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Mercato Trattoria

Opening Hours
Today: 11:30am–12am
Fri:
11:30am–12am
Sat:
11:30am–12am
Sun:
11:30am–12am
Mon:
11:30am–12am
Tues:
11:30am–12am
Wed:
11:30am–12am
Location
352 West 39th Street
Mercato Trattoria 1 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square

Mercato was the perfect discovery as we were ending our walk across 39th Street. We found this spot to feel like a traditional trattoria that is relaxed with simple wood tables, upbeat music that does not overpower the room, exposed brick and touches of antique kitchen equipment, vintage posters and an impressive wine cellar. We easily settled ourselves down for some hearty, homemade pasta and a friendly conversation with Massimo, the manager and friend of owner, Fabio Camardi. Both from Puglia, a southern region in Italy, Massimo said that the menu reflects this cuisine - with "Tiella Pugliese" being their signature Puglia dish made with mussels and tomato in a rice and potato casserole - however, the chef also pays homage to Umbria, Sardinia and Sicily.

When we first sat down, we were brought a basket of bread with a sauce for dipping that had lentils, garlic, capers and olive oil. Not a combination that we had experienced before, but we mopped every bit up. Another classic Puglia dish came next - pasta with broccoli rabe, breadcrumbs, garlic and olive oil. There is usually a touch of anchovies added, but in deference to the vegetarians, the chef was kind enough to leave them out. Despite this, the dish was extremely flavorful. Next up, we sampled Mercato's homemade ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta, butter and sage. So good, so rich and so filling.

After being open for four years now, Massimo, was pleased to tell us that it is nice to recognize foreigners who are choosing to return, as well as the locals who are repeat customers. It is "consistency that has been our secret. We make sure that the flavors never change in our dishes - from the first plate that we served in 2010 - we are proud that those same recipes look and taste the same today."

Location
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Mercato Trattoria 4 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 5 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 6 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 7 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 8 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 9 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 10 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 11 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 12 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 13 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 1 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 2 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square
Mercato Trattoria 3 Italian Garment District Hells Kitchen Hudson Yards Times Square

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Etcetera Etcetera 1 Italian undefined

Etcetera Etcetera

I have had two exceptional experiences at Etcetera Etcetera both within a few weeks of one another. The first was when a group of family and friends dined here on a Saturday evening. The wait staff entertained and enticed us as they guided us through each of our stupendous courses. The second time I visited, I was with Esteban, the photographer, and we had the pleasure of meeting Daniele Kucera, the charismatic owner. As he explained his philosophy behind creating Etcetera, he also took us into the immaculate kitchen where we observed Chef Marco Hernandez constructing numerous complicated dishes with great precision, artistry and confidence. Behind every terrific chef there must be a well-orchestrated team... and it appeared to us that at each station, people were performing their magic in perfect harmony. There were beautiful salads being put together... Portuguese octopus had been slowly simmering making it tender before it was then plated with red peppers, fingerling potatoes and topped with a saffron mayo... The sea bass was served in a tomato broth with chipotle onions, zucchini, olives and cherry tomatoes surrounding it... Beef tenderloin was sitting atop "pepperonate, " a mixture of peppers, olives, onions and served with polenta croutons. The splendid pastas and focaccia are made on a daily basis as are the decadent desserts including "grandma's chocolate pudding. " Daniele remembers his grandmother making this on a wood stove in Italy as he stood by her side beginning at age five. Having worked in the food industry for many years after his arrival in the States in 1992, Daniele with two other partners opened Vice Versa in 1999. In 2005, he decided to go it alone and launched Etcetera Etcetera. He explained to me that for the first five years, no one came. "I wasn't on the heavily populated avenues and this part of 44th did not attract the crowds. " But Daniele continued to cook impeccable food and eventually the word spread. As his reputation grew, people were also beginning to venture farther west. Today, the restaurant is filled with dining enthusiasts, many who are visiting the city and come based on a hotel concierge's recommendation. There are plenty of regulars, too, who initially came after reading the rave reviews but now continue to come back time and time again. Daniele's approach to his dining room is to make it feel like a home. He has created a warm ambiance with reds and grays, and almost ten years later, he continues to strive to make it the best it can possibly be every day.

