nd Street, designed by Arquitectonica and Ismael Leyva Architects, was introduced to the market in March as Mima, a name derived from the property’s location in the “middle

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Pei’s Centurion Located at 33 West 56th Street off Fifth Avenue, The Centurion is the first ground-up residential condominium project in New York designed by the internationally renowned Pei Partnership with I.M. Pei. Pei is known for elegant, understated architecture, and his signature shows in this property. “It feels very old world, especially in the context of the neighborhood,” says Amy Williamson, sales director with The Centurion and vice president of sales for Prodigy Network. “There’s been a significant trend in recent years toward condo buildings that are tall glass towers, and it seems there is increasingly a reaction against that, toward more elegant buildings. You can’t get more elegant than The Centurion.”

The building’s lobby is also characteristic of Pei. The simple grandeur of the space is elevated subtly by the adjoining water garden and the use of Magny du Louvre French limestone, a material that recalls the Four Seasons Hotel lobby.

Beyond mere aesthetics, many of the property’s architectural components add to the lifestyle of its residents, Williams says. Soaring windows strike a dramatic impression from the street, but also afford residents striking views of the city. Likewise, the building’s cascading terraces make it an impressive specimen visually, but, perhaps more importantly, they also add private outdoor space to many of the property’s residences.

The 17-story building contains 47 spacious one- to four-bedroom residences with three penthouses (two of them duplexes with private terraces and triple exposure) that boast up to 3,400 square feet of space. First closings on residences began in spring 2009, and the building passed the 50 percent sold

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mark at the end of 2010. Remaining residences range in price from $2.5 million up to $14.5 million.

Williams says, combined with the fact that this is Pei’s only ground-up residential building in the city, The Centurion is in a league of its own due to its elegant, pre-war aesthetic in a neighborhood of tall glass towers. “People want to live in a building conceived by such a huge name,” Williams says.

“In addition to all that, there’s the idea that it’s the only building of its kind in Manhattan. That motivates a lot of buyers at this level, the idea of having something irreplaceable.”

Gehry Does New York Upon completion, New York by Gehry at Eight Spruce Street claimed the title of tallest residential building in Manhattan (surpassing Trump World Tower by about 15 feet), and added a dramatic silver obelisk to the otherwise undefined skyline of its lower Manhattan neighborhood. The groundbreaking rental property is the first residential tower designed in New York City by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry of Gehry Architects New York, P.C., and it carries the undulating, asymmetrical look of a Gehry building on its stainless steel façade. “With its stunning design and sheer height, it represents an architectural icon,” says MaryAnne Gilmartin, executive vice president of commercial and residential development with Forest City Ratner Companies, the building’s developer.

To add to the list of “firsts” for this building: The 76-story mixed-use highrise stands atop a six-story brick podium, which houses the first public school (Spruce Street School) ever built in New York City on private land.

Due to the intricate design of the building’s curtain wall, each apartment has a unique shape where it connects with the exterior façade. What that means for residents: The windows are pushed out into the building’s curving folds, creating bay windows with window seats in each apartment. Walking into one of these bay windows at the building’s uppermost floors is quite the experience.

“One can step out past the plane of the exterior wall and be suspended over the whole of Manhattan,” Gilmartin says. “They’re designed to perfection to allow each home to have something very special and allow units to be furnished in a way that corresponds to the beauty of the building itself.”

The endlessly talented Gehry also designed all of the building’s finishes, including apartment interiors (from flooring to hardware details) and amenities (down to the ottomans in the library and the lounges in the enclosed swimming pool area), which are on par with condominium living. “It’s the first rental building that’s had such painstaking design detail done by someone of such a great mind,” Gilmartin says.

The building’s 903 units opened for leasing in February. Of those units, about half are one-bedrooms, but studios, one-and-a-half-bedrooms, twobedrooms, and a handful of three-bedrooms (floors 50 and above) are also available. Monthly rental prices range from $2,700 to more than $18,000. n [ The Centurion’s water garden, seen here from the lobby, reflects the building’s understated elegance, a signature of starchitect I.M. Pei. ] Photo courtesy of The Centurion

of Manhattan.” Mima’s condominium component, occupying floors 51 to 63, is known as 1 Mima Tower.

“It’s where uptown meets downtown,” says Susan DeFranca, president of Related Sales, of the 42nd Street corridor. “There’s something very special about the 42nd Street area. It’s still authentic. A lot of neighborhoods have become so gentrified and lost that gritty aspect, but this is what people love about New York.”

Mima’s scintillating glass exterior is the work of Arquitectonica, but residential design and space planning was done by Ismael Leyva Architects, who created unit layouts to maximize furnishability, light, and the general living space in each luxurious apartment, DeFranca says. The residences possess somewhat theatrical interiors designed by the David Rockwell Group, featuring a colorful, modern mixture of stones, woods and metals.

In addition to a plethora of amenities like two private terraces and an outdoor movie theater, the mixed-use aspect of the building extends the lifestyle of owners, DeFranca says. Mima will house the first U.S. branch of Yotel, London’s boutique hotel, which will provide unique dining experiences and lounges; a private, residents-only Equinox Health Club, which will include a basketball court and indoor swimming pool; and the Signature Center, an entertainment venue housing three theaters with interiors designed by Frank Gehry (opening next spring).

The tower contains 151 condominium residences beginning on the 51st floor and climbing to the top. The building’s height and central location provide residents with commanding, airplane-like views of the city, from the Statue of Liberty to the Hudson River to Central Park. Residences range from studios (starting at 550 square feet) to three-bedrooms (topping out at 1,800 square feet). At press time, Mima’s sales team was monitoring market conditions and said pricing will be available in late spring.

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Dave Willis, courtesy of Cumbria Tourism

TRAVELengland

gloriously green:

The Lush Lake District and the Dramatic Jurassic Coast

England’s seductive Cumbria and Dorset Counties lure cyclists, hikers, literaraturelovers and amateur anthropologists. After all, Beatrix Potter lived near Lake Windermere and dinosaurs once roamed the Dorset coastline.

By Ruth J. Katz

A

ttention Miss Marple, Sherlock Holmes, and Hercule Poirot! I need a crack British gumshoe on this case: Somewhere, buried deep in the English Netherworld, is a chlorophyll-production factory. No country in a Rand McNally gazetteer could be this impossibly verdant without elves ratcheting up the production of all things botanically emerald. The landscapes in both the Lake District (in Cumbria County, in the Northwest, an Olympic shot-put toss from Scotland) and in southern, coastal Dorset County (and its neighbor, Hampshire) are so hypnotic and heartbreakingly picturesque that the saturated tones in your snaps will appear

to be suspicious, the result of an alchemic amalgam of Merlin and Photoshop.

Although home to a half-dozen majestic mountains, or fells, that all hover around 3,000 feet high, it is, however, the “water, water everywhere” that bestows the take-your-breath-away vistas in the Lake District. My knowledgeable guide from The Mountain Goat touring company tells me that you could gamely claim that there are anywhere from 14 to 18 proper lakes, depending on how you define “lake”—250 named tarns (even a small “pool” qualifies), and at least another 200 unnamed. The deepest, Wastwater, soars down 243 feet, and the longest, Windermere, measures 10-1/2 miles long. It

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Ben Barden, courtesy of Cumbria Tourism Tony West, courtesy of Cumbria Tourism

[ Opposite page: Muncaster Castle, Ravenglass ] [T his page, clockwise from top left: Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top Farm; a picturesque street in Hawkshead; the topiary gardens at Levens Hall; Hawkshead Grammar School, which William Wordsworth attended; Loughrigg Tarn ]

is no wonder that the 900-or-so square miles of the Lake District National Park are a magnet to some 8 million annual visitors.

As deep and wide as its lakes are, that is how rich its literary heritage is. It’s true that most people come for the outdoor activities, and the well-traveled hiking trails do not disappoint: Dungeon Ghyll means “no way out” and there is another killer known simply as The Struggle. But it’s literature that provides an emotional touchstone for those who devoured the idylls of the Lake Poets—William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert Southey.

Wordsworth spent about 60 of his 80 years here, some of that time in the cherished Dove Cottage (now a museum; you can also visit his grammar school in Hawkshead) in the picture-postcard-perfect hamlet of Grasmere, where he was frequently joined by other colleagues. Countless literary Goliaths visited and waxed, er, poetic, about the Lake District: Sir Walter Scott recounted the death of Charles Gough on Helvellyn Fell; Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote about the Lakes, as did John Ruskin; and Thomas de Quincey (Confessions of an English Opium-Eater) was in residence in Dove Cottage when he was felled by...well, opium.

Perhaps the most visited literary draw, though, is the sweet little cottage, Hill Top, where Beatrix Potter lived and penned frolicking life into the universally treasured Peter Rabbit and his mischievous crew, Flopsy, Mopsy, and

Cottontail. As per Potter’s request, Hill Top has been left precisely the way she maintained it; as visitors walk through the cozy cottage, they are politely cautioned: “Please try not to touch.” (My home base while here was the delightful Gilpin Lodge, which I cannot recommend highly enough—handsomely appointed garden cottages with patios with hot tubs, huge indoor soaking tubs, fireplaces, striking décor, and savory, tempting fare in the dining room.)

There is much to see besides Potter’s home, like Sarah Nelson’s shop in Grasmere, which has been enticing customers with “her” scrumptious gingerbread since 1850, and in movie-set-perfect Cartmel, do not forget to buy the legendary sticky toffee pudding; Levens Hall boasts some of the most magnificent and inventive topiaries you’ll ever see, dating from 1694; Holker House is yet another grand old dame of a historic home. And 14th-century Muncaster Castle promises not one, but two ghosts, one of whom is the 16th-century court jester, Tom Fool; also at Muncaster is the World Owl Trust, a habitat/ refuge for dozens of species of extraordinary owls, and the only one of its kind in the world—and that is no tomfoolery. Amble through “twin” villages with dottily descriptive names like Far Sawrey and Near Sawrey, and High Newton and Low Newton. In charming Keswick, I was heartsick (seriously) that I didn’t have time to visit the James Bond Museum and the Cumberland Pencil Museum. Alas.

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Sue Sieger for the Dorset New Forest Tourism Partnership

TRAVELengland

All photos by Ruth J. Katz unless otherwise noted

[ This page, clockwise from top left: A view of Corfe Castle; the Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Sherborne; the Sandbanks and Poole harbor; Durdle Door rock formations; Gold Hill in Shaftesbury ]

But, there was time to at least learn about the county’s most famous (albeit tongue-in-cheek, literally) annual event: The World’s Biggest Liar Contest. Its amusing renown is so widespread that it was even reported on the farflung china daily.com site, where a seminal canon of the verbal jousting competition was recapped: “Politicians and lawyers are barred from entering as they are judged to be too skilled at telling porkies.”

Not to be outdone by Cumbria’s literary heritage, Dorset has its own literary intelligentsia—led by native son Thomas Hardy, born in Higher Brockhampton, in a home just off one Cuckoo Lane. To read Hardy is to walk the vales and heaths of Dorset, one of England’s three counties with no super highway. Jane Austen, no slouch when it comes to spinning a captivating yarn, was also born here; Henry Fielding visited often and John Fowles also called it home. Both Austen and Fowles made The Cobb, the dramatic harbor wall in Lyme Regis, famous—she in Persuasion, and he in The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Parenthetically, T. E. Lawrence (as in, of Arabia) also hung his keffiyeh here.

But literature is not the only Mecca here or in the neighboring New Forest in Hampshire; it’s the astonishing topography and the pleasures of the seaside that keep towns like Bournemouth, Poole, Bridport, and Weymouth bustling with vacationers; in 2012, Weymouth will be awash with world-class mariners, as the host site of the Olympic sailing events.

Farther inland, both Shaftesbury and Sherborne (home to Hardy’s Giles Winterborne and Grace Melbury in the The Woodlanders) are probably two of the most charming villages you’ll ever see; Sherborne—with its magnificent Abbey Church of St. Mary the Virgin, rooted in the eighth century—is simply dreamy (cinema location scouts discovered this fact long ago). Walk the High Street and drink in the eccentric Conduit structure, the picturesque Almshouses, and the town’s famous Sherborne School, which can brag about grads John le Carré, Chris Martin, and Jeremy Irons, among others. Shaftesbury can arguably boast to being home to England’s most photographed street— the flawless, out-of-a-storybook Gold Hill, a steep, cobbled lane dotted with thatched-roof cottages.

