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New York Post
7 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
NYC business leaders are terrified of what socialist Zohran Mamdani may do as mayor
Friends of mine, prominent players in the New York City business community, tell me they are horrified that a certified socialist, Zohran Mamdani, might become our next mayor. Their next step is Florida, or somewhere, anywhere out of his grasp if Mamdani does become mayor as the polls suggest could happen — even with the more moderate, albeit flawed, Andrew Cuomo, the former governor, seemingly in the lead for the Democratic nomination. In this one-party town, that usually means a ticket into Gracie Mansion. 'We need Cuomo to win or we're doomed,' is how one brand-named, uber-rich New Yorker put it over dinner the other night at Elio's, the Upper East Side restaurant frequented by New York's top business leaders. Advertisement Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani campaigning in East Harlem on June 18, 2025. Robert Miller Yes, 'Mayor Mamdani' is a scary thought. He sees anyone with a heartbeat and a job as part of the problem, an oppressor class that needs to be exploited to pay for an ever larger welfare state. His positions on Israel are so noxious, they don't bear repeating. Advertisement But his type has been here before — and for a long time, which is why crying over Mamdani is, as they say, a bit rich when it comes from the rich. New York City and state have been experiencing massive outmigrations of people and business for years because the Big Apple and the Empire State have been run largely by the radical left for the better part of two decades. Our tax base is being decimated by crime and the cost of living. Banks are moving more of their operations to lower-taxed Texas and Florida. Real estate is sinking. All of this has picked up steam in recent years, but it's hardly a new phenomenon and you can blame the now-sweating fat-cat class for allowing it to happen. Their money could have informed the public of the city and state's death spiral and backed sensible mayoral candidates, people like John Catsimatidis, an entrepreneur and true New Yorker. Advertisement The current Republican candidate and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa is smart enough to appoint people who successfully ran the city under Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg. Sliwa also ran four years ago, and would have been a far better choice than the ethically challenged Eric Adams. Speaking up too late Instead, the city's business class sat idly by. They acquiesced as a defund-the-police prosecutor, the hapless Alvin Bragg, became Manhattan DA. Only after a violent-crime spree against their own employees perpetrated by criminals allowed to roam the streets because of Bragg's policies did they say a word. Where were they during Comrade Bill de Blasio's reign of terror and error? Recall in 2021, Adams ran as mayor promising to address the crime wave and with business support. But only after crime coverage by this newspaper did he step up policing by appointing the highly competent Jessica Tisch as police commissioner. Advertisement Likewise, where's the outrage over the emergence of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the fatuous Bronx and Queens congresswoman? She comes from similar lineage as Mamdani — leftist education, devoid of private sector experience, dimwitted when answering tough policy questions, though good at social media — the main qualifications for the leadership in New York's Democratic Party, and increasingly the national party as well. Which brings us to the business community's preferred choice, Cuomo. They see him as a smart, moderating influence on the left. Most are unimpressed by the reasons he was forced out as governor, as they should be. The sexual-impropriety case mounted by state AG Tish James was at best a political hit job from someone who wanted his job and searched for stuff that couldn't stand legal scrutiny. You can criticize him for locking down the city during COVID, but those were perilous times, and confusion from DC on how to react didn't help. Count me as highly skeptical that he was solely responsible for those nursing home deaths since hospitals were calling on the state to return the elderly once they appeared to clear the virus to make room for others as the pandemic spread. My problem with Cuomo is doubts over whether he will stand up to the progressives who are destroying New York City and the state in general. His instincts are moderate — maybe even a bit conservative given the leftism that permeates the Democratic Party. I've sat down with him, and he talks a good game about preserving the business class in the city, how they produce jobs and will produce them elsewhere if he taxes them out of the state. Advertisement He understands the need for public safety, how the economy is inextricably tied to people feeling safe, which makes him an anomaly in New York's Dem Party. Housing values increase when you're not worried about them getting robbed. If people can't take the subway to work, they can now work from home, depriving small businesses of that end of the wealth effect. And yet, in his later years as governor, he gave in far too much to the lefty loons. New York state should be a fracking capital given shale supplies upstate. Cuomo blocked that. His bail reform law has been a disaster. Taxes were too high when he was governor, as they are now. He made the incompetent Kathy Hochul his No. 2 and now we're stuck with her running the state in his absence. That said, Cuomo's first term was decidedly centrist on taxes and a lot more. His dad, Mario Cuomo, a three-term governor, was among the greatest politicians of our time, so Andrew learned from the best. Will Cuomo 2.0 beat back the misguided support for Mamdani? The business class — and the future of this great city — are depending on it.
