Latest news with #RiadNasr
Eater
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
Frenchette Team Is Opening a Restaurant Inside A24's West Village Theater
Historic New York City theater Cherry Lane Theatre is getting ready to reopen — now in the hands of film studio A24, behind recent films like the Materialists and Babygirl . The intent, according to news that first circulated in 2023 about the company purchasing the theater, was to turn it into a clubhouse of sorts for events, performances, as well as film screenings. A cool concession stand would make sense at any new theater, especially one with as savvy a marketing team as the one at A24. This year, A24 released its own line of chocolate bars — the synergy is already there. Community board filings show that the film studio is taking it a step further, working to open a lobby restaurant and bar. It appears to be in collaboration with Galactus Group LLC, affiliated with Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson, two of New York's biggest restaurateurs, known for Frenchette, Le Rock, and most recently, Le Veau D'Or. The latter in particular showcases their commitment to honoring a space's past, where they relaunched one of the oldest French bistros in New York. It wouldn't be the team's first time working in a cultural center, either: they also opened Frenchette Bakery inside the Whitney Museum. A source close to the restaurant confirmed that the project — a new hospitality concept — is underway and looking at a fall opening. A 2023 liquor authority application for the Cherry Lane Theatre listed the dining room seat count at around 60. The theater, located at 38 Commerce Street, has seemingly never had a restaurant, but the space dates back to 1923. It was once known for its counterculture, off-Broadway plays, and has hosted performances from playwrights to musicians and writers — such as Bob Dylan, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sam Shepard, and David Mamet — but it struggled in its later life. With in-person film attendance dwindling in recent years, others in the industry have made attempts to restore these sacred entertainment spaces. In 2023, Eater LA reported on director Quentin Tarantino's new cafe inside his Vista Theater. That same year, Netflix announced it had purchased the Paris Theater in Midtown. Most recently, HBO's John Wilson is opening Low Cinema in Ridgewood. Eater has reached out to Hanson and Nasr's team and A24, but did not hear back before publishing. See More: Coming Attractions NYC Restaurant Openings
CBS News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
James Beard Awards set to be announced tonight for 2025. Here are the N.Y. finalists to watch.
The 2025 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards are being held Monday in Chicago. Half a dozen New York finalists are in the running for top honors, along with five chefs battling it out for best in the state. New Jersey and Connecticut also have chefs in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast categories. CLICK HERE to watch the live stream beginning at 6 p.m. Local James Beard Award finalists to watch Outstanding Restauranteur: Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, Frenchette, Le Veau d'Or, and Le Rock, New York, NY Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, Frenchette, Le Veau d'Or, and Le Rock, New York, NY Outstanding Chef: Gabriel Kreuther, Gabriel Kreuther, New York, NY & Jungsik Yim, Jungsik, New York, NY Gabriel Kreuther, Gabriel Kreuther, New York, NY & Jungsik Yim, Jungsik, New York, NY Best New Restaurant: Penny, New York, NY Penny, New York, NY Outstanding Hospitality: Atomix, New York, NY Atomix, New York, NY Outstanding Professionals in Beverage Service: Cassandra Felix, Daniel, New York, NY Cassandra Felix, Daniel, New York, NY Outstanding Professionals in Cocktail Service: Ignacio "Nacho" Jimenez, Superbueno, New York, NY Best Chef: New York State Nasim Alikhani, Sofreh, Brooklyn, NY Ryan Fernandez, Southern Junction Barbecue, Buffalo, NY Eiji Ichimura, Sushi Ichimura, New York, NY Atsushi Kono, Kono, New York, NY Vijay Kumar, Semma, New York, NY Best Chef Mid-Atlantic: Dan Richer, Razza, Jersey City, NJ Best Chef Northeast: Brian Lewis, The Cottage, Westport, Conn. What is the James Beard Award? The awards are one of the culinary industry's biggest nights, celebrating the talent, innovation and dedication of chefs across the country. This year marks the 35th annual celebration. There are 15 main categories: Outstanding Restaurateur Outstanding Chef Outstanding Restaurant Emerging Chef Best New Restaurant Outstanding Bakery Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker Outstanding Hospitality Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program Outstanding Bar Best New Bar (New) Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service (New) Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service (New) Best Chefs (by region) America's Classics CLICK HERE for a closer look at the guidelines, and CLICK HERE for the full list of nominees. What's new this year? The James Beard Foundation is beginning to introduce Beverage Awards categories in order to better acknowledge the beverage industry. This year, there are three new categories for Best New Bar, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. This year will also feature new Impact Awards, honoring those who actively work to create a more equitable, sustainable and economically viable industry for producers, workers and consumers. The 2025 honorees are: Angie Craig, U.S. Representative (MN-2); Ranking Member, House Committee on Agriculture Brandon Edwin Chrostowski, CEO, EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute Anthony Edwards Jr., CEO and Co-Founder, EatOkra Seanicaa Edwards Herron, Founder and Executive Director, Freedmen Heirs Foundation Dune Lankard, President and Founder, Native Conservancy The foundation also named Chad Houser as the 2025 Humanitarian of the Year Award honoree and Toni Tipton-Martin as the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree.
Forbes
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Is New York's Chez Fifi Bistro Worth A Six-Week Wait For A Reservation?
