Snowed in
Bacoa Finca + Fogón, best West Village NYC restaurants, Paris properties, Anbā, Dawn Ranch, MORE
GETAWAYS • Puerto Rico
Rustic detour
On a late February morning, after JetBlue canceled our flight home from Puerto Rico because of the then-imminent New York blizzard, I had taken to Instagram, crowd-sourcing local dining recommendations for our unexpected extra three days in Puerto Rico. The restaurant suggestion I received the most was Bacoa Finca + Fogón. But after looking it up on Google Maps, I immediately discounted it: too far, about a 40-minute drive from San Juan. A few hours later, though, a friend connected me with the chef there and I caved. It’s not like we really had anything else to do.
As we approached the property, a multi-level hacienda on a hillside surrounded by dense tropical greenery, I could smell the sweet aroma of burning wood, Bacoa’s main source of cooking fuel. Green plantains still attached to their stalk hung throughout the space, planting the seed that what comes from the land graces the menu.
Even before we were seated, a freshly muddled tamarind mojito-like cocktail arrived, a jumble of mint, a bit of Angostura bitters, tart-sweet tamarind, lime juice, and sparkling wine. The drink is called the Viejo Borincano (Old Puerto Rican), inspired by New York cocktail icon Audrey Saunders’ modern-classic Old Cuban cocktail, and it went down easily.
We sat down to warm capanes straight from the fryer: a chewy bite-sized bacalaito (a thin, crispy fritter made with salted cod), crowned with house-made labneh cream and Osetra caviar, and an alcapurria, a taro root and celeriac dumpling topped with local cockles ceviche. I could have eaten a dozen more.
Shortly thereafter came a stunning plate of what I first thought were slices of prosciutto. No, it was local yellowfin tuna, cured in sea salt for two days and then aged for another week-plus until the protein takes on an almost waxy texture and loses any trace of fishiness. Served in tissue-paper-thin slices, drizzled with olive oil, and finished with lemon zest and tomatoes, it was not only incredibly delicious but also a beautiful expression of a traditional Puerto Rican ingredient handled simply and thoughtfully.
Fueled by a steady stream of fresh passion fruit mojitos made with fruit from vines growing on the property, we moved through a series of mezze-like dishes. Then came funche, a hearty, deceptively simple dish of cornmeal and beans. The chef team — Raúl Correa, René Marichal, and Xavier Pacheco — explained that funche has roots in Puerto Rico dating back to the mid-19th century and traces to Afro-Caribbean culinary traditions. It’s traditionally cooked with water, coconut water, or coconut milk depending on regional influence. Their version folded in locally grown white beans cooked in the soaking and braising liquid of salted cod, finished with a sofrito of fire-roasted tomatoes and fresh citrus.
Finally, a local red snapper arrived, charred on a burén, a traditional Taíno cooking surface that references indigenous Caribbean techniques and pre-colonial foodways. The fish was adorned with heaps of fresh herbs, plus shreds of pickled chayote and pumpkin, and laid over banana leaves alongside charred lemon halves.
Worth the detour? Absolutely. –Kat Odell
→ Bacoa Finca + Fogón (Juncos, PR) • Carr 31 KM 22.0 • Book.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Bookshelf
Three FOUND Routine subjects this week have recently published cookbooks:
→ Maxi’s Kitchen: Easy To-Go Recipes To Make Again and Again by MAXINE SHARF (LA)
→ The Naughty Cookbook: Decadent Recipes to Seduce Your Taste Buds by SAMANTHA SCHNUR (Miami)
→ Galette! Sweet and Savory Recipes as Easy as Pie by REBECCA FIRKSER (NY)
REAL ESTATE • Paris
Three properties currently for sale by Place des Vosges in Paris’s 4th arr:
→ Place des Vosges (metro Bastille, above) • 2BR/1BA, 1367 SF apartment • Ask: $3.6M • top floor at King’s Pavilion with artist’s loft vibes and ‘suspended’ living room • Agent: John Vingas, Engel & Völkers.
→ Place des Vosges (metro Saint-Paul) • 3BR/1.1BA, 1184 SF apartment • Ask: $3.78M • renovated duplex with open views in the Hôtel de Chaulnes • Agent: Iryna Kakura, Sothebys.
→ Place des Vosges (metro Chemin Vert) • 6BR/2BA, 2551 SF apartment • Ask: $4.58M • classical design with 1st-floor apartment, separate studio apartment, and garage opening onto Rue des Tournelles • Agent: Caroline Baudry, Barnes.
GOODS & SERVICES • Big Ticket
Select answers to the FOUND Routine query, What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
→ REBECCA FIRKSER• cookbook author, test kitchen editor at Bon Appétit, Nickel & Dine(NY): I finally sprung for a Babaà turtleneck wool sweater — took advantage of the winter “sale” (they are still $$!). Considering I’ve had the tab open for over a year, and it should last a very long time, I decided to treat myself.
→ ARTY FROUSHAN, actor, American Psycho (LDN): I’m generally phobic of spending big money but I bought a proper leather jacket from A.M recently.
→ MARC SPITZER, executive chef & partner, OKARU (NY): My new Harley-Davidson bike.
RESTAURANTS • New York
Umami queen
Tucked behind a cocktail lounge on the Lower East Side, and opened last month, Anbā is a new NYC sushi counter worth knowing. There, Nobu alum Ambrely Ouimette has been quietly serving a fermentation-slick omakase that swaps out (or enhances) classic soy, ponzu, and other traditional sushi seasonings for globally-minded ferments that hit with punchy layers of umami. Her steal of a menu runs $220 per for 16 courses.
Walk straight through the 1940s-themed ground-floor lounge of The Concord Building (formerly nightlife destination Hotel Chantelle), where a sliding door at the back reveals the 10-seat restaurant. An L-shaped, salmon-pink marble counter anchors the sparse space, two dry-aging refrigerators parked within it. Ouimette and her all-female team, a sous chef and a beverage director, glide quietly through the compact room, pausing to flip a vinyl record now and then. –Kat Odell
GETAWAYS • Guerneville, CA
Forest bathing
Tucked deep into the winding river and redwood groves of Russian River, Dawn Ranch is a sprawling property with a hundred-year history, first as Murphy’s Ranch, then as gay resort Fife’s. Following a flood and a multi-year renovation, it relaunched in 2023 with rustic cabins in the woods and a fine dining restaurant, now led by a couple of former Meadowood chefs who bring fire and flavor from South America.
Roll west along Highway 116, pull off at Fife Creek, and fill your lungs with old-growth forest. Dawn Ranch unfurls across 22 acres of woods, dotted with 86 guest rooms from cabins to cottages. We needed the map to find our rooms, well-appointed with products and free of TVs. Too late to catch a Japanese bath at the spa, we slipped into the hot tub before sunset for a quick soak under the evergreen branches. –Becky Duffett
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GETAWAYS LINKS: In Sonoma, Scribe Winery is almost 20 and just getting started • Anticipated Hotel Indigo London K West Shepherds Bush opens • When it comes to travel, we’re spring dreaming • More things I like in a hotel.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
NYC Restaurants, West Village
Our NYC top restaurant picks, by neighborhood. See also: Soho, East Village, West Village, Upper West Side, Cobble Hill & Boerum Hill.
The Commerce Inn (above), Jody Williams and Rita Sodi’s most under-the-radar (and therefore accessible) spot, for cozy tavern vibes, reserve
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