In New York for The Armory Show this week? We’ve got you covered on where to eat between fairs and events. Whitewall asked hospitality and food industry PR expert Edgar Vaudeville to curate a list of his personal favorite spots.
Estela
47 East Houston Street
New York, NY 10012
This Nolita marbled bar offers an intimate setting with a remarkable wine list that comprises categories often ignored such as Loire and GE Rieslings. The tapas concocted by Uruguayan chef Ignacio Mattos showcase a thorough and delicate selection of ingredients. You will find the menus small but the variety of flavors great. A special mention for the beef tartar and arroz de negro with squid is worthwhile.
Abc KitchenPhoto by Francesco Tonelli
Chefs Club by Food & Wine
275 Mulberry Street
New York, NY 10012
The vision at Chef’s Club is food as craft. The restaurant situated in the historic Puck building acts as a platform for the best worldwide chefs to showcase their cuisine sequentially. The outstanding quality of the food is a known constant. The wide-open kitchen allows the eye to wander and admire the journey of one’s dish from the initial making to the effort put into the design. David Rockwell’s décor is upscale, yet warm and intriguing.
Contra
138 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002
This inconspicuous venue on Orchard Street offers a five-course meal for the modest sum of $55. The dining room is small but the ambitions of Jeremiah Stone and Fabian Von Hauske, its two chefs, are colossal: providing American cuisine with a solid yet noble identity, along with a deeply seasonal approach to cooking. Although delicate and naturalistic, the dishes stand out as inventive and flavorsome.
Chef’s ClubPhoto by Michael Turek
Wildair
142 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002
Sometimes referred to as the younger brother of Contra, notably because it is situated just a few blocks away and owned by the same two chefs (Jeremiah Stone and Fabian Von Hauske), Wildair stays however distinguishable. Its communal setting in the tradition of the European wine bar is more casual, which allows broader space for subversive innovation in the cuisine. The desserts are a knockout.
The Polo Bar
1 East 55th Street
New York, NY 10022
Ralph Lauren’s Polo Bar qualifies as the exclusive celebrity and tycoon magnate venue where reservations are very much required. The experience remains worthwhile even though the food is good but not great (apart from the praiseworthy roast chicken and corned beef sandwich) however everything else is: the mahogany toned English style polo club setting, the irreproachable service, the wine list and the quality of the cocktails as well as the selection of local craft beers.
Courtesy of Estela
ABC Kitchen
35 East 18th Street
New York, NY 10003
Located in the back of the ABC carpet & home store on 18th street, eminent chef Jean Georges’ hip ABC Kitchen is deeply committed to providing fresh organic cuisine that focuses exclusively on sustainable and seasonable products. Although mocked by some as a pathetic gimmicky undertaking, the culinary result remains faithful to the chef’s reputation: qualitative and succulent.
