Sam Tell isn't just the one-stop shop for all the foodservice supplies and equipment a restaurant needs. It's also your source for insights into the restaurant industry.
Every month, we shine the spotlight on a handful of Sam Tell clients to celebrate their success and share what makes them special in our seasonal roundup. Take a look at this season's selections below:
December
Shukette set to bring market-fresh Middle Eastern cuisine to Chelsea
A charcoal-grill-equipped open kitchen will be the focal point of forthcoming Chelsea restaurant Shukette, which will spawn from Soho’s bustling and crowd-pleasing Shuka in early 2020. Helmed by the always welcoming and enthusiastically talented Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja, the hotly anticipated Middle Eastern eatery is the latest restaurant from The Bowery Group restaurateurs Vicki Freeman, Marc Meyer, and Chris Paraskevaides of Cookshop, Rosie’s, and Vic’s.
Though the menu, operating hours, and other fine details are still baking in the oven, the eagerly awaited Middle Eastern restaurant, set to debut at 230 Ninth Avenue, promises to deliver vibrant cuisine in the form of bright, flavorful dips, mezze, warm, house-baked frena, laffa bread, Turkish simits, and Yemeni malawach, along with Persian chicken and other meats seared over a charcoal grill.
Venerable London steakhouse to cross the pond to NYC in early 2020
It’s been a long journey for the NYC location of world-famous London steakhouse chain Hawksmoor, which has seen multiple opening dates come and go over the last few years. That is all set to change, with an early 2020 opening date in Gramercy’s historic United Charities Building on Park Avenue South. Known most notably for its dry-aged, thick-cut steaks, along with no-nonsense cocktails, triple-cooked french fries, and a highly regarded selection of seafood, Hawksmoor is sure to leave its grill marks on the NYC steakhouse scene.
With a focus on locally sourced beef and an ethos centered on sustainability, partners Will Beckett and Huw Gott opened the first Hawksmoor in London in 2006. They have since opened multiple Hawksmoor locations across the UK—and when the pair opens the NYC outpost at the corner of East 22nd and Park Avenue South, there’s a jolly-good chance their quality-first mindset will remain intact.
All-new dining experience will launch in the coming months at Walker Hotel Tribeca.
There’s perhaps no addition more fitting to a luxury hotel than a chic place to get an exquisite bite to eat. As the calendar continues to flip through the winter months, that is exactly what New Yorkers can expect at the Walker Hotel Tribeca. Offering an eclectic mix of restaurants and dining experiences tastefully inspired by the neighborhood's food scene and nightlife, Walker Hotel Tribeca will be a must-visit destination for locals and out-of-towners alike.
While many of the details have yet to fully emerge, a preview of the dining and drinking that’s currently coming together at Walker Hotel Tribeca—at 77 Walker Street—will include a sub-cellar cocktail bar and a rooftop bar overlooking the vaunted Manhattan skyline. Between those two vertical bookends, the Walker Hotel Tribeca’s lobby will provide lighter fare in a lounge setting with comfortable couches, as well as unique, high-end cuisine in a sophisticated, fine-dining restaurant.
November
Palais By Perfect Pie brings the French-American bistro aesthetic to the Upper East Side
Like a flakey confection fresh from the oven, Palais By Perfect Pie is so new, it’s still cooling on the NYC restaurant scene’s window sill. Baked in the mind of pastry provocateur Bill Yosses, who also happens to be the former White House chef under Barack Obama, Palais serves French-inspired fare with an American twist that goes well beyond pies—think a Croque Madame made with unctuous duck ham for brunch and a luxurious bone-in Berkshire pork chop for dinner.
Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Saturday brunch, Palais By Perfect Pie is located at 134 East 61st Street, between Lexington and Park avenues. Learn more about the restaurant and explore the menu here.
One of the last vestiges of Old New York, Fanelli’s barroom gets the New York Times profile treatment
The thrust of the modern world and a seemingly never-ending stream of development isn’t enough to rob the city of its captivatingly cozy character—and nowhere is that fact more lovingly on display than at Fanelli’s, the downtown mainstay on the corner of Prince and Mercer streets. Standing at that cobblestoned corner in Soho since 1847, Fanelli’s features the immaculate combination of a robust bar paired with a menu that touches all the classic, belly-filling favorites, from breakfast platters and tuna melts, to chili and hot meatloaf sandwiches.
Take a trip down the winding streets of Old New York by reading The New York Times’ earnestly warm story on Fanelli’s unshakable grandeur.
October
Lafayette in NoHo hosts Poilâne Pop-up
Fans of the Parisian bakery rejoice as NoHo restaurant and Sam Tell client Lafayette serves as the home of a pop-up Poilâne bakery through November 3rd. Founded in 1932, three generations of Poilânes have overseen the careful creation of its famous breads. Now, those tastes have come to NYC for a limited time in celebration of the release of Apollonia Poilâne’s new book, “Poilâne: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery.”
Visit Lafayette and the Poilâne pop-up to find out what Parisians have been raving about for more than 80 years!
Chef John Fraser to Head New Midtown Restaurant
Midtown will soon be welcoming a new addition to its restaurant scene at 1740 Broadway. This yet-to-be-named establishment isn’t the work of just anyone, though. It will be the latest brainchild of Chef John Fraser, who is already becoming synonymous with quality dining in NYC, being responsible for Michelin-star restaurants such as Nix and The Loyal – both of which are Sam Tell clients.
Be sure to keep an eye out as new details about this exciting project emerge.
September
NIX Continues to Raise the Bar on Vegetarian Dining
For more than three years, NIX has been delighting not just vegetarians with its plant-based menu, but anyone looking for an excellent meal in the Greenwich Village area. The menu, crafted by Michelin Star holder Chef John Fraser, does not attempt to make patrons forget that there is no meat, but instead reminds them of the rich and diverse flavors that can be achieved with the expert preparation of vegetables, fruits, nuts and more.
Stop by this Sam Tell client for dinner or weekend brunch to see how good nixing meat can be.
The Dutch Makes Andrew Zimmern's List of Favorite NYC Restaurants.
Award-winning chef, food critic and television personality Andrew Zimmern has spent his career dining at some of the best eateries the world has to offer. Despite his global travels, though, it's never long before he returns to New York City, where he visits his favorite restaurants. Among these is The Dutch, the Lower Manhattan spot serving up classic American fare run by the same people responsible for other NYC favorites such as
Visit The Dutch and find out what keeps greats like Andrew Zimmern coming back.
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Originally published September 30, 2019. Updated October 29, 2019.
