FOUND Global

Oyster Week

FOUND — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 13:01:38 GMT

ABOUT FOUND • Oyster Week

FOUND’s first-ever Oyster Week unfurled across FOUND’s six cities this week. If you haven’t had the chance to explore FOUND in its individual markets, Oyster Week is an especially good time to do so: NY, LA, SF, Miami, London, and Paris await, and the delights are myriad (and mostly ungated for your reading pleasure).

Here at FOUND Global, we begin with an appreciation of the love of oysters from one of our most lyrical writers, FOUND Paris’s Candice Chemel. Pour yourself a crisp glass of Muscadet and dive in.

GETAWAYS • Oyster Week

Rites of passage

When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to love oysters. The idea of standing at a bar table with a dozen oysters and a small glass of white wine was my vision of French romanticism, the nonchalance of a good product that needs nothing else.

I loved the idea of oysters. I loved Ponge’s idea of them. I loved watching my father order them at the bistro, and I wanted to savor them, too. I wanted to understand them, and I eventually got there by roundabout means. I already loved rye bread, butter, and red wine vinegar with shallots. I would make myself soaked slices of bread, and that was my first way in.

When in Paris, I love going to Le Baron Rouge next to the Marché d’Aligre. There, I find an atmosphere very close to the spirit of the markets in Normandy, with a hint of the Southwest in its conviviality. Right after getting my groceries, I head there, order some oysters, and stand at the counter, making my way through the whites by the glass. I love the ambiance — surrounded by barrels, popular and packed — from an old man having his usual order of oysters and Muscadet, to groups of friends, and the last time I went, a father teaching his daughter about wine, each one ordering blindly for the other. We ended up talking about Réunionnais cuisine for hours. This is the place where I could spend all of my Saturdays. They even let you take a little piece home by filling liters of wine directly from the barrel.

My ideal pairing, though, comes from my own cellar. A Ladiv 2015 from my favorite Swiss-Piedmontese winemaker in Dogliani, Marcello Reichmuth, both pirate and magician. From his favorite color, he produces a macerated Vidal of unusual breadth and depth. Just as comfortable with the freshness of the oyster as with the iodized bitterness of a violet. In fact, I think I never really understood the meaning of the word “iodized” until I tasted sea figs, which lie somewhere between the sensation of swallowing seawater, and the undeniable understanding that bitterness is an acquired taste.

I don’t really remember my first oyster, but I must have drowned it in vinegar and lemon to make sure I liked the taste. Little by little, I reduced the seasoning until today, when I prefer them naked or enhanced with the slightest drop of lemon. Lemon isn’t even really necessary, but it gives the (slightly cruel?) satisfaction of checking the oyster’s freshness by watching it retract its lips.

I didn’t, however, want to move on to tasting them hot, fried, or gratinéed. I quickly associated that with the customs of warmer countries, where I feared they might spoil, and preferred to avoid that kind of interaction altogether.

Until last summer in Brittany, that is, when I discovered steamed oysters. Tossed closed into a steamer basket, three minutes later, they emerge transformed. They must be eaten immediately so they don’t become rubbery. Without adding anything, they are already seasoned: the water trapped inside their pearly enclosure concentrates during cooking until it develops notes of soy sauce, a deep salinity that transforms the entire aromatic profile of the product, while remaining the simplest recipe in the world. –Candice Chemel

→ Le Baron Rouge (12th arr, Paris) • 1 Rue Théophile Roussel • Mon 5-10p, Tue-Thu 10a-2p & 5-10p, Fri-Sat 10a-2p & 5-9p, Sun 10a-4p • Walk-ins only.

GETAWAYS • Oyster Week

Select answers to the Oyster Week query, what’s the coolest oyster experience you’ve ever had?

→ MARY ATTEA, executive chef, Raf’s, The Musket Room, Cafe Zaffri (NY): There’s a small boat rental called Jetty Fishery and Marina along the coast of Oregon, on the Nehalem River. Before (or after) you embark on a leiLe Nasurely boat ride up the coast, there’s a seafood shack attached where you can get live oysters, clams, crabs, and more. Pass the time by shucking your own oysters while they steam up a seafood boil. Along with an ice cold beer and the picturesque views, it can’t be beat.

→ MAX VENNING, co-founder of Three Sheets (LDN): Fresh oysters in Port Talbot, Wales right by the beach, lingers long in the memory. But my absolute favourite is mid-September in Cap Ferret, cycling between the oyster cabins with my fiancée, drinking some amazing wines overlooking Le Bassin. It’s an experience that’s hard to top for anyone really into oysters.

→ ABRAM BISSELL, culinary director, Pauline at The Shelborne by Proper (Miami): Fried oysters piled into a po’ boy will always be hard to beat for me; crisp, briny, and dripping onto good bread. The Big Easy in Raleigh, NC makes an incredible one; pairing it with fried green tomatoes and a bourbon lemonade is my go-to. But some of the most memorable oysters I’ve had were wild ones in the Carolinas, pulled straight from the water with a little splash of spicy vinegar eaten right there. No frills, just the oyster and the place it came from.

→ JOHN MCDONALD, restaurateur, Lure Fishbar & Seahorse (NY): About 20 years ago, I went to a restaurant just outside of Normandy for a friend’s wedding. The place, Au Pied d’Cheval, still sticks in my memory. We walked out into the ocean with the oyster farmers, opened oysters, and ate them precisely at the moment they were pulled out.

GETAWAYS • London

Woodland oysters

Tucked into the marvellous ancient woodland of Epping Forest on the fringes of London, the semi-legendary Oyster Shack & Seafood Bar is essentially a lean-to, propped up between the grand King’s Oak Hotel pub and its carpark. But don’t let the endearingly tumbledown nature fool you. The dedicated and wonderfully chatty team serves up the finest and freshest seafood for miles.

On a sunny day, the queue might be an hour long for the shiny silver platters of oysters ferried to al fresco picnic benches and tables under the shack’s well-loved tarp. I like to visit on a bleaker, chillier day, when instant oyster gratification is guaranteed. Either way, the oysters are served simply — tangy pink mignonette, a wedge of lemon and a bottle of Tabasco — and are half the price of any Mayfair raw bar, with the cheapest half dozen going for a mere £12. –Leonie Cooper

MORE at FOUND LDN

AROUND FOUND • Oyster Week Intel & Recs

→ OYSTER GETAWAYS: More oyster-focused ideas for your next journey:

The Dunlin, a serene South Carolina coastal escape surrounded by oyster beds — and the oystercatchers to match
The secret sauce (well, ice) that makes Portland, Maine’s Eventide one of the best pure oyster counters on the East Coast
A truck-turned-seaside-shuck-shack, permanently parked at Ventura’s San Buenaventura State Beach, The Jolly Oyster is one of Calfornia’s top oyster destinations
The Grassy Bar Oyster Company, also on the California coast, to watch boats spilling oysters onto the dock that are then shucked on the spot
The oysters raised in the Bay of Mont Saint Michel, France that are some of the very best in the world — and the two essential ways to enjoy them
The Sportsman in Kent, England, where the signature oyster is poached with pickled cucumber and Avruga caviar

→ OYSTER ROUTINES: Notable people in the oyster trade shared their Routines with us this week, ranging from Bobby Groves, the head of oysters at London’s Chiltern Firehouse (“it’s wet business shucking on the cobbles”), to Christopher Sherman, CEO of Massachusetts’ Island Creek Oysters (“Yes, I do get to eat a lot of oysters and caviar for work, but it is almost always early in the morning standing over a stainless steel table in a walk-in refrigerator”), to John Finger, co-founder and CEO of California’s Hog Island Oyster Co., who checks in from his oyster farm “right on the shore of Tomales Bay and where our company started back in the ’80s.”

→ OYSTER NINES: All the oyster that’s fit to print.

RESTAURANTS • Oyster Week

Select answers to the Oyster Week query, what’s your go-to spot for oysters and seafood?

→ CODY PRUITT, owner, Libertine & Chateau Royale (NY): My personal favorite oyster ritual in New York City is to pick up a couple dozen from Lobster Place in Chelsea Market, meet a date or a friend along the Hudson River Park, and simply shuck and chat for hours. Truth be told, I’ve been waiting eight months to do it again. If I have to choose a restaurant, though, there’s still not much better — or more New York — than sitting at the bar at Balthazar with a proper shellfish tower, fries, and a bottle of Meursault. Although the city has many newer seafood spots, none of them are remotely as comfortable or as chic, and they’re often just too cheffy when all I want is unadorned perfect shellfish. Beyond New York, it’s all about J Sheekey and Scott’s in London, Le Duc and Clamato in Paris, The Ordinary and Chubby Fish in Charleston, and Found Oyster in LA.

→ CONNER MITCHELL, chef & owner, Dudley Market (LA): Typically we eat ‘em at our spot Dudley in Venice Beach, but elsewhere in Los Angeles, I go to Found Oyster (East Hollywood), Queen’s Raw Bar & Grill (Eagle Rock), and Scopa (Venice Beach) — with a shoutout to its surprisingly good presentation.

→ LOUISE PERRY, chef, L’Oursin (Paris): First, La Mascotte in Monmartre. It’s very nostalgic for me. My parents used to go there for day drinking, and I remember the tanks with lobsters and langoustines. Going back today really reminds me why I got into cooking in the first place, and where my love for seafood, fish, and beautiful products comes from. Then there’s Poissonnerie Kennedy in Marseille. After a swim, it’s the perfect place to sit on their terrace in the courtyard, have some seafood, and drink one of their amazing bottles of white wine. Simple, but kind of perfect.

→ ROBERTA HALL MCCARRON, owner, The Little Chartroom, Ardfern & Eleanore (Edinburgh): Newhaven Fishmarket on a warm summer evening overlooking the water and enjoying some of the most delicious seafood in Edinburgh.

ABOUT FOUND • Oyster Art

This week’s special Oyster Week headers are by Dair Massey, who also designed the original FOUND headers. He shared this note on his inspiration for the project:

For the style, I went with a watercolor look that I think spans the FOUND colors well. I got inspired by a Vietnamese spot, Cyclo, that Xiaoye and I used to frequent in LIC. One of the waitresses there illustrated the menu using a mix of watercolor and colored pencil, which felt peak for this. Clay pot ginger chicken is killer.

Here’s the full set, along with an alternate batch we considered:

GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines

Oysters, delivered

Hama Hama Company (WA, above), family-run shellfish farm w/ beds in cold Washington State rivers w/ oyster selection including pre-frozen shucked and monthly CSA, from $75 for 36

Wood fired

FOUND — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 13:32:05 GMT

GETAWAYS • Montana

Elk country

If you arrive in January at The Ranch at Rock Creek, as I did, ice floes will be scattered throughout the river coursing through the middle of the property. It’s crossed by a wooden bridge that can somehow support a Suburban. On one side of the bridge are wooden cabins, a horse stable, some small tents, shooting ranges, and a tree towering over the banks with a nest that serves as the home of a lovely bald eagle family.

This is a place designed to live out wild west fantasies for those who still require five-star comfort. But all the service and wilderness activities aside, it’s the closeness to wildlife that sets the ranch apart from the select few resorts of this caliber — fields filled with white tail and mule deer, rolling hills dotted with herds of elk, and woods where, if you’re lucky, you may spot the local moose cow.

We spent an afternoon horseback riding, going up the mountains with Jessica, our guide and one of the many exceptional, friendly staff members we encountered at The Ranch. As we rode up into the hills, she told me about the staff competition to see who can collect the most antlers shed by elk or deer each season. Sensing my interest, she added that a guest who finds antlers can keep them and they’ll be mailed to their home at no charge. Although I came across many elk droppings (which I did not want mailed home), I wasn’t so lucky with the antlers.

