Simon & the Whale
You almost wouldn’t recognize the old flophouse at 23rd and Lex, said Adam Platt in New York magazine. The bricks have been cleaned, the handsome lobby is refurbished, and restaurateur Gabriel Stulman has sprinkled his “special brand of hospitality dust” on the two in-house restaurants. Stulman is “one of the masters” of the cozy, accessible aesthetic that’s been sweeping the New York dining scene, and he’s done particularly well with this foray into the Flatiron District’s Freehand Hotel. Built in 1928 as the George Washington, the old-school hotel lends itself to touches like the restaurant’s polished-wood bar and shelves of books and glasses. Better yet, Stulman excels at finding and empowering talented chefs. Here, Matt Griffin does creative things with standards, making his carpaccio with lamb, not beef, topping oysters with ginger granita, and dressing his crudo with shiso, puffed rice, and a splash of coconut milk. “If squid is your obsession, the dish to get is the squid confit with mussels, beech mushrooms, and black barley.” 23 Lexington Ave., (212) 475-1924 it, a young African-American man standing on the same sidewalk holds a sign that reads “Human Rights Before Profit.” Taken during the 1960 Nashville sit-ins, the image is a reminder that this site once turned away black customers—and that the restaurant that occupies the restored landmark celebrates the better city that was born in that confrontation. The restoration itself will “leave you agog—the grand feel of the main dining room, the nostalgic look of the soda fountain counter, the original terrazzo floors.” The menu, created by owner Tom Morales and chef Matt Farley, only begins with breakfast grits and dime-store burgers: Dinner offerings include a “must-have” sweet potato–andkale soup, family-style pots of pork-peanut