Sinanation

I have been tasting croissants, which were originally invented in Austria as the pastry called the kipfel, all over Manhattan. In my opinion it takes a good mathematical formula to reach the perfect croissant. Ingredients should be just enough to make them crispy outside and full and soft inside. Make sure you eat them the day you bought them. Experience tells me a croissant is never good the next day. Here are my best croissant spots in Manthattan:

Whole Foods

The City Bakery (on 18th street between 5th and 6th)

It’s really tough! Every morning at the New York office I contemplate what I should have for breakfast. There isn’t certainly much to choose from. Cereal, cereal bar, oatmeal, croissants, grilled cheese from ‘WichCraft or a 6 inch sandwich with melted cheese and turkey from Subway. Croissants are a favorite but usually get dropped from the list since their ridiculous calorie amount is now on every label written in large fonts. Cereal and its other versions are the most popular until I get so tired of it that I can’t even have another bite.

Within all the hunger and the desperate attempts to make a delicious decision for the most important meal of the day, I long for the incredible breakfasts I have back at home with:

• Fresh green olives marinated with olive oil and thyme
• Red watery tomatoes
• Honey and honey comb
• Feta cheese, string cheese, kasar and tulum peyniri
• Fresh savory pastry, bread and croissant
• Delicatessen
• “Menemen” a Turkish omelet made with chopped green pepper, tomatoes, onions and feta cheese
• Cheese souffle
• Turkish tea

I end up with a watery mouth, a huge appetite and nothing good enough to fight it down with. Once a day, five times a week…

This new little Thai spot opened up in lower west side June. If you are looking a casual quick dinner with some unique food Tue will be a good pick. I would put it in the same category with the Peking Duck House. The decoration with an open modern kitchen, plain white walls and exposed light bulbs is clean and inviting. The logo and the unique drinks such as the different flavored iceteas suggest a careful and visionary management. The Pad Thai with chicken is one of the best I had so far.

Caught this one today. Good Times (Those Memories) by Paul Mojito Satchell. Really nice beat. Give it a try:

You have the idea and now you want to take the next step to turning it into a business. When we initiated the construction of artandseek.com in 2007 I wish I had other entrepreneurs to tell me the stuff I have learned along the way. So I would like to share some of the most important points I wish I knew before I started my own business:

1. You might think you have the most amazing idea, but turning it into a business that sells  is a completely different task. You please yourself with your amazing idea, but now you will have to please and appeal to other people who will be your customers. You will have to be completely harsh, critical and objective towards your precious idea. You will have to break it apart and mold it before it can finally take the shape that applies to the general public. Talk to business professionals and the people you will pick as customers. Know what they know and are looking for. Research the competitors and find their weaknesses. There will always be a competitor and a weakness. Make the Internet your best friend. My first intention for artandseek was for it to be an online auction house where artists could get an objective value for their work. It turns out that rather than putting their pieces in public auctions our artist members choose to fix the price to their liking and sell the art pieces in the “Buy it now” section.
2. Contact and be in touch with friends or friends of friends who know the legal side of business and computer programming. Lawyers are expensive and look busy all the time. They will charge you even if you meet up to ask a few questions. Computer programming is the most complicated thing for a person who has never learned it before. It takes years to be comfortable with and no books will get you ready to have a technical conversation with a programmer. If you can’t find any friends that are programmers, you are at the mercy of a programmer who will charge you by the hour and not get anything done on time.
3. Make sure the name you pick for your business  is not already used by a company that does similar things. Otherwise you will have copyright issues.
4. If you have partners, make sure you sign a legal partnership agreement with them stating all the shareholders responsibilities for the company.
5. Business planning is good, but bear in mind that it has no realistic value. Real life can’t be compared to anything you plan. The business model will help to give you a general timeline and an idea on how much funding you will need to start and keep the business going. You will miss the deadlines. You will need more money than you have planned. I recommend you make a business model that tracks the best and the worst case scenarios, keep it on the side and get on with the other requirements of starting a business.
6. Know when to stop and just go for it. Most of the time nothing will seem enough. You will feel like you need more research, funding and time. You have to make it happen at one point. Do not drag the idea to the point of denial.
7. Make sure you have done the research to pick most applicable place to establish the business. For example founding the company in New York will cost you a heavy annual minimum corporate state tax even if your business is not profitable. Picking Delaware for base will give you the benefit of much smaller minimum tax burdens. In some cases you might be required to have an active address in the state where you establish your company. In that case your hands might be tied.
8. Do not establish the corporation before you have the whole business ready. Once you go through the legal procedures and let the government recognize your company on legal documents you will be liable for minimum corporate taxes even if you do not have the business set up. We established artandseek, Inc. in early 2007, but our online site (the only means to our business) was up and running in July 2008.
9. For American corporations: What the heck is the difference between an Inc. and an LLC? This question has been eating my brain most probably until this week when a friend’s lawyer friend finally took the time to explain it to me. Although I had a general idea, I was always missing the whole picture.  LLC, a limited liability corporation is more expensive to establish, but gives its board members better protection from any future liquidation and is liable for lower annual corporate taxes. An Inc., incorporation, on the other hand is cheapest to establish, but is intented for much larger businesses. It is liable for higher annual corporate taxes.
10. Know when you are required to file taxes and do not miss them. Find yourself a good corporate tax preparer long before the filing date and get yourself an appointment.
11. It will (almost always) take so much time for the business to pick up. Do not get discouraged and believe in your idea just like you believed in it before you had the business. Be proud, positive and confident.

