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Travel + Leisure
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Travel + Leisure
The Retro Restaurant Trend That's Coming Back Around
Forty-eight floors above the hurly-burly of Times Square, all you can hear is the crackle of ice in a cocktail shaker, the murmur of hushed conversation, and the barely-there tinkle of a baby grand piano. A couple is having their pre-show Manhattans; a group of friends is gossiping over martinis and shrimp cocktail. All the while, the view is ever-changing as the revolving restaurant atop the New York Marriott Marquis takes another spin. 360°-Restaurant Piz Gloria, in the Swiss Alps. After a five-year closure, the View is back—and ready for its star turn. 'We wanted to create a space for the neighborhood's artistic community and its audiences, bringing together a colorful mix of locals while establishing a welcome refuge 48 floors above Broadway,' says Danny Meyer, the founder and executive chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group, which operates the bi-level restaurant and lounge. 'It's not just about dining or service; it's about creating a multisensory experience.' From left: Orbit 360° Dining, in Auckland; the Katz's martini (and its inspiration) at the View. From Left: Sky City; Eric Medsker/The View Reviving restaurants—and indeed whole neighborhoods—is something of a calling card of Meyer's. His first project, Union Square Cafe, was a beacon of taste when it opened on a then-scruffy 16th Street in 1985; his more recent Ci Siamo is already a destination address in the Manhattan West development. With the 2025 reopening of the View, Meyer partnered with design luminary David Rockwell, of Rockwell Group, to tackle the challenge of bringing a sophisticated experience to Times Square while also reimagining the kitschy concept of the revolving restaurant. Infinity at Sydney Tower. 'We took inspiration from theater and set design both because of the View's location in the heart of the Theater District and because it serves as a natural stage,' Rockwell explains. 'Plush fabrics and drapery help define the circular floors, adding dimension and variety.' And while the View is the only revolving restaurant in New York, other venues around the world are evidence that the concept is coming around again. A seafood plateau at the View, in New York. Consider the new addition to Berlin's TV Tower, Sphere Tim Raue , which opened in June. It's helmed by one of Germany's top chefs, Tim Raue, whose existing namesake restaurant a block from Checkpoint Charlie has two Michelin stars. In Australia, Infinity at Sydney Tower relaunched in 2024 with multicourse menu options from French chef Guillaume Gritteret, who puts an emphasis on sourcing rock oysters, Wagyu-style beef, and produce from New South Wales. Wherever they're located, these sky-high spots are tapping into diners' hunger for superlative moments. 'There's something special about the hum of a restaurant in full swing—the clink of glasses, laughter between bites, and the rhythm of service—that all feeds into the energy,' Meyer observes. 'There's a strong appetite for experiences that go beyond what you can create at home.' Berlin The city's Fernsehturm, or TV Tower, has a new restaurant, Sphere Tim Raue, with a menu of Middle European dishes and views from 679 feet. Sydney Infinity at Sydney Tower offers a six-course tasting menu centered on local products on the 81st floor of the city's tallest building. Swiss Alps The James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" put 360°-Restaurant Piz Gloria on the map when the refuge at the summit of Schilthorn played the part of a villain's lair. These days, the 9,744-foot-high spot is known for its Prosecco-soaked brunches. Entrées $29–$61. Vienna With views of the old city and the Danube River from more than 550 feet, Turm Restaurant serves Viennese classics like schnitzel and Tafelspitz, as well as seasonal options such as asparagus risotto. Entrées $25–$58. Auckland, New Zealand On the 52nd floor of Sky Tower, the tallest building in the country, Orbit 360° Dining has menus that change with the seasons, featuring dishes such as line-caught snapper with onion and leek ragù and a roasted-eggplant preparation with wild rice and coconut yogurt. Prix fixe from $66. Las Vegas Surprisingly, the only revolving restaurant in the city, Top of the World is more than 800 feet above the Strip, with a menu of steak-house classics (plus lighter choices like diver scallops with polenta and wild mushrooms) and a deep wine cellar with nearly 300 labels, including Caymus Vineyards and Château Margaux. Entrées $43–$110. Fort Lauderdale, Florida A haunt for the jet set after it opened in 1965, Pier Top has been reimagined following its 2017 closure in the wake of Hurricane Irma. The Midcentury vibes remain, but the inventive cocktails, like one made with cashew- and coconut-washed rum, are as contemporary as it gets. Small plates $12–$32. A version of this story first appeared in the September 2025 edition of Travel + Leisure under the headline "Let's Twist Again."