The food at The Ranch also stands out. The menu changed daily, with some staples reoccuring. Choose between East Coast classics, like a bagel and lox at breakfast or a lunchtime Reuben (the owner Jim Manley is from Greenwich, CT), or go all in on western Montana classics like elk sausage gravy served over biscuits or a tomato soup with elk sausage and spinach. (Having never tried elk sausage, I chose the elk sausage option every time.) Dinner was served over three to four courses with a wine flight or recommendation from the sommelier. You can ask for more of anything and even request cravings. One night, the kitchen churned ice cream for me and made huckleberry syrup to top it off.

The Ranch at Rock Creek is for families, friends, couples, and loners alike. I loved going in the winter but can’t wait for my next visit in the fall. –Hanna Park

→ The Ranch at Rock Creek (Philipsburg, MT) • 79 Carriage House Ln • Classic canvas cabins from $4551/night, all inclusive, spring & fall.

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One PROMPT for which we seek your intelligence:

Tell us about your favorite hotel in the world, one worth booking an entire trip around.

More answers or questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfound.com.

REAL ESTATE • Washington State

Three for-sale waterfront properties on Whidbey Island.

→ 7683 Maxwelton Rd (Clinton, WA) • 3BR/3.1BA, 2721 SF house • Ask: $2.85M • rebuilt in 2016 on 100’ of Maxwelton Beach beside 25 acres of protected land • Days on market: 16 • Agents: Daniel Fouts & Sarah Stone, Windermere.

→ 5848 Mutiny Bay Rd (Freeland, WA, above) • 3BR/3.1BA, 3005 SF house • Ask: $5.999M • on 1/2 acre w/80’ of Mutiny Bay beachfront w/ 5 en suites • Days on market: 11 • Agents: Buz McKinley & Maxwell McKinley, Windermere.

→ 5844 Mutiny Bay Rd (Freeland, WA) • 4BR/6.1BA, 7004 SF house • Ask: $9.999M • on 1+ acre w/ 133’ of Mutiny Bay beachfront w/ detached carriage house • Days on market: 11 • Agents: Buz McKinley & Maxwell McKinley, Windermere.

GOODS & SERVICES • Big Ticket

Select answers to the FOUND Routine query, What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?

→ REMY GIANNICO, The Source Imports(NY): Multiple used EuroCave wine fridges, brought up a fifth-floor walk-up. Making sure every bottle is stored at the perfect temperature is non-negotiable.

→ HANNAH FRANCO, artist (SF): I recently bought this outrageous side table and I’m obsessed. I also recently bought this stunning handmade sling bag from local Oakland designer Harper the Label. It’s so special to get to support other local female artisans making gorgeous work.

→ MAXINE SHARF, Maxi’s Kitchen (LA): The Dr. Dennis Gross LED red light mask. I use it every night for just three minutes, and it’s become one of my favorite routines. It’s meant to boost collagen and help prevent fine lines, and I genuinely feel like it works.

GETAWAYS • France

Fire walker

After years spent rooted in Lyon’s culinary scene, Guillaume Montjuré and his wife Chrystel Barnier chose to return to Barnier’s native Vercors, settling into her uncle’s former home and opening Palégrié.

The setting is quietly beautiful: a charming house with a small garden, a field just across the way where Apiaria Eximia has installed beehives, producing honey used directly in the restaurant’s cooking. From the outset, the place feels anchored in its landscape.

Interior materials speak softly but confidently: terracotta floor tiles, thick walls finished in beige lime plaster, handsome wooden tables. At the heart of it all is Guillaume’s open kitchen, dedicated to wood-fire cooking. A large wood oven dominates the space, where everything is made in-house, from bread to pastries. Several other fire points allow for different temperatures and cooking styles, creating a choreography of heat and time.

MORE at FOUND Paris

RESTAURANTS • New York

Intimate encounter

My first encounter with the original Confidant didn’t exactly inspire the enduring trust its name invited. Superfluously billed as Industry City’s first full-service restaurant (who cares?), it occupied an enormous space where the tables were still way too close together, and otherwise mostly blended in with all the furniture outlets that the big maw of a mall is better known for. There was obvious talent in the kitchen, though, and the food was good.

Last month, Confidant relocated to the former Colonie space on the southern edge of Brooklyn Heights. It slotted into the spot marvelously, like it’s been there all along.

MORE at FOUND NY

AROUND FOUND • Other Notable Intel & Recs

→ LA: Chef Marcus Jernmark has said that dinner at his new restaurant Lielle is neither a tasting menu nor a Nordic interpretation of California produce. At a moment when controversy swirls around a certain high-profile Nordic tasting menu, it turned out to be a prescient stance.

→ SF: If you’re driving up to Sonoma County for Quail & Condor’s nationally hyped croissant, be aware: I’ve tried and failed to secure its sourdough and pastries no fewer than three times. After the bakery traded its tiny home for a roomier warehouse over the holidays, I went for a fourth attempt. Learn from my mistakes, and preorder.

→ Miami: La Concha opened in 1926 as the tallest building on the island at six stories — a century later, it still holds that distinction. Set in the center of Duval Street, its pink stucco façade is an enduring symbol of Key West. In preparation of its centennial, the hotel completed a $35 million renovation in 2024.

→ LDN: After a buzzy pop-up at Borough Market’s Globe Tavern, Khao Bird settled into a permanent space on Brewer Street in November. It’s proved extremely popular, with its menu of Northern Thai barbecue from Luke Larsson, a British chef with extensive training in Thailand.

GETAWAYS LINKS: Hawaii doings: Maui’s Resort at Kapula Bay to undergo renovation, reopen next year as St. Regis… On Kauai, forthcoming Hale Hokuala Kauai hotel sets November opening… In Honolulu, first look at renovation for 125-year-old Moana Surfrider • New Japanese luxury farm life resort brand Azuma Farm Kowai debuts in Iwate Prefectur.

RESTAURANTS • The Nines

Chinatown, San Francisco

FOUND’s 9 favorite restaurants in the neighborhood. In SF, see also: Upper Haight, Castro, Inner Sunset, Noe Valley, Inner Richmond, Outer Richmond.

Four Kings (Commercial St, above), new-school Cantonese, snacky plates, highballs, loud music, intel, reserve

Snowed in

FOUND — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 13:30:48 GMT

GETAWAYS • Puerto Rico

Rustic detour

On a late February morning, after JetBlue canceled our flight home from Puerto Rico because of the then-imminent New York blizzard, I had taken to Instagram, crowd-sourcing local dining recommendations for our unexpected extra three days in Puerto Rico. The restaurant suggestion I received the most was Bacoa Finca + Fogón. But after looking it up on Google Maps, I immediately discounted it: too far, about a 40-minute drive from San Juan. A few hours later, though, a friend connected me with the chef there and I caved. It’s not like we really had anything else to do.

As we approached the property, a multi-level hacienda on a hillside surrounded by dense tropical greenery, I could smell the sweet aroma of burning wood, Bacoa’s main source of cooking fuel. Green plantains still attached to their stalk hung throughout the space, planting the seed that what comes from the land graces the menu.

Even before we were seated, a freshly muddled tamarind mojito-like cocktail arrived, a jumble of mint, a bit of Angostura bitters, tart-sweet tamarind, lime juice, and sparkling wine. The drink is called the Viejo Borincano (Old Puerto Rican), inspired by New York cocktail icon Audrey Saunders’ modern-classic Old Cuban cocktail, and it went down easily.

We sat down to warm capanes straight from the fryer: a chewy bite-sized bacalaito (a thin, crispy fritter made with salted cod), crowned with house-made labneh cream and Osetra caviar, and an alcapurria, a taro root and celeriac dumpling topped with local cockles ceviche. I could have eaten a dozen more.

Shortly thereafter came a stunning plate of what I first thought were slices of prosciutto. No, it was local yellowfin tuna, cured in sea salt for two days and then aged for another week-plus until the protein takes on an almost waxy texture and loses any trace of fishiness. Served in tissue-paper-thin slices, drizzled with olive oil, and finished with lemon zest and tomatoes, it was not only incredibly delicious but also a beautiful expression of a traditional Puerto Rican ingredient handled simply and thoughtfully.

Fueled by a steady stream of fresh passion fruit mojitos made with fruit from vines growing on the property, we moved through a series of mezze-like dishes. Then came funche, a hearty, deceptively simple dish of cornmeal and beans. The chef team — Raúl Correa, René Marichal, and Xavier Pacheco — explained that funche has roots in Puerto Rico dating back to the mid-19th century and traces to Afro-Caribbean culinary traditions. It’s traditionally cooked with water, coconut water, or coconut milk depending on regional influence. Their version folded in locally grown white beans cooked in the soaking and braising liquid of salted cod, finished with a sofrito of fire-roasted tomatoes and fresh citrus.

Finally, a local red snapper arrived, charred on a burén, a traditional Taíno cooking surface that references indigenous Caribbean techniques and pre-colonial foodways. The fish was adorned with heaps of fresh herbs, plus shreds of pickled chayote and pumpkin, and laid over banana leaves alongside charred lemon halves.

Worth the detour? Absolutely. –Kat Odell

→ Bacoa Finca + Fogón (Juncos, PR) • Carr 31 KM 22.0 • Book.

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GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Bookshelf

Three FOUND Routine subjects this week have recently published cookbooks:

→ Maxi’s Kitchen: Easy To-Go Recipes To Make Again and Again by MAXINE SHARF (LA)

→ The Naughty Cookbook: Decadent Recipes to Seduce Your Taste Buds by SAMANTHA SCHNUR (Miami)

→ Galette! Sweet and Savory Recipes as Easy as Pie by REBECCA FIRKSER (NY)

REAL ESTATE • Paris

Three properties currently for sale by Place des Vosges in Paris’s 4th arr:

→ Place des Vosges (metro Bastille, above) • 2BR/1BA, 1367 SF apartment • Ask: $3.6M • top floor at King’s Pavilion with artist’s loft vibes and ‘suspended’ living room • Agent: John Vingas, Engel & Völkers.

→ Place des Vosges (metro Saint-Paul) • 3BR/1.1BA, 1184 SF apartment • Ask: $3.78M • renovated duplex with open views in the Hôtel de Chaulnes • Agent: Iryna Kakura, Sothebys.

→ Place des Vosges (metro Chemin Vert) • 6BR/2BA, 2551 SF apartment • Ask: $4.58M • classical design with 1st-floor apartment, separate studio apartment, and garage opening onto Rue des Tournelles • Agent: Caroline Baudry, Barnes.

GOODS & SERVICES • Big Ticket

Select answers to the FOUND Routine query, What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?

→ REBECCA FIRKSER• cookbook author, test kitchen editor at Bon Appétit, Nickel & Dine(NY): I finally sprung for a Babaà turtleneck wool sweater — took advantage of the winter “sale” (they are still $$!). Considering I’ve had the tab open for over a year, and it should last a very long time, I decided to treat myself.

→ ARTY FROUSHAN, actor, American Psycho (LDN): I’m generally phobic of spending big money but I bought a proper leather jacket from A.M recently.

→ MARC SPITZER, executive chef & partner, OKARU (NY): My new Harley-Davidson bike.

RESTAURANTS • New York

Umami queen

Tucked behind a cocktail lounge on the Lower East Side, and opened last month, Anbā is a new NYC sushi counter worth knowing. There, Nobu alum Ambrely Ouimette has been quietly serving a fermentation-slick omakase that swaps out (or enhances) classic soy, ponzu, and other traditional sushi seasonings for globally-minded ferments that hit with punchy layers of umami. Her steal of a menu runs $220 per for 16 courses.

