Crains New York - September 17, 2012 - (Page 26)

SOURCE New crop of eateries for fall LUNCH: PAUL HURLEY Continued from Page 25 by Adrianne Pasquarelli QUEENS OUTPOST: MP Taverna offers a traditional Greek tavern-food mix. THE BOWERY KITCHEN 220 Bowery, Lower East Side Type of cuisine: Northern Italian Why eat there: Dynamic chefs Andrea Mainardi and Simone Apostoli offer an innovative menu of affordable nouveau Italian cuisine. Custom-fabricated steeland-glass tables, the work of 29 of Italy’s finest artists, are not only attractive for seating, they are available for purchase. And because it’s part of the Bowery House hotel, if you enter into a food coma, you’ve got a place to sleep for the night. Must-order dishes: Egg sandwich with prosciutto, avocado and fontina cheese on a whole wheat potato roll; homemade lasagna with Italian meat ragu and Taleggio cheese After-work libation: Homemade, Kölsch-style Bowery Brew Opened: Late August daniel krieger A Ideeli daily deals are no flash in the pan carry, like BCBG Max Azria and Tahari, are different from brands Gilt carries. Largely, Gilt is more high-end. We also have great editorial. We help our members understand what’s hot in a concise way. Our consumer is busy and generally on a budget. Some of your competitors, such as HauteLook, were acquired by larger corporations. Do you expect Ideeli to remain independent? Type of cuisine: French bistro and chefs Eduard Frauneder and Wolfpatisserie gang Ban,the new 20th-century ViWhy eat there: Those strung out enna decor cocktail bar, which was after chef François Payard’s three- inspired by the classic 1949 British PIG & KHAO year hiatus will have their sugar ad- film The Third Man, will serve as a 68 Clinton St., Lower East Side diction filled as he returns with FP pre- and post-dinner option for adType of cuisine: Southeast Asian Patisserie,which includes a French- mirers of Edi and the Wolf. Why eat there: style pastry shop up Must-order dishes: PumpkinBrought to you by front, a stylish bustling seed ricotta spread served on toastthe Fatty Crew bar/coffee bar in the ed walnut bread; house-cured pork Management middle and a sophisti- belly, pickled mustard seeds and Group, this sister cated bistro in back. cabbage salad restaurant to Fatty Must-order dishes: PaAfter-work libation: Art Nouveau: ’Cue offers a yard croque monsieur, nectarines, muddled with vodka, shared-plates menu signature macarons, St. Germain, lime, brown sugar while paying homGeorge V cake and tarte Opening: Mid-October age to traditional caramel Southeast Asian After-work libation: HARVIST LEAH 40 W. 116th St., at Fifth Avenue, fare infused with CHEF KHAO COHEN Champagne PIG & Thai and Filipino Opening: Mid-Octo- Harlem Type of cuisine: Rustic,American flavors. Its slightly ber South and Latin American less expensive offerings are a bonus, Why eat there: Giving Red Roostas is the outdoor seating and a din- MP TAVERNA ing bar where you can see chef Leah 31-29 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria, er a run for its money, Harvist, takQueens ing inspiration from the popular soCohen in action. Type of cuisine: Greek-American cial halls of the past, is destined to Must-order dishes: Crispy pata Why eat there: Followers of chef become Harlem’s new living and pickled mango salad served with pork shank; grilled pork neck Michael Psilakis, who also co-stars room—easy because the restaurant shares both a wall and the and watermelon salad with chili on BBC America’s No Kitchen Required, owners of MIST, a new lime fish sauce cultural center. After-work libation: Soju and no longer need to travel to Long IsMust-order dishes: slushy beer land or Westchester, Shrimp and grits; rumOpening: This week where his other MP marinated skirt steak FLETCHER’S BROOKLYN BARBECUE Taverna restaurants with salsa verde 433 Third Ave., Gowanus are located, to get After-work libation: Type of cuisine: American pit their traditional Moscato sangria with barbecue Greek tavern-food seasonal fruit Why eat there: Champion barbe- fix. (He also owns Opening: Mid-Octocue competitor and Brooklyn resi- Kefi and Fish Tag, CHEF LAURENT TOURONDEL ber ARLINGTON CLUB dent Bill Fletcher, along with for- both on the Upper ARLINGTON CLUB mer RUB pit master Matt Fisher, West Side.) will introduce city folk to traditionMust-order dishes: Octopus with 1032 Lexington Ave., Upper East al American pit a Mediterranean chick- Side Type of cuisine: Prime steakbarbecue meats. pea salad; grilled branziThe restaurant no with fingerling pota- house and sushi bar Why eat there: Foodies will recomes complete toes, cherry tomatoes joice in the much-awaited partnerwith a 2,600-pound and olives bright-red barbeAfter-work libation: ship between acclaimed chef Laucue pit and open Fiery Pink Lady: tsilili rent Tourondel, former partner in kitchen. ouzo, samos, ruby grape- the