Travel

New York

Establishment neighborhood
Blue Hill at Stone Barns
630 Bedford Rd., Tarrytown
Ever since it opened on the Rockefeller estate in 2004, Blue Hill at Stone Barns has represented chef Dan Barber’s vision not just for fine dining, but for a better-tasting, more-resilient food system. (Think of it as the 21st century, Hudson Valley counterpart to Alice Waters’s Chez Panisse.) Almost everything that hits your plate is grown right here on the farm and was probably harvested today, from the breakfast radishes (best of your life) to the beef, which comes from retired dairy cows instead of beef cattle. Couple that with crisp white linens, crystal, and friendly and attentive service, and this is an experience to go wayyyy out of your way for.
Falansai
112 Harrison Pl., Bushwick
Chef Eric Tran, who trained at Blue Hill at Stone Barns under Dan Barber, does Vietnamese-Mexican fusion. It’s super untraditional, but it’s very him—and very good. Go for fried rice and egg rolls (Tran’s dad’s recipe), honey-glazed pork shoulder, Prince Edward Island mussels swimming in soupy red curry, and sticky, tender duck neck. The five-spice lamb neck, which comes with tortillas and salsas, is massive. Come with friends and order one of everything to share. Or bring someone you want to impress—Falansai is effortlessly cool—and go for the set menu. (Tran calls it đặc biệt, Vietnamese for “special.”)
4 Charles Prime Rib
4 Charles St., Greenwich Village
Nothing gimmicky here, just well-executed steakhouse classics. The West Village’s 4 Charles is a lamb-chop, brick-chicken, little-gem place. (It’s the signature of Brendan Sodikoff, the guy responsible for Chicago’s steakhouse renaissance.) Like its predecessors Au Cheval and Gilt Bar, 4 Charles is old-school, complete with wood-paneled walls and tufted-leather booths. Get the burger, and you’ll be chasing that high forever.
Ludivine
764 Madison Ave., Upper East Side
This intimate boutique on Madison Avenue serves up a carefully curated collection from luxury and contemporary designers like Gabriela Hearst, Blumarine, Emilia Wickstead, Missoni, Acne Studios, and The Elder Statesman, to name a few. Their selection—from denim and cashmere to special-occasion pieces—tends to be a touch funkier than what you'll find at the department stores nearby, and you're sure to discover a new favorite brand. Don’t miss their private label Freya for couture-level beaded skirts & dresses and silk pieces in groovy prints.
Quarters
383 Broadway, Floor 2, Tribeca
Technically, Quarters is a gallery space for Brooklyn-based lighting studio In Common With. They host installations—of their own work, and that of visiting artists. But it feels nothing like a gallery, and more like visiting extremely chic friends in their extremely chic apartment. Grab a drink at the bar, then wander through immaculately designed bedrooms, lush living spaces, and a dream of a kitchen. If you fall in love with that lamp, or that table, or that painting on the wall, go ahead and mention it to one of the associates: Everything in the space is for sale.
Friday.
Hamptons-Wide
This summer, reserve chef (and former goop food editor) Ana Hito’s weekly drops of weekend food—the kind you’ll put out for a party, or gift to a friend, or slice into bit by bit over a couple of languid days. She’s starting with galettes, and while her menu changes weekly, there’s always one that’s sweet and one that’s savory. Get to her website before everyone else does, and reserve one of each for Friday delivery (to your door between Southhampton and Amagansett, or at an afternoon pickup point in East Hampton).