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Lex Yard at the new Waldorf Astoria is a wonder that reinvents the legendary hotel's stuffy old reputation

Lex Yard at the new Waldorf Astoria is a wonder that reinvents the legendary hotel's stuffy old reputation

New York Post17-07-2025
The reopened Waldorf-Astoria deserved a great new Waldorf salad.
Michael Anthony, chef at the hotel's Lex Yard restaurant, goes one better. His re-invention of the 100-year-old recipe not only improves on the country-clubby original, it lives up to the entire hotel's spectacular, oft-delayed, $2 billion transformation.
Like its Art Deco surroundings, Anthony's salad is lightened, brightened and reconstituted for a new generation. Just as the hotel retains its landmarked Peacock Alley lounge and other interior pleasures, the salad builds on the original salad's basics — celery, apples and grapes.
6 The classic Waldorf salad has been reimagined at the newly renovated Waldorf Astoria.
Paul Quitoriano
6 Lex Yard occupies two floors in the iconic hotel.
Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria New York
First devised by hotel chef Oscar Tschirky in 1896, the Waldorf salad has never been a favorite of mine. Too often a cloying, mayonnaise-slathered affair whether in diners or fancy restaurants, the old warhorse was sometimes propped up with corn or raspberries. No matter, the result was the same: a bland heap of unrelated items tossed with cheap green lettuces and weighted down by gobs of mayo.
Anthony, who's also the chef of well-loved Gramercy Tavern, said his aim was to 'keep it simple, visually appealing and memorable.' His boldest stroke was to replace mayo with a tingling, lemon-tinted aioli that flatters all the elements, which are fine-chopped into a chiffonade that's like a picnic on a plate.
The salad tosses little gem lettuce, frisee, candied walnuts, fresh tomatoes, grapes and toasted sunflower seeds, beneath a cloud of grated cheddar cheese.
All the bitter and sweet flavors, and crunchy and soft textures, come through cleanly and clearly defined. It's a great summer dish that will surely shine year-round as elements are changed with the seasons.
It's the must-have item on the menu, and it's offered both as part of $140, four-course prix-fixe and for $26 a la carte.
6 A fully loaded lobster roll is one of many pleasures on the menu.
Paul Quitoriano
6 Black bass makes for a light-but-flavorful summer dish.
Paul Quitoriano
6 A red velvet souffle is vastly better than the red velvet cake that was once served at the hotel.
Paul Quitoriano
It will take weeks to experience the menu's full depth, but Anthony was at the top of his game on opening night with dishes such as pan-roasted black bass in a dark-hued, pleasantly sweet bouillabaisse sauce ($48), a sparkling Maine lobster roll ($53) that lived up to the waiter's description as 'fully loaded'; and a dangerously delicious, fresh-made red velvet souffle tart ($22) that laughed at the old dessert list's supposedly iconic but commercial-tasting red velvet cake.
It was a thrill dining at Lex Yard on Wednesday, when the reborn hotel got its first heartbeat in nearly eight years. (A handful of guest rooms are open with the full-scale opening to include the grand ballroom planned for September.)
Japanese restaurant Yoshoku, off the main lobby, was already near-full, while Peacock Alley buzzed with the sound of lounge-goers delighted to find the fabled venue looking better than it has in several generations.
6 Chef Michael Anthony is also the chef at Gramercy Tavern.
Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria New York
The two-level Lex Yard is more casual on the ground floor where voices from a lively bar permeate the scene. The more plush second level, where I sat, is more luxurious with richly upholstered booths and carpeted floors. It also unfortunately comes with a view through mullioned windows of floors-full of styrofoam boxes inside a building that seems under eternal renovation.
July's quiet and hot summer days are springtime for Lex Yard. Catch them before autumn brings cooler nights — and the hordes who wondered for eight years if they'd ever set foot in the Waldorf-Astoria again.
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The new ‘Shinobi' embraces the ‘pure craft' of hand-drawn 2D gaming
The new ‘Shinobi' embraces the ‘pure craft' of hand-drawn 2D gaming

