Towering Achievement

The Trump Tower Punta del Este residential project—anticipated to stand 23 stories above the Uruguayan beach town for which it is named—marks Trump International Realty’s foray into South American real estate. Upon its completion in fall of 2016, the development will comprise 129 luxury apartments in two intersecting cylindrical structures designed by the Argentinean architectural firm Dujovne-Hirsch. Units range from 1,291-square-foot one bedroom units to a 13,993-square-foot penthouse with four bedrooms. Pri…

Oh, Mexico

Set to break ground in May, Fairmont Heritage Place Mayakoba on Mexico’s Riviera Maya is offering one-twelfth fractional-ownership opportunities in 30 residences by the Miami-based firm SB Architects (St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Puerto Rico; Calistoga Ranch, Calif.; the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, Hawaii). The interiors, by Los Angeles’s Rodrigo Vargas Design, will have a contemporary Mexican feel. Each of the residences will feature decor with such materials as limestone and dark woods, and will offer a full kitc…

The Restaurant elBulli’s Wine Cellar Comes to Auction

Sotheby’s has unlocked the wine cellar of the famed Catalan eatery elBulli to auction more than 8,800 bottles of wine, many of which were produced exclusively for the restaurant, across two sales in April. The restaurant, which operated on Catalonia’s Costa Brava for more than 50 years before its 2011 closure, was revered internationally for its imaginative haute cuisine; under the chef Ferran Adrià, who served for 27 years, the venue was awarded three Michelin stars.
The highlight of the sales, which take pl…

Sneak Peek: Majestic Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

The Majestic Hotel opened in Kuala Lumpur in a national-heritage property built in the 1930s, and its 300 rooms and suites are designed in the Art Deco spirit of the original building. It has two restaurants, Contango and the Colonial Café—which feature two interactive open kitchens and traditional fare from Malaysia’s colonial days, respectively—and the Majestic Spa, a cigar room, a screening room, and a private dining area with a chef on call. Rates start at about $215. (+603.2785.8000, www.majestickl.com)</…

Sneak Peek: Gale South Beach and Regent Hotel, Miami

Located in the heart of South Beach, the Gale South Beach and Regent Hotel is steps away from Miami’s shops, restaurants, art galleries, and beaches. Originally two separate hotels, the Gale and the Regent were connected in a $35 million renovation project. The hotel has 87 rooms and suites (all certified green), a poolside café, a rooftop deck with an infinity pool, and an Italian restaurant, Dolce Italian. Rates start at $299 a night. (305.673.0199, www.galehotel.com)

Gilbert Albert Takes Manhattan

In a career spanning more than 60 years, Gilbert Albert has cultivated a global following for his artistic approach to contemporary fine jewelry. That reputation is bound to grow with the opening of a lavish boutique on 57th Street in New York City, just steps from Fifth Avenue. The location is Albert’s fourth, joining a roster of boutiques in Geneva, Zurich, and Moscow (a fifth location, in Paris, has also just opened). Throughout the enormous new three-floor space, customers will find exceptional one-off cou…

Dior’s Directional Suiting Goes Custom

The latest brand to enter the custom-menswear market is Dior Homme, which has introduced its demi-mesure service at its American flagship store in New York. Dior Homme’s creative director, Kris Van Assche, says the brand decided to bring its made-to-measure service—which was previously available upon request at Dior’s Avenue Montaigne store in Paris—to the States to accommodate a growing demand for customization.
Private appointments for demi-mesure are held in a new second-floor atelier, where customers can …

Archaeological Accessories

William Henry’s new collection of cuff links are relics for the wrist. The 10 debut styles (priced from $250 to $550) have been fashioned from rare materials like the fossilized tooth of a wooly mammoth unearthed from the North Sea, which the designer cross-sectioned and set in platinum ($500). The cuff link’s design reveals the tooth’s delicate interior—layers of alternating quartz-like striations, which were air-dried for one year before being resin-stabilized and set. Other styles include fossilized coral a…

Deco Designs for the Bath

The family-owned Florentine firm Devon and Devon, known for impeccably designed and crafted bathroom collections, including bathtubs, fittings, and flooring, recently debuted two new vanities: Suite and Bentley. The company—which outfitted Franco Zeffirelli’s Positano retreat as well as Francis Ford Coppola’s 19th-century Palazzo Margherita (reincarnated as a luxury hotel)—casts a wide inspirational net. “Our collections arise from a variety of styles, trends, and ideas we simply cannot classify,” says CE…

Paramount Wine-and-Seafood Pairings from the Executive Chef at Chicago’s L2O Restaurant

The simple yet artfully executed seafood dishes at the executive chef Matthew Kirkley’s L2O restaurant in Chicago present a challenge to even discerning oenophiles—how to choose a wine that is bold on its own but will not drown out the rewarding nuances of lean fish. “By choosing the wrong wine with fish, especially flat fish, you are really at risk of losing the complete flavor of the dish,” says Kirkley.
As for any chef, Kirkley’s top priority is to hone the flavors in high-quality foods (he even went so fa…