Design

Delicatessen Wins Unlikely Design Award

Photo: Noah Sheldon

Delicatessen was named best-designed restaurant in Travel & Leisure’s 2009 Design Awards, as judged by Daniel and Per Se designer Adam D. Tihany and Calvin Klein, among others. The space (by Anurag Nema in collaboration with Mark Thomas Amadei) “embraces New York City’s early-20th-century brick-and-mortar solidity, while imposing its own glamorous atmospherics. High-gloss materials and seductive lighting amplify dramatic skylight views of an interior courtyard; the urban landscape is incorporated into the restaurant — and transformed.” Until now, Delicatessen’s middling food (recently addressed with a new menu) overshadowed its modern design in the press. But considering the list of winners is international, it’s even more surprising that Delicatessen could be considered the best-designed restaurant in the world. (The feature omits judging criteria and runners-up.) The other New York City winner is the new TKTS booth in Times Square.

T+L Design Awards 2009 [Travel & Leisure]

Delicatessen Wins Unlikely Design Award