Boston Globe
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
‘If you're not here, you think L.A.'s burning': Trump's alarm meets city calm
'If you're not here, you think L.A.'s burning to the ground,' Joe McGuire said. 'But you come out here, you look around and you just say, 'My God, this is where I want to be.'' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Despite Trump's assertions that Los Angeles was beset by widespread lawlessness, a chaos he insisted could be quelled only by thousands of National Guard troops and Marines, the protests that have unfolded here since Friday in response to immigration raids have been mostly confined to a few downtown blocks. Advertisement They have featured sporadic violent clashes, which intensified as the sun set and organized rallies dispersed, prompting the mayor to impose a curfew for downtown Tuesday night. Overall, though, the crowds have not been especially large, and life in much of this sprawling metropolis has continued uninterrupted. On the tree-lined streets of the city's westside, joggers passed beneath blooming purple jacarandas. In northeast neighborhoods, street vendors sold fresh fruit and tacos. Kids, celebrating the start of summer break, played in parks. Retirees read newspapers outside a cafe. Advertisement Riding in open-top tour buses, visitors craned their necks to get a good look at the homes of celebrities. Revelers packed the city's Pride parade and the Hollywood Bowl's opening weekend. An around-the-clock, everywhere-all-at-once emergency this is not. 'This is a manufactured crisis with a manufactured narrative that completely misunderstands Los Angeles,' said Fernando Guerra, director of Loyola Marymount University's Center for the Study of Los Angeles. 'It is as though there's a fire in one house and someone is claiming that the entire town is burning down.' That doesn't mean Angelenos aren't aware of what's happening. On the contrary, many stridently oppose the Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown, fearing for themselves, their families, or their neighbors. But Los Angeles is huge, and even as a feeling of foreboding lingers, the protests triggered by the ICE raids have hardly impeded daily routines. The city is roughly 500 square miles and could hold more than 20 Manhattans within its bounds. Los Angeles County is even larger and, with nearly 10 million residents, would be the country's 11th most populous state. In portraying the pandemonium as total, Trump and his allies are furthering several political goals, Guerra said. The president is showcasing his anti-immigration policies, communicating his willingness to upend longstanding norms, and bolstering his persistent argument that Democratic-led cities are out of control. 'If you ever wanted a playbook on how to dominate the national narrative, this is it,' Guerra said. 'He's met all his objectives.' For a reality check, he added, compare the events of recent days with past moments of upheaval. The 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police drew far larger crowds here, and the 1992 riots after the beating of Rodney King left an extensive trail of damage across the Los Angeles area. Advertisement And the latest demonstrations weren't even the biggest of the year locally, nor were they the first to shut down parts of the 101 freeway. Officials maintain that a typical police response — which might include mutual aid from the state, county, or neighboring cities — would have been sufficient. 'We've all been, in Los Angeles, a part of a grand experiment to see what happens when the federal government decides they want to roll up on a state, roll up on a city and take over,' Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, told reporters recently. In the same news conference, she took pains to underscore that the most significant confrontations between protesters and police were isolated to a relatively small area. 'Unfortunately the visuals make it seem as though our entire city is in flames, and that is not the case at all,' Bass said. 'And I think it's important to say that.' At the Griffith Observatory, those visuals didn't fool Lynn Counts, who had just arrived from Illinois a couple hours before. She and her family saw the headlines but decided to make the trip anyway. Her impression after driving the distance from Los Angeles International Airport? An overreaction. 'We're from Chicago,' she said. 'So we've seen plenty of stuff like that.' Peter Pastore of Toronto has been in Los Angeles for nearly a week, sightseeing while his son competed in a Tetris tournament. Best he can tell, Trump is just back to picking a fight with California, a favorite punching bag. His family hasn't noticed anything amiss. Advertisement 'It's really no big deal,' Pastore said. The only thing that has made him nervous during the trip: his lifelong earthquake phobia. In the neighborhood of Silver Lake, Tera Uhlinger and her 12-year-old schnauzer, Mason, were lounging in the grass next to the area's reservoir. Like other residents, she has been fielding concerned messages from out-of-town friends and family. 'I think people who don't live in L.A. think that it's kind of like any other city,' she said. Instead, it's diffuse, spread out, a multiplicity of diverse places and people. Uhlinger — a writer, actor, and Reiki practitioner — has been feeling the dissonance lately. She has been dismayed by the immigration raids, but the protests have felt a world apart. Her focus has been on Mason, who is recuperating from a back injury. 'We're a few miles from the protest right now,' Uhlinger said. 'But I'm a million miles away, sitting in the park, giving my dog attention.'
