"luxist" news and stories

Does the end of the Rainbow Room signal the end of an era? Just yesterday, MSNBC reported that the Rainbow Room, the renowned Manhattan landmark and restaurant, is going to shut down. John Higgins, the Chief Operating Officer of Cipriani, announced that the close is due to the current economic crisis and an ongoing dispute with their landlord, Tishman Speyer. Our sister blog, Luxist, explains that despite the definitive close on January 12th, they will continue to operate the bar, banquet space, and the weekend dinner-dancing sessions on the 65th floor.

The Rainbow Room opened on October 3, 1934 and quickly became a NYC icon associated with high-culture and style. The likes of Fred Astaire waltzed on its floor. Marlene Dietrich dined there, and famous musicians, such as organist Ray Bohr, performed there. The restaurant which opened during the Great Depression is now ironically closing during a new economic crisis. You can view images of the Rainbow Room's cultural peak at Gawker and feel the nostalgia of a past glamour.

Is this the coffee cup of the future?

Our friends over at Luxist have the details on a new coffee cup designed by David Fier. It looks a little bit more like a cream pitcher than a coffee cup, but that's part of the charm. It has an undulating rim that fits better and helps to prevent spills. The base doubles as a lid and it's dishwasher/microwave safe. It certainly looks cool, though I'd like to see how much it actually holds. I don't like small cups of coffee tea. I like big ones that hold a lot.

You can buy them for $22 here.

At Luxist, Deidre mentioned that there is a vodka with a purpose beyond mere intoxication. Snow Leopard Vodka is an ultra-premium Polish vodka made with spelt grain that promises to be the "best vodka on the market," with a round, smooth taste. It is being sold to benefit the Snow Leopard Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of the endangered felines. A full 15% of the profits will be donated to the trust and the company hopes to be able to donate more than £543,000 ($1 million) each year. The vodka will be available at Harvey Nichols wine shops in the UK this month, where it will sell for £36. There will also be at least eight upscale restaurants and nightclubs that will be selling the vodka and specialty cocktails that feature it, so customers can drink with a conscience.

 

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For Mother's Day, See's Candies has restyled one of their signature boxes into an adorable pink and white purse with a beaded handle. It is packed with an assortment of truffles and other chocolates and topped off with a bow. In addition to selling the purse alone, See's also sells a larger Mother's Day Keepsake Collection, which includes the 10-ounce purse, an additional pound of assorted chocolates and a pink bag full of foil-covered chocolate hearts.

If you're interested in getting some other edible, purse-themed gifts for Mom, check out the selection of edible handbags that Luxist has picked out:

Dean and Deluca Sweet Couture
Eleni's Designer Handbags
Hand it to Mom Handbag Cheesecake
Choco Choco Truffle Handbags (which we've also mentioned here)
I Dream of Cake Purses
Caramel-Filled Purse

Luxist reports that a recent conference on Global Warming and Wines found that traditional wine-making areas may be at risk of losing their wine-making abilities, including the Catalonian regions of Spain and Bordeaux region of France. If current warming trends continue, one speaker at the conference argued, this could be a reality "within the next 40 to 70 years." Grapes in those regions could suffer not only from an increase in temperature, but from a change in the amount of rainfall they receive. Increasingly dry areas may face water-restrictions to conserve water, while other regions may face heavy rains, since many scientists predict changing weather patterns will accompany global warming. On the plus side, some of the areas of the world that are now too cold to successfully cultivate wines on a large, commercial scale will probably be warm enough to grow grapes, leading to new varieties and blends for connoisseurs to enjoy, drowning their sorrows to forget the loss of their favorite Bordeaux.

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