The coastline is drop-dead gorgeous: There are 110 miles to mosey around, including 95 miles comprising a World Heritage Coastline, with 185 million years of geology compressed into its rock formations. This, the Jurassic Coast, is fabled for its fossils, and while fossil-hunting is not exactly an extreme sport, thrill-seekers hunt for dinosaur footprints and other exotica. The coast lays claim to countless, striking natural wonders: Lulworth Cove (considered one of the world’s best landforms); the salt-bitten Durdle Door (a natural, Titanic-size archway, thrust upwards from the very sea that sculpted it); Chesil Beach (Europe’s largest barrier beach); Poole Harbor (the second-largest natural harbor in the world, after Sydney); and the chic village of Sandbanks (where

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Photo courtesy of Summer Lodge

[ The glorious gardens at the Summer Lodge in Evershot ]

some of the world’s most expensive real estate is found). Also visit Tyneham, an incongruous “ghost town” abandoned during World War II. To boot, the area has one of England’s most mild climates, helping nurture the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens and the Abbotsbury Swannery. The former is less than a mile inland from Chesil Beach, and is sheltered by northern hills, so its climate is ideal for riots of colorful foliage that explode with the gusto of flora in a rain-forest jungle. The Swannery is over 600 years old, and is home to some 600 regal swans. General feeding times are noon and 4:30, when you can see an undulating cloud of fluttering snowy wings descend with grace. It is no wonder that Anna Pavlova and a corps of ballerinas visited here in the 1920s to perfect their swan fluttering for—what else?—Swan Lake.

(Tip: Signets hatch in May/June.)

No trip to Dorset is complete without crossing the border into Hampshire County to visit the 220 square miles of the New Forest, William the Conqueror’s “new” hunting ground, created in 1079. It offers a rich tapestry of topography—bogs, moorlands, and dense forest; in fact, five ecosystems co-exist Still governed by arcane Royal Laws, the forest is peppered with villages, towns, country inns, castles, and amazing hotels. (Two that should not be missed are the Rhinefield House Hotel and the brand-new Lime Wood Hotel and Spa, one of the most sumptuous hotels I have ever seen). Wildlife abounds—3,500 deer, 3,500 cattle, and 3,400 New Forest Ponies. The latter

are a native, mongrel breed standing a mere 50” tall; they are gentle creatures, often sauntering up to visitors for hand-outs and petting (discouraged).

I ended my trip with a night at the cosseting Summer Lodge, in Evershot, and I can honestly say it’s one of the world’s most romantic hotels, with a world-class restaurant, blissful gardens, and an elegant spa. But there are other places that will also charm you, including the Eastbury Hotel in Sherborne and the Fleur de Lys in Shaftesbury, both of which are known as “restaurants with rooms.” But do not be deceived by that appellation; they are top-flight all around.

And so is the entire county, along with Cumbria—that is to say, tops in my proverbial playbook—for escapes, scenery, activities, food, and leisure.

Both counties are simply not to be omitted from anyone’s bucket list. n

[ more information ] Cumbria: cumbriatourism.org; golakes.co.uk; mountain-goat.com; gilpin-lodge.co.uk; visitengland.us Dorset: dorset-newforest.com, jurassicjaunts.co.uk, nationaltrust.org.uk , abbotsbury-tourism.co.uk, shaftesburyabbey.org.uk, summerlodge.co.uk, theeastburyhotel.co.uk 85

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New York

Sightseeing

TOP OF THE POPS AT MADAME TUSSAUDS New York City is teeming with celebrities, but thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only place you can guarantee yourself some star-spotting: Madame Tussauds in Times Square. Through April, the wax figure of Rihanna (above right) joins permanent pop stars such as Lady Gaga (left) and Taylor Swift in the VIP Room. Clad in a black lace corset, fitted jacket, pants and black silk heels, the sleek look-a-like figure was modeled after the outfit that Rihanna wore to French design house Balmainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show during Paris Fashion Week last October. See our Madame Tussauds listing for more info.

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ONTHETOWN

9/11 Memorial Preview Site – Learn about the plans for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum currently under construction at the World Trade Center site. Share your 9/11 story with the Museum and help make history. 20 Vesey St. (Church St.), 212-312-8800; national911memorial.org Apollo Theater – Harlem’s world-famous showplace offers tours seven days a week, as well as the Apollo Amateur Night every Wednesday at 7:30pm. 253 W. 125th St. btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves., 212-531-5337; apollotheater.org BODIES...The Exhibition – This striking exhibit showcases real human bodies, giving visitors the opportunity to see themselves in a fascinating way like never before. Both captivating and edifying, it unveils the many complex systems of organs and tissues that drive every aspect of our daily lives and unite us all as humans. Exhibition Centre at the South Street Seaport, 11 Fulton St., 888-9BODIES; bodiestheexhibition.com Brooklyn Botanic Garden – 52 carefully tended, intensively planted acres of flora and exotica, including a carefully repro­duced Japanese garden and one of the largest public rose collections in America. Upcoming events: Patrick Dougherty Natural History at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a monumental woven-wood sculpture in honor of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s centennial (through 8/31); Sandra Eula Lee: Seeds in a Wild Garden (3/8-6/5); Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival (4/30-5/1); Annual Plant Sale (5/4-5). Tues.-Fri., 8am-6pm; Sat.-Sun., 10am-6pm. $8; $4 (seniors/students); free (under 12). 1000 Washington Ave., Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, 718-623-7200; bbg.org Central Park (centralparknyc.org) – Belvedere Castle (79th St. south of the Great Lawn, 212-772-0210) - This famed, whimsical landmark is within sight of the Delacorte Theatre (summer home of the Public Theater/ New York Shakespeare Festival.) The Henry

Luce Nature Observatory at Belvedere Castle is a permanent interactive exhibit focusing on how to observe, record, and identify the plants and wildlife that exist in Central Park’s rich and diverse natural habitats. Bethesda Terrace (mid-Park at 72nd St.) - Reconstruction has restored the Victorian stonework and steps to the acre-sized esplanade. Carousel (mid-Park at 64th St., 212-879-0244) - Nostalgic turn-ofthe-century merry-go-round open daily, weather permitting. Central Park Walks and Talks (212-794-6564) - Subjects ranging from geology to bird-watching to astronomy, ecology, and park history make for lively free weekend walking tours of the Park. Central Park Con­servancy staff and volunteers, as well as Urban Park Rangers of the City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation lead the tours. Central Park Zoo (Fifth Ave. btw. 63rd & 66th Sts., 212-439-6500; centralparkzoo.com) - From a steamy rain forest to an icy Antarctic penguin habitat, the zoo features natural tropical, temperate, and polar environments with dozens of fascinating animals, from leafcutter ants to polar bears, plus monkeys, sea lions, and cute penguins. Open daily; call for hours. The Charles A. Dana Discovery Center in Cen­tral Park (110th St. & Lenox Ave., 212-860-1370) provides year-round environmental education and visitors’ programs. Free workshops, performances, and events highlight the beauty of Central Park and the vitality of its surrounding neighborhoods. Bird­watching, fishing, ecology, and horticulture explorations are just a few of the family and youth activities available. The Conservatory Garden (Fifth Ave. near 105th St.) - A lush and dazzling six-acre garden. The Dairy (mid-Park at 65th St., 212-794-6564) - The main visitor information center, set in a vintage Victorian Chalet. Pick up a map or a calendar, and enjoy the gift shop.

Horse-and-Carriage Rides (212-736-0680) wait on the Central Park So./59th St. side of the Park. Sheep Meadow (66th to 69th Sts. on the west side of the park) is a lush, 15-acre quiet zone open for passive play and skyline admiring.

Strawberry Fields (71st to 74th St. near Central Park West) - A 2.5-acre Interna­tional Garden of Peace dedicated to the memory of John Lennon.

Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (enter at Central Park West & 81st St., 212-988-9093) - Shows for the general public. Call for current schedule. Tisch Children’s Zoo (Fifth Ave. btw. 64th & 65th Sts., 212-439-6500) - This wildlife center echoes and reinforces the pastoral landscape of Central Park by creating a rustic Enchanted Forest with soft paths and native plantings. Youngsters will love the bewitching area, which suddenly unfolds into a magical place filled with birds flying freely overhead, contained in a virtually invisible net suspended in the trees, and a petting zoo.

Circle Line Downtown – Enjoy a narrated harbor tour including views of the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and more on board the luxurious ZEPHYR, departing daily beginning in April at 10am, 11:15am, 12:30pm, 2pm, & 3:30pm. Also 5pm beginning in May. 877-979-2542; circlelinedowntown.com Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises – Take in the grandeur of New York and see spectacular views of Manhattan as knowledgeable guides point out the famous landmarks. There are many cruises to choose from, for every type of traveler: the classic 3-hour Full-Island Cruise; the 2-hour Semi-Circle Cruise; the 75-minute Liberty Cruise (May-Oct.); the romantic 2-hour Harbor Lights Cruise. Pier 83, W. 42nd St. & 12th Ave., 212-563-3200; circleline42.com CitySights NY – See New York from top-seatingonly double-decker buses with unobstructed views of NYC attractions, neighborhoods, and places of interest. Buses are furnished with state-of-the-art sound systems and entertaining urban-storytellers who offer interesting facts and tales about all of the city’s famous faces and places. They also feature combination tickets, day trips, and more.

They offer tours in four languages (Italian,

If you’d like to see the city from the water, hop aboard New York Water Taxi.

Their tours include: the 1-hour Statue of Liberty Express ($25); the Statue by Night Tour (daily at 7:45pm; $25), which goes past the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and more with a complimentary champagne toast and cash bar; and private charter options. 877-979-2542; nywatertaxi.com With Circle Line Downtown, you can enjoy a narrated harbor tour including views of the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and more on board the luxurious ZEPHYR. With three decks (two climate-controlled and one outdoor), ZEPHYR offers city sights with panoramic views no matter what the weather brings. The SHARK Speedboat Thrill Ride begins operating on Saturdays and Sundays in May. Call or visit their website for scheduling and more information.

877-979-2542; circlelinedowntown.com

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SIGHTSEEINGNEWYORK

French, German, and Spanish) by way of an audio headset that plugs into a player at each seat.

212-812-2700; citysightsny.com Empire State Building – From the Observatory on the 86th floor, reached by express elevator in less than a minute, Manhattan is an unforgettable spectacle day or night. You’ll enjoy the panoramic view, which, on a clear day, reaches 80 miles in

each direction. Visitors may also enjoy the free changing exhibits in the lobby. Tickets to the 102nd floor observatory sold only upon arrival.

Daily, 8am-2am; last elevator at 1:15. $20; $18 (seniors, 12-17); $14 (6-11). 350 Fifth Ave. (34th St.), 212-736-3100; esbnyc.com Grand Central Terminal – This international landmark masterpiece boasts a vast, and dramatic

sunken central room, lit by huge windows and ornamented by a whimsically designed ceiling depicting the constellations of the zodiac and a nostalgic in­formation kiosk topped by an old clock set in the center of the main floor. Join the one-hour walking tours, Wed. at 12:30pm, sponsored by the Municipal Art Society; call 212-935-3960. 42nd St & Park Ave., 212-532-4900; grandcentralterminal.com Gray Line Sightseeing Tours – Daily tours by open-top deluxe double-decker buses and luxury coaches. Classic New York Tour includes a round-trip ferry ticket to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, a ticket to the South Street Seaport Museum, a ticket to the Empire State Building Observatory and the ALL LOOPS TOUR, a 2-day ticket hop-on and off w/ 50+ stops from Times Square and Broadway to Harlem to Brooklyn, and Night Tours are also available.

