Legendary former Mets and Yankees slugger Darryl Strawberry is coming back to New York City. Strawberry, who’s working on the opening of his Strawberry’s Grill restaurant in Douglaston, Queens, has signed a one-year lease for a high-floor two-bedroom, 1,050-square-foot apartment at the Ohm building on 11th Avenue and 30th Street.
That’s the new rental development that’s hosting regular Knitting Factory-curated concerts for residents in its four-story lobby atrium. Strawberry, who’s still keeping his home in St. Louis, is renting an apartment that includes an open kitchen and floor-to-ceiling windows with skyline and Hudson River views.
The Ohm building, where two-bedrooms start around $3,600 per month, has more than 25,000 square feet of amenity space, including a landscaped sky deck, a green roof, a video arcade, a gym and a 3,400-square-foot lounge with a fireplace, billiards table and shuffleboard. There are also two levels of parking.
Strawberry, who was recently on Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” has become an entrepreneur himself with his sports-themed eatery, which will open near Citi Field this summer.
Looking large
Mario Batali is a big chef and a big guy. So it comes as no surprise that the portly pasta purveyor has been checking out some super-sized TriBeCa real estate.
He recently visited the $14.95 million penthouse duplex at 33 Vestry St. The 4,062-square-foot condo in the new V33 development has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a Bulthaup B3 kitchen and 3,487 square feet of outdoor space, including a private 16-by-8-foot pool.
The seven-unit building (five apartments are in contract) was designed by starchitect Winka Dubbeldam and has an exterior made of translucent stone sheaths and glass and metal panels set at alternating angles.
Batali has also looked at a TriBeCa townhouse in a similar price range. Maybe he’s hoping to spend more time with former PBS documentary colleague Gwyneth Paltrow, who lives in the neighborhood’s River Lofts condo building.
Ritzy penthouse
Now that Loren and JR Ridinger, co-founders of Internet marketing and product-brokerage firm Market America, have bought a $25 million duplex in the Jean Nouvel-designed building at 100 11th Ave., they are putting their Battery Park City penthouse duplex on the market for $7.9 million.
The 3,600-square-foot condo, part of the 40-story Residences at the Ritz-Carlton building at 10 West St., has three bedrooms, five bathrooms, a library/guest room and a private roof terrace with views of the Hudson River and Statue of Liberty. There’s also private elevator access.
The Ridingers made waves in Miami in 2005, when they threw a $500,000 bat mitzvah for their daughter, Amber. Ja Rule and Ashanti were among the performers at the bash, which was attended by Mike Piazza and Irv Gotti.
Amenities at the Ridingers’ Battery Park City residence include all the services of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, like 24-hour concierge service. Paolo Zampolli, co-chairman of Paramount Group, has the listing.