The Getaways issue
Healdsburg, New Orleans, Palm Beach, Hudson, Montecito, Grand Cayman, Fort Worth, Asbury Park, Puerto Vallarta, Tangier, MORE
ABOUT FOUND • Getaways
FOUND is deeply interested in getaway destinations within driving distance (or a short flight) of Los Angeles. That means Palm Springs, Santa Barbara up the Central Coast, Napa, Sonoma, Mexico, and more. What do the regulars eat and drink, where should you stay and shop, and — to take this to its logical end — what about buying a second home of your own there?
Beyond the world of weekend escapes, FOUND closely tracks the local hotel scene and airports, and the need-to-know intel that can make or break a trip. From time to time, special correspondents will file reports from far-flung destinations like the French Riviera or Bora Bora, because there are some experiences that transcend this mortal plane and beg to be shared.
Today, we’re stretching the boundaries a little with some of 2024’s best filings from across the FOUND network. As we stow your bag, make yourself comfortable.
GETAWAYS • Grand Cayman
A grand stage
Spanning a northern stretch of Grand Cayman’s famed Seven Mile Beach, Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa has the feeling of a louche treasure chest scattered across the shore. Cushy cabanas, lounges, hammocks, and daybeds dot the white sand beach, and labyrinthine paths lead to the enormous curvilinear pool.
Inside, walls and floors are clad in polished limestone and dark wood in clean lines with low-slung, mid-century-inspired furniture in punchy accent colors. Nautical touches include a traditional wooden Cayman catboat suspended from the ceiling in the library. Rooms are delightful retreats, most with oversized ocean-facing balconies, in a palette of dark slate and fuchsia, each sporting big, comfy beds and sexy bathrooms with glass-enclosed rainfall showers.
Spanish restaurant Ave anchors the dining program, along with restaurant-within-a-restaurant chef’s counter Avecita. Among the highlights from Ave’s menu: elegant pescado asado prepared on the parilla grill with truffle, carrot-radish vinaigrette, and tomato confit. The cocktail menu is divided into the four elements; in the Water category, the 95% is made with pink peppercorn and pimento seed-infused gin and clarified tomato water. It’s a potent, yet beautifully balanced drink. The Coccoloba beach bar is a sort of Tulum-meets-Caymans day club, dishing up bright ceviches, tostadas, and margaritas directly on the sand.
The spa is worth a visit, for both its amenities (a beautiful blue mosaic tile hammam and grand soaking tub) and its treatments. I had one of the best and most intense deep tissue massages of my life there, which at a place like Seafire is practically gilding the lily. –Shayne Benowitz (06/06/24)
→ Kimpton Seafire (Grand Cayman) • 60 Tanager Way, Seven Mile Beach • Rates from $1279/night (January weekend).
GETAWAYS • Fort Worth, TX
Due west
Sometimes Fort Worth, Texas, gets blended together with Dallas in the non-Texan consciousness. But Fort Worth is on a growth spurt lately, propelled in part by the crossover popularity of all things American West and country music, as well as an influx of new residents. The city’s more interesting neighborhoods have the feel of Austin 15 years ago: smatterings of small businesses and cafes, with nothing too focus-grouped or blisteringly cool — just a vibe that portends momentum.
As such, the city finally has a hotel worthy of those aspirations. Bowie House, recently opened by Auberge Resorts Collection, sits within walking distance of the Modern Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and the Kimbell, among other attractions. Throw in some rodeo and a stockyard visit, and you’ve got yourself a long weekend, just a three-hour flight from LA.
The hotel is a perfect realization of what Auberge is trying to do with the brand — deliver luxe hospitality with a local feel. The bar and lobby area render the American West in crisp HD, without contrivances or pastiche. The brand’s creative director, Kemper Hyers, created an elevated, convivial space that frames the interesting convergences of the city: I spotted a full regalia cowboy with a silver six-shooter and spurs stroll by, and in the evening a certain Mad Man held court in salmon-colored khakis, fresh off a nearby filming.
Service was polished, and rooms had lovely handspun touches that defy the razor-blade-assembly-line feel of some other luxury hotel brands. America can still be interesting. And Bowie House is a plush, inspired landing pad to explore a city that increasingly merits your attention. –Colin Nagy (03/29/24)
→ Bowie House (Fort Worth, TX) • 3700 Camp Bowie Blvd • rooms from $599.
GETAWAYS • Napa/Sonoma Fine Dining Report
At play in the fields of the lord
Lee Pitofsky, aka @finediningnyc on Instagram, is the fine dining correspondent for FOUND NY. He’s dined at Thomas Keller’s Per Se 50 times. He’s also a regular at California’s best restaurants. Here, a trio of his dispatches from a recent Napa/Sonoma trip to check in on old friends, including Keller’s The French Laundry:
SPOOL KIDS: True to its name, SingleThread Farm in Sonoma remains one of the most singular restaurants in the country. Combining California bounty from their farm with Japanese influences and kaiseki-style cuisine, a recent menu delivered one of my best meals there yet. It began with a bang (as is the norm here) with hasune, their version of canapés, already covering the table as we were seated. From there, highlights included kanpachi flown in from Japan (with Koshihikari rice), salted cherry leaf blossom, cherry boshi, sakura gelée, and sea lettuce. Then, duck liver parfait with mizuna, Badger Flame beets, orange, walnut, and pain d’epice showcased a most seamless combination of richness and ingredient-driven cuisine. All this, served alongside one of America’s best wine lists.