777 Eighth Ave. btw. 47th & 48th Sts.; PABT, 42nd St. & Eighth Ave.; Times Square, Broadway btw. 46th & 47th Sts., 800-669-0051; newyorksightseeing.com Harlem Spirituals/New York Visions – Explore Harlem with Gospel tours on Sun. and Wed. and the evening soul food and jazz tours Mon., Thurs., and Sat.; New York Visions uncovers the hidden treasures of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. 690 Eighth Ave. (43rd-44th Sts.), 212-391-0900; harlemspirituals.com Helicopter Flight Services Tours – See NYC from above the turmoil of its streets. They offer 2 long helicopter tours that include the Statue of Liberty, N.Y. Harbor, the Chrysler Building, Central Park, Columbia University, the George Washington Bridge, Yankee Stadium and the Financial Center. They also offer customized tours and hourly rates. Downtown Heliport (Pier 6 & the East River), 212-355-0801; heliny.com Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum – The renovated museum complex includes the 900-foot-long aircraft carrier with seven full decks and four theme halls; the guided missile submarine Growler; and an extensive aircraft collection including the A-12 Blackbird and the British Airways Concorde. EUpcoming events: Inspiration and Industry: American Women on the Home Front (3/1-9/18). Pier 86, W. 46th St. & 12th Ave., 212-245-0072; intrepidmuseum.org Liberty Helicopter Tours – Six different tours in modern jet helicopters. Reservations required for 6 or more passengers. Downtown Heliport (Pier 6 & the East River), 212-967-6464; liberty helicopters.com

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Madame Tussauds New York – A chance for an up-close-and-personal look at nearly 200 famous faces, from the Dalai Lama to Madonna, Albert Einstein to Joe DiMaggio. The famed Madame Tussauds wax museum in London has a spectacular NYC version in Times Square that’s become one of the city’s must-see sights. New York and world notables from film, television, music,

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ONTHETOWN

politics, history and sports are represented in themed displays. Open 365 days a year from 10am. $35.50; $32.50 (seniors); $28.50 (4-12).

234 W. 42nd St. (Seventh-Eighth Aves.), 800-246-8872; madametussauds.com/newyork

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Times Square – Ripley’s showcases the oddities in life and delivers the ultimate in shockingly strange, true stories.

Open daily, 9am-1am. 234 W. 42nd St. (SeventhEighth Aves.), 212-398-3133; ripleysnewyork.com

NBC Universal Store / Studio Tour – Stroll through the halls of NBC, the NBC History Theatre, and the studios of some of NBC’s most popular shows, including “SNL,” “The Today Show,” and others. Tours run every 15 to 30 minutes, seven days a week. Reservations recommended. The NBC Universal Store is open Mon.-Sat., 8am-7pm; Sun., 9am-6pm.

30 Rockefeller Plaza, 49th St. btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves., 212-664-3700; nbcuniversalstore.com

Top of the Rock – 30 Rockefeller Plaza’s dazzling, 360-degree indoor and outdoor views are not exactly new –– in fact, it was open from 1933 to

1986. The brainchild of John D. Rockefeller, the original deck was designed to evoke the upper decks of a 1930s grand ocean liner. They’ve preserved the historic integrity of Rockefeller’s creation while incorporating innovative features, with three decks featuring outdoor terraces and indoor space. Open daily, 8am-midnight. Reserved-time tickets available. 30 Rockefeller Center (W. 50th St. btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.), 877-692-7625; topoftherocknyc.com

The New York Botanical Garden – Offering a variety of gardens and collections and events, courses and exhibitions, year-round.

Current events include: The Orchid Show: On Broadway (3/5-4/25); Antique Garden Furniture Show and Sale (4/29-5/1). Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W at Fordham Rd.), The Bronx, or by Metro-North Railroad to Botanical Garden Station, 718-817-8700; nybg.org New York Pass – The all-in-one pass that lets you see NYC for less. Admission to more than 40 top attractions and museums with a comprehensive, 140-page guidebook, maps and discounts for 25+ top restaurants and retailers. Pass includes Empire State Building, Circle Line Sightseeing, Madame Tussauds, NBC Studio Tour and much more.

1-,2-,3- & 7-day passes, from 80. Available online at newyorkpass.com, by calling 877-714-1999, or at Planet Hollywood (Broadway at 45th St.) and other attractions.

New York Water Taxi – Tours include the 1-hour Statue of Liberty Express and the Statue

By Night Tour nightly at 7:45pm. 877-979-2542; nywatertaxi.com NY SKYRIDE – A combination of moviemotion and sights rolled up into New York’s only aerial virtual tour simulator. Guide Kevin Bacon takes you on an adventure above, through, and underneath New York. An IMAX®-style digital presentation combining HD technology, customdesigned seats, and a 6-meter/18-foot screen.

Open daily at 8am. Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Ave. (33rd St.), 2nd floor, 212-279-9777; skyride.com OnBoard Tours – NYC’s most comprehensive 5-1/2-hour tour combines driving and short walks with a ferry cruise past the Statue of Liberty. Stops include the World Trade Center site, Rockefeller Center, and the Empire State Building.

212-277-8019; onboardnewyorktours.com Radio City Music Hall – Get an exclusive look at the legendary hall. Daily, 11am-3pm. $19.25; seniors, $15; under 12, $12.50. Tickets sold at the Radio City Avenue Store on the day of the tour. Advance tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster and the box office. 1260 Sixth Ave. (50th St.), 212-307-7171; radiocity.com

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Promenade PICKS

The Four Seasons Restaurant There are a select few restaurants that reach a certain iconic status.

They ooze New York style, are fixtures of American success, and are the types of places where Presidents dine when they’re in town. The Four Seasons Restaurant may well be the most iconic of this small band of brethren, and over the last 50-plus years, in the same location on East 52nd Street, it has flourished as a dining destination and one of the city’s premier power lunch venues.

Offering award-winning seasonal American cuisine created from locally grown ingredients, the Four Seasons offers two dining rooms: the Pool Room is airy and romantic, with a bubbling marble pool and canopy of trees; while the Grill Room has soaring two-story windows, French walnut-paneled walls, and the restaurant’s legendary wooden bar.

Last year, they welcomed two new faces—Pecko Zantilaveevan and Larry Finn—to the Executive Chef position that was held for more than 30 years by Christian Albin. Zantilaveevan trained with Christian Delouvrier at Maurice in the Parker Meridien, as well as with Daniel Boulud, and is a 16-year veteran under Albin; Finn is the former Executive Chef of Café Gray.

“Changing the menu every season has been a tradition here for decades,” says Zantilaveevan. “The purpose has always been to serve simple cuisine using the best produce available.

Chef/Partner Jim Botsacos, along with chef David Arias, has worked diligently to create an authentic menu that includes the whole spectrum of Italian cuisine. Chef Arias has been a cook and chef at several restaurants in New York since 1999, and also studied at New York’s French Culinary Institute. Botsacos, American-born and of Italian and Greek descent, has had a passion for cooking his entire life and is proud to serve and preserve true Italian food here in the heart of Manhattan. Botsacos is also the executive chef at the Greek restaurant, Molyvos, at 871 Seventh Avenue.

Lunch is offered Monday through Friday, noon-2:30pm; dinner on Monday through Saturday from 5-9:30pm. Reservations are recommended. – Kris Carpenter Location 99 East 52nd Street • 212-754-9494 • fourseasonsrestaurant.com

The general dining area seats 75 people in a comfortable setting, while the “Terrazza at Abboccato” is useful for more intimate gatherings.

Raised above the main dining room, it can accommodate up to 20 guests at one table and may be partitioned off by drawing the curtains.

In the warmer weather, the extensive glass windows open for a full, inviting view of the street.

Jonathan Hökklo

Abboccato, meaning “pleasing to the mouth” in Italian, features all the classic and recognizable meals and appetizers native to Italy, including Casunzie, a half-moon ravioli filled with beets, gorgonzola and tossed with Italian butter and poppy seeds. Another favorite is grilled baby octopus, prepared with a warm Tuscan bean salad with an herb vinaigrette. Abboccato also offers a traditional Chicchetti menu, comprised of small, sharable plates, and includes dishes such as wild mushroom flatbread, served with truffle cheese and Robiola ricotta. Also on the Chicchetti menu is grilled shrimp oreganata, which is prepared with herb breadcrumbs, oregano, and garlic-infused olive oil.

Jonathan Hökklo

Abboccato

“We have an amazing customer base comprised of a lot of regulars and people who are very knowledgeable about food, so we trust them as well. A lot of the people who come in just ask for the specials and order one. So if we hear that one of the specials was a big hit, we usually try it again the next time those ingredients are available; and if it continues to please, we think about incorporating it into the menu.”

NYC

[ Chef/Partner Jim Botsacos ]

[ Larry Finn, left and Pecko Zantilaveevan ]

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NYC

The Chicchetti menu ranges from $7-$12; appetizers $10-$15; pasta and entrees from $21-$33. Breakfast is served every day from 7:30-10:30am; lunch six days (excluding Sunday) noon-3pm; dinner seven days ranging from 4-11pm. Chicchetti menu is available all day.

Smart, casual attire is recommended. – Peter Bradley Location 136 West 55th Street • 212-265-4000 • livanosrestaurantgroup.com

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DININGfarm totable

New York

By Marian Betancourt

Marc Forgione

Aureole is a culinary oasis at the crossroads of the world, a location that makes it ideal for pre- and post-theatre dining. This elegant space is divided into the casual bar dining room with its view of 42nd Street, and the more formal and intimate dining room’s ambiance of fresh flowers and soft music.

Get your palate ready for an adventure and try a signature appetizer: hiramasa tartare with avocado, Sechuan buttons, toasted pine nuts, and Saratoga chips. Begin with the button, a tiny flake presented in its own ceramic spoon. This creates a tingle on your tongue and now you are ready to dig into the tartare for a sublime flavor experience.

Forgione gets truly excited about the local greenmarket just down the street: “We wheel our shopping cart there and load up.” His spring favorite is ramps, the garlicky, onion-flavored wild leek available only from March to June. Last year he created an entire menu around it including local fluke crudo with shaved ramps and ramp oil, and a white asparagus gazpacho with ramp chips.

Year round the menu focuses on local supplies of fish and game and the chef’s own unique take on flavors. A red snapper entrée was served with chard lightly sweetened in a carrot braise, a perfect foil to the crunchy snapper skin and tender meat. A popular shared entrée is chicken under a brick (literally) with smashed Yukon potatoes, rapini and pan drippings. Entrees from $26 to $59; higher for shared dishes.

Dinner daily; brunch on Sunday.

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Aureole

Steve Legato

Courtesy of Dan Walbridge

Eric Laignel

At 32, Chef Marc Forgione has already earned a Michelin star for his eponymous Tribeca restaurant, which has a sophisticated country-city feel with its brick walls, wooden farmhouse tables and subtle lighting.

Everyone from the chefs to the waitstaff wears tailored black shirts and trousers, but you’ll recognize Forgione with his unique Mohawk and his presence at the kitchen door, making sure every dish meets his standards before it is served.

Location 134 Reade Street • 212-941-9401 • marcforgione.com

Owner/chef Charlie Palmer’s philosophy has always focused on regional ingredients and there are many ways to enjoy that here, such as farmed baby greens salad with goat cheese, seasonal vegetables and sherry Dijon vinaigrette. A signature appetizer of New York state foie gras ravioli (perfectly al dente) contains the tender filling and is completed with Savoy cabbage marmalade and black truffle sauce.

An entrée of Branzino grilled with a sprightly gremolata (parsley, garlic, lemon peel) crust is accompanied by Swiss chard and cockles on a bed of fennel puréed with shallots and cream. A favorite steak entrée features a “Napoleon” of sweet potato confit slices layered with the tender beef from short ribs.

A deliciously refreshing way to end a meal here is with the chilled pineapple soup poured over guava mousse, coconut tapioca and herbs in a beautiful glass bowl with gold flecks. (Pineapple may not be local, but this is sublime.)

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Seasonal tasting menus for $89 or $110 are served until 9:30pm. A pre-theatre 3-course dinner for $55 is available from 5 to 6pm. Stop in for Bubbles after Broadway in the bar from 10 to 11:30pm; the $35 tab includes a glass of champagne, main course and dessert.

Lunch Monday to Saturday, 11:45am to 2:30pm; dinner seven nights a week.

