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CELEBRITY HOTEL CHEFS OF NEW YORK CITYnycgo.com
Manhattan hoteliers have been hiring more celebrity chefs than ever to shine a spotlight on their properties. In SoHo, the past few months alone have seen two boutique hotel and brand name chef pairings—David Burke Kitchen at The James hotel and Sam Talbot's Imperial No. Nine at the Mondrian. Another restaurant demigod, Danny Meyer, revitalized the dining scene at the landmark Gramercy Park Hotel with the late 2009 opening of Maialino. Hotel restaurants used to have bland reputations mainly catering to lodgers too tired to go out on the town. Not anymore.
Robo-chef Alain Ducasse oversees nearly 30 restaurants in nine countries constantly jetting around to ensure they maintain his exacting standards. After surviving a plane crash in 1984, he not only overcame a fear of flying, he began taking more risks. The failure of two of his NYC restaurants, Alain Ducasse at the Essex House and Mix, did not deter him from trying again to conquer the City. Adour, which opened in The St. Regis in 2008, is a triumph, serving modern—not stuffy—French cuisine. David Rockwell designed the elegant, romantic setting which is lined with beautifully lit wine bottles. Impeccably sourced ingredients include locally caught black sea bass, chicken from Four Story Hill Farm in Pennsylvania and dry aged organic côte de boeuf from Niman Ranch. Executive chef Didier Elena's most must have dish: homemade pasta with creamy sea urchin. Adour • Photo: Courtesy, Adour Alain Ducasse at The St. Regis New York
Fans of Todd English, the Mr. Darcy of celebrity chefdom, have long swooned over his innovative, big flavored food. He first hit the New York hotel restaurant scene in 2000 with his popular Olives franchise at the W New York, Union Square. His pace has accelerated. In the past year alone his slew of enterprises across the land have included the launch of two other NYC hotel dining destinations—The Plaza Food Hall and Ça Va—both of which have been warmly received. At Ça Va start with cocktails by the fireplace in the upscale lounge. The spacious dining room's hearty French Mediterranean menu includes lobster profiteroles, five onion soup with chèvre Gruyère crostini and porterhouse lamb chops with merguez sausage. Fantastic prix-fixe menus ($24.07 at lunch; $35 at dinner) and an adjoining lively market café open for breakfast and quick lunches elevate this from your average hotel restaurant experience.
Ça Va Brasserie • Photo: Tom McWilliam
The Surrey is a posh, under the radar Upper East Side boutique hotel with some of the best room service in town. You can stay in your pj's and enjoy creations from Daniel Boulud's kitchen, or book a table at Café Boulud on the hotel's ground floor. Open since 1998 in the space that formerly housed Restaurant Daniel, it doesn't generate as much buzz as Boulud's other venues yet remains consistently beloved by café society types for its superb food, plush setting and poised service. Boulud has an eye for recognizing and nurturing talent—Andrew Carmellini, David Chang, Tien Ho and Johnny Iuzzini have all done time here. Now, Gavin Kaysen, the current executive chef, is making a name for himself. As always, the menu continues to be divided into four sections: classic French (tuna Niçoise), seasonal dishes (Maine lobster salad), market vegetables (nine herb ravioli with zucchini pesto) and global inspirations (shredded beef empanadas with cactus salad).
Café Boulud • Photo courtesy of the Dinex Group
The stiff upper lip hotel restaurant that formerly occupied this space has been completely exorcised by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and his crew. The Mark is now a gorgeous, happening place to be for dinner and drinks. Late night cravings can be satisfied from a menu (served until 1am) that includes a burger with black truffle dressing and Brie. Black truffle also shows up on pizza for brunch, lunch and dinner. Yes, in case you were wondering, this is the lap of luxury. It's sedate in the afternoon when you can find proper tea service along with eclairs, currant scones with jam and clotted cream and cucumber and cress sandwiches. After a day at The Metropolitan Museum of Art it's the perfect splurge. Vongerichten is no stranger to giving hotels a higher profile precursors being Jean Georges at the Trump International and Mercer Kitchen at SoHo's The Mercer.
The Mark Restaurant • Photo: Julie Glassberg
It wasn't schmoozing that made April Bloomfield a force to be reckoned with on the celebrity chef front. She eschews appearing on television for staying behind the burners. Her Michelin starred Spotted Pig is still a sensation in the West Village, and you can blame—or bless—her for the City's gastropub craze. It certainly helped propel the success of The Breslin and The John Dory Oyster Bar at the Ace, the most rock 'n' roll hotel in town. Big time musicians are a frequent fixture thanks to partner Ken Friedman's friends in high places. Both restaurants are absolutely packed at night, easier to penetrate during daytime hours. Bloomfield's English background is reflected on The Breslin's pub like, meat centric menu (beef and Stilton pie, blood sausage). The John Dory is all about seafood both in decor and on the small plates menu featuring crab and coconut soup, oyster pan roast and chorizo stuffed squid.
