For a Special Occasion: Marky’s Caviar
This caviar shop on Madison Ave is a lovely place to celebrate a special occasion.
If you’re looking to celebrate a special occasion or just splash out on the Upper East Side, there’s Marky’s Caviar. Located on Madison Avenue and 81st Street, Marky’s is both a retail space and a restaurant. The pretty front counter is filled with various styles of caviar where you can buy all sorts of tins, from an Alaskan trout roe for $25 to Beluga for $850. There’s even a vegetarian “caviar.” You can also purchase accoutrements like blinis, creme fraiche, hard-cooked egg, etc, along with other gourmet speciality items. The back of the shop is devoted Huso’s, serving caviar-accented lunch and dinner. I once went with a dear friend who was visiting me from New Orleans and we sat by the front window (great for people watching on Madison) and drank a bottle of Champagne and split a sampling of caviar and accessories. For something a lot less expensive but still fun and special, we’l often buy a tin of the smoked trout roe for $35 and have an at-home celebration.
Steve Cohen the Magician is Magical
Steve Cohen in Chamber Magic.
Image Credit: Chamber Magic
I should point out that this is not 100 percent on the Upper East Side, but it’s close and it’s worth every extra block. Steve Cohen the Magician has been performing for celebrities and other notables for the past 20 years. His show, Chamber Magic, is now the resident magic show at the Lotte New York Palace hotel (on Madison and 51st), and was one of the most fun nights we’ve had in a long time. Full disclosure, I’m not really into magic, but this performance is incredible.
The 90-minute show is held in a parlor, just off The Gold Room, and cocktail attire is encouraged, making it feel like a special occasion. I wish we would have made time to have a pre-dinner cocktail at the bar. The show is adults-only and limited to 64 people so that the environment feels intimate and elegant.
Without giving away any secrets, Cohen has worked to recreate parlor entertainment that was popular in Manhattan’s early 20th century, when magicians were invited into the homes of wealthy patrons to entertain friends and family. This event feels like you’ve stepped back in time before iPhones, when an audience is captivated by entertainers. Cohen has a psychology degree from Cornell University and studied at Waseda University in Tokyo. He also holds the rank of Member of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star, awarded by The Magic Circle in London. He’s performed for loads of celebs like Warren Buffet, Martha Stewart, Tracy Morgan, Buzz Aldrin, Stephen Sondheim, the Queen of Monaco, and royal family members, to name a few. His tricks, in a nutshell, are mind bending (especially the Think-a-Drink). If you’re going to do one new thing in NYC this year, I highly recommend this. It would also be really fun for visiting guests.
Chamber Magic is held twice every Friday and Saturday. Shows take place at Lotte New York Palace hotel. Tickets start at $125; get them here.
Date Night at The Met
“Date Night” Continues on Fridays and Saturdays at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Every Friday and Saturday night, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., is now Date Night at The Met. The concept was introduced last spring and has continued through the summer months (and perhaps beyond). We visited on one of the initial Friday evenings, and meandered the museum while sipping cocktails, listening to live music, and checking out the 5,000 years of art.
A note from the Met: Events and performers are subject to change. All events are free with Museum admission, which is always pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents and NY, NJ, and CT students with valid ID. (Pay-what-you-wish tickets can only be reserved in person; allow extra time for lines.)
Sandro’s Opens a New Location on East 86th
Sandro’s is open on East 86th Street.
The venerable Sandro’s has re-opened, with a new location on East 86th Street, in the former Little Frog restaurant location (very sad to see that place go). Owner and chef Sandro Fioriti opened his former location on East 81st Street in 2006, serving his native Roman cuisine. According to the New York Times, he has been joined by his son, Sandro Fioriti Jr., for the past eight years, who runs the restaurant, with his father in the kitchen. The new location is expected to have the same menu and staff in the 56-seat space. Upon a quick tour, the dining room appears to be a bit more formal than Little Frog with nicely-spaced circular tables dressed in white linens.