Location 135 West 42nd Street • 212-319-1660 • charliepalmer.com

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The Harrison October will mark the tenth anniversary of The Harrison, a popular Tribeca restaurant, where in warm weather, ten sets of French doors open so diners can watch the sunset over the Hudson. Owner/chef Jimmy Bradley uses locally grown food as much as possible for a menu that changes eight times a year. In winter, he gets hothouse carrots, beets, and squash “with the dirt still on them” from a cooperative of small Vermont farmers.

Spring is when there’s the most movement in the menu, says Bradley, who likes nettles for a pesto-type purée for pasta, or creamed Morrells on toast with lemon thyme and crème fraiche for a vegetarian entree—there’s always one on the menu.

Rhubarb coleslaw made with cucumbers, red onion, nappa cabbage and a vinaigrette would pair with chicken for spring.

Chicken is always on the menu but the set changes. Winter might be sugar plums and raisins and in summer, fresh corn or green and yellow beans.

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Fish is the most local item for Bradley, who grew up in Rhode Island and has lots of friends on fishing boats. Skate, a flaky sweet white fish shaped like a bat wing, is a signature here – sautéed skate “Milanese” fans out prettily on the plate over blood orange, mustard greens, and aioli. Another signature is calf’s liver—he sells 25 a night—which he was serving long before chefs took up the current fad for pork bellies and innards. It is sautéed and served with a bacon-onion torta, chard, and sherry vinegar sauce. Entrees $20 to $33. Open daily for dinner from 5:30pm.

Location 355 Greenwich Street at Harrison Street • 212-274-9310 • theharrison.com

Gotham Bar And Grill Long before anybody used the term “farm to table” to describe restaurant cuisine, Alfred Portale, chef and partner of Gotham Bar & Grill on East 12th Street, was sourcing his new American table with produce from nearby farms and fisheries. He also mined the agricultural bounty of the Union Square Greenmarket just two blocks away and last summer General Manager Bret Csencsitz suggested they create a special two-course prix-fixe lunch featuring different farms each week. One dollar from each $24 lunch helps support the Greenmarket’s Grow NYC Youth program.

In summer, an heirloom tomato and Kirby cucumber salad with fava beans, ricotta salata and Thai basil vinaigrette might be followed by braised lamb ribs with pickled spicy peppers, summer onions and garlic scape. In winter, a tangy madras curry emulsion is poured over butternut squash soup and a block of sweet onion custard dotted with golden raisins and bits of honey crisp apple. Next, pan-roasted Long Island skate is served over a bed of beluga lentils and celery root in a beurre rouge sauce with a sprig of greens on top.

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Whether you are having the $24 lunch or the $95 Gotham Select tasting menu, you dine on a double layer of white linen surrounded by tall floral arrangements and a changing art collection. This 25-year-old Michelin-starred Greenwich Village landmark has won more accolades than you can shake a whisk at and is always in the top ten most popular New York restaurants in the Zagat survey.

Monday to Friday lunch noon to 2:15pm; dinner 5:30 to 10pm, later on weekends.

Location 12 East 12th Street • 212-620-4020 • gothambarandgrill.com

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farm to table Telepan Telepan is a low key Upper West Side neighborhood restaurant with exquisite food prepared by owner/chef Bill Telepan. A small bar in front leads to a short corridor of banquets and a wider open room in the rear with larger tables. Soft jazz and paintings with food and farm motifs complete the picture.

Local farmers have always inspired Telepan’s cooking whether he’s rhapsodizing over baby purple asparagus from New Jersey or creating a delicious peanut soup after meeting a peanut farmer at the greenmarket. Fittingly, his 2004 cookbook is called Inspired by Ingredients.

Brook trout from Eden Brook Farms upstate is a staple on the menu, and many people come just for the rich flavor of this foie gras-like dish. The trout is smoked in-house and in spring is served with a potato chive blini and a sweet onion sour cream. The vegetables in the vegetable bread soup, another favorite here, change with the seasons. The crustini topped with melted Parmesan is always crunchy. Peas are among Telepan’s favorite spring ingredients, and he uses them in several dishes, including pea pancakes with wild mushrooms and pea agnolotti.

Then there’s the fabulous pumpkin ice cream sundae with cheesecake ice cream, cinnamon, caramel sauce, and glazed pecans layered into a parfait glass—another reason to visit Telepan, although in keeping with the season, perhaps in fall and winter.

With its blonde wood furniture and polished floors, there is a Nordic feel to the Upper East Side’s Michelin-starred Rouge Tomate, which aims to provide healthy cuisine with the freshest ingredients from local producers. Nutritionist Natalia Hancock works with Chef Jeremy Berman to achieve that end.

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Rouge Tomate

Entrees $30 to $40; tasting menus $55 or $65. A three-course $39 tasting menu, Monday to Thursday before 6:15pm. Prix-fixe lunch $22 or $29. Open seven days for dinner and Wednesday to Sunday for lunch or brunch.

Location 72 West 69th Street • 212-580-4300 • telepan-ny.com

A highlight is the juice bar, where fresh fruits and veggies become drinks like the Velvet Sienna, a mix of cranberry and carrot juices, pineapple purée, and sage. Light cocktails, such as the carrot sake martini, are available and the wine list features many local vineyards and organic wines.

But don’t mistake this for a fancy health food establishment, for there is plenty here to fill you up. The menu allows you to choose from an array of small and shared plates such as a selection of toasts with a variety of spreads like celery root remoulade with quail egg and tarragon. Order up a warm octopus salad with freshly dug potato for the table, or the duck terrine with kumquat marmalade, foie gras, grain mustard and pickled baby vegetables. The Greenmarket carrot salad is a zinger of flavor with tender baby carrots, mizuna, cilantro, and yogurt, sprinkled with crispy salsify. A salad of Brussels sprout leaves with market pear, prosciutto, hazelnut, lemon, and thyme is so beautifully green you will be tempted to photograph it – or a celeb diner like Anne Hathaway and Halle Berry.

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There are many fish and poultry entrées to choose from and the house-made fettucini with wild mushrooms, sun choke, celery root, crispy shallot, and chervil is earthy and satisfying. Entrees $21 to $32. $29 weekday business lunch. Lunch and dinner daily.

Location 10 East 60th Street • 646-237-8977 • rougetomatenyc.com

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American ABC Kitchen - Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s contemporary American restaurant inside ABC Carpet & Home features a locally sourced, globally artistic changing menu “passionately committed to offering the freshest organic and local ingredients possible.” Open for dinner 7 days at 5:30.

Named Esquire’s “Restaurant of the Year,” 2010. ABC Carpet & Home, 35 E. 18th St., 212-475-5829; abckitchennyc.com Arabelle - A stunning backdrop for modern American cuisine. This elegant gold-domed room with Murano glass and brass chandeliers combines touches of Europe and Asia, as the chiffon-colored walls with murals of pagodas and faux conservatory windows create a serene and soothing mood.

Sunday brunch is an event not to be missed: enjoy a buffet of steamed lobster, chilled shrimp, salads and sliced meats; then, order off of the entrée menu before attending the dessert buffet. Hotel Plaza Athénée, New York, 37 E. 64th St., 212-606-4647; arabellerestaurant.com Aureole - This American eatery—located in the most environmentally advanced skyscraper in the world—offers the best of famed chef Charlie Palmer’s unabashed, energetic signature Progressive American cuisine. The sharply focused flavors of Chef Christophe Bellanca’s elegant menu continue to draw rave reviews, showcasing the best of the season. One Bryant Park, 135 W. 42nd St., 212-319-1660; charliepalmer.com/Properties/Aureole/NY B. Smith’s - Fine American cuisine with Southern influences, located on Restaurant Row in the Theater District/Times Square aream, courtesy of the popular television host. The Albert Rivera Organ Trio performs every Friday and Saturday night, 8:30-11:30pm and during a live jazz brunch on Sundays from 11:30am to 3pm, featuring weekly jazz duos and many of New York City’s finest musicians. 320 W. 46th St., 212-315-1100; bsmith.com Beacon - Feasting on cuisine cooked over a wood fire is an incomparably delicious experience, and at Beacon, it’s all about the flame. Waldy Malouf, chef and co-owner, wields flame as a culinary tool to enhance the bold flavors of his ingredients, employing a wood-burning oven, a rotisserie, and a grill to perfect his earthy, flavorful and inventive American fare.

25 W. 56th St., 212-332-0500; beaconnyc.com Blue Smoke - This bustling restaurant puts the “soul” back into soul food.

They’ve got spareribs cooked Kansas City-style (saucy) and St. Louis-style (marbled), as well as pulled-pork and Texas beef-brisket sandwiches. Make a night of it—lick the sauce off your fingers and head downstairs for live music at the Jazz Standard. 116 E. 27th St., 212-447-7733; bluesmoke.com The Breslin Bar and Dining Room - The latest gastropub venture from the team behind the Spotted Pig and chef de cuisine Peter Cho, featuring full English breakfasts, decadent three-cheese-and-ham sandwiches, and

some of the best fries in the city. For dinner, expect exquisite cuts of meat, sausages, and a variety of terrines. Ace Hotel, 20 W. 29th St., 212-679-2222; thebreslin.com Bryant Park Grill - Overlooking the magnificent Bryant Park and set behind the landmarked New York Public Library, this American-style grill, with seasonal outdoor patio and roof-top dining, features an elegant and sophisticated dining room ideal for a romantic dinner or a festive party. Whether you’re in the mood for light fare or a full-course meal, the restaurant’s high-end, traditional menu is sure to delight. 25 W. 40th St., 212-840-6500; arkrestaurants.com David Burke at Bloomingdale’s - The ultimate in culinary cafes, David Burke brings his signature creations to this upscale but casual setting.

Nothing satisfies the shop-till-you-drop appetite like the highly touted asiago truffle fries, and for the dinner guest, every night of the week you’ll find a $24.07 three-course prix-fixe dinner. 150 E. 59th St., 212-705-3800; burkeinthebox.com David Burke Kitchen - The latest addition to the famed restaurateur’s New York City empire, located in SoHo. Focusing on wholesome, unique and modern American food presented in the creative and whimsical style that is Burke’s trademark, the Thomas Schlesser-designed restaurant blends the cool, industrial simplicity of an airy loft with the rustic warmth of a country barn. The James New York, 23 Grand St. (Thompson St.), 212-201-9119; davidburkekitchen.com David Burke Townhouse - The flagship of the Burke-ian fleet, this provocative and elegant Upper East Side resident has been turning heads and delighting patrons since 2003. As dishes—like the culinary marvel, the crisp & angry lobster “cocktail”—make their way through the dining room you’ll see that Burke’s flair for presentation is matched only by the food’s outstanding taste. 133 E. 61st St., 212-813-2121; davidburketownhouse.com Doral Arrowwood - Westchester County’s Doral Arrowwood hotel features three dining options. Dine al fresco at Mulligan’s Outdoor Cafe, which overlooks the ninth green and features salads, light dishes, and grilled specialties. The PUB has a wrap-around bar and fireplace as well as 14 high-definition flat-screen TVs, pool tables, dartboards, and a dance floor. The light, airy Atrium serves buffet-style lunches and à la carte dinners. 975 Anderson Hill Road, Rye Brook, NY, 914-939-5500; doralarrowwood.com Eleven Madison Park - Relive the glamorous era of Cole Porter and New York’s café society in the sleek, high-ceilinged elegance of what was once the cavernous Art Deco assembly hall of the old Met Life Building. The restaurant has that wonderful jazzy, streamlined look of the Roaring ’20s and the menu features American fare with an emphasis on sophisticated French classics.

11 Madison Ave. (24th St.), 212-889-0905; elevenmadisonpark.com

CHARLIE PALMER’S WINES Charlie Palmer wants to be sure there is high quality, affordable wine in all of his restaurants, so he works with some of the top wineries in California to craft food-friendly high quality wines. And he has fun doing it. The ISC label stands for International Sommeliers Conspiracy and depicts blindfolded men, the sommeliers from his restaurants tasting quality “juice” behind closed doors.

“Nobody knows exactly where the juice is coming from,” says Justin Lorenz, sommelier at Charlie Palmer’s Aureole in Times Square, “but it results in a line of high quality wine that he is proud to serve while keeping costs reasonable.” The Charlie Clay Duellist label— yes, two men dueling—represents Charlie and winemaker Clay Mauritson.