The Breslin • Photo: Amy Hou The John Dory Oyster Bar • Photo: Daniel Krieger
Joël Robuchon is one of the most acclaimed chefs of the past 35 years. Worldwide, his restaurants hold a record 26 Michelin stars. The Frenchman was inspired to create his small plates L'Atelier concept following travels in Japan and tapas bar experiences in Spain. Branches of the franchise have spread from Paris and London to Las Vegas and Taipei. In 2006 New York was graced with its own L'Atelier located past the vast Four Seasons lobby. Unlike the venue in Paris where there is only counter seating, here there are also tables and comfy banquettes. The Robuchon trained team of chefs work as if in a laboratory, fully on view as they tease out extra flavor from stellar ingredients. Truffled mashed potatoes and free range quail stuffed with foie gras are signature dishes. Other refined temptations include sweetbreads with fresh laurel and sautéed squid with violet artichokes and chorizo.
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon • Photo courtesy of L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon and the Four Seasons
The Lambs Club at The Chatwal, Geoffrey Zakarian's other hotel venture in the City, is a baronial affair whereas The National, in The Benjamin hotel, is more of a sprightly bistro. Men in shirtsleeves sit at the zinc topped bar downloading their days over glasses of beer. The small but excellent tap selection often features the likes of Duvel, Speakeasy Big Daddy and Fuller's London Pride. Zakarian, famous for being a judge on Chopped and a contender on Iron Chef America, designed a friendly, value driven menu, a welcome addition to the Grand Central vicinity. An order of meatballs dunked in romesco sauce and topped with Idiazabal cheese and shishito peppers is a good snack to have with that beer. Other $10 and under bites include tempura shrimp and pomegranate barbecue ribs. If you're staying for dinner there's steak frites, roasted pork fettuccini and a burger with pickled jalapeño.
The National • Photo: Frank Oudeman
Michael White is the current king of pasta and seafood in the City due to the wild success of Osteria Morini and Marea. At Ai Fiori he combines those talents in Ligurian crustacean ragout with black trofie pasta and saffron gnocchi with crab and sea urchin. It's a fine dining establishment in every sense of the word with windows looking out on Fifth Avenue, well trained service and a top notch wine list. The dining room is luxuriously sprawling commensurate with The Setai's guest rooms among the largest in Manhattan. While White's interpretations of Italian cuisine are soulful they're based on meticulous French technique. Gallic touches are evident in the main courses which include bouillabaisse, Dover sole with beurre noisette and roasted hen with tomato confit and lemon thyme jus.
Ai Fiori • Photo: Will Steacy
Robert De Niro's attachment (as an owner) to TriBeCa's brick and glass Greenwich Hotel hasn't hurt. Then there's the marquee name in the kitchen, Andrew Carmellini (ex–Café Boulud, A Voce), whose amazing Italian food draws people to Locanda Verde morning, noon and night. There is a convivial hubbub in the handsome space no matter what time you go. The crowd is smartly turned out even though the dress code is decidedly relaxed: "A shirt and maybe something on your bottom" is suggested on Locanda Verde's website. Carmellini's blue crab crostini, lamb meatball sliders and "grandmother's" ravioli are all memorable. Karen DeMasco, the pastry chef, is a celebrity in her own right making rapturous lemon tarts with buttermilk gelato and ricotta panna cotta with huckleberries.
Locanda Verde • Photo: Malcolm Brown
The Chambers Hotel scored a coup when they got David Chang to open his first Midtown restaurant on the premises creating a huge buzz. Foodies are obsessed with Chang vying for seats at his various Momofuku restaurants in the East Village (Ko, Ssäm Bar and the original), and standing in line at his Milk Bar for a slice of "crack pie." He's worshipped for intriguing flavor combinations, a fusion of Korean and American and other ethnic influences. Má Pêche has an understated design and a peachy glow. The name, in a fusion of Vietnamese and French, means "mother peach". Walls are coated with music inspired, mass produced paintings by artist Steve Keene giving the space a downtown feel. The menu changes daily, but you can expect superb raw bar selections, skillfully cooked fish, steak and pork chops always with oddball twists. Several desserts are available from the hotel's branch of Milk Bar with a more extensive selection of cookies, cake and soft serve ice cream offered to go
Má Pêche • Photo: Daniel Krieger
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