I am a big fan of cereal. During the childhood years I was hesitant to have milk alone, but I never said no to cereal. It is the best deal for breakfast and some late afternoon snack. Cocoa Krispies, Frosted Flakes, Honey Smacks, Raisin Bran…They have all decorated the kitchen counter at some point in my life. Still times change and we start asking for variety. Different flavors, different ingredients, different temperatures. That is when MojaMix (www.mojamix.com) comes into the picture. A close friend recently brought it to my attention.

Two business school friends finally came up with the idea to mix and match numerous ingredients to created the best personalized cereal experience. Some other companies have already successfully done the personalized mixing business. Chop’t (www.choptsalad.com) excelled in the art of salad mixing and Cold Stone Creamery (www.coldstonecreamery.com) in the art of ice cream mixing. Based in California MojaMix gives the customers the opportunity to choose their personalized flavors and get them shipped to their homes within the U.S.

Although I made my point that I would never prefer to own or spend a few nights on a boat, the research on yachts is still a hobby.

The motoryachts listed below are as the title suggests “big, luxurious, fast and furious”. They have enough length to qualify for a multi-floored mega-yacht, but instead go for the single floor “bullet-look”, minimizing wind friction and reflecting the vicious look of speed.

All longer than 30 meters (1 ft = 0.35 m) with a top speed above 30 knots (1 knots = 1.85 km) and priced above USD 10m. They can accommodate up to 8 guests with 2 crew members. Based on a diesel fuel price of USD 2.6 per gallon, it would cost approximately USD 7K to 15K to fill up the tanks of any of these luxurious power boats. Remember to multiply all the financial details by 2.5 if you are considering to buy one in Turkey.

My favorite is the Azimut.

- Sunseeker Predator 108

Sunseeker is British and the youngest company in the list with an establishment year of 1979. Top speed is 42 knots (77 km). Recommended cruising speed is 32 knots. The approximate room for diesel fuel is 11,000 liters (2,906 US gal.) with a range of 450 nautical miles (833 km).

- Baglietto 115

Baglietto is Italian and the oldest company in the list dating back to 1841. Maximum speed is 35 knots and the cruising speed is 30 knots. The fuel tank capacity is 20,000 liters (5,600 US gal) with a 650 nautical mile range at a speed of 25 knots.