Prices for a line of reds and whites range from $22 to $60. Although not available in stores, you can order the wines through Next Vintage, an online wine shop and club (nextvintage.com). And, of course, you can try them at Charlie’s two New York restaurants, Aureole and Metrazur. – Marian Betancourt

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The Four Seasons - A spectacularly beautiful restaurant serving excellent American seasonal specialties. As seasons change, so do the menu and decor. The restaurant has two dining rooms: the Pool Room with its trees and marble pool, and the wood-paneled Grill Room. And one of America’s most complete wine lists. We strongly recommend that you make your reservation at least 5 to 7 days in advance. 99 E. 52nd St., 212-754-9494; fourseasonsrestaurant.com

Balcony, 42nd St. & Park Ave., 212-687-4600; charliepalmer.com/Properties/Metrazur/ Northern Spy Food Co. - A small and inviting East Village restaurant with a menu built around seasonality, accessibility, and quality, using locallygrown or -produced ingredients whenever possible.

The beers come entirely from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions, while the well-curated wine

list includes many New York State-based selections meant for pairing with the food. 511 E. 12th St., 212-228-5100; northernspyfoodco.com The Park Room - Exceptional nouveau American cuisine—courtesy of executive chef Anthony Marra—and stunning views of Central Park are the order of the day at Helmsley Park Lane’s The Park Room, making for a quintessential New

Gilt - Executive chef Justin Bogle helms the New York Palace’s elegant and refined yet striking and futuristic Gilt, where contemporary, honeycolored leather accented with man-made white materials provide harmonious contrast to the 19th-century details. The New American menu offers transcendent twists on the classics.

455 Madison Ave. (50th St.), 212-891-8100; giltnewyork.com Gotham Bar and Grill - The highly acclaimed haute cuisine of this dynamic, trendy downtown restaurant reflects the Post-Modernist, converted warehouse setting. Executive chef/co-owner Alfred Portale creates dazzling visual and provocative culinary effects with his superb, contemporary meals, piled whimsically skyscraper-like onto plates, including one of the city’s best seafood salads. 12 E. 12th St., 212-620-4020; gothambarandgrill.com Gramercy Tavern - This classic American tavern offers extraordinary cuisine and hospitality in a historic landmark, featuring contemporary American fare with French and Italian overtones in a dining room that recalls a country estate.

42 E. 20th St., 212-477-0777; gramercytavern.com The Harrison - This Tribeca favorite—with a menu by chef Amanda Freitag—exudes the aura of a long-time neighborhood haunt, serving comfort food with a downtown twist. 355 Greenwich St. (Harrison St.), 212-274-9310; theharrison.com Inside Park at St. Bart’s - A space built across the famous Terrace at St. Bartholomew’s Church, with intricate, Byzantine-like decorative stenciling, true to the immense room’s original colors, motifs, and craftsmanship, painstakingly replicated on the 30-foot ceiling, as well as on the walls and overhanging balcony. Executive Chef Matthew Weingarten oversees the ever-changing contemporary American menu. 109 E. 50th St., 212-593-3333; insideparknyc.com The Lion - Founding chef and partner of the Waverly Inn, John DeLuci’s new restaurant offers his unique, Italian-American take on classic cuisine, which has attracted both celebrities and serious food fans. 62 W. 9th St., 212-353-8400; thelionnyc.com Métrazur - Charlie Palmer’s gorgeous seasonal American restaurant overlooking Grand Central Terminal’s Main Concourse features an open kitchen where Chef de Cuisine Stefan Bahr adds a Mediterranean touch to Palmer’s signature style. Grand Central Terminal, East

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York experience. The dinner menu currently features entrées such as baked black sea bass, a five-spice duck breast, roast bone-in pork loin, and organic pork chops. Helmsley Park Lane, 36 Central Park So. (Fifth-Sixth Aves.), 212-521-6655; helmsleyparklane.com Per Se - Luxurious in its stunning views of Central Park from each table, its décor of dark woods and glittering metal surfaces and its incomparable menu featuring caviar, lobster, foie gras, and Kobe beef. Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle (60th St.), 4th Floor, 212-823-9335; perseny.com The Red Cat - This popular neighborhood bistro—the creation of chef/ owner Jimmy Bradley—features executive chef/partner Bill McDaniel’s straightforward presentations and intense flavors such as roasted cod with savory, shiitake, sugar snaps, and Champagne tomato butter. The spot lives up to its sassy name with sporty red banquettes to match the innovative American plates. 227 Tenth Ave. (23rd St.), 212-242-1122; theredcat.com Red Rooster - Renowned chef/restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson tries his hand at comfort food celebrating the roots of American cuisine and the diverse culinary traditions of its Harlem location. Named in honor of the legendary Harlem speakeasy. 310 Lenox Ave. (125th St.), 212-792-9001; redroosterharlem.com The River Cafe - One of the world’s most famous views combined with one of the most glamorous and romantic restaurants creates a premier dining destination for discriminating New Yorkers as well as heads of state and celebrities. The cuisine, desserts, and outstanding wine list more than live up to the spectacular waterfront ambiance. 1 Water St. at the East River, Brooklyn, 718-522-5200; rivercafe.com Rosie O’Grady’s - In the tradition of the great New York style saloon, this Theater District fixture offers excellent steak and seafood for pre- or posttheater. Begin with a beer on tap at one of the two traditional wood bars, followed by selections from the extensive menu. 149 W. 46th St., 212-869-0600; rosieogradystimessquare.com Rouge Tomate - This striking space of rich natural wood, plush booths and a cranberry pool complete with a sexy bar and lounge offers a refuge for the urban set. Chef Jeremy Bearman’s Modern American cuisine touts impeccably created dishes that utilize local purveyors and sustainable ingredients.

10 E. 60th St., 646-237-8977; rougetomatenyc.com

‘21’ Club - One of the most iconic and elegant dining destinations in NYC. Executive Chef John Greeley balances classic ‘21’ dishes such as Dover sole and New York’s best crab cakes with his own cutting-edge creations such as Vermont farm-raised lamb with creamed nettles, roasted eggplant and fingerling potatoes; and roasted halibut with shrimp, bay scallops, razor clams, bok choy, chanterelle and corn kernels. Dine in either the famous Bar Room or the romantic Upstairs at ‘21’; or host an event in one of their 10 private banquet rooms. Jacket required. 21 W. 52nd St., 212-582-7200; 21club.com 2 West - A spacious, elegant, French-American eatery with park views, on the waterfront. Chef Michael Grau accents his menu of prime steaks and Atlantic seafood with regional ingredients, and classic French sauces.

Ritz-Carlton, Battery Park, 2 West St., 212-344-0800; ritzcarlton.com Union Square Cafe - By day, this is one of the most red-hot business-lunch spots in town; by night, it’s a popular bistro. Owner Danny Meyer, chef Michael Romano, and executive chef Carmen Quagliata oversee this hit, serving American cuisine with Italian soul. 21 E. 16th St. (Union Sq. WestFifth Ave.), 212-243-4020; unionsquarecafe.com The Waverly Inn - Graydon Carter’s tough-to-get-into, low-lit celebrity favorite featuring traditional American fare, such as salmon tartare, Dover sole, and the popular “Waverly Burger.” 16 Bank St. (Waverly Pl.), 212-243-7900

ARGENTINEAN Buenos Aires - Known for their uncompromising choice of the finest cuts of beef and the freshest vegetables—quality food at reasonable prices in a charming, warm, cozy atmosphere. Go for the grilled meats, to-die-for empanadas, fresh pastas and more. 513 E. 6th St. (Ave. A-Ave. B), 212-228-2775; buenosairesnyc.com

Asian Bann - Young Choi, owner of Woo Lae Oak, got even more creative with Bann, the city’s highest-rated Korean restaurant according to Zagat. While the décor evokes Korea—the elegant, cool ambiance is characterized by the hand-crafted copper bar and marble tables, with the flickering flames of

The Gracious Plaza Hotel: Where to Eat Now When the Plaza Hotel was renovated, $6.5 million of the $450 million, three-year task was poured into resurrecting the much beloved Palm Court. Now morphed back to its original splendor (including the restored, vibrant, 1907 stained-glass ceiling), the grand room hosts wistful New Yorkers and an entirely new generation of visitors. (And children, too, as evidenced by the popularity of the $28 Eloise menu). The tea menu for grown-ups proffers traditional, classic tea services, as well as specialty, mouthwatering ones, like the Chocolate Tea...don’t even ask what temptations are laden on the elegantly tiered tray.

But the Palm Court isn’t the only venue for dining now at the Plaza. The Rose Club is a romantic spot (the soft pink and lavender lighting is pretty dreamy) for Champagne (or any of the Club’s signature extravagant cocktails) and nibbles—gourmet tapas and epicurean hors d’oeuvres. The Club’s footprint on the mezzanine level is the original footprint of the famed Persian Room.

But, the masterpiece is in the lower level Food Hall (ThePlazaFoodHall.com), where the genius of Chef Todd English takes center stage. The space is divided into more than a half-dozen “little” restaurants and nooks, including the Ocean Grill & Oyster Bar; the Grill (don’t even dream of not having the lobster salad or the Brussels sprouts); a Dumpling and a Sushi Bar; and a Cheese & Charcuterie Counter, among the mix. To easily get to the mouthwatering goodies there, use the dedicated entrance on 59th Street. theplaza.com – Ruth J. Katz

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smokeless barbecue grills in the center of each table—the fare is very eclectic. 350 W. 50th St., 212-582-4446; bannrestaurant.com Chin Chin - One of the city’s premier destinations for haute Chinese cuisine, using ingredients from around the world, prepared with Asian techniques and spices. Specialties include the Grand Marnier prawns and minced squab in lettuce wraps. 216 E. 49th St., 212-888-4555; chinchinny.com

with two fireplaces and a pianist playing in the background, it’s like dining in an aristocrat’s extravagant living room. 17 Barrow St. (Seventh Ave.W. 4th St.), 212-228-0822; oneifbyland.com

specialties such as a full sushi bar serving the freshest sashimi, maki rolls, and cones.

130 E. 57th St., 212-688-3939; opiarestaurant.com

Opia - This plush and popular Midtown oasis offers a total New York experience with creative food and wines from around the world. The menu includes American, French and international

CUBAN Victor’s Cafe - Since 1963, this family-run New York treasure has served fine authentic Cuban

Le Colonial - Authentic French-Vietnamese cuisine in an atmosphere that is reminiscent of Southeast Asia in the early 20th century. The menu emphasizes vegetables, fresh seafood, meats, and an artful use of herbs and spices, and the dishes are inventively light, low in fat, visually arresting and vividly (yet mostly mildly) flavored. 149 E. 57th St., 212-752-0808; lecolonialnyc.com Lychee House - “Modern Chinese” inspired by contemporary culinary practices and ranging from comfort food like sesame chicken, to more exotic culinary experiences such as dishes flavored with real Malaysian curry. Dim Sum available on evenings & weekends. 141 E. 55th St. (LexingtonThird Aves.), 212-753-3900; lycheehouse.com Kin Shop - Chef Harold Dieterle and Alicia Nosenzo offer both contemporary reinterpretations of traditional Thai dishes and new items inspired by Thai ingredients (meant to be shared), as well as Thai-influenced specialty cocktails.

469 Sixth Ave. (11th St.), 212-675-4295; kinshopnyc.com Tse Yang Restaurant - The serenely elegant Tse Yang lives up to its name, an exclusive epicurean “Center of the Sun” boasting authentic, Northern Chinese seasonal dishes created from fresh local and imported ingredients and served European-style.

34 E. 51st St., 212-688-5447; tseyangnyc.com Woo Lae Oak - Featuring upscale, radically innovative Korean fare in a sleek, cool interior in the heart of SoHo. The dishes, which fuse traditional elements with a modern flair, have garnered praise and popularity in equal measure.

148 Mercer St. (Prince St.), 212-925-8200; woolaeoaksoho.com

Continental Delmonico’s - Founded in 1837, Delmonico’s was the country’s first fine-dining establishment, introducing haute cuisine, wine lists, and menus written in French to the United States. It has been returned to its former glory in its stately landmark premises in the Financial District, with dark mahogany and period murals that evoke the restaurant’s legendary days as the favorite haunt of the city’s power brokers.