Walk straight through the 1940s-themed ground-floor lounge of The Concord Building (formerly nightlife destination Hotel Chantelle), where a sliding door at the back reveals the 10-seat restaurant. An L-shaped, salmon-pink marble counter anchors the sparse space, two dry-aging refrigerators parked within it. Ouimette and her all-female team, a sous chef and a beverage director, glide quietly through the compact room, pausing to flip a vinyl record now and then. –Kat Odell

More at FOUND NY

GETAWAYS • Guerneville, CA

Forest bathing

Tucked deep into the winding river and redwood groves of Russian River, Dawn Ranch is a sprawling property with a hundred-year history, first as Murphy’s Ranch, then as gay resort Fife’s. Following a flood and a multi-year renovation, it relaunched in 2023 with rustic cabins in the woods and a fine dining restaurant, now led by a couple of former Meadowood chefs who bring fire and flavor from South America.

Roll west along Highway 116, pull off at Fife Creek, and fill your lungs with old-growth forest. Dawn Ranch unfurls across 22 acres of woods, dotted with 86 guest rooms from cabins to cottages. We needed the map to find our rooms, well-appointed with products and free of TVs. Too late to catch a Japanese bath at the spa, we slipped into the hot tub before sunset for a quick soak under the evergreen branches. –Becky Duffett

More at FOUND SF

ASK FOUND

One PROMPT for which we seek your intelligence:

Tell us about your favorite hotel in the world, one worth booking an entire trip around.

More answers or questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfound.com.

GETAWAYS LINKS: In Sonoma, Scribe Winery is almost 20 and just getting started • Anticipated Hotel Indigo London K West Shepherds Bush opens • When it comes to travel, we’re spring dreaming • More things I like in a hotel.

RESTAURANTS • The Nines

NYC Restaurants, West Village

Our NYC top restaurant picks, by neighborhood. See also: Soho, East Village, West Village, Upper West Side, Cobble Hill & Boerum Hill.

The Commerce Inn (above), Jody Williams and Rita Sodi’s most under-the-radar (and therefore accessible) spot, for cozy tavern vibes, reserve

London fog

FOUND — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:02:10 GMT

GETAWAYS • Pacific Northwest

Oregon trail

Oregon’s Willamette Valley, sometimes compared to Burgundy, is not just about Pinot Noir anymore. Chardonnay and traditional method sparkling wines are finally getting their due, and a collaborative community of young winemakers is making its mark, crafting excellent wines with zero pretension. Here now, FOUND’s guide to what’s new and notable.

WHERE TO STAY: The Allison Inn & Spa (above) in Newberg remains the region’s most elegant resort and nicest spa experience, with details including housemade chocolate truffles and robe warmers, plus a new guided floating meditation therapy. Larger groups and families can book a six-bedroom hillside home AtTheJoy for a full kitchen, heated pool, hot tub, and three standalone bungalows. Owner Andy Lytle provides bottles of his Lytle-Barnett and Aubaine wines for imbibing.

WHERE TO DINE: If chef Kari Shaughnessy can become a James Beard finalist in a restored 1920s warehouse with no air conditioning, then the sky’s the limit for the new Carlton location of her restaurant, Hayward. At Hayward’s new digs, open since last summer, a larger kitchen allows Shaughnessy to build out her zero-waste and fermentation program. Diners sit at the communal kitchen banquette, on two-tops, or in the covered patio garden, snacking on housemade focaccia with a generous dollop of koji butters and daily pickles while perusing the rotating weekly menu.

WHERE TO TASTE: LucidWild Estate in Dundee is the Willamette’s hottest new tasting room, pumping house music while dispelling the myth that Gen Z doesn’t drink wine. Tastings include food pairings, panoramic vineyard views, and impromptu estate honey tastings. Linger with bottle service in spaces like a rec room with billiards, foosball, and a crushed-oyster-shell bocce court outside. LucidWild also has a Mercedes Sprinter Van for up to 10 guests available for chauffeured wine tours.

WHERE TO FEST: The Equinox Wine Festival is May 2, featuring more than 30 wineries from the Eola-Amity Hills AVA (Bryn Mawr, Lingua Franca, and Bethel Heights) and educational seminars on chardonnay, alternative varietals, and library vintage pinot noirs. AAPI Food & Wine takes place the same weekend in McMinnville for a lively gathering of Asian-owned wineries paired with smoky and spicy Asian food.

Another tasting event, Method Oregon, expands this July with three days showcasing Oregon’s best traditional method sparkling wines, with seminars, grand tastings, and individual winery events. Sparkling specialists including Corollary Wines, Lytle-Barnett, Argyle, and Arablis will pour bubbles so fine, you might actually mistake them for Champagne. –Amber Gibson

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GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Sponsor

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GETAWAYS LINKS: Longtime Eater Carolinas editor launches new Charleston restaurant newsletter: Cooter Soup • On Nashville, TN and why everything needs the right landscape • Texas Monthly’s best new (Texas) restaurants • Peak ‘26 cherry blossom season in DC.: 03/29-04/01 • 20 years in, refresh for London hotel Hoxton Shoreditch • Is it luxury, or basic bitch luxury?

ROUTINES • Goods & Services

Select answers to the FOUND Routine query, What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?

→ JOSEPH (JOE) JEBELEAN, general manager & mixologist, Lakou (Miami): I recently picked up the AINOTE Air 2 Notebook, and it’s been a game-changer for staying organized and productive. I use it daily for planning, notes, and ideas, and it helps keep everything streamlined without the clutter of multiple notebooks or screens.

→ KEN FRANK, executive chef & owner, La Toque (SF): I bought my wife a really good Canon professional photo printer. She’s a florist and has a great eye.

→ ANYA FIRESTONE, experience curator and guide, Maison Firestone (Paris): I love investing in things for the home and for my son Swann, but I want to keep the apartment looking chic: A toy chest from PoumPoum, in the shape of a Parisian building. I also acquired another playmat from Totter and Tumble, inspired by 19th-century William Morris prints. And then for something less child-friendly: Crystal cobalt stemware by Jonathan Hansen (I opted for the stemless flutes and use them as water glasses).

→ LAUREN BEHFARIN, CEO & founder, Little Room Supply (NY): KHAITE Colt snake-effect leather ankle boots, the new loves of my life.

GETAWAYS • Tokyo

Found in translation

After a 19-month closure for renovations, the iconic Park Hyatt Tokyo (immortalized in Lost In Translation) reopened late last year at the top of the Shinjuku Park Tower. The common areas have been given a slight refresh and modern design updates, while guest rooms have undergone a complete overhaul that includes an elegant piece of cabinetry concealing several drawers for stemware, espresso cups, and the minibar.

The famous New York Bar on the 52nd floor has been preserved in its original jazz-bar-in-the-sky beauty. And the impeccable near-panoramic views remain reason enough to visit The Peak, the 41st-floor lobby bar and lounge, even if you’re not staying overnight. (Unlike New York Bar, The Peak doesn’t charge a cover fee.)

I’d lovingly describe the rooms and approach to service as business-formal. Luxury is in details major and minor: a hand-illustrated map of the hotel on the ground floor and in the lobby, with a similar one for citywide attractions in my room; a welcome basket of in-season Tochiotome strawberries; staff members who greeted me by name every time I emerged from the elevators or walked through the lobby. –Patricia Kelly Yeo

MORE at FOUND LA

GETAWAYS • Key West

Bahamian bodega

Santiago’s Bodega holds a special place in my heart — the two of us arrived in Key West around the same time in the early aughts. I moved into the seafoam cottage next door on Emma Street in 2006 — I could peer into the kitchen from my bedroom window, and my back door was the most direct route to a table on the inviting wraparound patio outside.

Santiago’s was the new hotspot on the island back then, slightly off the beaten path in Bahama Village with a louche bohemian (yet sophisticated) appeal, serving Spanish-style tapas alongside housemade sangria and an impressive global wine list. It seemed to embody everything I hoped my new island life would promise: off-the-grid remoteness, with a touch of the cosmopolitan.

More than 20 years later, Santiago’s remains one of my favorite restaurants in Key West, and the quality of the food has never lagged. The brandy flambeed haloumi saganaki and seared beef tenderloin in bleu cheese butter are as delicious today as they were when I first tasted them, thanks to the steady hand of restaurateur Jason Dugan.

In addition to the sweetness of nostalgia I enjoy whenever I’m back at Santiago’s, there’s also the croissant bread pudding, made to order, which I reflexively request for dessert without glancing at the menu. –Shayne Benowitz

MORE at FOUND Miami

AROUND FOUND • Other Notable Intel & Recs

→ NY: In a patinated, postage-stamp-sized space, Odo East Village is a new casual offshoot from chef Hiroki Odo (of Odo in Chelsea). Odo captures the essence of kaiseki cooking without the formality (or the price tag), in a setting that feels familiar and unpretentious. In other words: the ideal restaurant-bar for New York in 2026.

→ LONDON: For almost two years, Dara Klein ran a hit residency at Islington gastropub The Compton Arms, serving Italian food inspired by her family’s trattoria in New Zealand. That version of Tiella closed at the end of 2024, but Klein is back with a similar, now-permanent, set-up in Hackney. It’s proved just as popular since opening in January.

→ PARIS: Leeds native and alum of beloved spots like Robert and Magnolia, Jack Baker Bosco is a hot name on the Paris restaurant scene right now. The chef’s new restaurant Le Canard Sauvage opened in November on the pulsing Boulevard de Strasbourg, and is a welcome addition to this pocket of the 10th arrondissement.

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Tell us about your favorite hotel in the world, one worth booking an entire trip around.

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GOODS & SERVICES • The Nines

Spas, London

The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best of the best.

AIRE Ancient Baths (Covent Garden, above), moody, candlelit pools, Spanish Ribera del Duero red wine soak for serious decadence, $628 per couple

Freshly shaved

FOUND — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 14:00:29 GMT

RESTAURANTS • Dallas

Paris, Texas

If ever there was a city poised to become a capital-D destination for serious dining, it’s Dallas. Case in point: Mamani, a new French restaurant in the chic Uptown neighborhood. Since opening in September, it’s emerged as one the most compelling new restaurants not only in the city, but in the country.

Mamani boasts an all-star team led by executive chef Christophe De Lellis, who most recently spent over a decade at Joël Robuchon at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. With additional alumni from Eleven Madison Park (NYC) and Saison (SF) rounding out the brigade, this is a team with a deep understanding of high-level fine dining.

The à la carte menu draws inspiration from both the French and Italian Rivieras. Standout dishes include a decadent Maine lobster, butter-poached and paired with a flawlessly executed sauce au poivre and crisp pommes frites.

The To Share section proved particularly memorable, highlighted by my favorite course of the evening: veal cordon bleu, carved tableside and served with silky pommes purée, Mornay sauce, and a bright Bibb salad.

For dessert, a simple, satisfying Madagascar vanilla gelato with chocolate sauce and candied pecans.

Unpretentious and deliberate, Mamani delivers refinement without excess and appeal without compromise. It’s one of Dallas’s brightest stars on an increasingly impressive culinary stage. –Lee Pitofsky

→ Mamani (Dallas, TX) • 2681 Howell St Ste BU4 • Mon-Thu 5-930p, Fri-Sat 5-10p, Sun 5-9p • Reserve.

GETAWAYS LINKS: The world’s best bars: a personal list • Inside Six Senses London, opening this week • Checking in at the new Loire Valley Lodges • Admiring the sea-worthy design at the new W Algarve • Five secret hotels in Japan recommended by a Japanese designer.

REAL ESTATE • American Rockies

Three properties currently on offer in the mountains of Telluride, CO.

→ 140 W Serapio Dr (Telluride, CO) • 6BR/4.2BA, 6910 SF house • Ask: $7.75M • cul de sac setting with 300-degree mountain views • Agents: Aric Maloy & Adam Black, Telluride Properties.

→ 167 Adams Ranch Rd (Telluride, CO, above) • 5BR/5.1BA, 5891 SF house • Ask: $11.9M • mountain contemporary set on open land and Telluride Golf Club • Agent: Ana Bowling, Compass.

