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:
February
Ultimate Sports Bar Descends From Great White North
Home base to all things sports in West Edmonton, 1st RND is bringing its nearly 20 signature burgers, dozens of wing varieties, and seemingly endless beer menu to New Jersey this year with its inaugural location in the states at the American Dream complex in East Rutherford.
Sports is the name of the game at 1st RND, as the massive eatery’s Canadian locations boast 32 HD TVs and two HD video walls, along with a 136” screen showing the game of the week—and a similar arrangement is expected at the forthcoming New Jersey outpost. Enormous in scope and a destination for sports fanatics, 1st RND projects to be a grand slam at American Dream, the ambitious mall that boasts more than 500 tenants to go along with its Nickelodeon theme park, indoor ice skating, and indoor ski and snowboard park.
Venerable Cheesemonger Readies Long Island City Spot
Murray’s Cheese, founded in Greenwich Village, expects to open its first Long Island City location early this year. The shop, legendary for its expertly aged cheese since 1940, currently has three locations: A retail store at 254 Bleecker St., Murray’s Cheese Bar at 264 Bleecker St., and another retail operation at Grand Central Station.
The new spot in LIC will be located in the Jackson Park building on Jackson Avenue, where interested eaters can expect fast-casual fare like sandwiches, burgers, and salads served in a space with about 50 seats. But this won’t be Murray’s first presence in LIC, as the company’s glorious cheese caves—where it ages its array of fine cheeses—are located at its central offices on Borden Avenue, where it also houses its e-commerce business and distributes its products to more than 650 restaurants and stores nationwide.
Long-Fermenting Distillery Set To Pour In NoHo
Great Jones Distillery Co., founded by Proximo Spirits, will soon bring a tasting room and restaurant to 686 Broadway in Manhattan’s NoHo district. Billed as the “first distillery in Manhattan since prohibition,” Great Jones Distillery’s location on Broadway is noted for its proposed exterior elements that include striking brass treatments and dark-brick masonry.
The distillery takes its name from Great Jones Street, a historic stretch of two blocks in Downtown Manhattan between Bowery and Broadway. For decades, Great Jones Street was the home of many unique shops and cherished New York City restaurants, like the famous Great Jones Cafe, a beloved cajun eatery that closed in 2018 before it was revived last year as The Jones.
January
Renowned Chef Explores West African Cuisine
Chef Marcus Samuelsson, the fantastically creative culinary mind behind the satisfying southern Red Rooster Harlem, heads to Houston to discover West African food traditions in his PBS Food series No Passport Required.
Watch as Samuelsson samples fufu, pepper soups, and a decadent dessert made with candy yams, smoked pecan butter, and torched marshmallows. Eating in modern times is a journey through exotic tastes and wondrous aromas. Chef Marcus Samuelsson, with his vast culinary knowledge and excitement for all things eats, is the perfect guide on this food tour around the world.
Wolfgang Puck Nets A Sports Bar In Las Vegas
Legendary chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck is skating into a new food arena dedicated to a Las Vegas professional hockey team. Perfectly befitting the chef’s name (Puck. Get it?), Wolfgang Puck Players Locker is a joint venture between the chef and teammates from the Vegas Golden Knights, including Alex Tuch, William Karlsson, Deryk Engelland, Shea Theodore, and Reilly Smith
Debuting at Downtown Summerlin in Las Vegas, the eatery will feature dishes inspired by players on the team, with sandwiches, burgers, and even the famous chef’s take on that classically Canadian dish, poutine. High rollers can even rent their own “locker” and stock it with a private collection of alcohol, wine, and spirits.
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.
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Originally published December 19, 2019.