Washington Post

time2 hours ago

  • Washington Post

The new ‘Shinobi' embraces the ‘pure craft' of hand-drawn 2D gaming

There's a myth that true immersion into video games requires three dimensions: sidescrollers are good for nostalgia, but the future belongs to photorealistic 3D worlds. But a range of recent games like indie darling 'Hollow Knight' are proving millennia-old, 2D hand-drawn art will endure in video games. Ben Fiquet, a Parisian artist who founded game studio Lizardcube, now contracted by Sega in the Japanese firm's efforts to revive languishing intellectual property from its troves, remains dedicated to the craft. Fiquet is creative director for Sega's new title 'Shinobi: Art of Vengeance,' scheduled for release Aug. 29 on Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox and PC platforms. Fiquet says he created Lizardcube to be a beacon of light for 2D animation in gaming, inspired by award-winning '90s game developer Dave Perry, who created that era's visually stunning 'Earthworm Jim.' The studio's effort is backed up by several critically acclaimed 2D games with Sega's 'Streets of Rage 4' and the Wonder Boy series. 'The inherent power of 2D lies in its straightforward simplicity: the artist's vision brought directly to life,' Fiquet tells The Post. 'There are no tricks or deceptions, just pure craft. While it can be challenging to elicit player emotion, I believe 2D can resonate more deeply, strongly and lastingly.' Sega of America visited The Washington Post newsroom with a PlayStation 5 console and an early copy of 'Shinobi: Art of Vengeance.' The publishers believe the game speaks for itself once in the player's hands, and they're correct. The feel of the game requires the mental agility and focus of a fighting game, with a free-flowing combat system that includes juggling combination attacks in the air, counters and follow-up techniques like rolls and dive kicks. Sega knew Lizardcube was perfect thanks to the studio's success in translating the arcade brawler 'Streets of Rage 4' for the 21st century while retaining its crunchy spirit. Kagasei Shimomura, director of Sega's content production department, is a longtime producer since the company's golden era of the 1990s. As part of the now defunct Sega Ages project, which brought classic titles to modern platforms, he's been a key figure in keeping Sega franchises alive after the turn of the century, when Sega famously exited the video game console business in 2001 to become a publisher and developer for other platforms. The company is most famous for creating Sonic the Hedgehog, but in recent years, its found success in role-playing games focused on Japanese culture with the Like a Dragon series, focused on yakuza life, while the multi-million selling Persona series features young adult fantasy adventures. This success gave Sega newfound confidence in reviving classic franchises from its golden era. 'When launching the Ages project, our first task was to select a series to bring back, and the one that always came to mind was Shinobi,' Shimomura said. In 2023, Sega announced a full-court press of franchise revivals across the company, and Shimomura once again made reviving Shinobi his priority. 'And when it came to bringing that title to life, only one name came to mind: Lizardcube,' he continued. 'I contacted them right away and was surprised to learn that they were also very passionate about the Shinobi series and had hoped to work on a game someday. That settled it for me. Lizardcube was a must-have developer for the new Shinobi title.' The company has tried a dozen times to revive the Shinobi series, including an ambitious dalliance into 3D gaming with a 2003 PlayStation 2 title that was well received but saw limited success. 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How Larry Ellison And David Ellison Pulled Off The Paramount Deal
How Larry Ellison And David Ellison Pulled Off The Paramount Deal

Forbes

time2 hours ago

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How Larry Ellison And David Ellison Pulled Off The Paramount Deal