→ 126 E Colorado Ave #126R (Telluride, CO) • 4BR/6.1BA, 4989 SF apartment • Ask: $18.9M • penthouse above Telluride’s downtown, with multiple terraces and hot tub • Agents: Lars Carlson, Liv Sotheby’s and Bill Fandel, Compass.

ROUTINES • Goods & Services

Select answers to the FOUND Routine query, What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?

→ LAUREN DUDLEY STEPHENS, CEO & co-founder, Dudley Stephens (NY): I just bought this new DeMellier brown suede tote. It’s very well made and fits a ton of stuff — my laptop, kids snacks, and all of my work stuff. It’s so chic and goes with any outfit. I absolutely love it.

→ CAITLIN GUNTHER, writer & creator, The 75 (Paris): My Sandro leather bomber jacket. I left my beloved Calvin Klein bomber (purchased when I was 16) at my ex’s apartment in Paris, and he never returned it. Long and weird story. Purchasing this for myself for my most recent birthday felt like a vindication.

→ LAUREN MAKLER, co-founder and CEO, Cofertility (LA): We just bought our first house and my sister (who has the most incredible taste) is leading the charge on a renovation before we move in. First purchase for the new house is an Eight Sleep Pod 5 and I can’t wait to not fight over the thermostat anymore.

RESTAURANTS • Los Angeles

Sqirl dinner

Los Angeles is built on false hope: “I’ll be there in 20,” “we’re just getting your table ready now,” “we’ll call you about the role.” And for a minute, it seemed Sqirl’s much-talked-about after-dark turn would be joining this lineup. But last week, at last, the Virgil Village daytime favorite opened for its first dinner service. I stopped in on Saturday night.

The crowd was buzzy and buzzing, but not overwhelming. (Nancy Silverton was in later that evening, and a Sweetgreen founder sat two tables down from us.) Service was practiced for this early run in prime time.

Sqirl chef and owner Jessica Koslow has been publicly tuning the menu for a while now, previewing ingredients on Sqirl’s Substack and posting on Instagram about Sqimps, grilled squid stuffed with shrimp-chorizo. If the purpose of all research and development was to make it almost impossible to narrow down an order, Koslow was more than successful. –James Royce

MORE at FOUND LA

SPAS • Switzerland

One and only

Living in the Rhine region, I’m surrounded by thermal baths, from Alsace to the Black Forest and across the Basel area. Yet, since discovering Sole Uno, no other spa in the region has quite measured up to the quality of its spaces and the intelligence of its design.

Suspended between water and landscape, you float in the outdoor pools while taking in the view, then drift toward bubbling loungers and powerful shoulder jets that energize the body. Swim beneath a delicate veil of falling water and suddenly you’re in a more intimate pocket of calm, where time slows and you can lie back, relax, and gaze up at that sole uno above.

A tropical rain shower, bathed in dimmed, colored rings of light, is an experience I could linger in endlessly. Just beyond it, the alpine shower delivers a sharp contrast: a dramatic room of dark stone where, at the press of a button, an icy cascade crashes down like a true mountain fall, bracing and reviving.

My favorite space, though, lies underground, in what feels like a bat cave: rough concrete walls, soaring ceilings, near darkness pierced by red neon light. At the center of the pool runs a narrow corridor beneath a single skylight. Here, the water is enriched to mimic the density of the Dead Sea, allowing you to float effortlessly in barely 40 centimeters of depth. With no effort required, all tension releases. Submerge your ears and listen to the Indian raga or soft jazz playing beneath the surface. Push gently off the edge and glide slowly beneath the skylight, weightless and suspended, a cinematic travelling. –Candice Chemel

More at FOUND Paris

AROUND FOUND • Other Notable Intel & Recs

→ LONDON: You might expect to find Madonna’s favourite Italian restaurant in New York, but the spot outed by the Material Girl last month is on the other side of the Atlantic in Margate, a town she calls her ‘idea of heaven’. Tracey Emin took the popstar for dinner at Bottega Caruso, a tiny Italian restaurant owned and run by chef and front-of-house couple Simona Di Dio and Harry Ryder. It’s rooted in the flavours and folklore of Di Dio’s hometown, the hillside village of Foglianise in Campania, an hour from Naples.

→ NY: Ambitious modern Korean chef’s counter Hwaro opened in Times Square at the tail end of last year. The restaurant is located inside its sister restaurant, Gui Steakhouse, hidden away in a discreet private room upstairs. It’s an important addition to the city’s high-end Korean food scene.

→ MIAMI: A kosher-certified restaurant by Israeli chef Eyal Shani (with outposts in Tel Aviv and New York City), Malka opened in December, dishing out modern Mediterranean cuisine with an emphasis on local produce in downtown West Palm Beach. I went the vegetarian route (an easy feat here) on my visit and enjoyed the hummus, beetroot carpaccio with horseradish, and the delicata and butternut squash steaks, salted for 24 hours and then roasted on burning oak.

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RESTAURANTS • Paris

Cassoulet

The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best of the best.

D’Chez Eux (7th arr), long-running bourgeois bistro popular w/ politicians

Family spirit

FOUND — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:02:30 GMT

ASK FOUND

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Tell us about your favorite hotel in the world, one worth booking an entire trip around.

More answers or questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfound.com.

GETAWAYS • Utah

Dry powder

While Park City spent two decades converting Olympic afterglow into a full-fledged luxury product — Ikon Pass integration, celebrity sightings at High West, lift lines that suggest Manhattan briefly relocated to the Wasatch range — Snowbasin took a different path.

The resort, 33 miles northeast of Salt Lake City, sits above Huntsville, population 603. The median age is just over 50. Median home values recently crossed $650,000. A boomtown, it isn’t. It’s a place that’s aged in place.

Earl Holding bought Snowbasin in 1984, when it was still a modest day area. When Utah landed the 2002 Winter Games, Holding built the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City to house sponsors, then quietly poured capital into Snowbasin itself: Canadian spruce lodges, lift infrastructure built for throughput, and a downhill course Anderl Molterer once called the best in the world. The family still runs the resort, maintaining independence while most comparable mountains continue getting absorbed into pass ecosystems.

On paper, Snowbasin offers 3000 acres and 3000 vertical feet. More importantly, it holds powder days for longer after storms, like the two feet of snow it received this week.

You can park for free without having to plan ahead. The food is homespun and tasty: Earl’s Lodge at the base serves fresh-carved turkey and curry noodles. The Needles Lodge, higher up, pours proper cocktails. The infrastructure borrows from timeless European alpine codes — places built to support skiing first, real estate second — translated to American scale.

The tricky bit can be deciding where to stay, as most hotels are a drive and there’s not a lot of on-mountain lodging. Down in Huntsville, my choice is Compass Rose Lodge (above). Opened in 2018, it’s a handsome 15-room boutique hotel with a unique observatory for guests to survey the night skies.

Down the block from the Compass Rose, the Shooting Star Saloon has been operating since 1879. During Prohibition, word traveled faster than the authorities. Dollar bills from 70 years of patrons cover the ceiling. Buck, a 298-pound Saint Bernard who once held a Guinness record, died in 1957; his stuffed head still watches the room. The menu fits on a napkin dispenser. The Star Burger (two patties, Polish knackwurst, grilled onions) and $3 beers maintain their reasonable pricing. Cash only.

Park City turned its Olympic moment into a perpetual performance. Deer Valley refined restraint into a marketable luxury aesthetic. Snowbasin simply kept doing what it’s always done: grooming to high standards, providing access to powder, and serving actual food at lodges. It doesn’t shout about it, and that’s the appeal. –Colin Nagy

→ Snowbasin Resort (Huntsville, UT).
→ Compass Rose Lodge (Huntsville, UT) • 198 S 7400 E • Reserve.

GETAWAYS LINKS: A century later, Paris hotel Le Bristol remains a beacon of hospitality design • Provence in bloom • Checking in to Pulitzer Amsterdam, within 25 restored canal houses • Previously Andaz, remade Alilah Mayakoba opens on Riviera Maya • Jamaica’s Half Moon (and resort-inside-resort Eclipse) set April reopening • I went to East Africa.

REAL ESTATE • Portugal

Three properties currently on offer on the island of Madeira.

→ Santo António (Funchal, Madeira, above) • 3BR/5BA, 3089 SF house • Ask: $2.82M • newly built villa with infinity pool and barbecue area • Agent: Stephanie Russo, Sotheby’s.

→ Arco Da Calheta (Calheta, Madeira) • 3BR/3BA, 4305 SF house • Ask: $4.9M • modernist house set on cliffside with swimming pool and firepit • Agent: Links Home Real Estate.

→ Porto Moniz (Funchal, Madeira) • 7BR/7BA, 5338 SF house • Ask: $5.28M • large contemporary villa with heated saltwater swimming pool • Agent: Stephanie Russo, Sotheby’s.

RESTAURANTS • Paris

Island away

A famous tourist trap on Île Saint-Louis gets a makeover by two cool operators — one, a gutsy young chef, the other, his talented sommelier (and business partner). There hasn’t been so much carefully calibrated buzz about a restaurant here since the ‘80s, when the Baroness Marie Helene de Rothschild held beau monde dinner parties at her Hôtel Lambert and a slightly catty, la-vie-en-rose atmosphere tinged the late actor Jean-Claude Brialy’s flower-filled restaurant L’Orangerie. Maybe Cypsèle will make the Île Saint-Louis sexy again?

Still gelling after opening in November, but already frequented by a promising mixture of aristocratic locals, like the three poodles accompanying a studiously disheveled divorcee (she told the waiter as much) and the handsome older man with her (who was, also by her telling, her grandfather). Also, alert Parisian design fiends (for the brilliant décor); a regularly changing regiment of young chefs and their friends here to support two of their own; and fashion folks and photographers. This is a friendly, unpretentious place with a winning, tough-to-pull-off equilibrium between the relaxed ambience of a country auberge and the precision of supervailing big-city service. –Alexander Lobrano

Old flame

The newest French spot in the village of Glen Park, La Cigale is the brainchild of chef Joseph Magidow and his wife Daisy Linden. Its wood-burning grill fired up at the start of fall, serving 15 seats twice per night from a daily, scribbled menu of dishes cooked over live fire. It’s gotten some heat for its seating policy, and neighbors have complained about the restaurant’s wafting smoke. But if you love rustic French fare, it’s an illuminating experience.

The Burgundy red storefront looks out on tree-lined Chenery Street. I found myself second in line when I arrived at 4p, which is advised: The restaurant starts taking names for the early and late seatings at 430p, and it fills up quickly. I made it into the first seating at 6p. After killing an hour at the library, we bellied up to the omakase-style counter. Every seat has a full view of the custom grill, which is tricked out with levers, pulleys, and ducks twirling on strings.

Magidow balances a chalkboard on the bar, from which you choose three courses plus supplements. Two people dining together can try most of the menu, which is inspired by Occitania, an ancient corner of southwest France. –Becky Duffett

Olfactory overload

Last fall, I booked a last-minute trip to Dubai. Having done zero research, a very stylish and well-traveled friend gave me one recommendation: a perfume and oils store at the Dubai Mall.

Lost horizon

FOUND — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:03:14 GMT

GETAWAYS • Dakar

Dakar bleu

Dakar has quietly become one of West Africa’s most magnetic creative cities. The region’s musicians, fashion designers, filmmakers, and visual artists move fluidly between Paris, Abidjan, Lagos, and New York, but Dakar remains the gravitational center. The energy is collaborative, local-first, and deeply social. That matters when choosing where to stay.

For years, Dakar’s hotels were either purely functional, built for diplomats and trade delegations, or oddly detached from the city’s rhythms. Terrou-Bi is the rare exception. Not because it tries to market itself as creative or cool, but because it has grown alongside the city rather than parachuting in from elsewhere.