Private dining rooms available. 56 Beaver St. (William St.), 212-509-1144; delmonicosny.com One If By Land, Two If By Sea - Consistently rated one of the most romantic restaurants in New York. Located in a converted carriage house,

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cuisine, including zesty black beans, roast suckling pig, paella, and tropical sangrias. Perfect for pre- or post- theater, business lunches, private parties or for trying one of the best mojitos in town in the Cuba Lounge. 236 W. 52nd St., 212-586-7714; victorscafe.com

DELIS Carnegie Deli - For the truly robust appetite in search of the quintessential New York eating experience, the Carnegie has been offering delicious gigantic sandwiches in the hotel and Theatre District since 1937. One of the world’s most famous and busiest delis, and a required culinary stop on any visit, they specialize in over-sized portions of the whole range of scrumptious deli food—from Jewish-style meats to smoked white fish and cheese blintzes. 854 Seventh Ave. (55th St.), 212-757-2245; carnegiedeli.com Do you have a group of six-to-twelve people looking for a unique and fun evening out? Make a reservation for Oceana’s Big Bass Dinner. The meal begins with freshly shucked oysters from Oceana’s raw bar, ceviches, and fried calamari followed by a stunning striped bass stuffed with mushrooms, spinach and olives, and dressed with chili-fennel vinaigrette and accompanied by a selection of seasonal side dishes. Dessert for the table is a flourless chocolate cake flanked by bowls of warm fruit compote, caramel sauce, and crème Chantilly. The dinner comfortably serves 6 guests, but can accommodate up to 12 and is priced at $75 per person (not including beverages, tax or gratuity). Orders must be placed 24 hours in advance and paid for in full at the time the reservation is made. Dining with a smaller group? Every Sunday, Oceana also offers 50% off any bottle of wine all day at the bar, as well as in the dining room or café. 120 W. 49th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), 212-759-5941; oceanarestaurant.com

Katz’s Delicatessen - Sometimes it’s best to leave a classic alone, as in the case of the famous Katz’s Deli. This near-mythic legendary restaurant has been serving half-pound sandwiches of hot pastrami and corned beef, plump grilled franks, knishes, matzoh ball soup, and other favorite deli fare since 1888. Open 24 hours. 205 E. Houston St. (Ludlow St.), 212-254-2246; katzdeli.com 2nd Ave Deli - After more than 50 years in the East Village, the famed deli has relocated to the east side of Midtown, and returned with all its famous certified-kosher delights intact. Traditional favorites include corned beef, pastrami, and the world-famous chicken matzoh ball soup. Open 24 hours.

162 E. 33rd St., 212-689-9000; 2ndavedeli.com

French/French Bistro Balthazar - A magnetic dining scene, filled to the brim with luminaries from the art, movie, theatre, and fashion worlds and stalwart nightlifers in a transplanted Parisian-brasserie-like atmosphere. Traditional bistro fare is served from breakfast through late-night dinner, with an extensive wine list, a raw seafood bar, and breads and pastries from Balthazar bakery.

80 Spring St. (Broadway-Crosby St.), 212-965-1414; balthazarny.com Bistro Bagatelle - A southern French bistro in the Meatpacking District.

“Sophisticated comfort foods” include bouillabaisse, boeuf Bourguignon, and classics like steak au poivre with pomme frites. 409 W. 13th St., 212-675-2400; bistrotbagatelle.com Brasserie 8 1/2 - A delicate fusion of creativity and comfort, featuring a world-class art collection, haute French cuisine, and a plush atmosphere, complemented by Latin- and Asian-influenced dishes, a raw bar, and desserts. 9 W. 57th St., 212-829-0812; rapatina.com/brasserie8/

One of the original men of meat, Ben Benson has been in the restaurant game since the late 1960s and running his eponymous Steak House since 1982. At Ben Benson’s, the steaks are expertly prepared, using only the freshest market ingredients, but what really sets the restaurant apart is the menu: “We’ve got five different veal dishes, four different chicken dishes, and six seafood dishes,” says Benson of his own menu. It’s a sentiment that Esquire echoed: “Ben Benson’s menu has range,” like wild game, pork chops with homemade applesauce, and triple lamb chops that round out the meat spectrum, and a bevy of salads, sides and seafood—a menu that’s perfect for first-timers and regulars alike. 123 W. 52nd St., 212-581-8888; benbensons.com

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Corton - Legendary chef Drew Nieporent has reinvented and re-imagined his long-adored Tribeca mainstay Montrechet with new decor, a new name, and a new chef, Paul Liebrandt, who brings his revolutionary moleculargastronomy skills to reinvent French classics. 239 West Broadway (White St.), 212-219-2777; cortonnyc.com Daniel - One of the rare restaurants with a four-star rating by The New York Times, Daniel marries neighborhood hominess with a contemporary French menu inspired by the seasons and the market, in a Renaissanceinspired dining room. 60 E. 65th St., 212-288-0033; danielnyc.com Gascogne - Reflecting the hospitality, joie de vivre, and hearty regional fare of Gascony is this Gallic jewel. The décor is a blend of rustic French and candlelit romance. It is almost de rigueur to end the evening with a glass of fine Armagnac, the region’s most famous spirit. 158 Eighth Ave. (17th-18th Sts.), 212-675-6564; gascognenyc.com Jean Georges - Contemporary French works of art created by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. There is both a formal dining room and the more casual Nougatine Room. Reservations are generally taken one month

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in advance. Jacket and tie required. Trump International Hotel, 1 Central Park West (60th-61st Sts.), 212-299-3900; jean-georges.com Le Périgord - Long regarded as one of New York’s superb old-school French dining rooms, this refined, luxurious gem is one of the longestrunning four-star operations under the same management. The menu blends classical French technique with a lighter contemporary touch, natural flavors, sauces and spices, and high-quality produce. Jacket and tie required. 405 E. 52nd St., 212-755-6244; leperigord.com

piled high at this authentic Greek spot.

A tavern-like atmosphere (including the boisterous crowds) doesn’t prepare you for the food to come: don’t leave without trying the grilled baby octopus or cabbage doulmades, and moussaka. There’s a meze menu for those who just want small bites and a comprehensive Greek wine list. 871 Seventh Ave. (55-56 Sts.), 212-582-7500; molyvos.com

Indian Dévi - Dévi brings together the talents of chefs Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur, sharing the authentic flavors and spirit of Indian home cooking. Swathed in rich textiles, brightly colored lanterns, and wooden temple accents, Dévi is an experience that stimulates and delights.

8 E. 18th St., 212-691-1300; devinyc.com

Minetta Tavern - This Greenwich Village landmark—opened in 1937 and frequented by the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Eugene O’Neill, e. e. cummings, and Dylan Thomas—was renovated in 2008 and has become known as one of the city’s finest restaurants, a Parisian steakhouse meets New York City tavern.

113 MacDougal St. (Bleecker St.), 212-475-3850; minettatavernny.com The Modern at MoMA - As sleek, elegant, and contemporary as the MoMA that houses it, The Modern features original French-American cuisine by chef Gabriel Kreuther. Enjoy fine dining in the main room—overlooking the sculpture garden and visible from the street through a long glass wall—or a more casual menu at the curved marble bar in the Bar Room. Operated by Danny Meyer. 11 W. 53rd St., 212-333-1220; themodernnyc.com Nice Matin - With warm colors, chic light fixtures, and plush chairs, this gorgeous space is lively, yet still conducive to easy conversation.

The wine list and the cocktails are imaginative.

201 W. 79th St., 212-873-6423; nicematinnyc.com Pastis - An unassuming restaurant enjoyed by everyday people and movers and shakers. The mood of bohemian chic is carried out in the décor, and Executive Chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson and Chef de Cuisine Pascal Le Seac’h prepare a menu that combines hearty Provençal dishes with moderately priced bistro fare.

9 Ninth Ave. (Little W. 12th St.), 212-929-4844; pastisny.com Raoul’s - The innovative SoHo bistro is still going strong after 30+ years, with terrific steak and fish dishes among other French classics.

180 Prince St. (Sullivan St.), 212-966-3518; raouls.com Triomphe - Two dining rooms, with only 20 tables between them, offer a warm and comfortable atmosphere, both stylish and subtle, and a diverse menu of French American cuisine with an international flair. Iroquois Hotel, 49 W. 44th St., 212-453-4233; triomphe-newyork.com

GREEK Molyvos - Ouzo flows freely and the baklava is

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Junoon - Taking a name from the Hindi word for “passion,” restaurateur Rajesh Bhardwaj, inspired by the food and culture of his native India, has assembled a talented culinary team that includes executive chef and cookbook author Vikas Khanna. Khanna’s menu offers fare from the vast culinary regions of the country, and features the five most important techniques of cooking: Handi (pot cooking), Sigri (open fire pit), Pathar (stone), Tawa (griddle) and Tanroor (clay oven). 27 W. 24th St., 212-490-2100; junoonnyc.com Tamarind - Authentic Indian cuisine, with a menu that includes excellent vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, incredible spices, assorted handmade Indian breads, tandoori delights from their clay oven, and lamb, goat, beef, shrimp, and chicken entrées. 41 E. 22nd St., 212-674-7400; tamarindnyc.com Utsav Festive Indian Cuisine - With an elegant décor, this upscale Indian restaurant in the heart of Times Square provides relaxed dining in a spacious and serene setting. Their extensive lunch buffet and pre and post theatre prix fixe dinner will please carnivores and vegetarians alike. 1185 Sixth Ave. (enter at 46th St. btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.), 212-575-2525; utsavny.com The romance and elegance of Venetian design meets the rich tradition of Northern Italian cuisine at Remi. Dining here is a bit like embarking on a luxury cruise through Venice, with a stunning mural of a grand canal, flying buttress archways, Brazilian cherry-striped floors, and glass chandeliers. The endless menu features a wide variety of antipasti and salads, homemade pastas, and classic signature dishes like the Spaghetti Remi, prepared al dente with oven-dried tomatoes, garlic and hot pepper and Venetian-style calf liver sautéed with onions and served on polenta. 145 W. 53rd St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), 212-581-4242 (212-757-7610 for private parties); remi-ny.com

INTERNATIONAL and ECLECTIC Alcala - The bold tastes of the Basque area of Spain are typified by dishes like a stew of tuna fish and potatoes and desalted codfish in a sauce of dry red pepper and onion. The cozy dining room, made rustic by its beamed ceiling and brick walls, is able to accommodate smokers by virtue of its size, and expands to include a beautiful open-air patio for requisite warm-weather visits.

342 E. 46th St., 212-370-1866; alcalarestaurant.com Asia de Cuba - Asia de Cuba’s centerpiece is a marble communal table for 36, enhanced by an enormous photo light box with an image of a waterfall above.

Against a stunning, theatrical backdrop—designed by the famed Philippe Starck—diners indulge in the unique flavors of a culinary fusion between Asian and Latin cuisine. The Morgan Hotel, 237 Madison Ave. (37th-38th Sts.), 212-726-7755; chinagrillmanagement.com Blaue Gans - Renowned for its traditional Austro-German fare, including traditional Wiener Schnitzel, Kavelierspitz, and a selection of different sausages. Eight Bavarian beers on tap, and dessert specialties such as Apple Strudel, Salzburger Nockerl, and assorted cheeses. 139 Duane St. (West Broadway), 212-571-8880; kg-ny.com Markt - This Brussels brasserie showcases the country’s cuisine and beer, in a cozy Flemish-inspired dining room, relying on simplicity, freshness, and subtle combinations rather than three-alarm seasonings. 676 Sixth Ave. (21 St.), 212- 727-3314; www.marktrestaurant.com The Spotted Pig - Chef and co-owner April Bloomfield presides over this West Village favorite’s eclectic menu of seasonal British and Italian fare, which uses local ingredients whenever possible. Kitchen open until 2am nightly.

