lasuperior.com/

Inspired by traditional cantinas serving comida corrida, or “fast food”, Mexican street food eatery La Superior in Williamsburg delivers Mexican standards like tacos and chicken enchiladas, and lesser known delicacies like salpicon shredded beef salad from the Yucatan, and cameron pibil, marinated shrimp over plantains and wrapped in a banana leaf. The food lives up to its boastful name but it’s the down-home neighborhood appeal and low prices that keep it lively. Regulars include Mexico City transplants, Williamsburg artists, and downtown Manhattanites looking for a true Mexican fix. Co-owners behind this festive space like to keep their recipes rich, their décor minimal, and their clientele coming back for more. That’s not to say that designer details go remiss. Check out the hand-blown light fixtures, the custom screened wallpaper, the kitschy plastic table wear — all imported from Mexico, just like the chef. A liquor license for beer, tequila, and margaritas is forthcoming.

295 Berry St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn     718 388 5988

Astralwerks

The youthful vigor of Late Of The Pier bursts from the British quartet’s debut full-length, Fantasy Black Channel. This is witnessed in the amalgamation of high-energy styles topped with ska bounces and punk sneers. Mainly, however, it’s their electro-rock/synth-pop sensibility fused with inventive and contagious dance hooks that makes Channel effective. The carousel swing of “Random Firl” is balanced by the rapid rolls of “Heartbeat”, while the bleeps of “The Enemy are the Future” temper the grinding crunch of “Whitesnake”. There isn’t a genre Pier hasn’t plundered, but with their unfailing exuberance, it all works.

Photogrpahy by Alexander Wagner

Sally Hawkins isn’t used to air conditioning yet. During an interview in a midtown hotel room, the automated A/C unit kicks in with a not-so-discreet roar. “It sounds like we’re taking off,” she laughs. “I imagine you very quickly get used to this sort of thing.” She’ll probably have to. Before this year, Hawkins was a well-kept secret, best known in the UK for turns on miniseries like Fingersmith and elsewhere for supporting roles in Mike Leigh’s last two films, All or Nothing and Vera Drake. Now that she’s taken the lead in Happy-Go-Lucky, a higher profile is almost certainly in the offing; her recent Silver Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival is already generating a fair share of Oscar buzz. In the film, Hawkins plays the maniacally cheerful Poppy, whose perpetual perkiness evolves from grating to endearing in the course of two hours. It’s an intense collaboration between Hawkins and Leigh, and I started by asking about their mutual bonding over art.

Photography by Jon Bergman

Los Campesinos! are fighting a war. And given that the Spanish word los campesinos translates loosely to “the peasants”, images of Franco and the Spanish Civil War can’t be far behind. But while this Welsh outfit is indeed in the midst of a revolution, the war is being waged between digital technologies and archaic modes of production. This is not to say Los Campesinos are Marxists, or even Luddites, but they do aspire to preserve something more precious: the materiality of musical culture.
     In just the last year, their song “You! Me! Dancing!” quickly turned from breakout single to an imperative mandate at hipster dance parties in lofts across the globe. Yet, less than eight months after releasing their debut Hold on Now, Youngster…, the band has already put out an ambitious second full-length, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, whose parameters extend far beyond mere music. Only 5,000 hard copies will be released, and there will be no singles. But the limited-edition boxes come with a DVD documentary and a fanzine featuring contributions from Xiu Xiu, Grandaddy, and Menomena.
     “With MP3s now so easy to obtain, there has to be an incentive to want the physical product,” laments frontman Gareth (who refuses to share his actual surname). “As a fan, that should be part of the excitement, and something that’s now missing with a lot of music.

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Islands

After conquering the charts with the electro-pop of Hot Fuss and polarizing critics with the epic Americana of Sam’s Town, the Las Vegas rockers return with a third album that adeptly synthesizes the disco bombast and rustic sweep of its respective predecessors. It may be hard to take Brandon Flowers seriously on “Joy Ride”, when he so desperately labors to mimic Bruce Springsteen, crooning about “rattlesnakes of romance” that frolic in the rain. Yet on standouts “Losing Touch” and “Spaceman”, the futuristic synths and guitars and funky bass and brass lines fuse to ignite an unforgettable fire.