NDTV
08-06-2025
- General
- NDTV
5 Common Kitchen Tools You Can Use To Make Restaurant-Quality Cocktails At Home
On Fridays, as soon as the clock hits 5, most of us start wrapping things up and thinking about just one thing: unwinding with our friends at home over a good drink. It's a simple joy, right? But let's face it, not everyone has a fully stocked bar waiting at home. Maybe you've just moved into a new place, you're on vacation, or you've only just started building your home bar setup. That's when the struggle begins. You want a nice cocktail, but the tools just aren't there. The good news? You really don't need anything fancy to make a great drink. With a little bit of creativity and classic Indian jugaad, you can make cocktails that taste just as good, if not better, than the ones you get outside. So if you've been holding back because of missing tools, here's something that will help. These five simple tricks will show you how to use basic kitchen items to create amazing cocktails right at home. Here Are 5 Quick Ways To Make Restaurant-Quality Drinks Without Any Fancy Tools 1. Shake It Up In A Regular Jar No cocktail shaker? Not a problem! A regular glass jar with a tight-fitting lid works equally fine and is a great substitute. Just add your ingredients and ice, secure the lid, and shake like there is no tomorrow. The jar's transparency allows you to watch the mixing and sturdiness makes it durable. When pouring, you can use the jar's lid to strain out ice or other ingredients, which will give you the feeling of a cocktail shaker. This method is perfect for cocktails like margaritas or daiquiris, where mixing properly is the key. 2. Mix With Everyday Utensils For cocktails that require stirring rather than shaking, like Negronis or Manhattans, a long spoon, chopstick or even a butter knife would do the trick. The goal is to gently combine the ingredients and chill the drink without over-diluting. Just add your ingredients to a glass filled with ice or mix smoothly for 30 seconds. This technique makes sure you have a well-mixed cocktail with the right balance of flavours. 3. Muddle With Whatever You Have Muddling releases the essential oils and juices from herbs and fruits, which ultimately enhances the flavour of the cocktail. If you don't have a traditional muddler, the handle of a wooden spoon or a rolling pin works just fine. Gently press and twist the tool over ingredients like mint leaves or citrus fruit slices to extract the essence. Just be careful not to over-muddle, especially with herbs, to avoid bitterness. This simple technique is important for drinks like mojitos, which brings out their signature taste. 4. Measure Using Kitchen Tools We all know how accurate measurements are important for fab cocktails. If you don't have a jigger, use your common spoons and cups as alternatives. For example, one tablespoon equals 15 ml. This allows you to measure spirits and mixers effectively. Knowing the measurements and the correct ratios makes sure you get the drink you desire. This is particularly useful when you are following new recipes and mixes. 5. Strain Using Kitchen Items Straining makes the liquid separate from solids, which gives you a smoother drinking experience. If you don't have a cocktail strainer, you can use a sieve, a tea strainer, or even the lid of your jar to do the deed. These tools help filter out the fruit pulp, ice cubes, or even small herb leftovers. Pro tip: if you want an even finer strain, use a coffee filter or a muslin cloth. This will literally give you a clean, smooth and delicious cocktail that's also super presentable!
Eater
06-06-2025
- Business
- Eater
Chicago's Influential Violet Hour Is Closed Until Further Notice
For the past three weeks, the Violet Hour has remained dormant in Wicker Park, with ownership saying the cocktail bar was in dire need of plumbing repairs. Originally, the owners planned on reopening last week, but now the 18-year-old cocktail bar will stay closed 'until further notice,' missing the onslaught of culinary tourists in town next weekend for the 35th annual James Beard Awards. Ownership from One Off Hospitality Group, the restaurant company behind the Publican and Big Star, says they're in negotiations with the building's landlord, attempting to reach common ground over those repairs. A rep declined to say how much that would cost, only saying 'substantial' fixes are needed. Floors would need to be ripped up, and the ground dug out. The bar's furniture remains intact at 1520 N. Damen Avenue. Public records showed the owner listed as Magic Carpet LLC, which leads to Newcastle Investors. A press release shows Newcastle acquired the property in 2023. 'We're working hard to resume service and will continue to share updates as they become available, so please keep an eye on our social media pages for the latest news,' a Violet Hour statement reads. 