Harry’s Culture Radar: March '23
A monthly briefing on the very best in art, food, travel, and design.
Staying on top of the world’s important cultural happenings takes serious time and energy, and even the most devoted cool collector is bound to miss a thing or two. That’s why we created Harry’s Culture Radar, our new monthly feature that curates the most interesting, most relevant, and most stylish bits of cultural intel from around the world and across the web. From the best new restaurants and the hippest hotels to the latest trends in architecture and design, our monthly briefing is made to bring you up to speed on under-the-radar happenings you might have missed in the newsfeed. This month: A hidden wine bar in Toronto, London’s most stylish new hotel, and an Italian speed machine that deserves a spot in your dreams (and garage).
Wine 3.0
From the announcement of NOMA’s closure last month to the skewering of high-end foodyism in The Menu to the whispers of a possible recession ahead, signs are everywhere that the golden age of fine dining may have already reached its apex. For a glimpse at what the future holds, take a trip up to Toronto’s Geary Avenue, where Paradise Chalet is reinventing the wine bar behind the unassuming facade of a former Portuguese restaurant. In addition to being a full-service bar and restaurant, the location is also home to Paradise Grapevine, a boutique urban winemaker specializing in concoctions like Gamay Piquette and Zweigelt Pét-Nat, and intriguingly oddball blends like Dornfelder-Cabernet Franc. With an extensive list of unusual wines and a full menu of upscale comfort food, Paradise Chalet’s sophisticated-yet-accessible approach to gastronomy makes it the perfect spot to find your new favourite bottle. It’s also the perfect antidote to the seriousness of fine dining.
London Eye
The Battersea Power station, whose looming smokestacks were immortalized on the cover of Pink Floyd’s Animals LP, once supplied a fifth of London’s electricity. After sitting idle for decades, however, a £9-billion pound urban renewal scheme is transforming it into the city’s newest destination for dining, culture, and entertainment, including London’s most stylish new hotel. Art’Otel London Battersea features 164 rooms outfitted in signature colourful style by Spanish artist and interior designer Jaime Hayon, along with a new restaurant from two Michelin-Starred Portuguese chef Henrique Sá Pessoa. The best seats in the house, however, are at the hotel’s rooftop, where you can sip a craft cocktail or lounge in the infinity pool while taking in panoramic views of London.
Victory Lap
We’ll be among the millions tuning in to watch the season’s first F1 event in Bahrain this month, where Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc will try to eke out a win against last season’s unstoppable world champion Max Verstappen. You don’t have to be a Tifosi, however, to get worked up about this month’s major Ferrari event, RM Sothebys’ annual auction at the Amelia Island Concours in Florida. Among the automotive gems on the block at this legendary gathering is a 1974 Ferrari 246 Dino GTS, a V6-powered opus to peak-1970s Italian style. Designed by Pininfarina and produced by Scaglietti – two of the most lauded names in 20th-century sports cars – this version is one of fewer than 150 ever delivered with the so-called “Chairs and Flares” package, whose Daytona-style seats and widened wheel arches are the stuff of automotive dreams.