T he Federal Communications Commission greenlit the $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance Media on Thursday, 383 days after the deal was first announced. The merger, which is set to close on August 7, will transform Larry Ellison, 80, and his son David Ellison, 42, into one of the most powerful duos in Hollywood, wielding influence over TV shows, movies, news and more. As Paramount's chairman, CEO and owner of 50% of its voting rights, David Ellison will oversee an entertainment empire with more than 1,200 film titles, including everything from 'Top Gun: Maverick' to a remake of 'It's A Wonderful Life,' plus distribution rights to another 2,400 films. Other crown jewels include popular channels MTV, Nickelodeon, Showtime and CBS Network. But it's his father who controls the purse strings and owns the equity, according to regulatory filings. The elder Ellison may have helped get the deal over the hump in other ways, too. The merger was approved only after some key concessions from both parties. Paramount agreed to pay President Trump $16 million—to be used for his future presidential library—in July to resolve a lawsuit over 60 Minutes ' edit of a 2024 interview of Kamala Harris. (A couple of weeks later, CBS said it would end Trump critic Stephen Colbert's late night show next May, citing cost overruns.) Ellison's Skydance, meanwhile, had to make written commitments promising that the company's programming would embody 'a diversity of viewpoints from across the political and ideological spectrum' and that it would 'adopt measures that can root out the bias that has undermined trust in the national news media,' per the FCC's letter announcing the decision.​ Another late change had to do with Ellison's control. FCC filings from September 2024 initially showed that David's father, Oracle cofounder and chief technology officer Larry Ellison, the second richest person on earth, held all of the voting and equity shares in the Pinnacle Media Ventures holding companies acquiring the Paramount stake. These shares were held through his Lawrence J. Ellison Revocable Trust, the same entity that owns his Oracle shares and most of his estimated $1.5 billion in real estate. Per these filings, the Ellison family also owned 67% of the equity and 78% of the voting rights in Skydance in part via Sayonara LLC, a parent company of the Pinnacle entities. (Ellison, a devotee of Japanese art and architecture, named Sayonara's three subsidiaries Aozora, Hikouki and Furaito, Japanese words meaning 'blue sky,' 'airplane' and 'flight.') In October 2024, an amendment filed with the FCC changed the voting rights so that David Ellison held 100% of the Pinnacle entities' voting interest, but dad kept the equity. There was yet another change in mid-July. This time David's voting rights in post-merger Paramount were reduced to 50%; his father Larry got 27.5%, according to FCC filings. That means no single shareholder can outvote David, but it also means that he needs his father to approve everything from budgets to key investments. (Larry Ellison appears to control all of the Ellison family's approximately 26% equity stake tied to those voting shares in post-merger Paramount, plus at least 10% more with no voting power, assuming all existing shareholders choose to receive their maximum cashout. On top of that, the Ellisons also own another 6.7% equity stake through Skydance Entertainment Group, per the initial 2024 filing, although it's unclear how that's split between father and son.) If his dad ever decided to team up with Gerry Cardinale's Redbird Capital, which invested in David's Skydance in 2020 and controls the remaining 22.5% of the vote, the two parties could block David Ellison. David Ellison could also sway Redbird if his father disagreed. The main reason for the change, at least two sources say, has more to do with money than power. ' From a voting standpoint, David Ellison will be in control through his entities, but the taxable benefits will flow to Larry,' says Los Angeles-based mergers and acquisitions lawyer Alex Davis, who is not involved in the transaction. Davis says the changes were probably due to regulatory reasons and are not unusual. 