Use your downtime over the holidays to explore the city’s new and exciting offerings this month.
Toronto-based chef David Lee offers Asian fusion dishes at PLANTA Queen this winter. Its eighth location will serve twists on classic Chinese American dishes like vegan General Tso’s chicken and Bang Bang broccoli with sweet chile sauce. Fish-free sushi will be filled with substitutes like ahi watermelon and mushroom bacon inari. Cocktails like I Hate It When Bay Leaves, featuring bay leaf, lime and avocado oil, and Shisho Fine with hibiscus tea and rum add boozy fun to a meal of ethically sourced veggies. 15 W. 27th St.
Dana Heyward, Daughter’s kitchen director
Brooklyn’s quaint Crown Heights neighborhood will soon be home to Daughter, a cafe and natural wine bar serving up fresh coffee, pastries and community service, which opens on Dec. 14. Owner Adam Keita hopes to give back to locals through its Family Meal project, with cafeteria-style meals free daily to anyone in need, no questions asked. Daughter will also donate 10% of its quarterly profits to a myriad missions that give back such as Ancient Song Doula Services, which ameliorates the crisis of Black infant mortality rates, and The Water Project, which helps provide clean water across sub-Saharan Africa. Daughter invites its patrons to feel good about enjoying ethically sourced espresso and small plates while serving and supporting the local community. 1090 Saint John’s Place, Crown Heights
For an escape from the mundanities of 21st century life, the new Maker Hotel in downtown Hudson offers a staycation that will transport guests to the belle epoque and other culturally exuberant eras. Co-founders Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg forged global beauty brand Fresh, and they’ve carried that same ethos of indulgence and artisanship into their latest project. The 11-room property merges an 1800s carriage house, a Georgian mansion and a Greek Revival building, preserving much of the original architecture. 302 Warren St., Hudson
New Yorkers can now see the beauty must-haves and Dr. Erno Laszlo’s skincare prescriptions of Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and other legends at the Makeup Museum. The museum’s Pink Jungle: 1950s Makeup in America exhibition offers an inside look at defining cosmetic items and historical artifacts of the decade. The extensive collection explores ’50s beauty marketing, formulas and packaging innovations, and the industry’s top entrepreneurs of the time. The museum has provided digital programming during the pandemic, including an online beauty campaign for Pride month and the unveiling of makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin’s personal journals. But the ability to open at 16% capacity with safety protocols in place has instilled a sense of excitement among staff and visitors alike. “2020 has been a difficult year for so many, with the beauty industry and its artists being hit especially hard,” says Rachel Goodwin, Makeup Museum co-founder. “Our dream for the Makeup Museum has always been to create a place of refuge for all beauty seekers, providing inspiration, escapism, reflection and education.” 94 Gansevoort St.
Photography by: MAKEUP MUSEUM PHOTO BY JOHN MARK SORUM/COURTESY OF MAKEUP MUSEUM; MAKER HOTEL
PHOTO BY FRANCINE ZASLOW/COURTESY OF MAKER HOTEL; all photos courtesy of brands
