What’s New

Flatiron Summer Series Recap

The Flatiron Summer Series, free public programming -- for the community, by the community -- on the Flatiron Public Plazas, came to a close last week.

The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership helped New Yorkers make the most of summer with eight fun-filled weeks of free events, which included "Tech Tuesdays" technology classes, fitness classes for "Wellness Wednesdays," and nostalgic games, activities, live entertainment, and treats on "Throwback Thursdays". Over the course of the summer, over 2,150 people attended the programs.

• The program kicked-off with a Summer Solstice Sundial in partnership with the National Museum of Mathematics, on the Summer Solstice -  Thursday, June 21st - participants became a human sundial using the solstice sun and their bodies to tell the time.
  
  
• On "Tech Tuesdays," classes focused on enhancing attendees' tech skills were taught by instructors from neighborhood businesses and institutions, including General Assembly, which has been a program partner since 2012.
  
  
• In partnership with Athleta Flatiron, fitness enthusiasts enjoyed free yoga, zumba, kickboxing, and other sweat-inducing workouts on "Wellness Wednesdays". Each session was taught by instructors from local studios. Post-workout, participants quenched their thirst with free smoothies from Flatiron Green Cafe as well as goodies from Athleta Flatiron. 
  
  
• Nostalgic games could be found on the North Plaza on "Throwback Thursdays" for some lunchtime fun. Local non-profit The Center for Book Arts and Fujifilm Wonder Photo Shop joined us at noon to offer free book-making activities for kids. Wonder Photo Shop also provided Instax cameras allowing attendees to take home a memory of the series. In the evening, local musicians & improv troupes offered all-ages entertainment. And for three very special days, Eataly and Shake Shack provided sweet treats for our attendees to enjoy.

Thank you to our partners for a successful program this year! 

• Athleta Flatiron
• Baruch College Division of Continuing and Professional Studies
• bodē NYC
• Eataly
• exhale Flatiron
• Flatiron Green Cafe
• General Assembly
• Hill Country Live
• National Museum of Mathematics
• New York Health & Racquet Club
• North Coast as seen at The PIT
• Shake Shack
• TADA! Youth Theater
• The Center for Book Arts
• The Jazz Gallery
• The Peoples Improv Theater
• ThoughtMatter
• Tiger Schulmann
• Touro College Graduate School of Technology
• Uplift Studios
• Wonder Photo Shop by Fujifilm

Interested in participating in Flatiron Summer Series next year? Email info (at) flatironbid (dot) org.

Flatiron - Open for Business

About NYC & Company:
NYC & Company is the official destination marketing organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City worldwide. For all there is to do and see in New York City, visit nycgo.com.

July News Roundup

July ushered in summer heat and exciting news announcements for the Flatiron District including new restaurant openings, business developments, and real estate transactions. Stay up to date with the latest Flatiron District News with the BID’s monthly roundup of notable highlights. 

• July was full of restaurant openings and announcements. The second of three dining venues coming to the Evelyn, Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria, a Roman-inspired bakery and café, opened (via Eater New York). Chef Anna Kim signed a 12-year lease for a restaurant at 8 West 28^th Street that is slated to open in October (via Commercial Observer). Touted as the “Best Steak Restaurant in the UK,” Hawksmoor will open its first U.S. location at 287 Park Avenue South in 2019 that will feature a 180-seat restaurant and a 50-seat bar (via The Drink Business).

• Flatiron restaurants received spots of several “best of” lists in July. maman NoMad, Toby’s Estate Coffee, and Birch Coffee were listed as some New York City’s most charming coffee shops due to the combination of their high-quality coffee plus cozy interiors (via Town and Country). Eataly’s SERRA by Birreria was labeled as one of the seven must-see rooftops in the city (via Eyewitness News 7). Simon & The Whale was listed as one of the city’s chicest new restaurants (via Architectural Digest). Zero Otto Nove received praise for being one of the few NYC restaurants that specializes in Salerno-style pizza making. Salerno-style is a Neapolitan pizza with a thin, extra crispy crust (via Viewing NYC).  