'His profitable businesses could benefit from any kind of taxable losses or depreciation with this business.' A spokesperson for Skydance declined to comment. Redbird, David Ellison and the FCC did not respond to a request for comment before publication. It's possible that President Trump's taking office in January also had something to do with it, too. While David Ellison met with both Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr ahead of the deal's approval, he also donated around $1 million to Joe Biden's reelection campaign in February 2024. Meanwhile, Larry Ellison and Trump have a longstanding relationship. In January, Ellison showed up at the White House to help Trump announce his $500 billion Stargate AI infrastructure initiative. And Trump told reporters that same month that he'd be open to an Ellison-led deal to buy TikTok, for which Trump has extended its sell-by date to September. Plus, Ellison has promised an overhaul of Paramount-owned CBS—potentially seeded by Skydance's vow to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs. 'I think he's going to run CBS really well, and I think he's making a good deal to buy it. I think he's great,' Trump said of Larry Ellison at a July 3 rally. Oracle is reportedly in talks to have Paramount and Skydance run on the same Oracle-provided cloud technology, worth $100 million per year. That's a pittance for Ellison, who's worth more than $290 billion, and earns more than $1 billion (before taxes) each year in Oracle dividends alone. A s for how David shares in that wealth, it's somewhat of a black box—intentionally. Larry Ellison put 90,000 shares into a trust for his two children, David and Megan, at Oracle's IPO in 1994. (They were three years and two months old at the time, respectively.) If the trust had held onto those shares, they'd be worth more than $4 billion today. But there is little paper trail since. After the 1994 prospectus, the children's trust was mentioned intermittently, then for the last time in a 2012 filing. By then, David and Megan were listed as having 933,334 Oracle shares via their trust. That's a fraction of what they should have had by then on a split-adjusted basis, meaning that millions of shares were either distributed directly to them; swapped out of the trust for other assets; sold as part of diversification or some combination of all three. What we do know is that David and Megan also got shares in NetSuite, a pioneering cloud computing company in which their dad was an early investor. When Oracle bought NetSuite in 2016 for $9.3 billion, David pocketed some $370 million (pre-tax) that today could be worth as much as $550 million. Skydance, Paramount and Larry Ellison have been intertwined from the start. In 2008, Larry Ellison incorporated Sayonara LLC for 'media production investments' and started pledging his Oracle shares as collateral for lines of credit, around the time David and Megan Ellison were gearing up to start Skydance and production studio Annapurna Pictures in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Per FCC filings, Sayonara LLC is one of the entities that owns the Ellisons' controlling Skydance stake. In 2009, David Ellison raised $350 million, some from his father, to finance a five-year agreement with Paramount to co-produce movies. He notched his first big hit with The Coen brothers' Oscar-nominated 2010 film 'True Grit,' the first feature film produced by Skydance, which grossed more than $250 million worldwide on a $38 million budget. As of mid-2024, Skydance had produced or co-financed 35 feature films, 24 of which were in partnership with Paramount, per regulatory filings. In 2023, Skydance lost $54 million on nearly $1 billion in revenue. (Meanwhile, Megan's Annapurna Pictures, known for critically acclaimed films including 'Her' and 'Zero Dark Thirty,' reportedly struggled with hundreds of millions in debt and flirted with filing for bankruptcy protection—eventually resolved with her father's help.) Although it's not known whether Ellison uses his pledged Oracle shares to finance Annapurna, Skydance or possibly the latter's merger with Paramount, it's likely, according to Davis. As of September 2024, Ellison had pledged 277 million shares, or $68 billion worth, of Oracle stock, to 'secure personal term loans only used to fund outside personal business ventures,' per a regulatory filing. Regardless, the fact that David Ellison has relied so heavily on his dad to help finance Skydance and now Paramount suggests that he may not yet have access to much if any of his Oracle shares. And while David, of course, will be running Paramount as CEO, behind closed doors, no one quite knows how Larry and David will coexist. 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Nobu Hotel: Toronto's Newest Luxury Getaway
Nobu Hotel: Toronto's Newest Luxury Getaway

