photo by Adrien Dirand
Gatherings
We're Over Halfway Through 2019: Here Are the Hottest New Openings You Need to Know About
For those who follow all things trending, you may have noticed that 2019 has been a big year of openings. Openings in new venues, restaurants, hotels and bars seem to be non-stop this year, and we’re stoked to bring you a mid-year...
photo by Adrien Dirand
For those who follow all things trending, you may have noticed that 2019 has been a big year of openings. Openings in new venues, restaurants, hotels and bars seem to be non-stop this year, and we’re stoked to bring you a mid-year recap with some of the biggest highlights so far as well as a few on the horizon. San Diego gained an indoor botanical garden venue (win!). A Tokyo Geisha house is being transformed into a sleek townhouse-style design hotel (can’t wait to see it!). Beloved Tartine Bakery opens yet another shop (score for SF!). All this and more in the jump below.
Reporter: Alyssa Brown
This year’s many restaurant and café openings have included projects by Michelin-starred chefs and sports celebrities alike. From a French seafood spot in Wicker Park to a casual Venice hangout, there’s a lot to celebrate in the restaurant industry in 2019.
A meal at Floret might include anything from a plate of sunchokes with tahini, green apple, pine nuts, lemon and za’atar to a roasted lobster with creamy spinach, ginger, chili and lime. The menu here cites influences from California, the Mediterranean, East Asia and North Africa while maintaining all-day service on the Bowery.
Chicago Cubs Manager Joe Maddon and multi-James Beard Award-winning chef Tony Mantuano are behind this local sports bar and restaurant. The menu at Maddon’s Post has Italian and Polish influences, and the atmosphere is always abuzz.
Records crank out the background music at this bright, bustling restaurant just steps from the beach in Venice. At Gran Blanco, which opened in June, the fare is Cali-Mediterranean, so it’s light, casual and easy to share.
Michelin-starred chef Alain Verzeroli serves classic French fare with a vegetable focus in an impeccably designed space by French architect Joseph Dirand. The Lexington Avenue restaurant, Le Jardinier, opened in May to much accliam.
Set just a block from Balboa Park, Il Dandy is the place to go for amazing Calabrian food served in a stunning setting. The new Bankers Hill restaurant opened in May, and touts Michelin-starred chefs from Italy.
You’ll soon be able to pop into one of the 85 seats at Karl’s in Detroit and enjoy a freshly baked pastry for breakfast, or a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. The all-day dining spot is located on the second floor of The Siren Hotel and is helmed by chef Kate Williams of Lady of the House.
Green Hills sets the scene for this Brooklyn-based pizzeria’s second Nashville shop. Emmy Squared opened in May, peddling its famous Detroit-style pizzas, waffle fries and chicken parms to the masses.
San Francisco’s beloved Tartine Bakery seems to be forever growing. Locations include three shops in Seoul, one in Los Angeles and now four in San Francisco. The latest to open is a café in the Inner Sunset, which started slinging the brand’s popular open-faced sandwiches and delicious pastries in July.
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Chef Melissa Perello’s latest restaurant project is scheduled to arrive at The Row in DTLA this summer. M. Georgina is the first Los Angeles shop for the Michelin-starred chef, who’s also behind San Francisco’s Octavia and Frances restaurants.
Wicker Park’s latest go-to for Frenchish fare, Cafe Cancale opened in May and has quickly garnered plenty of local acclaim, including three stars from the Chicago Tribune. With a raw bar, a seafood centric menu and plenty of bright French wines on offer, the hotspot certainly skews coastal.
2019 has seen the opening of a waterfront lodge and cabins on Whidbey Island, a luxury hotel designed by Kelly Wearstler in Santa Monica, an Aspen getaway with an all-weather rooftop pool, and a design hotel set in an old Geisha house in Kyoto. Here are a few of our top getaway picks of the year along with a few that are on our radar.
This historic charmer sits right along thirty acres of Whidbey Island waterfront at Penn’s Cove. The cozy cabins, lodge, restaurant and gardens opened in May, just in time for a lengthy summer season.
ARRIVE East Austin
Austin, Texas
Photo by Chris Gray
East Austin is the stomping grounds of this cool new hotel that just opened in July. The modern rooms come with nice amenities, while the food and drink options are worthy of a visit in their own right. There’s a Goan- and Portuguese-inspired restaurant, a lively coffee lab, an anytime bar with a dash of New Orleans influence, and a secret gin bar.