The property began in 1986 as a modest seafront restaurant on the Corniche Ouest, opened by Lebanese immigrant Kalil Rahal and named Terrou Bi (a fisherman’s phrase for land glimpsed on the horizon). Over time, it expanded organically, and what emerged was not a destination resort, but a piece of civic infrastructure.

Today, Terrou-Bi has roughly 160 rooms overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, with a private beach, marina access, and several restaurants. It’s now run by Rahal’s sons, Kamil and Samir, making it a second-generation family business. The Mediterranean-influenced architecture features arched walkways, pale stone, broad terraces facing the sea. Recent renovations have modernized the interiors without altering the core idea: generous public spaces, clear sightlines, and an atmosphere that encourages lingering.

And the service is warm. Nearly all staff are Senegalese, many long-tenured, and the tone reflects teranga, hospitality as social obligation rather than scripted performance. There’s an ease that’s hard to replicate once properties are standardized or rebranded.

Crucially, Terrou-Bi also feels connected to the city’s creative life. Its hi-fi bar, Le Diamono, functions as a low-key meeting point for musicians, designers, and visiting collaborators. Grain de Sel overlooks the marina, where boats head out for offshore fishing trips. The mood is local, not transient.

For visitors drawn to Dakar’s creative scene, that distinction matters. Terrou-Bi isn’t the city’s flashiest hotel. It’s the one that understands why Dakar is on your itinerary in the first place. –Colin Nagy

→ Terrou-Bi (Dakar, Senegal) • Boulevard Martin Luther King • Rooms from $525/night.

GETAWAYS LINKS: Why one of the best European villa operators refuses to scale • New boutique hotel The Newman opened last weekend in London • In search of Chartreuse, I went to Chartreuse • Rotterdam’s harbour revival continues with new photography museum • The perfect solo afternoon in Paris.

REAL ESTATE • Boston, MA

Mass appeal

The fastest growing ultra-luxury market in the US? Boston, with 20 residential sales over $10M in 2025, almost 3x the 2024 total. The news, released in Compass’s glossy year-end report (see the rest of the top 10 emerging markets below), had us reconsidering Boston as a future FOUND market and wondering what a $10M+ Boston property looks like in 2026. Here, three answers, all listed this year:

→ 55-57 Hancock St (Beacon Hill) • 5BR/5.3BA, 7777 SF house • Ask: $12.9M • restored 1870 3-exposure corner home with 65 windows, sweeping top-to-bottom staircase, and 3 roof decks • Days on market: 11 • Annual tax: NA • Agent: Glenn Forger, Olde Forge Realty.

→ 163 Marlborough St #2 (Back Bay, above) • 4BR/3.1BA, 4856 SF condo • Ask: $12.99M • Residence 2 at landmarked Cushing-Endicott House, also w/ 3-sided exposure, plus ‘museum-quality period detailing’ • Days on market: 31 • Annual tax: NA • Agent: Tracy Campion, Campion & Company.

→ 3 Commonwealth Ave #1 (Back Bay) • 3BR/4.1BA, 3950 SF condo • Ask: $14.49M (reduced from $15.0M) • first block of sunny-side Comm Ave, once home to governor Oliver Ames and the French Consulate w/ suitably formal entertaining rooms • Days on market: 25 (and earlier) • Annual tax: $100,016 • Agent: Tracy Campion, Campion & Company.

The full list of the top year-over-year US growth markets with 10+ transactions at $10M+:

Boston, MA • 20 sales (186% YoY)
Marin County, CA • 17 (183%)
Greenwich, CT • 38 (124%)
Jackson Hole, WY • 33 (120%)
Cape Cod, MA • 100 (14%)
Central Florida • 17 (89%)
Greater Los Angeles, CA • 292 (54%)
Greater Seattle • 26 (53%)
Brooklyn, NY • 12 (50%)
San Francisco, CA • 24 (50%)

BARS • New York

Winter den

While New York has no shortage of Japanese cocktail bars, only a few truly adhere to the bartending style’s core principles of restraint, precision, and purity of flavor. Two weeks ago, the city gained Stone & Soil, a transportive drinking den in the former O Ya space (inside NoMad’s Park South Hotel). Led by an alum of Tokyo’s Bar Trench, Hirotomo Akutsu, and partner Rio Azmee, the warm wood-bedecked bar serves clean, ingredient-driven drinks that range from updated classics to matcha- and pandan-dosed originals.

The house piña colada, Rum It Up, looks nothing like the original. It’s a split between the classic island drink and a sherry cobbler, with a clarified blend of coconut milk and cream sweetened by caramel-y Japanese kokuto sugar, brightened with pineapple and lime. It’s ultra-floral, subtly nutty, and one of the best drinks I’ve had in the last year. –Kat Odell

MORE at FOUND NY

GETAWAYS • France

Septime overnight

In the heart of the Perche Natural Park in Southern Normandy, D’une Île is a 17th-century hamlet reimagined by Bertrand Grébaut and Théophile Pourriat, the duo behind Septime, Clamato, and La Cave in Paris. In 2018, they took over from a Dutch couple who first put Rémalard on the map with this charming bed and breakfast, transforming D’une Île into a countryside escape.

The estate comprises several stone buildings scattered across eight hectares of meadows and woods. Each of the 10 rooms features white linens, tomettes, exposed beams, and bouquets of wildflowers sourced from nearby brocantes. There’s no wifi and barely any cell signal. –Victoire Loup

MORE at FOUND Paris

AROUND FOUND • Other Notable Intel & Recs

→ MIAMI: Famed chef Massimo Bottura’s restaurant Torno Subito moved into the ground floor of The Moore in the Design District at the end of last year. The original downtown location opened in 2024, but never felt like the right fit for this upscale restaurant. Now chef de cuisine Bernardo Paladini is back at the helm, in a room more befitting his ambition (and Bottura’s reputation).

→ NY: At LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B, the doors swing open next Wednesday at the new Capital One Landing. With tapas by Jose Andrés and roaming tableside cocktail carts, the new restaurant has already led one observer to dub it “America’s best airport restaurant.” (ATL’s One Flew South would like a word.) Regardless, the new 12,500-square-foot space looks gorgeous.

→ PARIS: The room at Tarántula (above) feels familiar for the 11th. Dim lights. A low hum of conversation. Music at exactly the right volume. That relaxed, slightly groovy atmosphere Paris does so well. And then the food arrives — which is when it becomes clear this isn’t just another good neighborhood spot.

ROUTINES • Restaurants

Select answers to the FOUND Routine query, Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?

→ SIMON THISSE, CEO & AD, La Serviette Paris (Paris): If I had to choose just one: Cibus, a tiny Italian trattoria in one of Paris’s most beautiful neighborhoods, Palais-Royal. Cibus is 10 tables, max. No fixed menu, no fixed prices either. But the food is incredible, and the decor is as outdated as it is authentic.

→ ALEC BANKS, head of brand creative, Thuma (SF): The weekend routine usually consists of me and the family going to Madrona Bakery in Mill Valley in the morning for tea and pastries, as well as a loaf of sourdough. My wife and I have been battling it out in the kitchen lately, so cooking and eating at home have been a priority. But when we’re being lazy, we love to get Chinese food at R&G Lounge and a glass of wine along with some tapas at Verjus.

→ WEI CHEN, chef/owner, Omawei (Miami): We typically finish at the restaurant around 1a, so it’s tough to go anywhere that late. A good compromise is an ice-cold martini with Grey Goose, in-and-out vermouth and a twist at home. I will, however, probably go to Fiorito at some point this weekend as that is one of my favorite local spots in Miami.

ASK FOUND

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Tell us about your favorite hotel in the world, one worth booking an entire trip around.

More answers or questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfound.com.

GETAWAYS • The Nines

Hotels, Miami

The Hotel at The Moore (Design District, above), high-design ultra-boutique hotel residential-style rooms crowning private club

Ski in, ski out

FOUND — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 14:01:57 GMT

GETAWAYS • French Alps

Into the trees

Situated in the high-altitude French ski resort of Tignes, where the hotels and buildings emphasize function over form, Restaurant Ursus is a hard reset. Chef Clément Bouvier has packed the dining room with nearly 400 spruce trees, creating a dense indoor forest. It sounds like it could be a set piece, but the lighting is low, the acoustics are hushed, and the effect is one of genuine intimacy rather than kitsch. It’s delightful.

While the service is a bit wooden in English (I have a feeling the descriptions are more lush and rich in French), the menu commits to the environment without feeling like a costume party. The meal began with the Forest Floor, a collection of earthy bites. My starter, a humble porcini mushroom soup served on stones and bark nestled in actual moss, set a very specific tone, very quickly. The bread service is equally magnificent: a basket of dark, crusty loaves and architectural spikes served with a decadent butter trio. The standout is the lard paysan (smoked bacon) butter, which has a savory depth that anchors the meal.

Bouvier’s sourcing is hyperlocal, and it shows. A simple potato soup was a surprising scene-stealer, with a velvety richness that felt like a hug. For the main course, venison was served perfectly pink with tart berries, crushed pistachio, and a glossy, dark jus that cut right through the richness. It felt right eating it surrounded by timber. If the venison was good, the veal sweetbreads were even more sublime, the chef walking us through each of the ingredients he’d sourced near the mountain.

We finished our meal with the cheese trolley, a massive stone-slabbed cart rolling through the trees. It is strictly Savoyard, a comprehensive tour of the region’s best wheels.

Restaurant Ursus is an ambitious, high-execution evening that feels entirely singular to this austere mountain area. After a day on the slopes, a meal like this proved the perfect coda. –Adam Fern

→ Restaurant Ursus (Tignes, France) • Val Claret • Mon-Sat 7-9p • Open seasonally through May 2.

GETAWAYS LINKS: Snow drought in US west reaches record levels • French-East Asian restaurant Bar des Près debuts St. Barts outpost • Inside L’Adventure, the new Paris boutique hotel from the Hotel Costes team • Touring Conrad Corfu, set to open this spring.

REAL ESTATE • On the Market

Three for-sale properties along Playa Flamingo in Costa Rica.

→ Calle Flamingo (Playa Flamingo) • 4BR/5.1BA, 4197 SF house • Ask: $1.495M • on beach’s south ridge, with separate pool area, all with ocean views • Agent: Paula Zúñga, Sotheby’s.

→ Casa Las Brisas (Playa Flamingo, above) • 5BR/4.1BA, 4650 SF house • Ask: $2.95M • on beach’s north ridge, with sweeping ocean views, plus pool and jacuzzi • Agent: Matt Rosensteele, Coldwell Banker.

→ Ocean View Residence #21 (Playa Flamingo) • 4BR/4.2BA, 7782 SF house • Ask: $6.195M • multi-level residence with small pool, inside members only Cantomar Ocean Club • Agent: Robert F. Davey, Christie’s.

GETAWAYS • France

Artists’ retreat

Only two hours from Gare Montparnasse in Paris, tucked into the Loire Valley, the Château de la Haute Borde is five-room guesthouse that’s also a working artists’ residency. The three owners (Céline Barrère, Cécile Simon, and Violette Platteau) blur the lines between hospitality, creativity, and ecology.

Stays last a minimum of three nights, each one helping fund the château’s resident artists. Days might include a meditation session in the garden, a wild foraging walk in the surrounding woods with century-old trees, a jump in the pool, or a hands-on workshop on natural skincare. Conversations happen over tea or barefoot in the grass. This is a place that encourages slowness, and nudges you towards curiosity. –Victorie Loup

MORE at FOUND Paris

BAKERIES • London

Exceedingly good

After months of delay, Claridge’s has finally opened its bakery: the debut London shop from Richard Hart, best known for his cult Copenhagen spot Hart Bageri. With its own shopfront on Brook’s Mews, Claridge’s Bakery boasts countryside-chic signage and a sleek countertop displaying baked goods like museum exhibits.

