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.

Il Verdi

Olivia Jane designs eye-catching and thoughtful spaces that pay tribute to their surrounding environments but also entice onlookers from afar. She has worked with Atlantic City based Il Verdi to create a massive space that opens out into a casino, and compliments the glitzy neon machines but once you reach the beachfront area, it’s airy space and dining cabana inject a calmness that may be hard to find in a casino.

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.

Cena Dou

Just up the Hudson, in North Salem, lies the forest filled oasis Cena Dou, a French restaurant with both casual and fine dining concepts. The space is serene, and overlooks the tree-laden valley, with just as beautiful dishes to accompany.

The Hook

I had previously shared some photos for Superfrico, which is a restaurant adjacent to The Hook, a circus-like show, curated by Speigelworld, who hosts shows around the country, headquarted in Las Vegas. To promote The Hook and Superfrico, I was asked to photograph some of the characters from the performance (primarily acrobatic performers) in the restaurant space itself. Here are some selections from that shoot.

Giffard

Giffard is a French liquor brand who has been producing non-alcoholic spirits has partnered with distributor had a launch party at La Mercerie to showcase some of their fantastically sober cocktails. As the trend of drinking slowly declines, brands like Giffard have learned how to successfully pivot to provide a similar experience without the the alcohol content.

SoJo Spa Club

I love going to a spa. At home, when I travel, anytime. Which is why I was very excited to photograph SoJo Spa Club for The Infatuation's Winter 25 list. Although I usually don’t eat there when I visit they have a pretty full menu that pairs nicely with a cold plunge.

Bar Moga

Bar Moga, located on Houston St is a 1920’s style cocktail bar with a bevy of options to drink and eat. The Infatuation was reviewing the spot so I was asked to shoot some photos, a handful of which are below.

Visa x Bobby Flay

Certain Visa credit card holders won a contest that would include a trip to NYC and a myriad of treats, including an in-kitchen demonstration and meal prepared for and served by celebrity chef Bobby Flay. Here are some images from the evening.

Meju

Meju is a fine dining, set-menu restaurant in the back of a lovely Korean market in Long Island City. The Infatuation was in need of some photos to accompany their review, and so they called upon yours truly to do so. When I light food, I try to match the mood of the space and the vibe. As Meju is an upscale one-seating-per-evening speakeasy playing Sinatra, it gave off the vibe of a single softbox sort of aesthetic, which you can view below.

Tatiana Nike Lincoln Center Event

Back in October, Nike hosted the World Basketball Festival at Lincoln Center, home to Tatiana, a restaurant named the best in NYC in 2023 by the New York Times. Kwame Onwuachi, the restaurant’s chef and proprietor teamed with catering masters CxRA to provide a dinner for the opening of the festival with the lovely backdrop of the Lincoln Center plaza.

Superfrico

Speigelworld has produced some modern adult-driven cabaret/circus-style performances in Las Vegas and, somewhat, recently opened a location in Atlantic City, with their adjacent restaurant, Superfrico. Although there is also a Superfrico in Las Vegas, the menus varies slightly and the team was in need of photography of the dishes and the spaces below.

Iichiko x Martiny's

Having worked with Iichiko before, it’s quite clear they are strategic with who they partner, and it would make sense for them to work with Martiny’s, a cozy yet hip Japanese cocktail bar on Irving Place. Mixologist Takuma Watanabe produced a gorgeous and green cocktail for the brand which you can view below.

The US Open

As Chase was a sponsor of last year’s US Open, so too did Chase-owned The Infatuation have a hand in the event, which meant a ton of exciting and new food. As part of the Infatuation’s list of Where to Eat at The US Open, I photographed dishes from the various vendors at the “Flavors of the Open” event, some of which were household NYC names, while others were compact versions of high-profile restaurants.

Chase Sapphire Pride Event

As Chase Bank owns The Infatuation, it would make sense why the two host so many events together, including this Pride NYC 2023 event at The Bowery Hotel, which included a 10 ft mezze table and some colorful treats and guests.

Don Papa x Fandi Mata

Premium small-batch rum manufacturer Don Papa needed some help showing off its cocktails and ambassadors so we took to Williamsburg mediterranean hideaway Fandi Mata which provides an innately tropical vibe to the images.

Gilligan's

Gilligan’s is an outdoor oasis of a bar/restaurant at the Soho Grand Hotel. The client wanted their images to have a softness to them so, against my normal routine (and preferences), we shot only using natural light which did create a certain aesthetic that I’m happy to produce, but not the biggest fan of. It worked for the client, so it worked for me.