New York City’s luxury proprietors have come up with some jaw-dropping options for people who really want to splash out on the World Cup.
A special booking for six people for six days at the posh Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side comes with a penthouse suite, access to a private roof – and coveted tickets to the World Cup finals.
The package goes for $1 million, optional daily caviar and martini service not included.
The rooftop offers gorgeous views of Central Park, allowing lucky guests to envision the trip across the Hudson to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In fact, the package includes private chopper rides to the match and back.
On top of all that, the offering includes a cruise around New York Harbor on the Mark’s 70-foot-long sailboat, with catering from none other than top chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. There’s also 24-hour butler service and an on-call massage therapist, since whoever’s picking up the tab might need to unwind once they see the final bill.
“Boldly lavish yet deeply discreet, the Mark Penthouse World Cup Package offers a once-in-a-lifetime way to experience the world’s greatest sporting event through the lens of New York’s most iconic hotel,” according to the Mark’s website.
For a more intimate, but still ultra-luxury experience, the Peninsula in Midtown is offering a five-day stay with two tickets to the final match for a cool half million dollars.
Perks include chauffeur rides to the game, personalized World Cup memorabilia and more.
“This package allows lovers of the World Soccer Finals Championship to indulge in the best of the city, alongside exclusive access to tickets,” the Peninsula boasted.
At relatively bargain-basement prices, the Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District is offering up its “ultimate football suite” in a penthouse duplex plus two “premium” tickets to see England vs. Panama on June 27 – all for just $30,000.
There are helicopter rides to MetLife stadium, too, natch.
Along with fancy snacks like Petrossian caviar, the package comes with “a next-day recovery massage or facial with Maison Sisley,” according to the hip hotel.
If you prefer to avoid throngs of sweaty fans, you can buy out Le Jardin Sur Madison, a private rooftop event and dining space on the 28th floor of One Madison Avenue, starting at $100,000.
Featuring fancy fare from top chef Daniel Boulud’s team, generous hosts can use the space for a seated dinner for 50 people or a cocktail-style reception for 300. The venue overlooking Madison Square Park has two 98-inch TVs to take in a game.
Fine dining establishments are also getting in on the action. Benjamin Steakhouse in Midtown is offering a $5,000 match-day experience with a magnum of Cristal and a 500-gram caviar service “dramatically presented inside a custom glass soccer ball.”
In the Hamptons, Greek eatery Calissa is charging $50,000 for a private table for eight in front of their giant 12-foot TV screen. The price tag covers luxury champagne and a gift package from upscale pot brands Charlie Fox and Ruby Farms.
Rio de Janeiro-based star chef Rafa Costa e Silva of Lasai is coming to the Big Apple for a two-night pop-up with fellow maestro Franco Sampogna of the Michelin-starred Frevo in Greenwich Village. To celebrate Team Brazil, they’re offering a 13-course, $395-a-head tasting menu, with extra for vino. Expect flavors like heart of palm, cassava, chayote, guava and cashew, along with fresh seafood.
There are also plenty of options for soccer lovers on a budget.
Some 600 restaurants have already partnered with NYC Tourism + Conventions to offer $26 World Cup specials.
They include Harlem’s Red Rooster, downtown’s White Horse Tavern, Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue, La Baraka in Queens and Staten Island’s Kills Boro Brewery.
Morgan’s is offering its distinctive, four-hour-long-smoked chicken wings, plus their signature Texas Two-Step, a whiskey with homemade, unsweetened iced tea.
Each order at participating restaurants comes with a collectible 24-oz. reusable cup, one for each of the five boroughs.
“It’s like Restaurant Week lite,” said Morgan’s owner Mathew Glazier.
Ainslie Bowery in Soho spent around $100,000 to build out an outdoor “street dining park” to watch games including the NBA Finals, said Sergio Riva, a co-owner of South Village Hospitality. The outdoor area features custom steel structures, artificial turf floors, an outdoor bar and high top tables for game-day crowds.
“The goal is to create an immersive atmosphere where fans can gather, celebrate and experience the energy of New York sports and the world’s biggest soccer tournament together,” Riva said.
“With the Knicks making a deep playoff push and the FIFA World Cup, the excitement in New York is unprecedented,” Riva said.
We hear… that Taste of Summer in Central Park at the Bethseda Terrace was a hit Wednesday.
The 25-year-plus summer tradition featured 38 restaurants with participating chefs including Chef Michael Lomonaco of Brasserie Cognac, Chef Rafael of The Ribben, Chef Paul Donnelly of Soso’s, Chef Bill Peet of Tavern on the Green, Chef Adam Fiscus of Central Park Boathouse, Chef Romeo Regalli of Ras Plant Based and Chef Peter Jin of Beefbar NYC.
More than 850 people attended to benefit the Central Park Conservancy — and this summer, attendees were as excited by the Knicks, gathering by a large screen to watch the game, as they were by the food.
Event chairs were Aileen and Chris Bruner, Pakhi and David Eder, and Mo Sakurai and Harry Taylor, along with honorary chairs Laurie and Jay Mandelbaum, Gillian and Sylvester Miniter, and Melissa Vail and Norman C. Selby. More than $1.4 million was raised.
We hear… that Chef Eyal Shani continues to expand in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.
Miznon opened an outpost at Barclays Center in May. That’s in addition to Big Apple Miznon locations in Chelsea Market, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Hudson Yards and The Hugh in Midtown East. Miami is next.
Miznon is known for simple, viral dishes like a falafel burger, bag of green beans, chicken schnitzel pita and roasted cauliflower.
Following the opening of Naked Tomato at Moxy South Beach, Shani will also be opening a 4,000-square-foot Naked Tomato at the Naftali Group’s latest residential project in Williamsburg later this year. Think of elevated diner basics “through the lens” of Israeli roadside cooking: Israeli-style skewers, seasonal salads, dips, and “fire-driven” shared plates.
That’s in addition to his NYC restaurants Shmoné, Shmoné Wine Bar, Malka in Dumbo and the Upper West Side, HaSalon, and Port Sa’id.
Shani’s culinary empire now extends to more than 50 restaurants worldwide and includes the expansion of Malka, his kosher-style hotspot. Eyal has also partnered with Pagani Projects to create a flagship Miznon in Los Angeles on West Third in Beverly Grove, slated to open later this summer.
We hear… that Dom Pérignon is partnering with Chef Reika Alexander to bring back the spirit of EN Japanese Brasserie through a free pop-up series this month in New York and Los Angeles. Alexander’s beloved West Village eatery, where city creatives dined for more than two decades, closed in December after its lease at 435 Hudson St. was not renewed. A new 5,000-square-foot eatery from Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm is slated to take over the space.
The pop-up will take place from June 12 to 14 at High Line Nine, with Alexander’s reimagined version of EN’s famed black cod. It will then move to LA from June 25 to 26 at James Fuentes Gallery. The sit-down experience showcases Vintage 2017, Plénitude 2 2008 and Rosé Vintage 2010 — alongside a live mochi-making performance. The experience is free, via a now-closed online registration process, with 150 seats in New York and 100 seats in LA.
“This collaboration with Dom Pérignon feels so meaningful to me because, for a few nights, we get to bring back a feeling that so many people thought New York had lost,” said Alexander, who is now based in Paris.
“EN was never designed to be fashionable. It was built to feel human. Over time, it became this strange and beautiful intersection of the city artists, musicians, downtown kids, collectors, actors and people eating alone at the bar, all sharing the same emotional space,” she added.
“When the restaurant closed, I realized people weren’t mourning a dining room, they were mourning a feeling.”
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