• Modern furniture store, Lovesac, opened at 927 Broadway. The brand was attracted to the district for its first New York retail store due to the growing residential population coupled with high tourism traffic (via Rew Online). Riskified, a company specializing in eCommerce fraud prevention, landed a spot on New York City’s best places to work list, with the Flatiron headquarters garnering a 97% workplace satisfaction rate (via Cision PR Newswire). Todd Snyder was profiled in the Wall Street Journal and described the American classics worn by his father and grandfather that inspired his clothing designs (via Wall Street Journal). Todd Snyder also teamed up with Timex on a limited edition watch, the “Blackout,” that will be available at the flagship store later this year (via Esquire).

• The Flatiron Building is available for lease and two coworking companies, WeWork and UK-based The Office Group, are reportedly competing to move in to the coveted location (via The Real Deal). WeWork signed a 10-year lease at 15 West 27^th street totaling 11,818 square feet with plans to move in this fall (via Crain’s New York). Technology solutions provider Visionet opened a new office at 27 West 24^th Street stating the proximity to major retail as the influence for its location choice (via PR Urgent). Coworking provider Spaces leased the entire office portion of the former United Charities Building at 287 Park Avenue South (via Commercial Observer). Men’s lifestyle publication Gear Patrol moved its offices to 236 Fifth Avenue (via Commercial Observer) and International WELL Building Institute leased 9,000 square feet at 220 Fifth Avenue as the company had spent time searching for a new space that was reflective of its culture (via Commercial Property Executive). 

• A steam pipe burst in the Flatiron District on 21st Street and Fifth Avenue at 6:40 am on Thursday, July 19th. The rupture later tested positive for asbestos contamination causing the closure of several streets, the evacuation of up to 50 buildings, the shuttering of businesses and residential buildings (via The New York Times). The Fire Department of New York, the New York Police Department, the NYPD 13th Precinct, the Office of Emergency Response, New York City Department of Small Business Services, and Con Edison worked to help secure the safety of the affected area. As of 10 am on July 25th, 33 of the affected buildings had been cleared for reoccupancy.
  

Photo Credit: Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria

Flatiron Foodies: Sagaponack's Striped Bass with Coconut Curry

Named after a village in the Hamptons, Sagaponack NYC is located at 4 West 22nd Street and is a New American restaurant primarily serving fresh seafood. The restaurant takes pride in locally sourcing seafood, as well as New York craft beers, wines, and ciders. Sagaponack NYC shares their Striped Bass and Coconut Curry recipe for this month's Flatiron Foodies.

Striped Bass with Coconut Curry

Serves: 4

Fish

• Four fillets of striped bass, 6-8 ounces each (keep the fish dry, especially the skin side)
• Salt and pepper
• Extra virgin oilve oil
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1 TSP dried thyme

Instructions

• Pat fillets dry with a paper towel, and season both sides with salt and pepper
• Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat, add the olive oil when hot
• Place fillets in the pan, skin side down, and press down gently for 20 seconds with a spatula
• Lower heat to medium, let sizzle until fish is golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Cafefully flip fillets and add butter and thyme to pan
• Tilt pan slightly to let the melted butter pool at one end; use a spoon to baste the fish
• Continue basting until golden all over and cooked through, 45-90 seconds total

Green Pea Coconut Curry

• 4 TBSP green curry paste
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 8 ounces coconut milk
• 3 ounces chicken stock
• 3 ounces fish stock
• 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

• In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine the curry paste, onion, garlic, and lime leaves
• When the onions are translucent, add the conconut milk and stocks and bring to a boil
• Reduce the heat to low, allow to simmer for 10 minutes
• Remove the lime leaves and place the mixture into a blender
• Carefully add the frozen peas and blend until smooth 

Forbidden Rice

• 2 TBSP finely chopped shallots
• 2 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 TSP salt
• 1 TBSP canola or soy bean oil
• 2 TBSP sesame oil
• 2 Cups washed forbidden rice
• 4 Cups water

Instructions

• In a medium sauce pot (with lid), heat to medium-low and add the canola or soy bean oil
• Add the shallots, garlic, salt, and cook for a few seconds
• Add the rice and sesame oil, stir to coat the rice
• Add water, increase heat to bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer 15-20 minutes
• Rice is ready once the water has boiled away

Plate the curry and forbidden rice, and top with the striped bass.