314 W. 11th St., 212-620-0393; thespottedpig.com

Westchester County’s Doral Arrowwood hotel not only features 114 acres of rolling hills, open meadows, ponds, and a nine-hole, Robert von Hagge-designed golf course, but also three excellent dining options. You can dine al fresco at Mulligan’s Outdoor Cafe, which overlooks the ninth green and features salads, light dishes, and grilled specialties. The quintessential pub experience is offered at The PUB (above) with a wrap-around bar and fireplace as well as 14 high-definition flat-screen TVs, pool tables, dartboards, and a dance floor. The light, airy Atrium serves buffet-style lunches and à la carte dinners amid spectacular views through floor-to-ceiling windows, an award-winning brunch, and the Saturday Night Buffet Dinner Dance. 975 Anderson Hill Road, Rye Brook, NY, 914-939-5500; doralarrowwood.com

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Wallsé - Austrian cuisine and wild game are the order of the day here, at chef Kurt Gutenbrunner’s elegant restaurant that has quickly become a favorite among NYC foodies and West Villagers. Menu favorites include the veal goulash, and other Austrian favorites such as tafelspitz and Wiener schnitzel.

344 W. 11th St., 212-352-2300; wallserestaurant.com

ITALIAN Abboccato - “True Italian cuisine in the heart of Manhattan,” with timehonored Italian recipes elevated through the talent and techniques of their chefs. Featuring plentiful first- and second/pasta-course options, and a secondi platti list that includes Fresh Arctic Char, Lamb Chops, Whole Branzino, and Veal Sweetbreads. 136 W. 55th St., 212-265-4000; abboccato.com ’Cesca - ’Cesca joins the ranks of its older sibling, Ouest, serving hearty, rustic Italian cuisine with an open kitchen. After imbibing a cocktail at the

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generously appointed bar, head to the charming, country dining room in the back, outfitted with oak tables and painted in warm yellow tones.

164 W. 75th St., 212-787-6300; cescanyc.com Esca - Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich have created yet another successful venture with this popular West Side seafood trattoria. Culinary delights include “crudo,” raw fish seasoned with a touch of olive oil and lemon, and served with sea beans and radish. A sensational wine list rounds out the experience. 402 W. 43rd St., 212-564-7272; esca-nyc.com

bruschettas, antipasti, cheeses or delectable appetizers that include eggplant caponata or chickpea fritters.

Selecting a wine shouldn’t be a problem with the list of nearly 500 Italian labels. 1 Fifth Ave. (8th St.), 212-995-9559; ottopizzeria.com Patsy’s - Considered one of the greatest attractions in the Theatre District, renowned for its celebrity clientele (it was Frank Sinatra’s favorite),

this landmark has been family-run since 1944. The Neapolitan cuisine is heavenly, including succulent veal chops Siciliano, spicy lobster fra diavolo, savory calamari stuffed with seafood, and much more. A “must go” New York favorite. 236 W. 56th St., 212-247-3491; patsys.com Remi - Remi, created by renowned designer Adam D. Tihany, combines the rich traditions of

Insieme - This Italian restaurant from Marco Canora, the man behind Hearth, has earned its Michelin star with perfectly prepared, uncomplicated dishes and sincere hospitality. The old and new worlds meet here in all areas, from the menu and wine, to the service and design. The Michelangelo Hotel, 777 Seventh Ave. (51st St.), 212-582-1310; restaurantinsieme.com La Masseria - “A farmhouse in the middle of Manhattan,” offering classic dishes from the Puglia region of Italy, utilizing the freshest natural ingredients for simple, authentic pastas, risottos, and meat and fish dishes. The warm, inviting decor blends rural Italian style, nostalgia and charm, complementing the cuisine and extensive wine list.

235 W. 48th St., 212-582-2111; lamasserianyc.com Locanda Verde - A casual, energetic, Tribeca restaurant featuring celebrated chef Andrew Carmellini’s takes on Italian cooking. Also serving an extensive breakfast menu 7 days a week.

379 Greenwich St. (N. Moore St.), 212-925-3797; locandaverdenyc.com Lupa Osteria Romana - Mario Batali, Joseph Bastianich, Mark Ladner and Jason Denton’s brainchild offers traditional Roman dishes while using local, fresh ingredients. The result is a uniquely Roman menu with a New York balance. The very extensive wine menu includes over 400 selections.

170 Houston St. (Houston St.), 212-982-5089; luparestaurant.com Maialino - A Roman-style trattoria from Danny Meyer’s award-winning Union Square Hospitality Group (their first new restaurant since 2005), serving Roman-style cooking from Executive Chef Nick Anderer. Gramercy Park Hotel, 2 Lexington Ave. (21st St.), 212-777-2410; gramercyparkhotel.com Marea - Chef Michael White and restaurateur Chris Cannon’s third venture offers a fresh interpretation of Italian coastal cuisine, with dishes such as Santa Barbara sea urchin with lardo, lobster with burrata, eggplant funghetto and seaweed-marinated east coast halibut and sea scallops with endive and bagna cauda. 240 Central Park S. (Broadway), 212-582-5100; marea-nyc.com OTTO Enoteca and Pizzeria - Otto offers a world of pizza, cooked on a griddle instead of in an oven, that ranges from traditional margheritas to more creative interpretations, like pizza topped with cured salt pork and fresh rosemary. Sample one of the

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Venetian cuisine with the romance and elegance of Venetian design and architecture in an updated and innovative style. Often rated among the top Italian restaurants in NYC, if not the entire U.S. 145 W. 53rd St., 212-581-4242; remi-ny.com SD26 Restaurant & WineBar - Tony May of San Domenico and Rainbow Room fame, has returned to the contemporary Italian scene with this theatrical Flatiron District space and a modern, American spin on Mediterranean food and wine. Named one of Esquire magazine’s “Best New Restaurants in New York, 2010.” 19 E. 26th St., 212-265-5959; sd26ny.com Sfoglia - Famous for their location on Nantucket, Sfoglia has an outpost on the Upper East Side. The Renaissance-influenced menu features samplings of antipasto, plates of their renowned pasta, naturally raised meats, and a contorno made with ingredients from area farms. 1402 Lexington Ave. (92nd St.), 212-831-1402; sfogliarestaurant.com

Japanese and Sushi BondSt Sushi - This high-end Japanese restaurant focuses on the finest and freshest delicacies of the sea. They boast one of the most extensive sake menus in the city, along with their own saketinis, available in the cozy, candle-lit lounge downstairs, or more formal dining areas upstairs.

6 Bond St. (Broadway-Lafayette St.), 212-777-2500; bondstrestaurant.com Cho Cho San - The opera-inspired Cho Cho San (the misspelling of Cio Cio San, Puccini’s heroine of Madama Butterfly, was purposeful) is a cozy neighborhood restaurant with a modern twist on traditional Japanese fare.

There are also daily pastas and curries, and classic sushi. 15 W. 8th St., 212-473-3333; chochosanrestaurant.com Hakubai - The only branch of Japan’s renowned ancient Nadaman restaurant, and one of the very few in the U.S. serving Kaiseki, which has its roots in Zen Buddhism and the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Both the dishes and food change with the seasons. The elegant, comfortable Tatami rooms feature perfect presentation and flawless service. Kitano Hotel, 66 Park Ave. (38th St.), 212-885-7111; kitano.com/hakubai.html Inakaya - The first New York City outpost of the renowned 39-year-old eatery in Roppongi, Tokyo. A traditional robatayaki restaurant, Inakaya

features Japanese barbecue cooked right in front of you by chefs that shuttle the dishes at you via long wooden paddles. Everything is larger than life and theatrical, from the shouts that greet you when you enter to the enormous dining bar to the elaborate costumes worn by the waiters. 231 W. 40th St., 212-354-2195; inakayany.com Masa - This four-star restaurant is making waves among sushi aficionados.

Evoking the quiet aura of a rare temple, the décor is every bit as simple and elegant as the fish, prepared with painstaking care by the staff. Sit at the 27-foot-long sushi bar, where you can watch owner Masa Takayama at work.

Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle (60th St.), 4th Floor, 212-823-9800; masanyc.com Next Door Nobu - Superstar chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s famous fusion menu of Asian and South American delicacies is now available at this spin-off restaurant. Featuring a simpler menu than its famed neighbor Nobu and David Rockwell designed décor, Nobu Next Door is also a joint venture of Matsuhisa, actor Robert De Niro, and Tribeca Grill restaurateur Drew Nieporent. 105 Hudson St. (Franklin St.), 212-334-4445; www.myriadrestaurantgroup.com Ninja New York - A one-of-a-kind, very entertaining dining experience featuring a recreated 18th-century Japanese ninja village and high-end contemporary Japanese cuisine. 25 Hudson St. (Reade-Duane Sts.), 212-274-8500; ninjanewyork.com Nobu - Celebrated chef Nobu Matsuhisa dazzles with his daring cuisine that fuses influences from Tokyo to Peru in partnership with restaurateur Drew Nieporent and actor Robert De Niro. David Rockwell’s lovely Japanese countryside setting showcases yellowtail tuna tartare, monkfish liver pate, both served with caviar, squid “pasta” with asparagus, butter and garlic or New Style Sashimi, seared in garlic, ginger, sesame seeds and scallions.

105 Hudson St. (Franklin St.), 212-334-4445; myriadrestaurantgroup.com Riingo - Marcus Samuelsson’s perfect balance of American comfort and Japanese minimalism is achieved at this contemporary fusion restaurant.

A stark white sushi bar complements the gray marble liquor bar and dark woodwork throughout the room, bathed in warm lighting and accented with tall, lavish plants. The Alex Hotel, 205 E. 45th St., 212-867-4200; riingo.com

Celebrity Chef David Burke and The James Hotel have partnered again (David Burke’s Primehouse at The James in Chicago) to open David Burke Kitchen in The James New York. After opening in early February, the restaurant has focused on wholesome and hearty modern American food, locally sourced and presented in the creative and whimsical style that is Burke’s trademark. Designed by James Beard Award winner Thomas Schlesser, David Burke Kitchen’s interior is inspired by the surrounding SoHo neighborhood, blending the cool, industrial simplicity of an airy loft with the rustic warmth of a country barn. The Treehouse Bar features seating that offers a bird’s-eye view of the bustling street below. There, you can enjoy handcrafted cocktails with pizzas, flatbreads, spreads and homemade sweet and savory snacks. Downstairs, the loft-like space is divided into a bar and dining room. The open kitchen and glass-enclosed wine cave allow guests a peek behind the scenes. Burke’s theatrical style is reflected in the carving station, where meats are carved and whole-roasted fish, lobster and casseroles are plated in the center of the dining room, while the unparalleled outdoor space has its own bar and seating for 130 guests. Serving breakfast, lunch, dinner daily as well as weekend brunch. 23 Grand St. (Thompson St.), 212-201-9119; davidburkekitchen.com.

The other parts of David Burke’s tasty NYC empire: David Burke Townhouse (133 E. 61st St., 212-813-2121; davidburketownhouse.com); David Burke @ Bloomingdale’s (150 E. 59th St., 212-705-3800; burkeinthebox.com) and Fishtail (135 E. 62nd St., 212-754-1300; fishtaildb.com).

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Mediterranean Picholine - Acclaimed chef/restaurateur Terrance Brennan takes a modern approach to Mediterranean cooking, expertly layered with French, Italian, and Spanish influences. Enjoy the casually elegant succession of dining rooms, with soaring boysenberry velvet curtains, purple leather and grey mohair banquettes, contemporary artwork, and the restaurant’s customary fine linen, crystal, silver, and china. 35 W. 64th St., 212-724-8585; picholinenyc.com Veranda - A modern Mediterranean dining experience with exposed brick walls, candlelit atmosphere and outdoor tables. Every evening, it transforms into one of the hottest lounge parties in Greenwich Village with DJs spinning contemporary house, hip-hop and international beats. 130 Seventh Ave. So. (10th St.), 212-255-3331; verandanyc.com.

Mexican/Tex-Mex El Parador Café - The oldest—and one of the most authentic—Mexican restaurants in New York City. Recommended dishes include the mole poblano, Mexico’s national dish with a half-chicken stewed in a complex, multi-layered sauce with over 24 ingredients. Lauded for having the best margaritas by New York Press, the best ceviche by The New York Times, and named the city’s number one Mexican restaurant in New York City by Open Table diners. 325 E. 34th St., 212-679-6812; elparadorcafe.com

Maya ­- Mexico City-born chef/owner Richard Sandoval serves up his family’s Acapulco heritage with style; Mexican food and ambiance are elevated to a high level in a festive yet sophisticated atmosphere.

