Openings

First Look at Fifty Five: Late-Night Hummus, Harissa, and Hookahs in Midtown

Photo: Melissa Hom

In the next year, Sammy Benmoha, son of Roxy Delicatessen owner Joseph, plans to open three restaurants in the Times Square vicinity — one of them (on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues) will be helmed by an unnamed Food Network personality. This Wednesday, he and his partner Richie Romero (a promoter who once worked at the elder Benmoha’s Club USA) will open the first of those venues, Fifty Five.


Longtime Todd English chef Victor LaPlaca will turn out Mediterranean-inspired dishes (mezze, flatbreads, skewers, and larger entrees) to a 118-seat dining room and lounge area, while in the upstairs lounge (Hash Fifty-Five), you can order a $30 double apple hookah, $11 cocktails, or a $250 bottle of Jack. The party goes till 2 a.m. on weekends, so if you’re the type who regularly ends up at the 56th Street halal cart at an ungodly hour, check out the slideshow and add this to your late-night options.


Fifty Five Menu [PDF]

Fifty Five, 47 W. 55th St., nr. Sixth Ave.; 212-957-1899

First Look at Fifty Five: Late-Night Hummus, Harissa, and Hookahs in Midtown