'Thank you for your continued support — we can't wait to welcome you back, if and when the time is right.' Violet Hour's importance extends a few layers deep. The bar's debut ushered in the age of the mixologist with sophisticated cocktails using not-so-easy-to-find ingredients. And a multitude of different types of ice. But its influence extended across the country. Chicagoans enjoyed martinis and Manhattans, but Violet Hour's bartenders showed them new drinks, introducing them to future bar staples like the Paper Plane and the Art of Choke. In 2015, the bar won the Beard for Outstanding Bar Program. The bar has made numerous local and national lists and is one of Chicago's essential bars. An arsenal of bartenders remains thankful for their time working the bar, which helped launch their careers. The bar's arrival also marked the start of One Off's Wicker Park presence as the area rapidly gentrified. MTV brought the neighborhood attention when it brought its Real World circus to North Avenue in 2001-2002. One Off partner Terry Alexander was already an integral part of the area — he was also behind Danny's Tavern in nearby Bucktown and soon joined Paul Kahan and Donnie Madia's group. After opening Big Star, they eventually took over the neighboring space to the north and opened Dove's Luncheonette. In 2016, the group opened a spinoff of its pioneering Publican, but the restaurant struggled to find traction as the neighborhood continued to change. An ancillary Beard event, scheduled for Sunday, June 15 — a collaboration with Portland, Oregon Beard Award finalist Scotch Lodge — will move to Friends of Friends, a new bar that Alexander opened last week with Violet Hour alum Abe Vucekovich. Alexander's familiarity with the Violet Hour spans more than two decades through MOD, a restaurant that was open from 2000 to 2005; and Del Toro, a restaurant that gave Andrew Zimmerman a chance to shine. Zimmerman would go on to open West Loop icon Sepia, a Michelin-starred restaurant. While One Off appears to be cautiously optimistic about a reopening, a decision to shutter could echo what happened in 2020 in West Loop when the company closed Blackbird, a gastronomic trailblazer, after two decades. Fans of Blackbird didn't get a chance to have a final meal. One Off hopes Violet Hour doesn't face the same fate and gets a proper last call. Sign up for our newsletter.
Business Insider
30-05-2025
- Business Insider
In my 20s, I dreamed of a wild weekend in Vegas. Instead, I went as a sober mom in my 30s.
In my younger years, I dreamt of hitting Sin City for a hedonistic weekend that could only be remembered via poorly scribbled notes written in an inebriated haze. Like many would-be writers, I longed to recreate Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing" firsthand. Las Vegas has a reputation, after all, for being the sort of place one goes to make endless mistakes in, hopefully, enjoyable ways. As a lower-income lush in my 20s, the trip never happened. Back then, it felt most important to invoke my inner Don Draper and sip Manhattans at local bars in my hometown of Miami or occasionally slip into harder habits. I was, what you might call, an experimental gal. This meant I never had much more than $100 to my name. The long and short of it is I had not only a drinking habit, but a drinking problem. Luckily, things change. I changed. The long and short of it is I got pregnant and quit drinking, lost the baby, and binged one final time. After I realized it wasn't going to fix my trauma, I stopped drinking. Now, roughly a decade later, I do, on rare occasions, nurse a low ABV beer during a meal out with friends, but for the most part, those days are long behind me, and I'm grateful for it. Over the years, I became a journalist, a wife, and a mother. I left Florida behind and built a new life in Colorado — hundreds of miles away from where I started, and from my best friend. No longer someone who was getting blackout drunk on the regular, I also finally had enough money to go on a girls' trip. So I asked my BFF to meet me in Vegas so we could paint the town red, in our own way. Booze-free days in Vegas As I arrived in Las Vegas a few hours before my friend did, and a few hours before check-in, I got into my own form of trouble. No, I didn't hit a bar. I picked up some goodies from the Hello Kitty Cafe, and then went and got a massage. When my friend finally arrived, we both checked into our shared room at the Park MGM — which is the only non-smoking hotel on the Strip. I had developed an aversion to the smell of cigs in recent years, and was pleased to find out they don't even allow smoking in the casino. I'll admit that seeing the glittering lights of the Strip at night and seeing all the folks dressed up for the clubs and casinos did give me a pang of FOMO. But that feeling went away once I woke up the next day sans hangover and ready for more adventures. While I immediately recognized Las Vegas' potential for being a blast on psychedelics, it was still plenty of fun without. We visited Wink World, rode the Haley's Comet zipline, and explored immersive art at Meow Wolf's Omega Mart. Drink-less nights in Vegas In the evenings, we found ways to have fun that didn't involve getting plastered while talking to strangers and making regrettable decisions. One night, we sat near the front row for "Kà," which is exactly the way you want to enjoy a Cirque du Soleil show, where people are flying over you. Another night, we went to the Neon Museum to check out their "boneyard" — a collection of retired neon signs, all lit up like they were in their prime. We even ventured into the casino and quickly played, and lost, a few bucks playing blackjack and roulette. But we still managed to make it back to our rooms with enough time to catch an episode of "SVU" and fall asleep without the aid of booze. Leaving town, my wallet didn't hurt, nor did my head. No regrettable calls made, no regrettable actions taken. If I'd gone to Vegas in my 20s, it's possible I might've had more fun in certain ways, but I likely wouldn't remember much of it. I felt good about the fact that nothing I did in Vegas had to stay in Vegas.
