Get ready for 2017 with the latest ideas in catering, activities, and more in and around New York.
Located at the iconic Industria space in the West Village, “Exhibitionism—The Rolling Stones” features hundreds of rare items, including instruments, onstage and offstage clothes, works of art, handwritten lyric books, personal diaries, recordings, unseen film and photos, and an interactive recording studio, all from the private archives of the legendary rock band. The exhibit, which is sponsored by DHL, culminates with a 3-D concert experience. Private viewings are available and can accommodate as many as 300 guests; viewings start at 6:30 p.m. and last nearly two hours. In addition, events following the viewing can be booked at Industria’s Studio Ten, which is located across the street; the venue has partnered with top restaurants and caterers to create Rolling Stones-inspired menus. Pricing for private events and viewings are available upon request. The exhibit runs through March 12.
Guests can now score professional portraits at events thanks to the Headshot Truck, a mobile photography studio that includes makeup and wardrobe stations and is staffed with a professional photographer. In addition, the vehicle is equipped with a green screen that can be transformed into any background to match an event’s theme, and photos can be customized with an event logo. Guests can email, text, or upload their photos to social media channels on site; 4 x 6 prints cost $1.50 each. The truck costs $650 for two hours and $150 for each additional hour. The service is available in Northern and Southern California and New York, and will soon be expanding to Atlanta.
Sugartooth Tours specializes in walking dessert tours that showcase the best bakeries and sweet spots of New York, along with lessons about the city’s cultural and culinary history. In addition to popular holiday tours, the company also offers themed tours like Downtown Village to Village Cupcake Crawl, which spans the East and West Villages and includes at least six tastings with the option to upgrade to a beer or wine pairing at the final destination. Tours are kept to a maximum of 16 people per group and can be tailored to personal tastes. Tickets cost $50.
In the fall of 2016, OddFellows Ice Cream Co. launched its Passport Program. Each month, the shop, which has locations in the East Village and Williamsburg, features new menu items inspired by various regions from five different continents: Asia, North America, Europe, Africa, and South America. The program kicked off in October with a special collaboration with Indian restaurant Babu Ji—saffron cardamom kulfi ice cream with punjabi biscuit, pistachios, and salted rose caramel sandwiched between a warm brioche bun (pictured). Guests can also fill their customized OddFellows passports, which are available at each location, with stamps from the five continents in order to win prizes such as T-shirts, gift cards, and ice cream. The program ends in February.
Artisanal food shop Mouth recently partnered with Arlo Hotels to open two curated shops in the lobbies of the hotel brand’s Hudson Square and NoMad locations in New York City. The "bodegas" feature a rotating selection of American-made snacks, including chocolates, popcorn, jerky, cookies, and pretzels. The new hotel brand decided to forego traditional in-room mini bars, and instead enlisted Mouth to create the snack shops for guests and visitors. The lobby shops at Arlo Hotels are open 24 hours a day.
MNDFL, a meditation studio in Greenwich Village, offers 30-, 45-, and 60-minute meditation classes, taught by certified teachers in a variety of meditation traditions. The format includes a brief introduction by the teacher, a guided practice, and time at the end to answer questions. In addition, the studio offers custom packages for companies based on their needs, including employee meditation training, in-office visits by expert faculty in order to integrate meditation into the work environment, and the design and creation of accessible meditation spaces at offices. The downtown studio is also available for private events, as well as private instruction for groups. Pricing is available upon request.
In July, the Bowery Market, an outdoor market in the city's NoHo neighborhood, opened with a curated selection of local restaurants including Alidoro, the Butcher’s Daughter, Pulqueria, Sushi on Jones, and Champion Coffee. Located on the corner of Bowery and Great Jones on the site of a former auto body shop, the all-day marketplace features exposed brick, corrugated metal, and a mini motorcycle hanging above the entrance. The market is open year-round for breakfast, lunch, and dinner from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
In addition to connecting event hosts to a directory of florists across the country, New York-based Bloomerent also allows hosts and planners to share their floral arrangements with another nearby event. After a host chooses a florist and collaborates and designs their desired floral arrangements, Bloomerent lists the flowers for sharing on its site. When someone else opts in, the first host receives 10 percent back and the second host gets the pre-styled centerpieces for up to 60 percent off. Following the first event, the florist freshens up and transports the florals to the second location. The service includes florists located in cities across the U.S. such as Washington, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Madison, Wisconsin.
Caribbean food joint Miss Lily’s in SoHo recently debuted a weekly ital-theme special menu. “Ital,” which is derived from the English word “vital,” is a type of vegetarian-based cuisine consisting of food that is natural and clean. The three-course menu ($26 per person) will rotate seasonally; current offerings include roasted pumpkin soup with coconut cream, callaloo and mushroom lasagna with blistered tomato sauce, and chocolate mousse with peanut crunch. The menu is served every Tuesday night.
At the Kimpton Hotel Eventi, Kimpton Ink48, and Kimpton Muse, groups and meeting attendees can now enjoy a meditation break thanks to a partnership with the Shinnyo Center for Meditation and Well-Being. Guests and hosts can book a variety of services, including menu and nutrition consulting, as well as guided meditation sessions. Pricing for meditations begins at $20 per person for a minimum of 15 people; pricing for a menu consultation begins at $100, and for both meditation and wellness counsel, it’s $35 per person (for a minimum of 15 people).
The founders of the Brooklyn Brew Shop recently launched FarmSteady, an online shop stocked with affordable, easy-to-use kits for foodies and gardeners. Home cooks can learn how to make cheese, an everything bagel with cream cheese, or a soft pretzel with beer cheese from scratch. The kits ($25) contain the necessary equipment and ingredients except milk. Plus, instructional how-to videos can also be found on the site.
Eat Offbeat, located in TriBeCa, delivers authentic ethnic meals that are conceived, prepared, and delivered by refugees who are resettled in New York. Signature dishes, which are cooked by chefs from countries such as Syria, Iraq, and Nepal, include lamb pulao, chicken shawarma, and baba ghanoush and are delivered in ready-to-eat compostable containers. Drop-off delivery is available for groups of 10 or more people throughout Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn and Queens; a full food and beverage table or passed service for large groups from 100 to 1,000 guests is also available. Menu options range in price from $15 to $30 per person, depending on the number of items.
Reminiscent of New York’s membership clubs and watering holes, Analogue, located in the West Village, offers a private room with its own bar that can accommodate 50 people for parties, events, tastings, and more. The bar team can also customize hands-on cocktail classes for groups or corporate teambuilding activities. The private room is outfitted with a walnut bar, a speaker system, and seating areas featuring leather sofas and chairs. A variety of open bar, passed hors d'oeuvres, and drink packages are available.