BLT restaurants and owner of acclaimed LT Burgers, and the Must-order dishfruit juice, pepper es: Sliced dryOpening: Mid-Octo- TAO Group. The new team has created an upscale, bilevel dining rubbed brisket; St. ber room and bar that seat 200. Louis-cut ribs with CHEF EDUARD FRAUNEDER THE THIRD MAN Must-order dishes: Chef Tourondry rub and finish- THE THIRD MAN 116 Ave. C at East del’s famous 28-day dry-aged ing glaze Eighth Street, Alphabet porterhouse for two; sautéed After-work libation: City Dover sole A top-shelf bourbon on the rocks Type of cuisine: Chef-driven After-work libation: Meyer Opening: Late September cocktails and Austrian-inspired Lemon 74, the restaurant’s signaFP PATISSERIE small plates ture champagne cocktail 1293 Third Ave., Upper East Side Why eat there: Brought to you by Opening: Late October 26 | Crain’s New York Business | September 17, 2012 fter six years in business, members-only flash-sale site Ideeli is ready to reap the shopper harvest this fall. Later this month, the company will move its headquarters from Little Italy to a 31,500-square-foot office in the new New York Times Building, after relocating its photography studio to a 23,500-square-foot space nearby in August. Though critics wonder whether the deal-of-the-day category will last, Ideeli founder Paul Hurley said his firm is no flash in the pan. How has the retail industry changed since you founded Ideeli in 2006? The emergence of mobile commerce, for example, didn’t exist five years ago, and now well north of 20% of our revenue comes from it. When people think about flash sales, we get lumped together with Rue and Gilt and HauteLook, but we started out in a little corner doing this, and now it’s much broader. Social commerce has emerged as a driving force, and how people want to shop is changing almost every day. With so many companies entering the discount category, have you had any trouble getting merchandise from designers? Some guys merge and consolidate; some guys keep going. We’re a good-size company, growing fast, with an enormous amount of running room. But we’re in a world where deals are LOCANDA VERDE happening all the time, so 377 Greenwich you never know. WHERE THEY DINED St. (212) 925-3797 www.locanda verdenyc.com AMBIENCE: Oldschool tavern charm Your sales were reported near $80 million for 2010. Care to provide a current figure? We’re on the right side of history when it comes to this share shift. The basic line in this category has been drawn in terms of new guys popping up. TAB: Consumers are paying full With the existing guys, $115.81, including tip price again and are less the competition is there, focused on sales. Is there but the requirements online are very different than tradi- still long-term growth potential for flashtional retail. You have to have the sale sites? right product for consumers and the There’s no doubt having a big reskills associated with finding mil- cession at the beginning of this lions of customers online and get- helped to jump-start it. Now, ting them to come back. Overall, though, the economy is bouncing the thing that helps us is every night along; there’s still a fundamental before we go to bed, more and more shift of how consumers buy—they consumers want to shop online for want good value. It doesn’t have to be discount; we sell at full price products. sometimes, but we package it in a Why would a shopper choose Ideeli way that makes it unique. Do I over a competitor like Gilt? think the long-term prospects of We’re the leader in mainstream our general space are in danger? women’s fashion, so brands that we That one I sleep soundly on. WHAT THEY ATE: Arugula insalata with black mission figs, asiago and American speck; pappardelle with lamb Bolognese, mint and ricotta; mint lemonade Local tomatoes with watermelon and smoked ricotta from Abruzzi; duck meatballs with dried cherry mostarda; lamb sausage grinder with spicy peperonata, broccoli rabe and ricotta; iced tea We basically are not giving out numbers. We’ve grown dramatically since then. Is the company profitable? Growing vertically doesn’t matter as much as building a lasting company, and those are measured in profits. It’s not 1999, where the value of a company is tied to how many people click on something. You have to sell products and do it in a profitable way. We have a culture and an approach to metrics and data that make me confident that we’re going to be superprofitable at scale. INSIDE TIP: Go during the week for lunch. This hot spot draws dinner crowds. http://www.locandaverdenyc.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - September 17, 2012

IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
OPINION
GREG DAVID
SMALL BUSINESS
REPORT: REAL ESTATE
THE LIST
REAL ESTATE DEALS
FOR THE RECORD
CLASSIFIEDS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - September 17, 2012