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Mark Fisher Fitness class  Fitness Centers and Gyms undefined

Mark Fisher Fitness

It’s not every day you’re greeted at the gym by a man wearing teeny tiny swim trunks and plastic lei. And it’s not a regular gym where the boss arrives for a meeting resplendent in chicken hat. Which stays on for the duration, despite the rising temperatures. But then, Mark Fisher Fitness is not any old gym. In fact, it doesn’t even call itself a gym; it’s an “enchanted ninja clubhouse of glory and dreams”. It’s a place where clients are called ninjas and trainers are called unicorns and where mirrored balls, graffiti and disco lights take the place of the usual utilitarian gym furniture. “We like to keep things colorful, ” said Mark in understatement. “So there are lights. There’s a closet with costumes, so if the trainer feels like dressing up in Victorian era garb or an S& M unicorn, there’s a leash they can wear – whatever feels good. “But one thing that’s also important to us is just taking people where they’re at, so a lot of the ninjas who come here AREN’T insane, ” Mark added. “We say if someone wants to come to a dance party and someone wants to take off their pants and someone wants to cry quietly in a corner because they’re having a really bad day, everything’s perfect, you’re OK wherever you are. ”Mark describes himself as once that “classic skinny, awkward, Martian man, afraid-of-girls guy” who only properly found his place in this world when he started to work out in high school. “I was also a professional actor – which is partly how we’ve become such a fixture in the Broadway community – and throughout my twenties I fell more and more in love with the training. It was like the mistress I slowly left my wife for. ”A few years ago he quit acting completely and committed himself to training fellow New York misfits. “My own experience in the gym, starting as someone who didn’t feel very good about his body and didn’t feel like an athlete, it was very difficult for me, ” Mark said. “We like to say, in the most affectionate way, that the ninjas are like an isle of misfit toys – all manner of humanity, all ages and colors and backgrounds that are generally united in that we all have a feeling of being an outsider at times. I just wanted to celebrate that, and also to provide really good fitness information. I’m a huge fitness nerd, so it’s very important we provide a really good service with results. ”So if you want clear, no-nonsense weight loss and are willing to put in the hours, the intensive six-week Snatched program might be your bag. Alternatively, there are group classes, and semi-private training packages, Mark’s cheaper but just as effective version of a personal training program, where you train with two other ninjas and a dedicated unicorn. Unsurprisingly, many of the gym goers are from the Broadway community. Mark has worked with plenty of performers to get them ready for a specific role (such as a ninja playing a boxer in Kinky Boots) as well as backstage workers. “We train a lot of composers and directors and casting directors – and from their friends it’s trickled out to other professions; people who maybe work in white collar jobs but are a little bit weird, ” Mark shared. “The nature of their life means they perhaps don’t get to be as creative as they’d like so they can come in here and do whatever they want to do. ”The trainers, too, are a colorful bunch, counting among them one of the city’s best known drag queens, a gay porn star, a tattooed graphic artist who was a skate punk in a former life, and a professional clown who, at the last minute in med school, decided he wanted to be a clown not a doctor. “We need people to be really great coaches, but we also need them to be really authentic and comfortable with who they are. And a holistic approach means this crazy fitness family doesn’t just take care of your physical fitness; it offers life coaching workshops, classes on book keeping for financial fitness, advice on time management …“We hope to be a place where people come for general betterment, ” Mark explained. “Fitness is so transforming because you’re able to be more creative and stable and braver with your life. You’re feeling better about yourself, you’re eating well, you’re sleeping – we know your brain is going to work better. Additionally, it’s interesting to see how much of your life you can control. New York can be an isolating town – particularly for performers, who spend a lot of time getting rejected. So there’s a certain power one discovers when you know you can control what you eat and how you look. ”This story was adapted from the W42ST article, "Mark Fisher Fitness — The Gym Where New York’s Misfits Go to Work Out. "

Lost Gem
Offsite 1 Event Planners Event Spaces undefined

Offsite

There are intriguing spaces sprinkled throughout the city that invite corporations to utilize their facilities, but stepping inside Offsite is a unique experience designed specifically for the business meeting clientele. The brainchild of Patrick Everett and Shawn Kessler, they have created a stunning turnkey facility where all day conferences can be held. Companies are invited to bring their employees together for a productive 9am-5pm meeting in the three levels of fully equipped space, which can then be flipped effortlessly into an appropriate venue for an evening event. The rooms are configured so that some forty people are able to sit around one gigantic table or be rearranged into smaller units. Attendees never have to feel confined to one space, as they can move around freely on each floor, dividing up into smaller breakout sessions, when necessary. The rooms are versatile and technology oriented, fully outfitted with AV equipment - as Patrick referred to it, "plug and play. " Endless pens and pads, drinks and snacks, including large jars of enticing candy, are provided throughout the day. The partners have paid attention to every detail, taking into consideration exactly what they believe their clients will require, including a small executive office that allows for a private phone conversation and a myriad of white walls that are actually whiteboards. Offsite works with some of the terrific catering facilities in the area to provide top lunches and dinners for groups, and everything is served on their attractive dishes. While being given a tour, Patrick told me that he had been an event planner. When he discovered that there was something important missing in the corporate world, he found his niche. As he began to imagine the possibilities, he worked diligently on his concept with Shawn. Basically all one has to do is book the space, and the rock star team at Offsite will handle the rest.