→ SingleThread Farm (Healdsburg, CA) • 131 North St • Daily 4-830p • $475 per.
WRINKLE-RESISTANT: The French Laundry continues to deliver world-class service and perfectly executed California-influenced French cuisine. To do it right, begin with Champagne in the courtyard and end with vintage spirits — and, if you’re inclined, cigars (in the outdoor cigar lounge, of course). In between, expect all the caviar, truffles, and Wagyu one can handle. A highlight from my most recent visit: A5 Miyazaki “Wellington,” Japanese Wagyu beef enrobed in brioche with black trumpet mushroom "tapenade," caramelized cipollini onion, garden watercress and "sauce Bordelaise.” Simply unforgettable.
→ The French Laundry (Yountville, CA) • 6640 Washington St • Daily 4-8p • $390 per.
THE SIMPLE THINGS: A Napa Valley standby from chef Chris Kostow of the Restaurant at Meadowood, The Charter Oak (above) is always my first stop for lunch in wine country. It’s the simplicity that always stands out. Begin with raw vegetables from the 3.5-acre farm with fermented soy dip — a crudité without equal. Grilled medjool dates with ham garum, walnut oil, and sea salt is another must. And the cheeseburger is the best in the valley. A side note: While the beverage program, both cocktails and wine are top notch, they offer free corkage for the first bottle (and $50 thereafter). –Lee Pitofsky (04/24/24)
→ The Charter Oak (St Helena, CA) • 1050 Charter Oak Ave • Mon-Thurs 1130a-9p, Fri-Sun 11a-9p.
GETAWAYS • New Orleans
When the Saints
The thing about New Orleans: You can visit again and again, and have a different experience each time. A mere three-hour flight from NYC makes it a doable long-weekend destination (or even fit for a 36-hour jaunt).
On a recent trip, my group settled into Hotel Saint Vincent, which opened three years ago in the Lower Garden District, just a few blocks away from bustling Magazine Street and its heavenly homes. The building, a former asylum, was re-imagined by hotelier queen Liz Lambert of El Cosmico (Marfa) and Saint Cecilia (Austin) fame, with just as much design flair and attention to detail as those Texas properties.
While it’s hard to justify eating at your hotel in one of the food capitals of the country, the on-site options are solid. My favorite was a stand-alone coffee and bánh mì café — a mini offshoot of the French-Vietnamese cafe Elizabeth St. — in the front courtyard. There, you can pick up pastries and a latte, or grab something like a sticky rice bowl or Dan Dan Noodles later in the day. Within the hotel, there’s San Lorenzo and Paradise Lounge, an all-day restaurant offering myriad oyster options and good cocktails.
To round out the trip, we all did tarot card readings and a ghost tour to get into the metaphysical spirit and learn more about New Orleans’s history and fabled past. Whether or not you choose to believe in the lore, there’s little debate to be had about the city’s powerful past and extraordinary present — all on grand display at Hotel Saint Vincent. –Zoe Schaeffer (11/01/24)
→ Hotel Saint Vincent (Lower Garden District, New Orleans) • 1507 Magazine St • Weekend king rates from $523.
GETAWAYS • Palm Beach
Top shelf
FOUND MIAMI’s roundup of the best Palm Beach (Island) bartenders:
→ After Ta-Boo restaurant on Worth Ave. shuttered, bartender and island legend Bobby Ruthier (above) was quickly picked up by Swifty’s at the Colony Hotel, where he works the inside bar, off the pool. The affable bartender quickly delivers your drink while dishing the latest scoop on Island shenanigans.
→ Ben Wood is the bar manager at Le Bilboquet. His signature cocktail is the Libation 21, featuring Italicus, lemon oil, and sparkling wine, garnished with an edible orchid. Emphasizing classic cocktail techniques, Wood is a book reader. Bring him some good fiction; he’ll never forget your favored cocktail.
→ Natasha Smitran is always on her game at Florie’s Bar in the Four Seasons Hotel on South Beach Blvd. Without delay, she serves up her cocktails with the right ingredients and the perfect temperature, shaking them precisely as you want. And if you want a straight answer about anything, count on Natasha.
→ Ashley Atteberry at the high-end sushi hotspot Imoto is known for her South Florida tropical charm. She knows her customers well and is trustworthy enough that I let her order food and drink for me. It always turns out better than being left to my own impulses.
→ Look for mixologist Jenna Crum at the new Palm House hotel, which opens later this month. Previously at the Four Seasons, she was part of the Palm Bar opening team. Islanders have been waiting anxiously (17 years!) for the storied hotel's reopening. The bar greets guests as they enter, capturing the island's philosophy of booze, sun, food, and fun.
→ If you're hosting a private party and want to hire a bartender for the night, look no further than Jente “Goose” Gees, who was once with La Goulue. He recently won the Gentleman Jack Daniels Whiskey Sour Classic. Brown cocktails are his specialty.
Three tips for these bartending gems: If it requires a blender, they’re out of that cocktail; never chat them up when they begin their shifts; and tip them like you mean it. –Brad Inman (11/27/24)
More places we visited this year, across the FOUND network:
Restaurant Manor Rock, Hudson, NY
Four Overseas Highway hotels, Florida Keys
One&Only Mandarina, Puerto Vallarta
Caruso's at Rosewood Miramar Beach, Montecito, CA
Air France Lounge at LAX (and the 3 best airport lounges in the world