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HAUTE HOTELS ARE CHANGING THE RESTAURANT GAME BY OPENING THE HOTTEST SPOTS ACROSS THE CITY. BY TIM LATTERNER
Haute hotels are changing the restaurant game by opening the hottest spots across the city.
The most delicious and decadent trend in New York right now is the hotter-than-hot restaurants that are opening in the city’s most anticipated hotels. From newly restored landmarks to chic oases, hotels are once again a destination for au courant New Yorkers.
THE HOTEL: The Beekman THE RESTAURANTS: Augustine and Fowler & Wells One of the most beautiful examples of this culinary trend is the lavishly restored Beekman, which houses both Keith Mcnally’s brasserie Augustine and Tom Colicchio’s Fowler & Wells. Mcnally fans have followed the restaurateur from Pastis to Balthazar to Morandi, so they’ll recognize some familiar faces on staff. Daniel Parilla and Shane Mcbride, both Cherche Midi veterans, are heading up Augustine’s menu of rustic French fare, and legendary bartender Dale Degroff, a heavy influencer of the recent cocktail revival, is helping assemble the drinks menu.
Tom Colicchio’s equally buzzy Beekman spot opened to rave reviews for the menu and Martin Brudnizki’s interior design. The renowned chef and Top Chef host has crafted a menu with some Italian and French inflections (chestnut agnolotti, vegetable pot au feu), but the result is unmistakably American, with traditional dishes like beef Wellington (from the $135 tasting menu) getting an elegant tweak. 5 Beekman St., 212-375-0010; augustineny.com; 212-6581848; fowlerandwells.com
THE HOTEL: Arlo Nomad THE RESTAURANT: Massoni
The Top Chef effect can be felt elsewhere, too: Dale Talde, from the show’s fourth season, opened Massoni, his first Manhattan restaurant, in the Arlo Nomad Hotel, just across the river from his Brooklyn mainstay Talde. Given the chef’s experience helping to open Morimoto here back in 2005, it’s no surprise his Italian eatery touts perfectly cooked seafood and pasta (think squid ink pappardelle). 11 E. 31st. St., 212-9511141; massoninyc.com
THE HOTEL: Four Seasons Downtown THE RESTAURANT: Cut
From Peter Luger to Sparks, Wolfgang’s, and Keens, New York has a high concentration of prime-cut steakhouses, particularly in midtown. The downtown crowd has longed for the same, and Wolfgang Puck has obliged with the opening of Cut in the new Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown. With a tableside display of its very best cuts of the evening and a wide selection of wagyu beef, the restaurant is a perfect fit for a city known for its discerning carnivores. 99 Church St., 646-8801995; wolfgangpuck.com
THE HOTEL: Park South THE RESTAURANT: Covina
Serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner, Covina is nestled underneath the Park South Hotel in Kips Bay. Its luxe add-on programs, including an epic private event space and a wine club, serve to bolster a creative Italian menu filled with items like smoked pancetta, mushroom, crème fraîche, and caramelized leek pizza; Hungarian fry bread with smoked salmon and an egg scramble; and an inventive take on cacio e pepe made with asparagus rather than pasta. 127 E. 27th St., 212204-0225; covinanyc.com
THE HOTEL: Arlo Hudson Square THE RESTAURANT: Harold’s Meat + Three
Finding the tastes of Nashville in New York is that much easier now thanks to Harold’s Meat + Three in lower Manhattan. Chef Harold Moore brings his fine-dining experience to perfectly seasoned southern cuisine. Our recommendation: the grilled lamb chops with cucumber salad, grits, and mac and cheese. 2 Renwick St., 212-390-8484; haroldsmeatandthree.com
ALL OF A SUDDEN, HOTELS ARE ONCE AGAIN A DESTINATION FOR AU COURANT NEW YORKERS.