There’s no seating, so you can’t linger over coffee and a croissant, but there aren’t croissants anyway. In keeping with the hotel itself, everything here is resolutely British, from the Bakewell tart to the lardy cake to the selection of iced fingers. It’s unsurprising, given Hart is London-born – he trained as a pastry chef here before moving to California, then Denmark, and now Mexico City (where he opened Green Rhino last summer), returning to launch Claridge’s last month.

MORE at FOUND LDN

AROUND FOUND • Other Notable Intel & Recs

→ NY: To reach the steakhouse Palladino’s (above), opened last fall in Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal, one either enters the terminal from the stretch of Vanderbilt Ave. just above 42nd Street, or, better, by crossing the floor of the Main Concourse (past the iconic, clock-topped information booth in the middle), and clambering up the grand staircase at the concourse’s west end.

→ LA: A mostly walk-in cocktail bar featuring snacks, mains, and desserts in Los Feliz, Vandell opened in December, and it’s been packed ever since. It may be Los Angeles’ bar of the moment, but it aspires to timelessness.

→ SF: A stone’s throw from the North Beach bars, a long walkway covered in arched reeds leads to a new, modern seafood restaurant inspired by Mexico City, Equal Parts. New in December, it’s helmed by Top Chef contender/Bar Crudo alum Melissa Perfit, who’s brought several of her trademark dishes with her.

ROUTINES • Goods & Services

Select answers to the FOUND Routine query, What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?

→ HARRISON CHENEY, executive chef & co-owner, Sons & Daughters (SF): When we moved restaurants, it almost tripled my commute. I wanted to make sure that my journey to work wasn’t only fast but sustainable, so I bought an Aventon Level 3 E-Bike. The freedom it’s given me to take a simple bike ride to the beach or around the park to clear my head has been game-changing.

→ POLINA SYCHOVA, interior designer & restaurant founder, Sino (LDN): I absolutely love my coffee machine, the La Marzocco Linea Mini. It’s an investment but it’s completely transformed my mornings. The coffee is café-quality, the design is beautiful and it’s built like a tank. It’s a small luxury, every single day.

→ MITSUNOBU NAGAE, executive chef and co-owner, l’abeille (NY): I recently bought a knife from my favorite Japanese knife maker, Takamura. It’s a beautiful piece, razor-sharp and a joy to work with in the kitchen.

ASK FOUND

One fresh PROMPT for which we seek your intelligence:

Tell us about your favorite hotel in the world, one worth booking an entire trip around.

More answers or questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfound.com.

GETAWAYS • French Alps

Cabin fever

If Restaurant Ursus is the high-concept forest, La Charpenterie in Val d’Isère is the cabin you actually want to live in.

Full send

FOUND — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 14:02:42 GMT

GETAWAYS • The Nines

Hotels, Rocky Mountains spring skiing

The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best. All rates below one night, king bed, March weekend.

One&Only Moonlight Basin (Big Sky, MT), One&Only’s first ski resort w/ hotel and private cabins (above), gondola to Big Sky terrain, $2010
Grand Hyatt Deer Valley (Deer Valley, UT), sizable new hotel at base of Deer Valley’s recently-opened East Village terrain, $794
Stein Eriksen Lodge (Deer Valley, UT), luxe but family-friendly resort, easy ski in/out, many rooms updated within last year, $1988
Waldorf Astoria Park City (Park City, UT), slopeside access at the Canyons section of Park City, $1749
Snowpine Lodge (Alta, UT), semi-swanky spot at a classic mountain that’s not, intel, $1479
MOLLIE Aspen (Aspen, CO), chic boutique hotel w/ Scandanavian-Japanese design inspirations opened two winters back, $899
Four Seasons Resort (Vail, CO), remodeled ski concierge is star of show, new lounge on top floor, A+ amenities, $1704
Kindred Resort (Keystone, CO), new slopeside spot in River Run Village, closest full-service resort to Denver, $598
Four Seasons Jackson Hole (Jackson Hole, WY), gorgeous hotel, recent renovation, top-notch ski concierge service, intel, $2098

FOUND Pro: Anticipated new hotel White Elephant Aspen has just pushed back its February opening (after pushing back its original fall 2025 opening), and is now is taking bookings from June onward. See ya next ski season.

ASK FOUND

One fresh PROMPT for which we seek your intelligence:

Tell us about your favorite hotel in the world, one worth booking an entire trip around.

More answers or questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfound.com.

REAL ESTATE • On the Market

Three for-sale properties in Milan, Italy.

→ Via Solferino/Brera (Milan) • 3BR/3BA, 2604 SF apartment • Ask: $4.18M • contemporary-styled loft with enormous skylight in the heart of Brera • Agent: Engel & Völkers.

→ Via Privata Alatri (Milan) • 5BR/4BA, 3779 SF house • Ask: $5.13M • 4-story English style villa, built 1919, with period touches and private garden • Agent: James Edition.

→ Via Rovelo/Brera (Milan, above) • 6BR/6BA, 4252 SF apartment • Ask: $8.83M • duplex penthouse in early 20th century building, in center of the action • Agent: Raffaella Mastropasqua, Christie’s.

GETAWAYS LINKS: No Real ID? TSA will charge you $45, starting tomorrow • Emirates and Marriott readying new Ritz Carlton Lodge in Australia’s Blue Mountains to open mid-2026 • Japan announces cherry blossom forecast for this spring • Cool (but not fancy) hotels that I’m dying to visit.

GETAWAYS • Key West

Su casa

With its grand opening on New Year’s Eve 1920, the Casa Marina is one of Key West’s most storied resorts. Conceived by railroad tycoon Henry Flagler, the property represents a fascinating era of Key West history and sits on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2023, it underwent a sweeping $75 million renovation, upgrading and redesigning guestrooms and overhauling food and beverage offerings. The result is a hotel that now more fully embodies the glamour of that bygone era.

With grounds spanning over six acres along the island’s southern shore, Casa Marina cuts a graceful, low-rise silhouette with a terracotta tile roof and creamy stucco façade lined with arcades that mimic a stretch of Flagler’s original Overseas Railroad. It’s home to one of the island’s only private beaches, as well as a picturesque poolscape bisected by a lovely catwalk leading to the ocean. There’s a pool on either side (one for adults; one, kid-friendly) and a swimming pier jutting out into the water. Whether looking out at the beach or back at the resort, it’s a picture-perfect vista of iconic Key West. –Shayne Benowitz

Bistrot hot

Tucked just below Delancey Street on Eldridge, Bistrot Ha has the feel of a Lower East Side restaurant from 20 years ago — a little raw, a little unfinished, and the hottest seat in town. When we arrived on a recent Thursday night for a 6p reservation, I took in the scene with delight.

The joint is small: 10 seats ringing the aluminum-topped bar that leads down one side of the restaurant, and two rows of tables filling out the other half. The decor scans as haphazardly cool, James Cherry light fixtures over the bar casually hung from the ceiling, wines by the glass scrawled on a chalkboard hanging next to the bar. The music is loud, and so is the crowd.

All of this is of a piece with Ha’s Snack Bar, the hole-in-the-wall opened around the corner last year by the same team. For the uninitiated, Ha’s Snack Bar earned raves (and hours-long waits) serving what my FOUND colleague Foster Kamer aptly described as “French classics freaked by fish sauce,” but in a space so cramped that I wasn’t tempted to return after my one meal there. But here, at last, the team has the luxury of an actual kitchen (compared to hot plates and such at Ha’s), and they’ve conceived an intriguing Vietnamese-French bistro menu to show it off. –Lockhart Steele

Italian isolation

Off the coast of Italy, southwest of Rome, the island of Sardinia is a land of stunning rugged mountains, silky white sand beaches, and swimmable waters the color of FDC Blue #2.

Off the coast of Sardinia lies another, much smaller island, famous for its tonnano. To get there, fly into Sardinia’s capital, Cagliari, rent a car, and drive one hour flat to a port on the west side. Drive onto the ferry, drink a corretto (spiked or “corrected” espresso), and drive off. Congratulations, you’ve made it to Isola San Pietro, and now you’ll never want to leave.

Someplace warm

FOUND — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 14:00:21 GMT

ASK FOUND

This week, one fresh PROMPT for which we seek your intelligence:

Tell us about your favorite hotel in the world, one worth booking an entire trip around.

More answers or questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfound.com.

GETAWAYS • Mexico

Tequila sunset

Instead of wine country, consider Tequila in the Mexican state of Jalisco for a culturally rich, spirit-infused vacation. A 90-minute drive from Guadalajara Airport, the town of Tequila is a UNESCO World Heritage site where the production of tequila fuses pre-Hispanic and European traditions in both agriculture and industry.

Casa Salles is the most modern, comfortable place to stay, a 25-room boutique hotel opened in 2020 and owned by the Salles family (who also produce El Tequileño, one of the very few tequila brands produced at its own distillery, next door to the hotel). The fruity aroma of fermenting agave juice wafts from the distillery to the loungers by the heated outdoor pool, where guests sip cantaritos, the citrus-y local cocktail served in a clay cup. In the spacious backyard, carne asada, quesadillas, and guacamole al fresco are served under the shade of majestic mango trees. Fresh mangoes are abundant in May and June.

Distillery tours and tastings are available daily for hotel guests, and you can watch workers chop agave piñas in half with machetes and throw them in the steam-pressured autoclave (ingeniously engineered by Don Jorge from old rail cars) to slow roast for 16 hours. The roasted agave is too fibrous to eat, but delicious to chew on, with its honeyed sweet potato flavor. After it’s passed through a mill to extract the sugars, the agave juice is fermented in small batches and distilled.

There’s no gym at Casa Salles, but sunrise yoga classes on the grassy rooftop are available and artwork from Cuban sculptor Rafael San Juan adorns the lobby. In-room amenities include L’Occitane toiletries, Nespresso machines, and smart TVs. My room was the only one with a Toto toilet. Dining highlights included octopus zarandeado, breakfast molletes, regional cheese from Jalisco, and warm fresh baked seeded sourdough bread at dinner.

A short walk away, the historic town of Tequila is a colorful place to explore and buy dried chilies to take home or try street tacos in taco alley. Nieves San Antonio serves roasted agave ice cream, and the boisterous bar La Capilla is where the simple Mexican cocktail, the batanga, was invented in the 1960s.

Most leisure travelers in Tequila are Mexican, which sets it apart from much of Mexico’s vacationland. And there are few places where drinking a local cocktail by the pool is more enriching than Casa Salles. –Amber Gibson

→ Casa Salles (Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico) • C. la Villa 3, La Villa • Rooms from $200 per night.

REAL ESTATE • On the Market

Three for-sale properties in the Cotswolds.

→ Family home (Kingham) • 4BR/3BA, 2790 sqft house • Asking price: $3.7M • modernist design with touches that call back to Cotswolds style, close to Daylesford Organic Farm • Ownership type: freehold • Agent: Andrew Barnes, Sotheby’s.

→ Finstock Manor (Chipping Norton) • 8BR/6BA, 4.6 acres compound • Asking price: $4.36M • classic Cotswolds manor house with pool, pool house, and paddock • Ownership type: freehold • Agent: Charles Elsmore-Wickens, Savills.

→ Tormarton Court (Tormarton, above) • 7BR/5BA, N/A sqft house • Asking price: $5.06M • southwest facing with private gardens, original house dates to 16th century with major recent restoration • Ownership type: freehold • Agent: Hamptons.

BARS • Berkeley, CA

Berkeley buzz

After three years of anticipation, Alice Waters finally opened her newest restaurant, Bar Panisse. Located next door to her iconic Chez Panisse, the space had been home to popular tapas bar Cesar for over two decades — and when Waters evicted Cesar to make way for her new business, some of Berkeley’s biggest names cried foul. But the new cocktail and light bites addition to the North Berkeley scene has been greeted with open arms.