Forbes

time3 hours ago

  • Forbes

Nobu Hotel: Toronto's Newest Luxury Getaway

Mizu Suite, Nobu Hotel, Toronto Brandon Barré Photography Nobu Hotel Toronto, which launched last month, is a stunning fusion of Japanese elegance and contemporary Canadian design and certainly has the wow factor. The city's newest 5-star luxury hotel occupies the top floors of a mixed-use tower, providing guests with probably the best views of the city skyline and Lake Ontario. Guests have an incredible closeup of Toronto's most famous landmark, the CN Tower, from the hotel's floor-to-ceiling windows. The understated elegance of the lobby at Nobu Hotel Toronto Brandon Barré Photography Nobu opened the Toronto location of its world renowned restaurant in 2024, along with its residences. The hotel rooms on floors 41 to 45 opened in June 2025 complete Nobu's luxury offering. The 36 beautifully designed rooms and suites in what is the highest luxury hotel in the city, offer both privacy (entry involves getting buzzed in via a discreet side door off Mercer street) and panoramic views of Lake Ontario and Toronto's iconic skyline. Marketing Director Alex Marconi stresses that 'the hotel is fully private and closed to the public—only hotel guests have access.' Zen Junior Suite at Nobu hotel Toronto Brandon Barré Photography Design is by Toronto firm Studio Munge who also designed Toronto's Park Hyatt, the stunning waterfront Muir hotel in Halifax and Rosewood, Vancouver. The designers have done an amazing job with Nobu Toronto, using natural materials, warm woods and subtle Japanese detailing, to create a zen-like vibe throughout the hotel. Rooms range in size from 400 square feet for the 'entry level' room to 1,300 square feet for the corner suites. The views from Nobu's signature suites are described as cinematic and that's no exaggeration. It's tempting simply to gaze at these views all day as you won't find a better vantage point of the major landmarks anywhere else in Toronto. You can also take in the views from the hinoki wood deep-soaking tub beside panoramic windows. Other Japanese touches include the toilets of course, yukata robes and slippers. Sushi Bar, Nobu Toronto Joel Esposito The food and drink offer is superb with Nobu restaurant offering hotel guests priority booking. The a la carte breakfast is complimentary in the Sakura Lounge which also offers light bites throughout the day. A nice touch is the complimentary mini-bar in each room, filled with locally sourced snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. For wellness, there isn't a spa but rooms have yoga mats and Earth+Sky TV on-demand fitness classes and there's a petite but well-equipped gym with Technogym equipment, Peloton bikes, Frame Pilates reformer or explore the city on the hotel's bicycles. The starting rate at Nobu Toronto is from $595 CAD + tax per night. What to Do Nearby Nobu Toronto is ideally located near the harbour front of Lake Ontario which is lovely for a stroll or you can hop on a ferry to Toronto island, actually a group of 15 islands inter-connected by pathways and bridges. You can walk from one end of the Island to the other. Take a 13-minute ferry ride from the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the foot of Bay St. and Queen's Quay or there are private water taxis for hire. And even nearer the hotel is the theater district, interesting shopping areas and a variety of bars and restaurants. Harriet's Rooftop at 1 Hotel Toronto 1 Hotel Drinks and light bites on the terrace at the buzzy Harriet's Rooftop Restaurant, at 1 Hotel on Wellington Street West, is always a good idea. The seafood platter is an excellent choice for sharing and seasonal cocktails include the intriguingly named Mango Sticky Rice Punch and That's My Jam. Even if you can't grab a spot near the popular rooftop pool, the views of the city are pretty great. A mural and art installation at Kensington Market, Toronto Joanne Shurvell Bohemian Kensington Market, just off Spadina Avenue, is one of Toronto's most vibrant neighborhoods and well worth a visit. It has plenty of independent boutiques, vintage clothing stores, cafes and bars. Among the highlights are Courage My Love, a retro treasure trove of clothes, jewellery and home goods that's been thrilling visitors with its eclectic selection since 1975. Power Plant, Toronto Joanne Shurvell The Power Plant contemporary art gallery, located on the harbourfont overlooking Lake Ontario, is great for a culture fix. The current exhibition by Emmanuel Osahor is the artist's first major solo presentation in his home city and includes paintings, drawings, prints, ceramic sculptures and a stunning, large, site-specific photographic wallpaper. The main gallery immerses the viewer in lush, verdant garden scapes—inspired by real and imagined locations.

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