Is it Spring Yet?

This winter won’t quit. We’ve had giant piles of snow on the ground for weeks, temps stuck in the mid-30s, and I honestly can’t remember the last time it felt warm. As I write this, we’re expecting a blizzard of up to 18+ inches to roll through the region. We’re all going stir crazy. It’s been too cold for the kids to play outside, so we’ve been rotating between indoor jungle gyms that charge $35 per kid for 90 minutes, kids’ museums, and trying to get creative at home with games, puzzles, art projects—you name it. To all my parents out there, you know the feeling. I dream of park days and playgrounds once the weather warms up.

But even in the middle of this endless gray and cold, there have been some really great moments.

Quick update on Kees, our new cocktail bar in the West Village. It’s off to a great start after opening about two weeks ago—rave reviews right out of the gate. Not surprising. Obviously I’m a little biased, but also incredibly proud, so I’m gonna talk about it. The space is stunning, the drinks are classic (familiar, well-crafted, top-notch ingredients), and the food is elevated in all the right ways. Think beef tartare, shrimp cocktail, spinach dip—every snack is exactly what you want when you want something indulgent but easy.

Kees (downstairs at One Cornelia)

I’m still amazed at how the team pulled this off with all the roadblocks in front of them. Less than 24 hours before Friends & Family service, the place was an utter disaster. Somehow, it was immaculate by the time the first guests arrived. That’s opening magic—or insanity. Hard to tell which. Our team are rockstars.

I’ve been getting texts and DMs from friends who are at the bar or en route to it, all of them having a blast. A spot like Kees is just... right. Downtown, bustling area, refined and comfortable, elevated drinks that don’t require a mixology degree to decode. This is what I love about truly classic places—they’re timeless. A place to dress up a little, bring a date, bring your cocktail-nerd friend, bring someone you’re trying to impress. It feels like old NYC in a way. There’s no smoke and mirrors—the drinks and food aren’t hiding behind any gimmicks, over-the-top presentations, or chemistry experiments. Everything is just confidently well done. It’s a really refreshing approach.

I also must mention: if you need a nightcap on your way out, Mixteca is upstairs pouring some of the best margaritas, tequila/mezcal cocktails, and micheladas in the city (any place that has a michelada menu is a winner in my book). The tacos and quesadillas from Tacos 1986 next door don’t disappoint either—especially after a Manhattan or two downstairs. Don’t miss the El Paso quesadilla. You can thank me later.

Mixteca (ground level at One Cornelia)

The whole thing is just super special. It wasn’t without bumps along the way, but we got there. I couldn’t be more proud to be part of it. You should go check it out.

While most of our team has been getting things going in the West Village, I’ve been spending most of my time on another cocktail lounge we’re opening in Midtown. Can’t talk much about it yet, but think of it as the uptown version of Kees. Classic drinks, swanky space, comfortable, food that’s better than you’d ever expect from a “bar.” Wine will be a bit more forward in this space—we’re building a bar right in the center where Champagne will be the center of attention, heavy focus on Dom Pérignon. A little much? Maybe. But also awesome. We’re planning to pour it by the glass for relatively cheap, which I love—doing things like this to make a place both special and accessible.

The challenge here is different. We’re concepting and managing the project, but it’s in partnership with the building’s landlord, so the pressures and timelines are tighter than usual. Organization and communication are important with any project, of course, but when you’re partnered up with another organization outside of your normal team—whose experience is outside of the hospitality industry—clarity of expectations, over-communication, and rationale behind decision-making become so much more important.

This week alone we ran into issues with timing around our DOH permit, the liquor license still isn’t in hand yet, and finding quality staff has proven to be harder than usual. Things keep piling up and the opening date is swiftly approaching. I’ll be damned if we don’t open on time. Every step recently has required us to get creative, going outside of our usual protocols. As hard as it is, I love it. Finding the creative solutions, the unusual paths to the same goal, working through or around the obstacles. It’s like running a gauntlet, and I’m determined to be the ninja who makes it to the other side.

In between all of the emails, phone calls, meetings, running around Midtown, endless opening lists, and juggling the kids, the beat down was real. Anxiety on high. Popping awake in the middle of the night because I remembered a random form that needed to be submitted the next morning. Skipping meals and chowing on my kids’ granola bars instead. Microwave dinners. Coffee at 8pm to keep energy up. It’s easy for things to start to feel endless. If I see one more friend posting on social media with a picture of the beach they’re on with margarita in hand, I might throw my phone out the window.

And then, in the middle of all that grinding, I caught the Bad Bunny halftime show during the Super Bowl. What was this? This inspiring display of pure, joyous energy, positive messaging, and love! It was the best piece of positivity I’ve seen break through our depressing media landscape in a long time. He got in our faces and reminded us that the best way to face our demons—whether they’re out in the world or inside ourselves—is to crush them with unfettered joy.

Bad Bunny’s America

Watching that show felt like the first warm spring day in New York. You know the one. You don’t realize how beaten down you’ve been by the cold, the rain, the snow, the relentless gray—until you step outside and feel that first bright, warm day. The world wakes up. You wake up. That joyous moment when you think, damn, winter really did a number on me, but now I feel alive again.

That’s how Bad Bunny’s show hit me. Like we’re all stuck in this dreary winter of our politics and negative media cycle, the grinding of everyday life, and here comes this man who doesn’t lead with attacks or negativity, but with love, joy, and pride. What a breath of fresh air. So many of us needed that. He was that bright, warm spring day after months of cold.

Then this week, the Olympics brought even more of those good vibes. I haven’t been able to watch much given everything, but two big wins caught my eye and got me fired up — Mikaela Shiffrin’s gold in slalom and Alysa Liu’s gold in figure skating. Both of their stories are so powerful and inspiring—leading with an incredible sense of self, determination, integrity, and soul. Stunning performances in two completely different disciplines, both showing profound grit and tenacity.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s Gold Medal Slalom

Mikaela, charging the gates with absolute power and precision, nailing every turn, determined to beat the clock. Alysa, just as technical but owning the ice in a different way—using her skill as an extension of who she is, treating her time out there like art. She broke the mold of what the world wanted her to be and leaned fully into herself. In doing so, she found a joy that was infectious. Two absolute badasses in very different ways.

Alysa Liu is Golden

There are great lessons in all of this. My takeaway: even in the dark of winter, you can manifest light if you choose to. And it doesn’t need to come from anywhere else—it comes from inside yourself. It all filled my gas tank right back up again, ready to keep charging.

That’s a powerful thing to realize. I can choose joy. I can choose tenacity. I can choose to wallow in the to-do list and the gray skies, or charge at what’s in front of me and be the very best at what I do every day. I can do things the way I want and choose to lean into being more of myself, not just what the world wants me to be. And when you do that, it doesn’t just bring success—it brings incredible freedom. No need to wait for spring.

That’s a good place to end.

—Dustin

The Dom Pérignon Strategy

I mentioned we’re building a Dom Pérignon bar in the Midtown space. Here’s why we’re pricing the way we are.