Eat, Drink, Sleep, Repeat: Our top food columnist on his favourite New York dining spots
Restaurants can have a greater purpose than simply offering heightened hospitality; this week I met the CEO’s of the ‘Only a Pavement Away’ charity and ‘Not for sale’ movement, both of which I worked with for the past eight years as CEO of Gaucho and M restaurants. OAPA identifies disadvantaged, vulnerable people often due for custodial release and upskills them into hospitality opportunities.
We successfully mentored and employed numerous chefs into our restaurants with their support. NFS is a P.E model that funds underprivileged entrepreneurs to become self-sufficient, taking them out of danger of exploitation from sex traffickers and enslavers.
Together, we created an amazing project that seed-funded an indigenous Amazonian tribe to plant and sell Brazil nut and cacao plants. In doing so, we neutralised our restaurant’s carbon footprint and generated huge pride in our workforce.
My view is that employer brands need to create reasons for their work families to have a sense of belonging and whether it is today or in a few years, diners too will consider the ethical status of restaurant options before choosing where to visit.
Completely unrelated, I’ve recently returned from a couple of days in NYC. Here are some great restaurant recommendations for the next time you are in the Big Apple…
Queensyard
Housed in Hudson Yards, an epic restaurant with unprecedented views of both the Hudson River and the honeycomb-shaped, landmark ‘Vessel’ sculpture, sits my own Evolv restaurant Queensyard. Serving a modern American menu, with strong British influences (which are also evident in the design and feel very familiar to a Londoner).
I visited for lunch and enjoyed Tuna Sashimi with plum, kaffir lime and ginger, followed by a beautiful branzino (seabass) dish with radish kimchi.
Queensyard houses New York’s first Espresso Bar in their stunning ‘Rose Room’, too early for a cocktail, I opted for a glass of Francis Ford Coppola Chardonnay and admired the bustle ahead of heading for a second lunch across the road.
Ci Siamo
I’ve met Danny Mayer (the most successful and influential restaurateur in the states) a few times and had a meeting with his team on this trip in one of his twelve premium dining venues, Ci Siamo; a restaurant which offers contemporary Italian cuisine, much of which is cooked on a fire, in front of you.
All of Danny’s restaurants are famous for their enlightened hospitality and have become a benchmark for service; offering a warmth rarely found and a unified desire to curate a perfect experience for each guest- this visit delivered in spades. As I’d already eaten, I opted for an Insalata Di Mare, scallop, mussel and lobster salad, followed by a sublime crab, chilli and vermouth Cacatelli allo scoglio.
Only a minute away from the NYC Peloton studios, I suggest a morning class ahead of a lunch here, to facilitate a guilt-free carb fest complete with a bottle of Bonterra ‘The Roost’, from the Russian River, Mendocino Valley.
King
Located in South Village, on King Street, the imaginatively named ‘King’ is a brilliant neighbourhood restaurant, where the tables are too close together, the music too loud, the temperature too drafty and the menu is barely readable on blackboards. I bizarrely loved it!
The kitchen boasts quality staff from London’s Clove Club and River Café and a menu which changes daily and specialises in Southern French and Italian fayre; I opted for a cod cheek tagliolini, the lucky Mrs Williams, a tuna crudo with Amalfi lemons. Next, we shared half a ‘golden chicken’ which I will remember (and try and recreate on my big green egg) forevermore.
A great value wine list, primarily focused on European wines, is offered. As we sat in the ‘land of the free’, we went for Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay, my go to favourite wine to recommend in M (£120). The King team have also opened a new venue named Jupiter at the Rockefeller Centre which comes recommended.
Bond Street
An iconic Japanese-inspired brand which was born in 1996 in NOHO and became famous as a regular haunt of the Sex and the City cast.
Nowadays, it is both Taylor Swift and my kind of place; Three floors with varying ambience and diverse diners visiting for different experiences on each level. I was escorted to a section of the restaurant for bald, aging men with poor eyesight, wearing designer jackets too tight (a consequence of gym addicted vanity or lifetimes enjoying excess, or a mix of both).
I was with the charismatic owner Johnathan Morr and we were treated to Chef Marc Spitzer’s finest and favourite dishes. Too many to name, kickstarted by caviar, bookended in truffle, accompanied by Ruinart and Cheval Blanc, a night to remember. If you would like to support or find about more about ‘Not For Sale’ or ‘Only a Pavement Away’ visit wearenotforsale.org and onlyapavementaway.co.uk