New York’s Marquee Chefs Have Your Table Ready

A perfect New York fall day could begin with breakfast at Tiffany’s. The elevator will whisk a modern-day Holly Golightly up to the 6th floor Blue Box Café helmed by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud where she will enjoy croissants and silky scrambled eggs topped with caviar. “Inspired by Holly Golightly’s daydreams outside the Tiffany window, our breakfast menu at Blue Box Café aims to recreate that enchanting experience,” says Boulud.

Tiffany & Co., now owned by the luxury LVMH group, relaunched after a total redesign led by architect Peter Marino. A sculptural spiral staircase inspired by the sensual designs of the late Elsa Peretti is the showstopping centerpiece. As if displays of gold and diamonds were not enough, the store exhibits 40 museum quality art works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst and Julian Schnabel among others. It’s quite a testament to a retailer’s faith that New York City is back. This retailer Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH and currently the world’s richest man, also purchased One Main Street in East Hampton for $22 million and opened a Louis Vuitton store.

If you haven’t had enough art, you could pop over to MOMA where by lunchtime you would be within walking distance of the most unusual food hall, Urban Hawker, an authentic Singapore street food center. Or you could indulge in foods spanning the globe from Berlin to Bangkok by visiting other recently opened food courts: The Hugh at Citicorp Center, The James Beard Foundation-curated Market 57 on Pier 57 adjacent to City Winery, Olly Olly in Chelsea or the Seaport’s Tin Building by Jean-Georges which understandably skews French.

As the evening hours approach, it’s time to think about dinner. Arguably the most exciting opening is chef Kwame Onwuachi’s Tatiana, the crown jewel of the $550 million revamp of Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. New York Times critic Pete Wells ranked it number one in a list of the 100 best restaurants. The cuisine is autobiographical reflecting Onwuachi’s influences from the Bronx, Nigeria, New Orleans and the Caribbean. Elevated African and Black American dishes give those cultures the respect they deserve and draw a refreshingly diverse dining crowd. Think braised oxtails, curried goat patties and Mom Duke’s Head-on Shrimp. 

Another delectable pre-curtain choice near Lincoln Center is chef Julian Medina’s El Fish Marisqueria. Specializing in Mexican-inspired seafood, the menu features tacos and ceviches, grilled oysters, baked clams, and fideo pasta. For inspiration, Medina embarked on a culinary journey to Ensenada, Mexico’s fishing capital. Medina also opened an outpost in Southampton named El Verano and has another spot called Soledad in the works on the Upper East Side.

Fish also stars at Marcus Samuelsson’s Hav & Mar in Chelsea. Mar is ocean in Swedish and Hav is honey in Amharic, a reference to Samuelsson’s dual heritage in Sweden and Ethiopia. Samuelsson is also in the process of opening Metropolis in the new Performing Arts Center, PAC, in lower Manhattan, the final edifice of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site. His menu will celebrate the cuisines of the five boroughs of New York. David Rockwell has designed the interior.

Humanitarian chef José Andrés (World Central Kitchen) opened The Bazaar by José Andrés restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad in August. It’s on the second floor of the hotel while his Zaytinya is still wildly popular on the ground floor. Japan meets Spain on the menu. Andres took inspiration from the voyage of a noble samurai believed to be the first ambassador to Spain in the 17th century. Molecular gastronomy also meets traditional fare such as spherical olives (inspired by Ferran Adria) served alongside stuffed olives. There are ham croquettes and chicken kare-age in the “Fry/Tempura” section. Several raw fish preparations are included under the heading “Raw Bar, Crudos, Sashimi, Same Thing.” The adventure starts in the bar downstairs with a whimsical cocktail or a glass of sake. And guess what? There’s a dress code. No “athletic wear, t-shirts, baseball hats, flip flops, large logos and overly distressed or revealing clothing.” 

American menus are on the minds of chefs Alex Stupak and Dan Kluger.

Stupak, best known for his Mexican prowess at Empellon, tackles American food at Mischa, overlooking The Hugh food court in the Citicorp building. Yes, there’s a $29 hot dog. Ok, it’s made with brisket, served on a house made potato bun and comes with a cup of chili and five condiments. Still, $29! This bold opening salvo made it the most talked about dish in town and it still hasn’t fallen out of the conversation. The New York Times review called it both “obnoxious” and “glorious — the greatest sausage on a bun in the city.” Other sandwiches, such as roast beef with French onion dipping jus, served on bread freshly baked in house compete for top billing at lunch time. The dinner menu ventures to kasha varnishkes and Roumanian steak as well as fried chicken and seared scallops. Desserts, such as Sticky Bun Pie with Apple Confit and Cardamom Streusel, are addictive riffs on homespun favorites. “Nothing is as American as apple pie,” says executive pastry chef Justin Binnie. Except maybe the hog dog.

Kluger, known for his winning way with vegetables honed at ABC Kitchen, opened Greywind near Hudson Yards. The seasonal, vegetable-driven menu draws on local Green Market sources. Rotisserie cauliflower with pickled apricots is intriguing as is local sea bream with sprouting broccoli and Duroc pork chop with charred corn and pole beans.

Italophiles are thrilled to have a branch of the venerable Roman Roscioli in the West Village. It opened in July with a $105 tasting menu and added on a casual dining space, a salumeria, and a bakery similar to its Roman counterpart. Expect the four classic Roman pastas: cacio e pepe, amatriciana, gricia and carbonara. An international plane ticket may no longer be necessary.

The team from the Musket Room opened Raf’s in the space formerly occupied by Parisi Bakery on Elizabeth Street. Chef Mary Attea continues to make delicious use of its vintage wood burning oven for her French and Italian creations, such as malfadine with stewed rabbit and favas and a brick-oven chicken rubbed with rosemary and fennel pollen. Pastry chef Camari Mick supplies the irresistible bread basket served with both hand-churned butter from the Loire and Sicilian olive oil. She sells baked goods during the weekend at the front bakery.

The iconic appetizing shop Russ & Daughters opened a new location at the edge of Hudson Yards. The Dead Rabbit is serving its famed Irish Coffee at The Irish Exit in Moynihan Train Hall. Brooks Headley’s vegetarian Superiority Burger reopened in a much larger spot on the lower East Side and patrons are lining up for the collard greens sandwich on focaccia. Historic Delmonico’s is back in the financial district.

And more exciting openings to come in the fall from heavy hitters Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, Andrew Carmellini, Marc Forgione, Michael White, April Bloomfield, and Missy Robbins.

The city that never sleeps never stops eating.

Beverly Stephen, former executive editor of Food Arts magazine, is co-owner of Flavor Forays, a culinary travel company. @flavorforays