Photography by Nick Haymes

Antony Hegarty was just 18 when it happened. It was his freshman year at NYU and Hegarty was stepping off a stage much smaller than those he sashays across today. Just minutes after the show had wrapped up, a woman from the audience took the young vocalist aside to thank him. That pebbled vibrato of his was most likely in its infant stages then, but the effect could be considered somewhat universal. She had wept. He had found his voice.
     “There are lots of reasons to sing,” says Hegarty via telephone from his Manhattan apartment. “It’s like jumping into an ocean of human archetypes, expressive archetypes. All different animals have their own way of expressing themselves. You can jump in and it’s not just about you anymore, it’s about the whole experience of being human.” At the moment, Hegarty is taking a short break from touching up his forthcoming long-player, The Crying Light, and the pace he’s kept alongside his band, the Johnsons, until now seems to have left his speaking voice in pieces.

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sketch.uk.com

In 2002, French master chef Pierre Gagnaire adapted an international menu from his Michelin three-star-rated Paris establishment for the quadruple threat that is London’s Sketch: an art gallery, bar, and restaurant with some members-only club spaces. A space-age, mostly white décor, complete with igloo-shaped bars, projected video art installations (that change every few weeks), and attractive wait staff make Sketch a consistent, high-end favorite of locals and travelers with an affinity for quirk and creativity. Attire is dressy, but not black tie. Perennial favorites include: a classic ceviche, venison with poached pear in red wine, and desserts that match the atmosphere’s funky, innovative bent — like “bubble gum ice cream with lemon Wurtz, orange blossom marshmallow, panna cotta, and crispy green tea.” Sketch’s mixed drinks and wine are considered expensive even by London standards, but are exquisitely paired with the seasonal menu by exacting sommeliers.

9 Conduit Street    +0870.777.4488

crownbarla.com

The folks behind Winston’s and the Dime have struck gold once more. The third joint in their so-called “hidden neighborhood gem” concept, the Crown Bar takes it to another level. Of course, not many neighborhood bars draw in Lindsay, Paris, and, you guessed it, Britney, but this is LA. Complete with a classic California-American bistro, circa 1940s Tinseltown, the Crown Bar serves finger-licking fare. The oval mahogany bar is the centerpiece here — topped with white marble — but the old school atmosphere doesn’t stop there. Dark wood walls; soft amber sconces and chandeliers; oversized, chesterfield banquets; and a lacquered terra cotta floor make the crowd swoon — not because some girl from The Hills just walked in. There’s a bit of attitude, but it’s not from the staff and it’s still manageable. The feel, the good food, and the DJ spinning (Samatha Ronson if you’re lucky) all come together to create a lounge that works for everyone, whether you’re rolling with a celebutante or not.

7321 Santa Monica Blvd.    323 882 6774

Photography by Derek Peck. White Shirt Raquel Allegra Navajo Shawl Perez Sanz

By the time she was 13 years old, Florence Faivre had already been living in Bangkok for five years, having relocated with her family at age 8 from the picturesque town of Aix en Provence, in Southern France. The move was a culture shock, to say the least, and her new home was hardly as quaint and easygoing as her old one. Still, youth was on her side. Her Thai was progressing moderately, and she was quickly becoming fluent in English (her parents thought it best to send her to an American school). She was also tall for her age, not to mention, a striking sight — owing partly her to half-French, half-Thai lineage.
     One day, as she made her way down the stairs of her family’s house to get a glass of milk, still in her pajamas, she found herself face to face with a Thai film producer who happened to be meeting with her brother. The producer took one look at her, remarked on her impressive height, and mentioned that she might look good in front of the camera. “I was like, ‘Okay I get to be on TV!’” says Faivre, who now lives in New York and remains fully amused by the happenstance that’s been guiding her life ever since that life-changing moment. “All the parts that I ended up getting were kind of recommendations.