Fall Preview 2013

How This Fall’s New Hotel Restaurants Stack Up

Celebrity-chef brand extension, tourist amenity, or buzzy boîte: Hotel restaurants aim to be all things to all people. Here, we check out who’s checking in this season.

The Place: Botequim at the Hyatt Union Square
132 Fourth Ave., at 13th St.; 212-432-1324; October.
The People: Marco Moreira and Jo-Ann Makovitsky of Tocqueville and 15 East.
The Menu: Brazilian-inspired tapas, roasted fish, and suckling pig.
The Scene: A graffiti design theme and a caipirinha-fueled cocktail list animate the subterranean space.

The Place: Cafe Marlton at the Marlton
5 W. 8th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; no phone yet; October.
The People: Partner Sean Macpherson on the yet-to-be-named chef: “a slightly subversive, punk-rock Alice Waters.”
The Menu: Healthy, light Californian-French (“Chez Panisse meets Paris’s Café de Flore,” says Macpherson).
The Scene: “The neighborhood living room,” encompassing an
open-layout lobby, bar, dining room, and conservatory.

The Place: Clement at the Peninsula
700 Fifth Ave., at 55th St.; 212-903-3918; September.
The People: Brandon Kida, whose résumé ranges from upscale Asian at Asiate to forager chic at Smörgås Chef.
The Menu: Seasonal American fare, using Northeast-sourced ingredients.
The Scene: The latest renovation divides the mezzanine dining room into spaces of varying sizes and moods.

The Place: Kingside at the Viceroy
120 W. 57th St., nr. Sixth Ave.; 212-707-8000; October.
The People: Marc Murphy of Landmarc and Ditch Plains.
The Menu: Tuna crudo with uni vinaigrette; frisée and long hots with pork “two ways”; cowboy rib eye with bone-marrow butter.
The Scene: The Roman and Williams design integrates a black-and-white checkerboard pattern, fluted-glass light boxes, and a chef’s counter outfitted with bright-red stools.

The Place: The Peacock at the Williams
24 E. 39th St., nr. Madison Ave.; no phone yet; October.
The People: Jason Hicks and Yves Jadot of Jones Wood Foundry, and chef Robert Aikens of Philly’s Dandelion.
The Menu: Sophisticated seasonal English fare, plus high tea; pub grub and cask ales downstairs at the Shakespeare.
The Scene: Although the Williams Club has left the building, expect some lingering clubbiness in the form of a bookcase-clad library lounge, a fireplace, and a private garden.

The Place: Pop at the Pod 51 Hotel
230 E. 51st St., nr. Third Ave.; 212-­355-0300; September.
The People: Roy Liebenthal brings his high-design burger joint to Turtle Bay.
The Menu: Various takes on the beef patty, plus lobster nachos, craft beer, and delivery.
The Scene: The room is a collaboration between the budget hotel and architect Ali Tayar, who’s been creating attention-getting spaces for Liebenthal since the nineties.

The Place: Yet-to-be-named restaurant at the Standard, East Village
25 Cooper Sq., nr. 5th St.; no phone yet; November.
The People: John Fraser, who’ll be commuting between here and Dovetail.
The Menu: Fraser’s signature “vegetable-driven” cuisine, with raw materials plucked from owner André Balazs’s farm.
The Scene: The refurbishment of what had been Table 8, then Faustina, then the Trilby will comprise two dining rooms and the more casual Standard Café.

The Place: Tao Downtown at the Maritime
92 Ninth Ave., nr. 17th St.; 212-888-2724; September.
The People: Chef-partner Ralph Scamardella runs the show here with executive chef Yoshi Kojima and exec wok chef Ooi Soon Lok.
The Menu: An Asian expedition inspired new menu additions like Thai snapper burnt jalapeño and beef rendang rolls.
The Scene: David Rockwell’s team had one full city block to work with. Some highlights: a 40-foot-wide staircase entrance with pod seating, and a serpentine sushi bar.

The Place: Villard Michel Richard at the New York Palace
455 Madison Ave., at 50th St; 212-891-8100; October.
The People: Michel Richard, the French chef whose American realm
has spread from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.
The Menu: A bakery and market called Pomme Palais; a 100-seat bistro; and the smaller Gallery, devoted to tasting menus.
The Scene: The landmarked space has presented challenges for every restaurant that has occupied it (Gilt and Le Cirque 2000 among them).

*This article originally appeared in the September 2, 2013 issue of New York Magazine.


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Notable Openings for Fall

How This Fall’s New Hotel Restaurants Stack Up