First Class
TRENDSETTER
FRINGE
BENEFITS
Imagine this: Instead of coming back from your next trip
scruffy and windblown like
usual, surprise your spouse
by stepping through the front
door at the pinnacle of style.
With some help from
Boston’s Salon àcôté (
pronounced “ah-co-TAY”), your
tresses can look sharp as
ever, just steps from the platform. The upscale hair salon
on Newbury Street offers a
promotion for travelers only,
called Jet Set Express.
Simply make an appointment for a haircut and show
your train ticket when you arrive at the salon, and you’ll be
greeted with a complimentary
cappuccino, a travel-size set
of Kerastase products and
a gift certificate for a complimentary blow dry ($35 value)
at your next visit.
Haircuts start at $55 for
women and $45 for men.
A big plus for busy travelers:
The salon guarantees a wait
time of less than 15 minutes
when you book two days
in advance.
Salon àcôté, 132 Newbury St., 2nd Floor,
Boston. 617-262-5111, salonacote.com.
Eric Ripert
Chef Extraordinaire
When The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia
unveils its new restaurant 10 Arts this
spring, the spotlight will be on chef
Eric Ripert, the ace behind Manhattan’s famed Le Bernardin.
“I didn’t expect this to be so much
fun,” Ripert says of his courtship with
the City of Brotherly Love. “The buildings are beautiful, and I love all the
murals and the diverse ethnicities in
the neighborhoods and in the food.”
It’s possible that a cheese steak
seduced Ripert, but more likely it
was the Ritz’s magnificent 140-foot
Pantheon-like marble rotunda that
serves as the restaurant’s bustling—
and breathtaking—backdrop. Although
the restaurant’s contemporary look
purposefully plays against its stately,
traditional environs, the menu is loyal to
local agriculture and flavors.
“We don’t want the food to be
too precious or unfamiliar. Good,
but straightforward. We want to make
dishes that show a connection to local
farmers and the Chesapeake Bay,” says
Ripert. (“We” includes Jennifer Carroll,
a Le Bernardin alumna and Philadelphia
native, whom Ripert has appointed
executive chef of 10 Arts.)
10 Arts is slated for a May opening,
but the city’s foodies have been polishing their silverware (and sharpening
their pencils) for weeks in anticipation.
If Ripert’s eye for talent and regional
ingredients rivals his deftness with
seafood, Philadelphia and its visitors
are in for treat. —DAWN WARDEN