The latest Auberge Resort to open, The Lodge at Blue Sky in the Wasatch Mountains opened in June. The luxury property is set on a sprawling western ranch, which can be explored via hiking trails, horseback or bike ride. For those who prefer Utah’s ski slopes, Park City Mountain Resort is just 20 minutes away and you’ll have access to an exclusive ski lounge at the base of the mountain.
Set in Hudson Yards, this is luxury fitness brand Equinox’s first hotel. Guests here will find plenty of places on the grounds to exercise, but the luxurious suites are all built to encourage rest and regeneration. Can’t sleep? Take a magnesium sleep supplement from the minibar, or meet with the resident behavioral sleep coach.
The latest hotel opening for American hipster hotel brand The Standard, London, a King’s Cross location began welcoming guests in July. Set in a 1974 brutalist building, the hotel has 266 rooms with various styles and setups. There’s also a cozy lobby that doubles as a gathering space, a garden restaurant, a bar, and another 10th-floor restaurant set to open later in the year.
Fort Lauderdale’s The Dalmar opened its doors in early 2019 with simple, elegant rooms and suites with ocean and city views. Five culinary options here include an outdoor grill, a poolside cocktail bar, a coffee and juice shop, a retro rooftop bar and a great lobby bar that serves tropical cocktails.
A 70-year-old Geisha house in Tokyo’s Little Kyoto neighborhood has been totally revamped into a 17-suite townhouse-style design hotel that’s set to open in August. The luxury property, called Trunk House, will also include a kitchen, bar and shop for locals and travelers alike.
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This slopeside spot had us at the mention of an all-weather rooftop with a hot tub, heated pool and 360-degree views of Aspen. Sounds amazing, right? The new 88-room W Hotel with residential units and suites alike is slated to open in August.
Set in the heart of the Catskills, Farmhouse is a charming getaway just two hours outside of NYC. Here, you’ll find 75 cozy and colorful rooms along with a farm-to-table restaurant and speakeasy-style bar.
A modernized firehouse gets transformed into a wedding venue in the Dallas Fort Worth area. San Diego gets an indoor botanical garden that makes an epic party spot. Nashville’s newest boutique event space is all glam. Check out the latest venue openings of 2019.
Set on 32 acres of preserved land in San José del Cabo, Puerto Raíz brings a natural, sustainable and regenerative destination venue to the area (opening fall 2019). Located just minutes from a natural estuary, the setting here is rich in biodiversity and will serve as a backdrop for a restaurant, garden gathering space and glamping area.
Opened in May, 1220 in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood is an old Federation home that’s been given new life as a private event space. It’s warm, intimate and beautifully designed, creating a stunning atmosphere for workshops, styled shoots, private parties, dinner parties and the like.
Urban Fire House
North Richland Hills, Texas
Photo by Mattie Gresham
A refurbished firehouse in the North Richland Hills area of DFW proves an awesome modern gathering space with tons of natural light and minimalist materials. Urban Fire House opened its doors in February 2019 and hosts workshops, private parties, weddings and events of up to 98 guests.
The Boho Lounge in Ketchum just opened in June and is quickly becoming a regular hangout for anyone craving a good cocktail, a wholesome bite or a casual hang. The space can easily be rented out for private parties, rooftop included.
Opened in June, San Diego’s Flora is an indoor botanical garden venue with 130 plants, a 70-foot living wall and hanging garden chandeliers. The space has lofted ceilings and huge skylights, along with enough space to host festivities with up to 285 guests in attendance.
Set to open this August, Davis & Grey Farms in North Dallas hosts weddings, private parties, workshops and all kinds of events of up to 230 guests. The modern, industrial space features glass garage doors, daybed porch swings and a covered outdoor area, all set on 20 acres of Texan countryside.
Set in San Diego’s old YMCA building, The Guild Hotel just opened its private event spaces in June. There are two ballrooms here that seat up to 300 guests -- one with garden access and a mezzanine, the other with its own garden terrace -- as well as a smaller boardroom and plush lounge.
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This gorgeous modern farmhouse in Sister Bay, Wisconsin sits on a sprawling property of pastures and forestry. Northern Haus is set to open later this summer and will host weddings, retreats, private parties and workshops with up to 300 guests.
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