Contrary to what we reported last week, Silks will not actually be closing this weekend as planned, because the replacement restaurant at the revamped Mandarin Oriental is not yet ready for prime time. We attended a Goodbye to Silks event last night and found out that Brasserie S&P; will be opening June 4, and Silks will remain open through Memorial Day, because the hotel needs to have a restaurant. (The new restaurant is off of the first-floor lobby, you see, and Silks is up on the second floor.) We also spoke to new chef Adam Mali about his plans for Brasserie S&P;, which include house-made pancetta and salumis, and a focus on local ingredients. “It’s an incredible opportunity,” he says. As for the bar program, bar manager Priscilla Young has been tasting gins from around the globe, and has compiled a gin list 31 bottles long so far, which she believes is the biggest selection of gin at any bar. “The longest list I’ve heard of is 27,” she says.
The list includes small-batch, obscure gins like The Botanist, made by Scotch producer Bruichladdich in Islay, as well as boutique brands like G’Vine, a grape-based gin from France. As discussed earlier, Young will be doing a sophisticated cocktail list with a gin focus, including a bunch of gin and tonics using house-made tonic. We tasted one of the tonics last night as well, which was saffron-based and sweetened with agave. Needless to say it was pretty good.
We’ll hopefully have a menu for Brasserie S&P; soon.
Earlier: Silks Closes Next Week; Brasserie S&P; Will Replace It
