Out of the box Archives

Yurt alert

Brrr. It’s cold outside. You have entered hibernation mode and the only thing that could drag you out of your winter torpor (and your quilt) is an exceptional venue. What about an end-of-the-world experience? This winter the terrace of the Standard Hotel East Village transforms into a Siberian forest. Five yurts are hidden in an enchanting setting, in the middle of the fir trees and between the garlands of light. Come inside to warm up! Inside the tents, the muted atmosphere is closer to the…

Beyond magic

It’s a new show – but we can’t tell you about it. It is an original and surprising experience – but we can’t reveal anything. Anyone who saw it will urge you to go, but no one will give you any details. So how do you talk about a show when you can’t disclose anything? It is a performance at the crossroads of a haunting one-man play, a bewildering magic show and an immersive theater experience. A one-of-a-kind hybrid concept. When you enter the small…

Ephemeral & enchanting

What would you say of a gastronomic menu in the intimacy of a small local bakery? It sounds very much like a Christmas tale. At nightfall, the kitchen of a Brooklyn bakery transforms into a fancy grand restaurant. Chef Mads Refslund has temporarily settled in Claus Meyer’s bakery. These two met while working at Noma, the Danish darling restaurant of all globetrotters, which won the title of world’s best restaurant for several years. This Christmas season Meyers Bageri metamorphoses into Knightshift where a culinary high…

3 winter pleasures

Left picture: cheese fondue at Diviera Drive (photo credit to Jeanne Chiaravalli); Top right picture: hot chocolate at Cacao Market; bottom right picture: knitting with Sophie. We have some good and some bad news. The bad news is that it’s going to get colder and colder. The good news is that we have 3 discoveries to share that will soften the blow of winter’s arrival. 3 guilty pleasures to warm you up and help you to have some patience while waiting for Christmas to get here….

Get ready to be surprised

What we love in New York is discovering hidden gems, finding oneself in exceptional places and being surprised. Recently we had the chance to attend a cello concert in a chocolate factory lost in the far shore of Brooklyn with a beer and chocolate tasting. Magical moment! Or listening to a string quartet in a remote artists’ studio on the beach 50 minutes from Manhattan. Total change of scene! How? By way of Groupmuse. Groupmuse is a classical music collective which invites itself in exceptional…

Into the wild

Left picture: Minnewaska State Park; Top right picture: beach at Sebago Cabin Camp; bottom right picture: Sebago Lake. Still no plans for Labor Day? Let’s face it: D-1 before America’s most anticipated long weekend, it’s probably too late! You won’t find the beach house of your dreams in the Hamptons or the charming lakefront cottage in the Catskills. But don’t worry, we’re not going to leave you stranded in NYC. We’re launching a special weekend rescue operation! Did you know that within two hours of Manhattan…

Spending August in NYC? Lucky you!

Any plans for Monday night? Movie buffs or night owls: rendez-vous on Hotel Hugo’s rooftop. A hotel hidden in Hudson Square, a sort of no-man’s land between the trendy neighborhoods of Soho and TriBeCa, lost between a UPS center and the Holland Tunnel’s entrance. Anti-glamor you said? Trust us, it’s Downtown’s most stylish terrace. Take the elevator, go to the top floor and enter the very chic Hugo bar with its large bay windows and its stunning 360-degree views of Manhattan. You will feel the…

All-in-one movie date

Movie buffs and gastronomes do not always mix well together. A movie screening indeed often ends in a sugar high after the usual orgy of buttered popcorn and an overdose of candy bars. What if you could have a proper meal during your screening? Just to reconcile the Seventh Art adepts and food-lovers. Syndicated is among the (too) rare cinemas offering an all-in-one movie date: screening and dinner in the same evening. Find your seat, get cozy while looking at the menu and order food…

Concert in a living room

8pm, somewhere in Soho. A small crowd is gathering in front of an old industrial building. Where are they heading? To a concert. Who’s playing? They don’t know. NY cultivates the art of secrecy like no other city. Glorious legacy of Prohibition, it is the kingdom of the speakeasy, hidden bars, and confidential rendez-vous. Good news because we LOVE secrets. And even more to share them with you. So let us tell you about the underground concerts organized by Sofar Sounds: concerts every night all…

Chef Apprentice

Cooking classes are on the rise in NY. Whether you’re a stoves’ pro or a bumbling amateur, we found the class that will get everyone to agree. On the menu: conviviality, inspiring recipes and tasty incantations. Roll up your sleeves and get ready to go! Welcome to The Brooklyn Kitchen. This 7,000-square-foot complex in Williamsburg is primarily a kitchen-supply store and a delicatessen. But the surprise is located at the back of the shop – a workshop converted into a true culinary laboratory with high-tech appliances. Individual billboards, brick walls, and a lofty setting: no doubt…