‘Locals Only’ features notable New Yorkers, innovators and friends of CORE and their chosen neighborhoods. We hope to share the magic and uniqueness of New York City’s local areas through the eyes of those who know it best.
It’s not about the hottest or the latest; it’s about having an authentic travel experience through food and drink. FED Guides was launched by the founders of Find. Eat. Drink., Robin Dorian and Nick Bumstead. Both had the privilege of working in the culinary & beverage industry and were privy to insider knowledge of what it’s like to travel like the pros.
Tell us about your business.
FED Guides connects you with world-class chefs, bartenders, and sommeliers to discover insider recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop around the world. Our FED Guides website showcases 24-hour city guides, video series and features written by industry pros.
The Find. Eat. Drink. iPhone app has listings of over 5,000 restaurants, bars, coffee shops, farmers markets and artisan boutiques in more than 200 cities and towns in the US, Canada, Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean. It’s like having famous chefs on speed dial.
Why did you choose to live in Chelsea?
We live in the south end of Chelsea, which is very centrally located. At one end of our street is the High Line and Chelsea Market and at the other end is the Union Square Greenmarket. Within a block is nearly every subway.
Tell us your top 3 neighbor haunts.
One of our favorite places to shop and eat is Chelsea Market. We buy fish at The Lobster Place (the best fish quality and selection in the city) and eat at mŏkbar, where Chef Esther Choi is doing a Korean spin on ramen. Her summer cold noodle dishes are perfect on a hot day.
We’re fans of the tapas chef Jamie Bissonette is creating at Toro. You’ll never get bored with his menu.
We’re excited that former Booker & Dax bartender Nick Bennett is heading the cocktail program at the recently opened Porchlight bar in west Chelsea. It’s a fun spot for cocktails and Southern snacks.
What’s your favorite street in Chelsea?
We really like the tree-lined block of 24th Street, behind London Terrace. Mostly because it is surrounded by lots of great restaurants. You can start your night at Trestle on Tenth, which has a great wine list and crispy duck necks (which may sound weird, but are much better than chicken wings), then stop into El Quinto Pino for a glass of sherry and Garbanzos Fritos, and then end up with pizza at Co Pane.
What do you value about Chelsea that other neighborhoods don’t have?
We love the High Line and how it is a constantly evolving and changing canvas. No two days are the same; rainy days are as beautiful as sunny days. We get an iced coffee from Blue Bottle (either on the High Line or on 15th Street) for our walk or a glass of wine at Terroir to sit and watch the sunset.
What’s one thing that most people don’t know about Chelsea?
The historic Spanish Benevolent Society can be found in a townhouse on the north side of 14th Street. It’s a social club that opened in 1868 and has been visited by people like Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel, poet Federico García Lorca, and President John F. Kennedy. Upstairs they have flamenco dances and in the basement is La Nacional, an old school tapas bar with ex-pats drinking Estrella and watching soccer on TV.