- Palmer Johnson 120

Palmer Johnson is American and was founded  in 1918. Has a fuel tank capacity of 27,255 liters (7,200 US gal.).

- Azimut 103SL

Azimut is Italian and one of the youngest companies in the list. It was established in 1969. In my opinion the 103SL has the best interior design among all. Italian Carlo Galeazzi is the head interior designer for the S line. Top speed is 34 knots. Cruising speed is 30 knots with a fuel tank capacity of 12,350 liters (3,262 US gal.).

I have been to the Stanton Social Lounge on the Lower East Side (99 Stanton St. (corner of Stanton and Ludlow) before, but never tasted the food there. The menu is rich, but a little on the expensive side considering the portions. The 2nd floor lounge area located on the right side of the bar is more like a winter evening spot. There are no windows to let any natural light in and the scenery is the Japanese garden wallpapers covering the walls. Keep in mind that  it gets pretty crowded during the weekends.

Favorites from the menu:

French Onion Soup Dumplings
Potato & Goat Cheese Peirogies
Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi
Miso-Glazed Chilean Sea Bass Satays
Kobe Beef Sliders

Foreigners have a tendency to be biased about American products based on an urban legend that states “Made in the USA stands for products that come out of mass production”. Mass production hinders personalization and lacks the finesse of hand-craftsmanship. The human touch is lost in machinery and speed.

For most of Europe and Asia, the U.S. is the founder to the means of mass production and automation. Brooks Brothers can never be Brioni. Corvette can never be Aston Martin (although it belonged to Ford until recently). Lincoln can’t be Rolls-Royce. Hershey’s can’t be Lindt. For most of Façonnable’s (the French high-end retailer) admirers, the brand will never be the same after its sale to Nordstrom in 2000.

The root of this urban legend could well be tied to two points:

• the lack of a long line of generations in the Americas that makes up the “family business” in Europe and Asia
• the easy access to large sums of funding in the U.S.

A business founded in 1950s in the U.S. could well become the next it, “too big to fail” corporation of the world because of its easy access to bountiful domestic demand, credit and funding. An equally good Swiss bakery shop founded in 1800s will most likely won’t be able to compete with Magnolia bakery founded in 1996 because it won’t have the funding and/or the market a New York City bakery is blessed with. And if it is “that” good we all know that the Swiss bakery will eventually be bought out by a private equity firm (an entity mastered by the Americans), changed around, commercialized, automated and expanded globally.

The private equity firms are the byproducts of venture capitalism founded in the U.S. in 1940s to financially support the businesses of the soldiers coming back from WWII.  Intended to be a healthy stimulation package after the war, venture capitalism turned into a greedy monster in 1950s with leverage buyouts. Venture capital and private equity firms were able to bite more than they could chew by borrowing money (usually on the target company’s assets) to buy ownership in private companies that could be restructured, turned around and sold back with a nice premium. The family ownership, the delicacy, the fragility and the finesse would be lost in this capitalist idealism and strict corporate structure.

I am somewhat a supporter of this urban legend, but I believe there are always certain cases that break the precedent. Burton still makes the best snowboards around the world. Apple is without a doubt the flagship brand in technology. MasterCraft is the leader in recreational waterski boats. Ralph Lauren is a global market mover in casual wear.

If you are ever in Manhattan looking for a healthy fast food stop Chop’t (www.choptsalad.com) is what you are looking for. Keep in mind that lunch times are hectic here. You have to know the drill and what to order or else you will get annoying looks from both the other customers in line and the “salad dudes” (as the company calls them). Don’t get me wrong though. It is totally worth the stress and the wait. Start by ordering either a salad or a sandwich (where your salad will be wrapped inside a toasted tortilla). Then choose your green base: Iceberg? Romaine? etc. Then the ingredients. Once you get all your stuff chopped, you will be asked for a dressing. The company has a few locations around the city.

Here is my favorite mix:

Sandwich with romaine. Chicken, avocado, goat cheese, carrots, tomatoes. Ranch dressing, lemon juice and salt.