Shaw-Nae's House

Shawn-Nae’s House, in Staten Island, serves up soul food with a ton of soul. Their chicken wings are coated in marshmallow fluff and their fish is deep fried whole. The home cooking vibe permeates its atmosphere which feels like a knickknack filled living room.

Sailor

Sailor is a very successful spot on a quiet corner in Brooklyn, from the team behind Joseph Leonard. The space almost feels like being in a glass-bottom boat in that there are mirrors and glass everywhere you look.

Jean's

Jean’s has a club downstairs, but upstairs feels just as much as clubby and night-time geared as an space. Jumping on the french-dip craze, Jean’s provides sandwiches, entrees and all sorts of foods that can be paired with/without a martini.

Ensenada

As someone who used to live in Williamsburg and frequent the former Black Flamingo, it was exciting to see the space reshape as Ensenada, a refreshing Mexican corner-spot that serves tasty and beautiful ceviches, aguachiles and other bright plates.

Cafe Chelsea

After years of being closed, the renovated Chelsea Hotel returned with a bang, and it’s restaurant Cafe Chelsea delivers on the experience of a classic French brasserie with traditional and new twists on menu items, like the delicious Maitake au Poivre, pictured below.

Fanny's

Bloomfield, NJ’s Fanny’s has a colorful palate of drinks and red-sauce powered food, with a sophisticated twist. The interiors, completed by Olivia Jane Design, were what brought me to shoot this space, but the restaurant utilized my food photography abilities as well.

Cena Dou

In the tree-laden hills of North Salem, NY is a wonderful French bistro, Cena Dou, which features fews of the hilly vistas and all sorts of seasonal-driven French cuisine. These photos were used for the launch of the restaurant and remain as marketing collateral.

Kolachi

Sometimes less is more, and on a menu like Kolachi’s, where there are thre menu items, that seems to be a proven success to the Pakistani-quick-service-concept in the East Village. To jazz up the content, the restaurant hired a few models to show off the food and created a more lifestyle feel for the shots, since the food, although delicious, isn’t particularly eye-popping.

The Manner Hotel

For an editorial review on The Manner Hotel, I was tasked photograph both the new cocktail bar, Sloane’s, and The Otter, from chef Alex Stupack who I had actually shot a few years before, which features a bright seafood centric menu in a wonderfully Art Deco space.

Mets Stadium

Anyone who knows me can tell you I have very little interest in sports. Nevertheless, I have been to Citi Field a handful of times and when I got the call to shoot for the Mets Stadium I was very excited. It was definitely one of the more unique shoots, wherein we were shooting in one of the vip lounges and there were more staff from the stadium then I had ever seen congregated for a single shoot - at least a dozen, if not more, were on standby. The team was ready to step up to the plate!

Marlow Bistro

At the upper most part of the Upper West Side lies Marlow Bistro, a rustically charming restaurant that features a bevy of vegetarian dishes and a very cozy atmosphere.

LaGuardia Chase Sapphire Lounge

As a seasoned traveler, I find joy when realizing I can access a lounge at an airport from which I am departing, and although I seldom fly out of LGA, I was able to experience what may be the best lounge I have experienced in a domestic terminal. Flashback to six months before when I photographed in this space and was only marveled by the appearance and selection the kitchen offered. Suffice to say it all tastes as good as it looks.

NAKS

The quality of food in a restaurant is so important but an interior and vibe can compliment or exceed a diner’s experience. Such is the case with NAKS, which has a gorgeous dining room where the communal Kamayan feasts are served to diners without utensils. It seems like this sort of palm-laden interior was co-opted by Tiki culture and bars for years, so it’s nice to see if in embraced by a restaurant whose Filipino culture was used to inspire the Tiki world in the first place.

Hoexter's

Hoexter’s is a very stylish Upper East Side Brasserie, with the same management group as the previously shared Il Totano. When photographing food, it’s great to have a hand model on standby but rarely is it the case that you’ll have one with beautifully tattooed hands that so perfectly interplay with the food at hand.

Carnitas Ramirez

As a Greenpoint resident, and Los Angeles native/taco snob, I’ve always been a huge fan of Taqueria Ramirez and was super excited when The Infatuation asked me to cover the new restaurant from the crew, Carnitas Ramirez. Very similar in size/build/style to the Greenpoint counterpoint, the small shop features only pork based tacos from all parts of the pig - all very delicious.

Il Totano

From chef Harold Dieterle comes Il Totano, a west village Italian restaurant with a gorgeous interior and beautifully seafood-focused dishes. This may have been discussed in another post but, usually, when I’m faced with a restaurant that, often always, I am experiencing for the first time, I tend to choose lighting that compliments the space and the vibe. When the entrees are climbing into the $40 range, I often tend to use a softer light which, to me, feels a little more elegant. However, given the bright colors of the food and the interiors, I convinced the team to allow me to use a harder light that would create some shadows but also allow me to use the glassware/drinks to create a glossier and fresh look that I think makes all the dishes more appealing and somewhat conjures the feeling of eating seafood on a sun-drenched balcony overlooking the Italian Riviera.

Rowdy Hall

Rowdy Hall, in Amagansett, was included In The Infatuation’s guide to The Hamptons and, with a group of other restaurants, I went east-ward to shoot it. Unlike most of my shoots, I, unannounced and on my own, decided to strictly use natural light to take some surreptitious photos and, while I prefer the punch of a strobe, was pleasantly surprised by how these turned out.

Massara

From chef Stefano Secchi of Rezdora comes a new Southern Italian kitchen, Massara. Featuring a wood fired grill and pizza oven, the restaurant serves grilled entrees, and a slew of pastas and pizzas.

The Caboose

The Caboose is an event venue in Hudson, NY that has fashioned an old farm, across the street from the Amtrak station, into a beautiful space. Of course, the food available for guests is even more beautiful. When I photographed this space, it wasn’t communicated to me that I would be shooting food but I was able to attach my strobe to my tripod and rig some aluminum foil as a beauty dish and I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

L'Avenue

Take the elevator up at Saks Fifth Avenue and you’ll find yourself at French bistro L’Avenue, which boasts two floors full of French fare and event spaces. Here are some images of their menu items and the cozy private areas.