With its beautifully milled Craftsman-inspired wood paneling, zinc bar, marble back bar, and moody lighting, the place feels like an immediate part of the Chez Panisse family. And like the restaurant, everything from the menu to the service has a European cafe-by-way-of-Berkeley feel, starting with the small bowl of Banyuls vinegar potato chips (made from local purple fingerlings) that lands in front of you when you sit down.

While the place is geared toward drinks and snacks, it’s possible to assemble a full meal here. A plate of three crisp, cheesy gougeres comes with a couple of pickled carrots and a small smear of Dijon. Anchovies are served either plain as tapas with pickled piparras peppers, or fried with sage leaves as a pungent and salty cocktail snack. No one doubted, really, that a bar made by the Chez Panisse team would be anything less than an on-brand delight, and it certainly is. –Jay Barmann

Like a samba

A modern counterpoint to Rio de Janeiro’s century-old Copacabana Palace (intel), Fasano Rio de Janeiro has all the makings of a classic. Built in 2007 with architecture and interiors by Philippe Starck, it cuts a modernist silhouette in dark wood and glass on a bend of famed Ipanema Beach — arguably, the hotel’s greatest asset.

Starck has taken maximum advantage of the views in his architectural lines. A sublime rooftop infinity pool puts you at eye level with the ocean and perfectly frames the iconic Dois Irmãos (Two Brothers) peaks. Here, passionfruit caipriñhas go down smooth and pair perfectly with a classic filet mignon sandwich at lunchtime.

For those familiar with Starck’s work at early aughts (now shuttered) hotspots, like the Hudson Hotel in New York City or the Delano (whose comeback is imminent) in Miami Beach, his playful, surreal touch is on full display, set against a minimalist, tropical modern backdrop. He favors dark, moody lighting, gleaming hardwood, amorphous mirrors, cushy jewel-toned sectional sofas, and abstract sculptures inspired by Dalí. At times, the design feels timeless; at others, it feels like time-traveling back to that era when Starck’s touch was ascendant. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially for someone like me, who has happy memories wrapped up in those times and places. –Shayne Benowitz

Fine dining, CDMX

The Nines are FOUND’s distilled lists of the best. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or email found@itsfound.com.

Quintonil (Polanco, above), Jorge Vallejo’s temple to Mexican gastronomy, solo diners welcome at 8-seat Mexican green marble chef’s counter

Green wave

FOUND — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 14:02:42 GMT

ASK FOUND

First, a handful of subscriber responses to our recent PROMPT, What’s your favorite restaurant in the world?

One of the best restaurant and meal experiences I’ve ever had took place in Évora, Portugal, at this place. You walk in, and they just feed you whatever they want. Husband-and-wife chef team, every dish killer. No idea what I ate. Such warmth, and was so cheap.
The Iguana Restaurant and Tequila Bar at Casa Kimberly in Puerto Vallarta. Beautiful restaurant with incredible food and a stunning view over Puerto Vallarta in the former home of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Fabio’s, located in the Vienna city center right off of Kärntner Straße. The food is so delicately prepared, the spices become a dance on one’s palate. This is not your usual restaurant. The food is equally matched by their service.
Merito in Lima, Peru. Cosy gem hidden amongst the celebrated Central’s and Maido’s.

And to our query, In which city should FOUND launch next?

Copenhagen
Milan or Tokyo
Mexico City
CHICAGO!! please and thank you
Detroit, yo!

One fresh PROMPT for which we seek your intelligence:

Tell us about your favorite hotel in the world, one worth booking an entire trip around.

More answers or questions? Hit reply or email found@itsfound.com.

GETAWAYS • Seattle

Wall to wall

The Skinny: Previously the Pan Pacific Hotel, 1 Hotel Seattle opened last April after an 18-month renovation highlighting the hospitality brand’s nature-inspired aesthetic, from reclaimed wood and driftwood sculptures to dozens of living moss walls.

The Scene: There are always collaborations with local businesses happening, from wreath-making classes to fashion pop-ups in the lobby boutique. I browsed pre-loved designer fashion curated by Cuniform during my stay before heading to a tapas dinner at the on-site Spanish restaurant La Loba, which has a moody jungle vibe and live Spanish guitar music on Thursday and Friday nights. Mille-feuille style patatas bravas are terrific, along with pistachio tiramisu for dessert. The following morning, I grabbed a blood orange from the (complimentary) well-stocked farmstand in the lobby, and a ginger cayenne wellness shot and bone broth from Drift.

The Rooms: All 153 guest rooms (including 45 suites) are designed in shades of beige and cream with pops of green from live plants. Minibars are well-stocked with local snacks and refreshments, and every room has a filtered water tap by the sink, a yoga mat, a foam roller, and full-size Bamford bath amenities.

The Amenities: There’s no spa, but hotel guests have complimentary access to Dryp Yoga classes next door and receive 10% off floating sauna bookings with Wild Haus. My friends and I brought snacks and champagne on board, and splashed some ylang ylang essential oil on the steaming rocks of our wood-burning sauna, for maximum detox vibes. We spotted Seattle’s iconic restaurant Canlis from the sauna boat’s roof deck, and a few hours later, we were at Canlis for an exquisite dinner, dropped off in 1 Hotel’s Audi e-tron house car.

Why It’s FOUND: A seamless fit for the Pacific Northwest, bringing nature indoors with effortless elegance. –Amber Gibson

→ 1 Hotel Seattle (Seattle, WA) • 2125 Terry Ave • Rates from $469/night.

REAL ESTATE • On the Market

Three for-sale properties in Berlin.

→ Historic charm near Wittenbergplatz (Schöneberg) • 2BR/3BA, 204 m2 apartment • Ask: 2,46M € • refurbished West Berlin apartment with original wooden floorboards and wood-burning fireplace • Agent: Sandra Hübner, Sotheby’s International.

→ Light-filled attic near Tempelhofer Feld (Neukölln) • 3BR/2BA, 176 m2 apartment • Ask: 1,395M € • top-floor apartment with custom modern kitchen, roof deck, and walking distance to Tempelhofer • Agent: Raphaela Schwarz, Engel & Völkers.

→ Artist loft with two terraces (Mitte/Kreuzberg, above) • 3BR/2BA, 167 m2 apartment • Ask: 1,49M € • loft-style penthouse with exposed brick and roof terrace • Agent: Oleksandra Shrestkha, Engel & Völkers.

RESTAURANTS • London

Hats off

Just as publications were finalizing their best restaurants lists for 2025, a late contender swept the board in London. Enter Martino’s, a buzzy all-day Italian spot in Sloane Square. Two months after its November opening, it’s the most talked-about table in town.

A large, circular bar is the focal point of the huge dining room. There’s a sense of luxury and opulence, with candlelit tables, servers in white suits and bowties grinding giant peppermills tableside, and trilby-clad customers sipping martinis at the bar. But it’s also unpretentious; you’re as welcome in trainers as you are in that hat, and despite the Chelsea address, it’s reasonably priced.

The food is classic Italian with a touch of Italian-American. From the antipasti, tonno tonnato is terrific, with its generous portion of thinly sliced, seared tuna in a rich, creamy and moreish sauce, while sea bass carpaccio is fresh and mildly spicy. Among the pastas, the signature tagliatelle reveals huge chunks of braised beef short rib in a rich, meaty hug of a ragú. A main course of meatballs zuppetta is also generous, with plenty of beefy sauce to be mopped up with toasted sourdough. To finish, a light, fluffy tiramisu served in an elegant coupe glass. –Laura Price

Last resort

Chef and hotelier Charlie Palmer opened Appellation Healdsburg in September, a resort just north of the Napa Valley town’s downtown. Inside, he’s launched a new restaurant, Folia Bar & Kitchen, along with a rooftop bar.

With 108 rooms and suites spread across a main hotel building and multiple bungalows, Appellation is already giving the nearby Montage and Meadowood resorts a run for their money when it comes to laid-back wine country glam. Like the Hotel Healdsburg, which Palmer opened over two decades ago, the rooms are modern and unstuffy, with built-in elements, barn doors, outdoor areas, and vineyard-inspired artwork.

The dinner menu at Folia Bar & Kitchen draws on seasonal produce and hearth-grilled meats and fish, with an $85 three-course prix fixe that’s a steal for wine country. There are five starters and five entrees to choose from, as well as supplemental snacks and larger format dishes, including a roast chicken and a bone-in New York strip for two. (An à la carte menu is also available in the lounge.) A clear early hit on the fall menu was a pork schnitzel dish with gin lardo, Brussels sprouts, pickled peppers, herbs plucked from the garden outside, and a bagna cauda-style sauce of anchovy and capers. There’s also a striking starter of house-made country pâté en croute. –Jay Barmann

Restaurants, Copenhagen

Alchemist (Refshaleøen), for an explosion of art and science

Island life

FOUND — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:00:49 GMT

GETAWAYS • The Caribbean

St. Barths, revisited

On our first day back in St. Barths, my wife, Yaz, stopped to visit an old friend, an island hairdresser, Bruno. I drifted off when they began to gossip in French. His big takeaway: “They want to turn it into St. Tropez,” he warned.

Travel alert: Those foreboding words can be code for the demise of a beloved destination.

Over the next 24 hours, we scouted for signs of the end but came up empty-handed. The island’s beauty, French hospitality, and authentic island vibe still outweigh any evidence that this French collective is giving way to a Eurotrash, electronic-music listening, mid-rise-condo occupying scene.

If you are up for that mood, however, you can still order a bottle and dance on a tabletop at legendary Nikki Beach and other hot St. Barths clubs and make some fun memories.

Admittedly, a new wave of visitors can sometimes camouflage the heartbeat of the island traditions. At the fabulously refurbished Eden Rock, room rates are eye-popping. During the peak week between Christmas and New Year’s, the average rate is $7,000 per night, a small price for crypto queens, nepo-babies, or M&A beneficiaries to fork over for unmatched opulence.

Our go-to sanctuary is only a few blocks away: an upgraded, high-ceiling little home designed by a local architect. Complete with chickens, turtles, and cats in the spacious yard, it’s the kind of place where you walk through the front porch straight into the kitchen. The cost? $7,000 for two weeks, including daily maid service.

We can walk to Eden Rock for the best cocktails on the island, or rent a front-line beach chair for $250. Usually, though, we prefer our plastic folding chairs, which we set up just a few feet from the Rock for free.

Despite its global fanfare, St. Barths feels intimate and unmistakably self-contained. The coastline is deeply indented and irregular, lined with more than a dozen natural harbors and coves. These bays create the island’s famous string of beaches, each with a distinct character, from wide crescent-shaped strands to small, secluded coves framed by cliffs.

Settling into a chill pattern, we pick a new beach each day, bringing our funky chairs, an umbrella, and packing a picnic — sometimes “Caribbean to Go” barbecue across from the Oasis Market, or poke bowls from Heiko’s for a day at Shell Beach. The beach crowds are mannered, sparse. I presume everyone else is at a spa or a gym, passed out, shopping, or drinking. Island life!

The island is undergoing an infrastructure makeover. Flush from a luxury villa boom, new stone walls, streets, and sidewalks are being laid with the kind of taste found in Palm Beach. Several new restaurants are popping up with generic international menus.

The old favorites include Eddy’s Ghetto (Gustavia), Maya’s (Public), Le Tamarin (Saline), Santa Fe (Lurin), and La Langouste (Flamands). Or munch on a hot dog with a pint of Kronenbourg 1664 at dive bar legend Le Select (Gustavia), an open-air garden setting with wobbly plastic chairs where locals and “yachties” hang out.