Pictured above: Sagaponack's Striped Bass with Coconut Curry (Photo Credit: Sagaponack NYC)

Use 311 to Dispatch Services for Those in Need + Other Resources

During the warmer months, residents and office workers in the neighborhood are likely to notice an increasing number of individuals in need of assistance throughout the district. If you observe someone who appears to be in need of assistance, there are a number of ways to help.  

First and foremost, you can call 311 to report homeless individuals in need of service -  ask to speak with a Homeless Outreach Specialist and a team will be dispatched to assist. In addition to contacting 311, individuals in need of assistance can also be reported to the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership, which through a contract with Urban Pathways deploys a team of social workers to canvass the district.

Other useful information:

• As an alternative to calling 311, you can also download the 311 app.
• Manhattan Community Board 4 has a comprehensive list of shelters, food pantries and soup kitchens, permanent supportive housing sites, outreach/drop-in sites, and advocacy organizations. Click here for the list.
• Volunteer or donate to a service organization or shelter such as: BRC, Breaking Ground, Urban Pathways, Partnership for the Homeless, Coalition for the Homeless.
• Volunteer for the HOPE Count: the HOPE Count is a survey to assess the number of homeless individuals living in New York City's public spaces - the survey increases public accountability and improves the programming designed for street homeless. Click here to learn more.

NYC Restaurant Week - Summer 2018

New Neighbor: Sous Vide Kitchen

The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership is pleased to welcome Sous Vide Kitchen, The Virtual Food Hall, to the neighborhood. Located at 119 East 23rd Street, between Park Avenue South and Lexington Avenue, Sous Vide Kitchen offers both signature dishes or build-your-own menus from Pulled & Chopped BBQ, Mediterranean Pure Foods, ESO Latin, SVK Greens & Grains, and BONMi Vietnamese-inspired baguettes and bowls.

Sous Vide Kitchen is the first fast-casual restaurant of its kind in New York City. Guests can place orders from any of the five food brands from one self-order kiosk. The ordering process is seamless, and guests are alerted that their order is ready via text message.

Each brand within the food hall utilizes sous-vide cooking, which ensures food is cooked a precise temperature. Sous Vide Kitchen is also home to an outpost of PROOF Coffee, a Brooklyn-based organic coffee roaster, and offers a full beer and wine list along with desserts from People's Pops.

Sous Vide Kitchen is open daily from 11 am to 9:30 pm.

Sous Vide Kitchen, 119 East 23rd Street, (646) 895-9232

Photo Credit: Sous Vide Kitchen

New Neighbor: Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria

The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership is happy to announce the opening of Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria, a bakery and cafe inspired by the great bakers and focaccerias of Rome, and New York's rich history of Italian-American pastry shops. "We wanted to bring back the traditional Italian pastry shop -- and do it exceptionally well," says Chef Jonathan Benno.

Open from morning to early evening, the menu features house-baked focaccia, foccacia sandwiches, soups, and salads, as well as a selection of Italian pastries, cookies, and confections. Beverages include a variety of coffees, teas, espressos, and Italian sodas, as well as a propietary drip coffee blend created in partnership with Philadelphia roaster, La Colombe.

In Italy, focaccia is often enjoyed as a quick daytime meal, with many "focaccerias" that specialize in serving the thick squares of bread with a variety of toppings. Inspired by famous destinations such as Rome's Pizzarium Bonci, Leonelli Focacceria recreates this experience in the heart of New York combined with local ingredients. Selections include buffalo mozzarella with tomato and basil; squash, arugula, mint, ricotta, and Pecorino Romano; and fennel sausage and hot peppers with scamorza.

Focaccia sandwich options include Tuscan fried chicken with lemon mayonnaise and arugula; porchetta with rapini, long hot peppers, and provolone; and tripe cutlet with hot peppers and scamorza.

