Talking on the phone with Basri Emini can be a bit depressing. Not that the single 33-year-old isn’t engaging. Au contraire. It’s just that as we fi nd ourselves muddling through yet another Midwest winter, he’s enjoying sunny, 75-degree weather in Punta Mita, Mexico, surrounded by fab hotels (the on-the-rise resort hotspot already plays host to the Four Seasons and St.

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2. ON THE COVER
C-View at the Affinia Hotel.
Photo by Anthony Tahlier.
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160
66
62
DEPARTMENTS
CONTENTS
THE RADAR
TRENDS Their kind of town! Chicago is the new
urban hotspot for chic New Yorkers
looking to tone it down without letting go
of the good life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
WEEKENDER Nice meets vice at Miami’s poshest new
grown-up getaways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
LAKE SHORE DRIVE The new Mercedes Black Series hits
the ground—and track—running . . . .66
CONFIDENTIAL Basri Emini wants you to head south of
the border—specifically to his new condo
development in Punta Mita, Mexico . .68
SCENE IN CHICAGO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
FOOD DRINK
REVIEW Modern French one sixtyblue scores with
new chef Michael McDonald. . . . . . . 138
DEAL Middle Eastern meets West Town . . . 140
TRENDS Hit Chicago’s newest foodie row . . . . 142
BITES The men behind Rockit open a hip Asian
spot, Restaurant Week and more . . . . 144
GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
LOOK WHO’S TALKING
Illinois’ 27-year-old, newly elected congressman Aaron
Schock climbs Capitol Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
14 | | Feb 2009
FPO

3. CHICAGO|CONFIDENTIAL
68 | | Feb 2009
Talking on the phone with Basri Emini can be a bit
depressing. Not that the single 33-year-old isn’t engaging. Au
contraire. It’s just that as we find ourselves muddling through
yet another Midwest winter, he’s enjoying sunny, 75-degree
weather in Punta Mita, Mexico, surrounded by fab hotels
(the on-the-rise resort hotspot already plays host to the Four
Seasons and St. Regis, and a Ritz-Carlton is rumored to
be next), two Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses, tennis
courts, lush vegetation and, natch, beautiful beaches. But
rather than gloat, this South Barrington native is hoping
that others will follow his lead and head south of the border,
too. With his Chicago-based company Emini Equities, he’s
created Ayia, a just-finished luxe condo development that’s
part of the 1,500-acre resort community of Punta Mita.
While he still considers our fair city to be the greatest, he’s
happy leaving its winters to the rest of us.
What is it about Mexico that you love so much? Mexico
is a growing country with lots of potential. If you want to
work you can really succeed here. People tend to think of
Mexico as a small Third World country, but really it’s not.
Plus, it’s so close. From Chicago you can get here in four
hours direct. What makes your development so special? It’s
a boutique condominium project with only 27 units. We’re
going to run it like a full-ownership condo, but it will have
every single high-end hotel amenity behind it: reception,
concierge, restaurants, gym. Also, Ayia is the entry-level
price for Punta Mita, from $700,000 to $1.2 million, where
everything else is $1.5 million to $14 million. We’re trying to
attract the young executive, maybe the first-time resort-home
buyer. What might surprise people about Ayia? That even
though we are situated in the heart of Punta Mita on the 14th
fairway of the Jack Nicklaus golf course, it’s very quiet and
peaceful. The tranquility is what really gets people. How did
the name Ayia come about? In ancient Greek, ayia means ‘a
sacred place,’ and it’s a word my mother uses often. One day,
I’m sitting here stressing about the name and my mother calls
and asks, ‘How is ayia Punta Mita?’ I got goose bumps. It was
right there in front of me the whole time. Did your mom get a
commission? No, not yet [laughs]. But I did send her a plane
ticket. What do you think will appeal to Chicagoans the most
at Ayia? Besides the weather, Punta Mita is so new and young,
so the real estate investment opportunity is outstanding.
Plus, Puerta Vallarta itself has so much character—the
cobblestones, the old Spanish architecture and the people. At
the end of the day, what inspires you? My father for sure. He
came from a different country [Albania] and worked really
hard to succeed. I want to continue in his footsteps.
For more information on Ayia, visit ayiapuntamita.com.
EMINI’S CHICAGO
FAVORITES
RESTAURANTS:
Blackbird, Avec,
Santorini, David
Burke’s Primehouse,
anything by Jerry
Kleiner. CULTURAL
ATTRACTIONS: The
Impressionists
Wing at the Art
Institute, anything
the Lookingglass
Theatre produces.
THING ABOUT CHICAGO,
PERIOD: Mayor Daley.
He’s crafted a city
that works.
If He Builds It...
A wide-eyed Chicago developer sets his sights south of the border | By Lisa Shames | Photography by Josef Kandoll |
MR. BIG: Basri Emini in
Punta Mita, Mexico.