For something new and refreshing, straddling the old and the new, visit the beloved and refurbished Grain De Sel. Native Margaux Potier (above) reopened the restaurant last month with a fresh look, a new chef, and an authentic French Caribbean menu. Located near Saline Beach, where the enchanting lagoons lead to the sea, Portier created something special. It’s difficult to believe it’s her first restaurant — and proof that the magic of St. Barths endures. –Brad Inman

REAL ESTATE • On the Market

Three for-sale properties in Sun Valley, Idaho.

→ 101 Blue Grouse Rd (Sun Valley, above) • 4BR/5.1BA, 4759 SF house • Ask: $4.5M • modernist in Elkhorn Village with hot tub and sauna • Agent: Stephanie Reed, Keller Williams.

→ 194 Fairway Rd (Sun Valley) • 6BR/7BA, 4609 SF house • Ask: $7.95M • ski lodge vibes with separate 2BR guest house connected via breezeway • Agent: Evan Wyman, Compass.

→ 1 Monarch Ln (Sun Valley) • 3BR/3.1BA, 4346 SF house • Ask: $13.5M • captivating single-level modern with expansive views • Agent: Alex Higgins, Sun Valley Associates.

BARS • New York

Starry night

On the first Saturday of 2026, my wife and I figured we’d throw caution to the wind and attempt a pre-dinner drink at Stars, the new wine bar on East 12th Street from the Claud and Penny team.

After ordering two glasses, we relaxed and took in the scene. The room is tiny (450 square feet), and the lighting is, appropriately, celestial. Soft light emanates from glowing panels on the ceiling and seeps in from the street through the frosted glass windows, further enhanced by the warm glow of sconces perched on the zinc bar. It’s a perfect winter bar, the kind of place you want to settle in for a few glasses over a deep conversation.

Penny and Claud, which have brought considerable joy to the NYC dining scene over the past few years, are both described by their proprietors as wine bars, even though they are, in reality, restaurants. Stars is a wine bar that’s actually a wine bar, and it shines — dimly, softly, and promisingly. –Lockhart Steele

MORE at FOUND NY

HOTELS • Paris

Amongst the plantes

Not far from the Sorbonne, near the Jardin des Plantes, a new hotel has emerged, quietly turning up the volume on light and space in the oldest neighborhood in Paris. The 5th arrondissement may not have been looking for a hotel this airy, but six months ago, Le Jardin de Verre by Locke arrived, and somehow, it feels right at home.

Step through the courtyard and you’ll find a nearly invisible check-in desk, a pop-up from Klin d’Oeil (whose new boutique is just across the street), and Bibie, the bright atrium restaurant full of greenery that anchors the space with calm and ease. The menu follows the market: fresh, vegetable-forward, and anchored by comforting classics like the volaille du Gâtinais, a chicken that’s full of flavor without being too rich. On the receipt, a little note reads “on est heureux ici.” It’s true, especially when there’s kombucha and an Arnold Palmer on the menu.

Upstairs, there are 145 rooms, including 37 suites, most of them apartment-style with full kitchens and the kind of breathing room Paris rarely offers. There’s a compact gym, a yoga studio (an upcoming sound bath is on the calendar), and a bar serving cocktails built on French spirits. –Sam Brenzel

MORE at FOUND Paris

AROUND FOUND • Other Notable Intel & Recs

→ RESTAURANTS 2026: To kick off the new year, FOUND revealed its most anticipated new restaurants for 2026 in New York City (both above 14th St. and below 14th St.), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and London. Much new ground to be traveled this year!

→ SAN FRANCISCO: Opened yesterday, RT Bistro is the latest restaurant from Evan and Sarah Rich, the couple behind the much-loved San Francisco restaurant Rich Table. While distinct from Rich Table’s menu in some ways — less pasta and fancy snacks, more hearty fare and French bistro twists — the DNA of the two restaurants is clearly linked. There’s a burger, formerly an off-menu item at Rich Table, featuring Parmesan cheese, bistro sauce, and dill-pickled onions, served with beef tallow fries.

→ LONDON: London’s oldest wine bar is an institution. You can practically feel every one of Gordon’s 135 years, from the ancient wax candles and cloistered corners to the old pictures and newspaper clippings adorning the walls. For denizens of the area, it’s hallowed ground, the perfect place to spend a winter’s night.

→ PARIS: After Céline Maguet and Vincent Renault created l’Agence Soif, Héloïse Arnault set out to run their Pigalle cellar Soif, la Cave à Pigalle, showering Paris and its festivals with a sharp and personal selection of natural wines. These epicureans — with an infectious, easygoing joy for life — dreamed of a place where tables could be shared. And once again, they’ve nailed it. At Marnes Bleues (above), a new wine bar opened last month in the 19th arrondissement, they’ve stripped the space back to its essentials: raw concrete, bespoke woodwork, and the 1960s-era terrazzo tiles that give the bar its name. A sublime, rotating display window opens the bar to the park and pivots into an oyster counter in the evenings.

ROUTINES • Restaurants

Select answers to the FOUND ROUTINE query, any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?

→ ANGELO SATO, chef-owner, Humble Chicken (LDN): After a Saturday service, we might go out as a team for beer and food. Our favourites include Dumplings Legend and Old Town 97 – they’re still open at 1a. When I’m able to go out for dinner, I enjoy tasting menus. Palate fatigue is real for me, so I prefer smaller portions and a variety of flavours. Kitchen Table is a favourite and I’ve been many times. The service is excellent and the menu interesting.

→ STAN LEE, photographer & video producer (LA): Looking forward to eating and photographing my friend Debbie Lee’s brand new modern Korean restaurant in Highland Park called Yi Cha. This weekend I’m attending Be Bright Coffee Melrose’s 3rd birthday. They serve my favorite cold brew in town. Be Bright Coffee is run by husband and wife duo Frank and Michelle La. Frank is the 2024 U.S. Barista champion. I’ll also visit Steep LA, a tea shop in Chinatown.

→ MINH TA, product designer & co-founder, Atelier Craft (Paris): This week we went to Sobremesa, a place in the 18th where I spend a lot of time. They regularly host chefs in residence, and right now there’s a chef there named Shan Rachel, who has become a close friend. She’s staying for four months. Her cuisine is refined Chinese food, reinterpretations of classic dishes. At Sobremesa, there’s a closeness with the chefs that’s rare. I love being able to talk, to watch, to understand what’s happening — and there aren’t many places where that’s possible, where chefs are open to that kind of exposure. The space is small too, which makes it a real challenge for the chefs. That’s exciting to witness.

GETAWAYS LINKS: Delta opens its first non-airport lounge at Sphere • Free wifi rollout began this week for American Airlines, installation across fleet to be finished by spring • Soho House planning new club in rural Sonoma Valley • On the spa route in Auvergne • Are trains now the most luxurious way to travel?

ASK FOUND

First, a quick primer on how this works: You send us the pressing questions of the day (on hotels, dining, travel). We all put our heads together (us, FOUND, + you, FOUND subscribers, who are also FOUND) in search of truth and beauty.

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What’s your favorite restaurant in the world?
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Hit reply or email found@itsfound.com with more answers or questions.

GETAWAYS • The Nines

Restaurants, Comporta, Portugal

ALMO (Comporta), laidback open-air all-day spot, natural wines, seasonal small plates, book

Restaurants of the year

FOUND — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 14:01:42 GMT

RESTAURANTS • About FOUND

It’s been quite the year of dining, drinking, and general good times on the restaurant and bar beat at FOUND. This week, for paid subscribers, we revealed our 2025 Restaurants of the Year in NY, LA, SF, Miami, and London. Each city also ran a list of our nine favorite new restaurants that debuted in each metropolis last year. Th…

Cascade effect

FOUND — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 14:02:09 GMT

GETAWAYS • Morocco

Marrakesh melodies

In Marrakesh, Morocco, luxury hotels offer two extremes: the super luxe Royal Mansour, or an Americanized 4.5-star hotel that’s trying too hard. The better alternative is the Dar Rhizlane, where cats roam freely and rose petals drift into the pool from the cascading flowering trees.

With only 50 suites, each designed b…

Deep dive

FOUND — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 14:03:01 GMT

GETAWAYS • Maldives

The Maldives, unlocked

The Maldives seems predictable with abundant overwater villas and sun-kissed honeymooners. But underneath the outdated clichés, the destination has quietly become one of the most sophisticated proving grounds for luxury hospitality, a place where operators have nowhere to hide and everything is stress-tested by l…

Alpine air

FOUND — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:02:21 GMT

ABOUT FOUND • Help Wanted

We’re looking to add a fractional growth lead to help with organic email acquisition and paid subscription conversion. In addition to this newly-launched global edition, FOUND is currently live in six markets (NY, LA, SF, Miami, London, and Paris) with an audience of over 100K subscribers. Experience in media is a plus but isn’t…

Pink beaches

FOUND — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 14:02:21 GMT

HOTELS • London

London two-step

When I arrive from Heathrow to Raffles London at the OWO at 7a, I’m immensely grateful when I’m ushered straight to my room for an early check-in. My corner suite in the historic building has a sprawling circular living room with deep red upholstery and textured dark wood walls. Named after Odette Sansom, a courageous Worl…

Setting the chessboard

FOUND — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 14:00:46 GMT

GETAWAYS • Baja, Mexico

Cabo, reconsidered

Cabo can get a bad rap. The bachelorette bloat, the airport arrivals margarita maelstrom, the sunburned deep‑sea fishermen in wraparound shades. But underneath the clichés, there’s also a live case study in luxury brand strategy and a high‑stakes battle for affluent loyalty.

Let’s start with the Auberge resorts, w…

Night-market energy

FOUND — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 14:03:08 GMT

GETAWAYS • Venice, Italy

Water log

A 900-year-old landmark hotel, San Clemente Palace is on its own island, only 10 minutes by ferry from Piazza San Marco in Venice. The private shuttle departs every 40 minutes to and from the mainland from 850a to 1130p, connecting to the hotel’s private dock, where a red carpet leads to the palatial entrance.

Space is a …

Come sail away

FOUND — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 16:33:15 GMT

GETAWAYS • Greece

Our catamaran shoved off from the island of Kos and headed northwest en route to Kalymnos, about 20 nautical miles away. We’d embarked on a weeklong sailing trip across Greece’s Dodecanese, a slightly off-the-beaten-path archipelago scattered in the southeastern Aegean near mainland Turkey. Aboard our 46-foot Lagoon catamaran, my best f…

FOUND Global

Oyster Week

Rites of passage

Woodland oysters

Oysters, delivered

Wood fired

Elk country

Fire walker

Intimate encounter

Chinatown, San Francisco

Snowed in

Rustic detour

Umami queen

Forest bathing

NYC Restaurants, West Village

London fog

Oregon trail

Raise the steaks

Found in translation

Bahamian bodega

Spas, London

Freshly shaved

Paris, Texas

Sqirl dinner

One and only

Cassoulet

Family spirit

Dry powder

Island away

Old flame

Olfactory overload

Lost horizon

Dakar bleu

Mass appeal

Winter den

Septime overnight

Hotels, Miami

Ski in, ski out

Into the trees

Artists’ retreat

​​Exceedingly good

Cabin fever

Full send

Hotels, Rocky Mountains spring skiing

Su casa

Bistrot hot

Italian isolation

Someplace warm

Tequila sunset

Berkeley buzz

Like a samba

Fine dining, CDMX

Green wave

Wall to wall

Hats off

Last resort

Restaurants, Copenhagen

Island life

St. Barths, revisited

Starry night

Amongst the plantes

Restaurants, Comporta, Portugal

Restaurants of the year

Cascade effect

Marrakesh melodies

Deep dive

The Maldives, unlocked

Alpine air

Pink beaches

London two-step

Setting the chessboard

Cabo, reconsidered

Night-market energy

Water log

Come sail away

Exceedingly good