Sweets are also on the menu in a dazzling array of house-baked Italian Pasticinni (cakes and pastries), biscotti, cookies, and confenzioni (candies). Defined by a focus on the craft of traditional Italian baking methods, the team works the "old way" using techniques often sacrificed in favor of time or ease of production. Flour is milled in-house, cannoli are filled to order, and delicate, and labor-intensive sfogliatelle pastries are formed by hand and baked daily.

Like its neighboring Leonelli Taberna restaurant, Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria was created by Parts and Labor Design. The space is modern, warm, lively, and inviting with a bright color and material palette consisting of creams, marble, wood detailing, and brass accents.

Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria is open seven days a week from 7 am to 8 pm (with breakfast served from 7 am to 11 am). 

Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria, 7 East 27th Street (inside The Evelyn), (212) 451-9495

Photo Credit: Evan Sung 

June News Roundup

Summer has arrived and June was an exciting month as the Flatiron District garnered media attention highlighting impressive offerings at neighborhood restaurants and bars, new business openings, real estate transactions, and Flatiron BID sponsored events. Stay up to date with the latest Flatiron District News with the BID’s monthly roundup of notable highlights. 

• Numerous Flatiron restaurants and bars received accolades in June. The Library at The NoMad Hotel was named the second "most instagrammable restaurant in the world" (via Vogue Australia). The extensive selection of liquors found at the vintage-styled lounge The Flatiron Room, and Southern-inspired bar Maysville secured spots on Eater New York's list of 'Most Impressive Whiskey Bars in NYC' (via Eater New York). The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2018 list was announced this month and featured Eleven Madison Park at number four, and Cosme at number 25, rising from number 40 on last year's list (via Eater New York). Natalie Portman designated Lebanese restaurant ilili as her favorite vegan restaurant (via Lebanese Examiner). Burgers are an American staple and New York City has some of the best around, including those served at Shake Shack and Upland (via Urban Matter). Cote's new 10-course Steak Omakase received the high praise of "no better ode to steak in this town" (via Eater New York). 

• New restaurants and businesses opened their doors in Flatiron this month. The newly renovated Evelyn Hotel will feature three culinary ventures including Italian trattoria Leonelli Taberna, which is the first to open (via New York Times). A new food hall called Sous Vide Kitchen will be coming to the neighborhood and will include five different fast-casual concepts under one roof with cashless, self-service kiosks (via AM New York). The St. Ives Mixing Bar popped up in the district and will be open until September 15th. Visitors can mix custom skincare products made with natural ingredients (via Beauty Packaging). Eataly announced its five locations across the country will ban plastic straws and stirrers by July 31st to reduce waste (via AM New York). The James Hotel NoMad debuted a CBD-infused menu with cannabis chef Andrea Drummer. The offerings include CBD-infused meatballs, salads, and eye serums (via Urban Daddy). 

• Several neighborhood businesses had milestone accomplishments. Flywheel expanded its national presence with its first Denver location that is slated to open this summer (via Cision PR Newswire). High schoolers with The Jazz Gallery put on an impressive musical performance on June 10th previously labeled by professionals as unplayable (via New York Times). Cool-temperature fitness studio Brrrn was featured on Good Morning America (via Good Morning America). Coworking space Breather recently launched a longer-term office rental option after having had success providing short-term spaces for businesses (via Commercial Observer).

• Design agency Bulletproof inked a lease at 257 Park Avenue South to nearly double its office space this fall (via Commercial Observer). Baltz & Company, a lifestyle public relations agency, and Diply USA, a social entertainment website, signed leases in the district to occupy the seventh and ninth floors of 49 West 23rd Street (via Rew Online). 

• The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership celebrated 12 years of neighborhood transformation at its annual meeting on June 6th (via City Limits) and launched the Flatiron Summer Series on June 19th. The Summer Series consists of eight weeks of free community programming including technology classes, fitness classes, games, and musical performances, plus bonus "summer sweets" giveaways on select days (via City Guide). 

Photo Credit: Infatuation of Cote