New York Post
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
These are the secret off-menu dishes at NYC's trendiest restaurants
Getting a prime-time table at a buzzy restaurant in the city is no longer enough. Diners-in-the-know pride themselves on ordering exclusive off-menu items, and restaurants are increasingly offering them. 'It's becoming a thing,' said Colleen Croft, co-owner of Elio's, a popular Upper East Side Italian restaurant that's been around for decades. 'When people are regulars they like knowing things other people don't.' At Elio's, the off-menu chicken parm has been a favorite of insiders. Have a look at it and four other popular off-menu items around town. Chicken parm at Elio's 9 The chicken parm at Elio's is a customer favorite, but it will never go on the regular menu. Emmy Park Gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly a big fan of the restaurant's $44 rendition of the Italian-American staple, but Croft told The Post it will never be added to the real menu. 'My husband always said it isn't a traditionally classic Italian dish, and this is an Italian restaurant,' said Croft of her late partner, Elio Guaitolini, a Genoa, Italy native who opened Elio's in 1981. 'It doesn't belong on the menu.' Over the years, Elio's has attracted a laundry list of bold-face regulars, including Joan Didion, Woody Allen and Paul McCartney. Paltrow celebrated her 40h birthday at the restaurant in 2012. 9 Chef Luiz Cuzco and his team serve and prepare about three dozen chicken parms each night. Emmy Park Croft told The Post they sell about three dozen chicken parms a night, despite the dish's stealth status. Emma Pendrill, who works in travel public relations and lives close to the restaurant, said she learned about the item from a friend who had been frequenting the restaurant for years. The first time she had it, she said, 'I fell in love.' 'I am not a fan of chicken parm. In fact, I would never order it,' she said. 'But at Elio's they cook it with very thin, perfectly crunchy chicken, and their classic red sauce doesn't overwhelm the rest of the dish.' 1621 2nd Ave., Upper East Side Spicy vodka pasta at Emmett's on Grove 9 Emmett Burke said customers like feeling special when they order the off-menu pasta. EMMY PARK The casual West Village pizza joint is known for its crowd-pleasing playlist, free-flowing martinis, and creative pies. The menu features a handful of pastas, but this $22 off-menu noodle is the one to get. 'We make conchiglie pasta shells in house, and marry it with creamy vodka sauce we spice up with cherry peppers and their juice,' owner Emmett Burke told The Post. Josh Beckerman, a popular food influencer who goes by @FoodieMagician on Instagram, has posted about the pasta, praising its 'velvety sensual wonderful sauce.' 9 The spicy vodka pasta will soon be on the regular menu at Elio's. EMMY PARK The dish was something the chefs were playing around with in the kitchen one day before they tried it on a few friends and regulars. 'They loved it and thought it was fun and felt like they were special,' said Burke. But, the exclusivity has an expiration date. Burke said it will soon be added to the regular menu. 39 Grove St., Hash brown Caviar Bites at Cafe Commerce 9 At Cafe Commerce, they serve about 20 caviar-topped hash brown specials each night. Alexander Stein At the beginning of 2025, chef Harold Moore opened the second iteration of Cafe Commerce. The 55-seat Upper East Side bistro has many of the same menu items as the original Cafe Commerce, a popular West Village spot that closed in 2015. But Chef Moore is also having fun with new dishes, including some off-menu offerings. The most popular of the insider items are these small hash browns topped with creme fraiche, shallots, chives and a gram of osetra caviar. Every night, about 20 diners order the high-low delight. 'It feels special, and people like being in the know,' said Moore. 964 Lexington Ave., Upper East Side; Canard a la presse from Restaurant Daniel 9 Daniel Boulud has brought the elaborate pressed duck presentation back to his flagship restaurant. EMMY PARK Daniel Boulud had this fussy french dish on the menu at his uptown flagship many years ago. At the end of March, he announced on Instagram that he was bringing it back as an off-menu special. Those who order it enjoy an elaborate presentation. A glistening silver press is wheeled out tableside and used to extract the juice from a duck carcass into a silver bowl. Cognac and other spirits are whisked into the liquid to create a sauce, which is then painted onto a plate and topped with delicately carved pieces of duck. More of the rich sauce is poured over the meat at the table. 9 The duck dish costs $295 per person. EMMY PARK 9 The sauce made from the pressed duck carcasse is painted on the plate. restaurantdaniel/Instagram Such luxury comes with a cost — a $295 per person supplement to the restaurant's multi-course set menus which range from $195 to $235. Only a limited number of ducks are available each night, and they must be reserved in advance. It's 'a revered French tradition that showcases the art of duck preparation,' Boulud said on Instagram. 60 E. 65th St., Upper East Side; Buri Shabu Shabu at Aqua New York 9 'Not every table is the right fit,' Richard Ward, the owner of Aqua, said of the buri shabu shabu. Courtesy of Aqua New York Aqua — a 400-seat, 25,000-square-foot London import that opened in the Flatiron at the end of 2024 — has not one, but two menus. One is devoted to upscale Italian favorites while a second features sushi, robata and other Japanese fare. It's probably the only place in the city where you can order both homemade rosemary focaccia and black cod tempura with matcha salt and truffle paste. There are even more items on offer for those deemed worthy. The restaurant has an off-menu buri shabu shabu ($36) featuring yellowtail sashimi cooked in garlic dashi broth and served with a soy-egg sauce for dipping. Roughly five of the fish dishes are available each night, and servers offer it only to select diners. 'Not every table is the right fit,' Richard Ward, the restaurant's owner, told The Post. 902 Broadway,