1191 First Ave. (64th-65th Sts.), 212-585-1818; modernmexican.com/mayany

PAN LATIN Agua Dulce -­ Sexy and sophisticated, featuring lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, and an exceptional late-night meal at 3am. Highlights include organic salmon citrus ceviche, skirt steak, grilled chicken with saffron scented Valencia rice and chorizo, smoked tea braised short rib, yellowfin tuna with minted lychee salsita, and house-made guacamole. 802 Ninth Ave. (53rd-54th Sts.), 212-262-1299; aguadulceny.com

SCANDINAVIAN Aquavit - Marcus Samuelsson’s modern Scandinavian establishment reflects the best of minimalist mid-century Scandinavian design with its pale wood tones, soft indirect lighting, and unique tableware. A large selection of aquavits—potato vodka infused with fruits or spices—is available, along with cocktails inspired by the region. 65 E. 55th St., 212-307-7311; aquavit.org Vandaag - Inspired by the culture and cuisine of Northern Europe—especially Denmark and Holland—this farm-to-table restaurant utilizes ingredients from

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the Hudson River Valley for their inventive dishes, courtesy of Executive Chef, Phillip Kirschen-Clark. 103 Second Ave. (6th St.), 212-253-0470; vandaagnyc.com

Seafood BLT Fish - French chef Laurent Tourondel’s nod to America’s love affair with the clam shacks of New England. The straightforward menu features such classic coastal fare as stone crab claw, Manhattan and New England clam chowders, periwinkles, and lobster rolls; for non-fish eaters, there are hearty hamburgers, tuna sandwiches and more. 21 W. 17th St., 212-691-8888; www.bltfish.com Blue Water Grill - This majestic bank redux is just the thing for those seeking fresh raw-bar delicacies and entrées. 31 Union Square West (16th St.), 212-675-9500; brguestrestaurants.com Fishtail - David Burke’s newest NYC addition, Fishtail, opened in December 2008 and has diners lining up for his signature spin on upscale seafood. Shortly after its opening, Burke was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America. 135 E. 62nd St., 212-754-1300; fishtaildb.com Le Bernardin - Exquisite, ultra-fresh seafood served with impeccable service in an elegant venue has earned Le Bernardin a four-star rating since it opened in 1986. Veteran chef Eric Ripert surprises diners with Asian accents throughout his menus, featuring fish that is “almost raw” or “lightly cooked.” The Equitable Building, 155 W. 51st St., 212-554-1515; le-bernardin.com Lure Fishbar - This innovative seafood enterprise in the heart of SoHo, designed to evoke the teak-paneled cabin of a luxury yacht, offers the freshest raw and cooked seafood. Select from the wide array of raw or barely cooked fish, or the half dozen types of succulent oysters to start, followed by grilled mahi mahi accented with a soy-ginger marinade, or the surf and turf.

142 Mercer St. (Prince St.), 212-431-7676; lurefishbar.com Oceana - Complete with floor-to-ceiling windows, chef’s table, and outdoor dining, Oceana features a raw bar and the innovative seafood cuisine of executive chef Ben Pollinger, with fresh, whole fish, prime meats, naturally raised fowl, and artful desserts. 120 W. 49th St. (Sixth-Seventh Aves.), 212-759-5941; oceanarestaurant.com

Southwestern Mesa Grill - Chef Bobby Flay serves Southwestern cuisine in a whimsical setting accented in shades of Sutter’s gold, adobe terra cotta, and sage green, and boasting a view of the kitchen. Dining room people-watching is just as much fun, and the mood is relaxed and friendly. 102 Fifth Ave. (15th-16th Sts.), 212-807-7400; mesagrill.com

Steakhouses Ben Benson’s Steak House - This classic American steakhouse is a true, one-of-a-kind New York City cultural descendant of its authentic 19th-century ancestors, independently owned by the hands-on Ben Benson.

It serves only USDA prime dry-aged meats, beef, veal and lamb, seasonal game and premium-grade seafood and poultry, prepared simply and perfectly and offered in substantial servings. Reservations recommended.

Rockefeller Center, 123 W. 52nd St., 212-581-8888; benbensons.com

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Ben & Jack’s Steak House - Ben & Jack’s serves generous portions of steakhouse favorites to a very satisfied clientele. Enjoy the restaurant’s signature Porterhouse for one, two, three or four, fresh seafood, mouthwatering side dishes and exquisite desserts. 255 Fifth Ave. (28th-29th Sts.), 212-532-7600; 219 E. 44th St., 212-682-5678; benandjackssteakhouse.com

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Benjamin Steakhouse - Peter Luger alumni Benjamin Prelvukaj and chef Arturo McLeod join forces to create an opulent steakhouse in the centuryold Chemist Club building. Six cuts of dry-aged beef are available, from 36-ounce porterhouses to top sirloins to rib eyes to succulent filet mignon.

52 E. 41st St., 212-297-9177; benjaminsteakhouse.com Bull & Bear - A swank Regency-style club, the Bull & Bear serves hearty fare in the form of succulent steaks (the only certified Angus Beef Prime in the city), and seafood. The elaborate and celebrated mahogany bar is one of the city’s most popular watering holes. The Waldorf=Astoria, 570 Lexington Ave. (50th St.), 212-355-3000; bullandbearsteakhouse.com The Capital Grille - The capital of theatre, music, literature, and adventure boasts yet another gem: The Capital Grille. Known for delicious dry-aged steaks, chops, fresh seafood, and an award-winning wine list in a relaxed, elegant atmosphere. 3 locations, including the Trylon Towers of the exquisite Chrysler Center. 120 W. 51st St., 212-246-0154; 120 Broadway (Wall St.), 212-374-1811; 155 E. 42nd St., 212-953-2000; thecapitalgrille.com Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House - This expansive steak house’s soaring, two-story-high windows offer a spectacular view of Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center and Broadway’s theatres are just a block or two away. The menu features fresh USDA aged prime beef shipped from the Midwest twice a week. Lobster, fish, lamb, osso buco, and veal chops receive equal billing. 49th St. & Sixth Ave., 212-575-5129; delfriscos.com Quality Meats - Chef Craig Koketsu creates modern interpretations of familiar dishes and flavor combinations, resulting in unique tastes, innovative presentations, and a distinctive style. 57 W. 58th St., 212-371-7777; qualitymeatsnyc.com Rothmann’s Steakhouse & Grill - Near the Theatre District, Rothmann’s Steakhouse & Grill has been serving New Yorkers, celebrities, and visitors the finest quality prime dry aged beef, delicious chicken, and mouthwatering seafood for over 100 years. The beautiful space and attentive staff make it ideal, whether it’s for a business lunch, a romantic dinner for two, or celebrating a special occasion. 3 E. 54th St., 212-319-5500; rothmannssteakhouse.com Smith & Wollensky - This celebrated steakhouse is recognized for its healthy portions, seasoned service staff and elegant interior with turnof-the-century design elements. Steaks take center stage, including juicy double sirloin, chateau­briand for two, filet mignon, filet au poivre, and sliced steak Wollensky, all of which have been dry-aged in-house for 28 days. 797 Third Ave. (49th St.), 212-753-1530; smithandwollensky.com Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse - Pleasing the most discerning of steak lovers, the USDA prime steaks here—all aged for at least 21 days—include New York strip, filet mignon and a special Kobe beef, hand-massaged with sake.

For the seafood lover, there are crab cakes, Australian lobster tails, a seafood platter, and more. 440 Ninth Ave. (34th-35th Sts.), 212-244-0005; 44 W. 56th St., 212-245-1550; 39-40 Bell Blvd., Bayside, Queens, 718-229-1100; unclejacks.com

VEGETARIAN Pure Food and Wine - New York’s premier raw-foods restaurant, utilizing organic and seasonal fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds to create a unique, award-winning culinary experience. Open daily at 5:30pm. 54 Irving Pl. (17th St.), 212-477-1010; purefoodandwine.com Quintessence - Rare and exotic ingredients combine to form the elegant, innovative dishes at this East Village outpost where everything is 100% organic, vegan and raw. The diverse menu includes Mexican and Indian platters, pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and more. 263 E. 10th St., 646-654-1823; raw-q.com

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THEINTERVIEW

871 7th Avenue • 212-582-7500 • molyvos.com

Jim Botsacos

Molyvos’ executive chef approaches his 3-star Greek cuisine in a modern way.

The result: A distinctly Greek-tasting menu that’s “outside of the ordinary.”

By Kristopher Carpenter

T

he unassuming, narrow entry at 871 7th Avenue may look at first like a small Greek Taverna – “Molyvos” reads the painted sign above the wrought-iron railing. The tan exterior feels homey and inviting much like its namesake: a town on the coast of Mithymna, Greece where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean. The interior of the restaurant, though no less cozy, expands far to the rear for a restaurant much larger than it looks from the street, with easy access to the bar at your left, while the varied decor of the dining room spreads out straight ahead. At the helm of Molyvos, located in the heart of midtown west, is Chef Jim Botsacos – a Greek and Italian American who has presided over this three-star spot since it opened in 1997.

Q. Did you always know that Greek cuisine was going to become your livelihood?

I come from a Greek American and Italian American background – so food for me has always been a way of life and Sunday was basically an eating extravaganza. Professionally, I took my first kitchen job at a small restaurant in Westchester County, which was when I was about 17 years old. But before I even went to work in the restaurant business I was always interested in what was going on in the kitchen.

I think I helped with my first meal when I was about 3 years old and I was throwing dinner parties for my friends by age 10.

Q. What was your first real New York City restaurant job?

Well, my real experience started when I got to the ‘21’ Club in the late ‘80s. I was there with Anthoney Padretti; I was also there with Alan Sailhac, who was really my mentor, as well as Geoffrey Zakarian, and Daniel Bruce. I was there for 7 years in total, and when I left, I actually left as Michael Lomonaco’s sous chef. In 1993, I went to work for Steve Hanson at B.R. Guest, and opened up Parc Avenue and Blue Water Grill.

Q. How did you get to Molyvos?

I was always cooking a lot of Mediterranean fare – designer pizzas and pastas – but never really looking to make my mark as a Greek chef. Of course, having a Greek last name and growing up with a lot of Greek influences in our kitchen at home, I was familiar with it and when the Livanos family approached me with the idea for Molyvos, I thought it was a great idea; the thought of a 3-star Greek concept intrigued me.

106

Q. Of course Greek has its stand-bys – hummus, octopus, and dolmas – but what do you feel that Molyvos offers that other Greek restaurants don’t?

I always approach the food here with the thinking that I’m trying to recreate tastes and dishes that I’ve experienced and loved, while

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still trying to keep it pure, within the cuisine, and elevated. To reiterate what you’re asking - we’re more than just baklava, souvlaki, and mousakka. I’m always pushing the cuisine toward more modern approaches – or, as I like to say, “Greek-ify”– items from other regions or disciplines. For example, I have an ouzo-cured salmon, which is sort of a Greek-ification of gravlax – except that we use very obviously Greek ingredients like the ouzo, fennel, anise, a yogurt garlic sauce, and a little chickpea cake scented lightly with cumin. You get a distinctly Greek-tasting dish that’s a little outside of the ordinary.

But our staples are different here too; each order of mousakka we make here is individually cooked, whereas a lot of places serve it out of a hotel pan, at which point it’s usually been sitting around for a little while. We don’t do that here. We take it out of the oven and it goes straight to the table.

Q. You went on a tasting journey through Greece with the owners prior to becoming the executive chef at Molyvos. What was that like?

After being approached by Nick Livanos and having our initial conversations, I came home from a vacation in Puerto Rico with my wife, unpacked my bags, repacked my bags and next thing you know he and I are in Greece sharing a room together. It happened fast and it was a great experience to get back in touch with my roots, and my heritage. We cooked with the people, with the homemakers and the restaurant chefs alike and we really took in the full, undiluted experience – taking in the foods of the area the way that the natives eat them. We stayed there for about three weeks and by the time we left we were basically natives. At that point, we came straight home and opened Molyvos in May of 1997 and I’ve been here ever since, over 13 years now. To the credit of the Livanos family as restaurateurs, that type of longevity isn’t exactly common for chefs in New York City, but they’re great to work for and I still really enjoy being at Molyvos.

2/23/11 7:26 PM

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