stan d'arde

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Stan D’Arde is the perennial voice of The Standard Hotels, having started his martini soaked career with the birth of The Standard, Hollywood. Now, he brings you all the insider intel from The Standard family and beyond. Follow Stan on Twitter to stay up-to-date on all of it!

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StndAIR Flies Again

When I told you last week that Sunset Beach was back for the season, I also mentioned that I would have some more news for you. Well, I’m here to bring it to you, and it’s good. Starting on Thursday, our beloved little seaplane that could, StndAIR, will fly again for its second summer season in the sky! We are beyond excited about its return, and you should be too, so let me...
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STANDARD TALKS: Makeshift

Design Week in New York City is upon us, and today marks the first day of Noho Design District at The Standard, East Village. But a few days ago in another installment of our Standard Talks series, we invited a few of our favorite friends over to discuss the shifting thoughts on Design, Fashion, Craft and Do-It-Yourself arts and how the bridge between designing and making can be crossed. ...
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DESIGN WEEK: The Standard, East Village & Noho Design District

Over here at The Standards, we have always set out to offer you, our loyal friends, the best in design across all of the properties. Personally, I’ve always felt that bad design is like a screaming banshee while good design remains a quiet and supportive friend. This weekend in New York City marks the beginning of Design Week where designers and their fans descend upon the city to...
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Sunset Beach Is Calling

If you don’t live in New York, then I don’t think you truly understand the importance of the arrival of May. If you’ve made it through the harsh winter unscathed, you’re golden, and when May 1st hits the calendar, your inner Coppertone girl starts to do her little dance of joy. There are many reasons to get excited, but for me, there’s only one…Sunset...
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TO DO: The PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature

Mark Twain once said, “Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.” We put up with a lot of things over here at The Standards, but one example of our most favorite things comes every year in the Spring…The PEN World Voice Festival. The festival brings together writers from all over the world to celebrate the power of the written word....
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Masahiro Mori Pigs at The Standard Shop

The Far East has always been a revered destination on my list of global adventures. Specifically, Japan. Its mysticism and Zen philosophies draw me closer to it every time I delve into the country’s history. Actually, just last month, I asked a friend of mine who works at The Standard, New York named Yoshizo-san to teach me how to trim a bonsai tree. Well, let’s just say that...
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Casey Neistat Takes Nike's Money & Runs

If you take away just one lesson in life, please make sure that lesson is taken from Casey Neistat. Our good friend and filmmaker was commissioned by Nike to make a film about their new FuelBand, but instead, the nefarious Neistat hijacked the dollar bills and took an impromptu trip around the world in under 10 days. The trip resulted in these four-and-a-half minutes of awesomeness. ...
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Octopus at The Standard Grill

Cultures across the globe, specifically in Asia and the Mediterranean have been dining on octopus for centuries. And for good reason! It’s simply delicious. Since its opening, The Standard Grill has served a variant of this underwater creature as seen through the eyes of Chef Dan Silverman. It’s popularity is only surpassed by its simplicity. The tentacles are grilled...
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Ribolita At The Standard Grill

A few years back, during my travels through the Tuscan countryside, I was invited into the home of this young winemaker and his wife for one of the most simple yet extravagant meals I’ve ever had. The main course was foreign to me and was called Ribolita. Famous in the region, the dish is a hearty potage made with bread and vegetables. Although it sees many variations, the main...
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Don't Question Stan, T.C. Conroy!

When Stan has a problem, I usually run to a friend or to Mama D’Arde or to the Top of The Standard for a martini. Recently I was introduced to the one of the most fascinating woman I’ve ever met. Her name is T.C. Conroy, and she’s a life coach. Don’t freak out. Life coaching isn’t as spooky as you might think. It’s like having a really smart best...
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A Stan D'ay In The Life...

If you want to know what my life is like on the d’aily, just watch this video through til the end. Oh. The party just doesn’t stop when Stan is around… xoxoStan
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Chef Dan Silverman's Favorite Cookbooks

Every great chef looks to the great chefs who came before them for inspiration. Techniques upon which to build, styles from which to expand and extraordinarily tantalized palettes are all points which any culinary great uses to spring forward into unchartered epicurean delights. Chef Dan Silverman of The Standard Grill is no different. After gluttonously devouring his Suckling Pig Confit...
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Standard Talks: Online & Financial Deception

You don’t have to be Bernie Madoff to know that not everything going on in the world of finance is totally in tune with the rules of governance. There is a shady underbelly in the online and financial realms that we at The Standards wanted to delve into. That is why we once again recruited the genius Sunny Bates from the brain trust over at TED to help us answer some of the...
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Stan Explains Leap Year...Sort Of

Leap year is a confusing day for a lot of people. Why is there an extra day in February every four years? How old are people born on leap day? Why would Santa need to wear shorts if we didn’t have leap year? What are non-leap year years called? The questions don’t stop, and although I can’t answer them all for you, watch the above video to get a pretty good idea of...
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Hamachi at The Standard Grill

When you live in a world, like I do, where every day is filled with culinary delights beyond your wildest imagination, you start to lose a grip on the simpler things in life. What? Not every omelette is served with a dollop of créme fraîche and caviar? You don’t say! The other day, Chef Dan Silverman pulled me aside and asked me to come to the kitchen to try his...
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Jake Shears Takes Over ZigZag At Le Bain

Thursday nights at Le Bain have been EVERYTHING since nightlife king Erich Conrad brought the genius that is ZigZag to the 18th floor of The Standard, New York. Throngs of the most beautiful people you’ve ever seen flock down 13th Street from 9:58pm on. This Thursday, expect the party to get even hotter than usual because Jake Shears, the frontman from Scissor Sisters is taking over...
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Punch. Drunk. Love.

Nothing makes me happier than a stiff drink, and nothing makes me happiest than five stiff drinks back to back! That’s why the other day, if you heard howls of laughter coming from The Standard, New York, you would have known I was tasting our new Living Room cocktails. The Living Room is the lobby bar at the hotel…just steps away from the ice skating rink. In anticipation...
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Tonsil Hockey...Setting The Record Straight...AGAIN

It seems like all I’m doing this week is setting the record straight with people’s misconceptions of their perceived realities. First it was Urban Daddy yesterday, and now it seems like our best friends over at MilkMade have it all wrong again. You’ll remember The One Night Standards BEAT DOWN the $MoneyClick$ in our fierce game of Tonsil Hockey on the rink at The...
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Urban Daddy Dearest...

I love when people talk about us over here at The Standards. Or maybe I just love when people talk about moi? I’m not sure. I’m a Leo, so any kind of attention gets me going, but I digress… The other day, our friends over at Urban Daddy thought they had some breaking news when they reported that the restaurant at The Standard, East Village was opening yesterday as...
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The Standard Grill's Dinner with Oscar

If you’re anything like me, you’re already planning your trip out to Los Angeles this weekend for the pinnacle of awards season, The 84th Academy Awards. (Don’t forget to book your room at The Standard, Hollywood!) If you’re NOT packing up your latest designer fashions and you’re staying in New York City for the big event, we’ve created a very special...
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Dita Von Teese...Up, Dirty, One Olive

You and I have been friends for quite some time now, and if you know anything about me, you know my affinity for a martini. Check out my new logo if you don’t believe me! My mantra for life is “Up, Dirty, One Olive,” but I digress… With Valentine’s Day having fallen smack dab in the middle of NY Fashion Week last week, it was only natural that we called...

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