Chex Fifi is the new big hit on New York's Upper East Side. New York's current bistro boom was joined in January by a place that has, for reasons not entirely clear, turned into one of the biggest hits of the year. It's easy enough to understand why the new bistros Le Veau d'Or, Frenchette and Le Rock are so extremely popular––the owners, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson, are the darlings of the food media and fashionistas––but Chez Fifi hasn't that kind of pedigree: It is the latest production of the Miami-based We All Gotta Eat Group that runs nearby Sushi No, which, with 12 seats, is full every night. Even on the Upper Est Side, the name Chez Fifi sounds a bit twee, but given its polished 1920s townhouse looks (previously the Italian restaurant Vivolo) and only 40 seats downstairs and 12 in the upstairs salon, one can understand how easily it fills up each evening, largely with people from the neighborhood, some of whom have already become weekly regulars. Yet beyond its cozy refuge appeal for the locals, Chez Fifi has become the kind of place that those who can't get in beg those who can to work a small miracle. There's no telephone number to call. It took me six weeks to get a mid-week table. A Basque Txangurro crab dish is one of the best starters at Chez Fifi. It certainly is one the most handsome dining rooms in the area, with dark mahogany bathed in light from sconces and shaded overhanging lamps, with flowered half-curtains above the booths. In such soigné places one might expect an icy reception, but instead a lovely young woman with a big smile greets you with unfeigned delight that you've arrived, and the waitstaff is every bit as friendly. The restaurant's website reads, 'To ensure a comfortable dining experience, we ask that our guests present themselves at Chez Fifi with consideration to the ambiance of the space. Overly casual attire, such as athletic wear, pajamas, loungewear, t-shirts, and baseball caps, is not permitted.' If only the management kept to that requirement, for on the night I visited, along with a full cadre of well-dressed women in black outfits seemingly plucked from the racks of Madison Avenue boutiques like Morgane le Fay, Vuori and Agnès b., and most men in jackets, there was also more than one eyesore sporting a hoodie and sweat pants, hunched over his table. The decibel level is, unfortunately, high. A well-seasoned steak tartare at Chez Fifi The tables are well set with linens, the stemware pings at the touch, and the complimentary bread and butter are as good as you'll find in Manhattan. If, during the dinner, the tablecloth is spotted or soiled, a fresh napkin is immediately placed over it. There are no salt and pepper shakers on the table, but none of the dishes I tasted needed them. I don't know how sommelier Tira Johnson put together such an extraordinary wine list, but overnight it ranks with the most comprehensive in town––though very expensive, with only a handful of bottles under $120. A half chicken with foie gras jus is a good dish for two people. Indeed, many people have commented on how expensive Chez Fifi is, especially by comparison to other chic bistros like La Goulue and Orsay. I'm sorry to say that it is, especially when charging $162 for a Dover sole––at least $40 to $70 more than its competitors. But prices are in many cases not quite what they seem, because portions are generous and easy to share. Take, for instance, the half-chicken with frites and salad and a bland foie gras sauce at a whopping $82; at La Goulue it's $44; at Orsay, $34. Yet only a trencherman could devour it all, and a whole chicken at $160 could feed four, in which case each portion comes out to $40. A reasonably priced filet mignon au poivre for $69 is hefty, and a big slab of cȏte de boeuf is listed at 'Market Price,' which may well come to $300 or more. Chef Zack Zeidman's menu is not large by any means: A selection of charcuterie, four first courses and five main courses. The best of the appetizers is called txangurro, a Basque-style crispy deviled crab nicely seasoned. A salad of endive, dates, walnuts and Fourme d'Ambert cheese was pleasant, but the tartare de boeuf Classique was richly flavorful and seasoned with panache. A filet mignon au poivre comes with excellent French fires. Omelettes as a main course at dinner are not as frequent on Paris bistros menus as they once were, but Chez Fifi's with mushrooms and Périgord truffles that somehow survived winter was not as buttery as I'd expected. And let's face it, with just five main courses on the menu, how many people are dying for an omelette at eight o'clock at night? Among the main courses is a fine Montauk black bass in beurre blanc, served with cabbage. Baba i soaked with good rum at the table. There is a selection of cheeses at an eye-popping $38, but desserts are far more reasonable at $14 for crème brûlée, chocolate mousse with Chantilly cream, and a delicious baba au rhum at $16. Despite its noise––after nine PM is a quieter time to go––Chez Fifi oozes charm and, though it must be hell for them to balance reservations, a night here runs as smoothly and amiably as a neighborhood bistro should. And if you go with friends and share à la carte dishes, the high prices come into better focus. Still, even with access, one can get quickly tired of a menu with so few dishes to choose among, when its direct competitors' offerings are so much more expansive, enticing and less expensive. Maybe the current buzz will die down at Chez Fifi, in which case it would a delight to drop in now and then for one's favorite dish after visiting the Guggenheim or the newly opened Frick Museum. Right now, just getting in at all is a head-butting chore. CHEZ FIFI 140 East 74th Street No telephone number Open for dinner only.
New York Times
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Broiled Fish Tacos, Buttermilk Pancakes, Chicken Adobo
Good morning. I woke up chuckling. I'd eaten the night before at Le Veau d'Or, Manhattan's oldest French restaurant, brought back to life last year by the chefs and restaurateurs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr. The meal had unspooled like a series of magic tricks. Among them: ethereal clouds of fried potato with caviar; crisp nuggets of headcheese with sauce ravigote; frog legs sizzling in butter and garlic; a ruddy duck breast positioned above tangy-sweet stewed cherries. The menu is prix fixe — $125 a head — and the savory portion of it ends with a simple green salad. It was the salad that had me grinning, eight hours after I'd consumed it. I'm a pretty good cook, a more than passable mimic. I've built a career of sorts eating in good restaurants, asking lots of questions and then coming up with cover-band recipes for my favorite dishes. But I realized that morning after my meal at Le Veau: There is no way, no earthly way, that I could ever cook anything on the menu at that restaurant myself, no matter how many questions I asked, no matter how many times I practiced the dish. Even that salad. I wouldn't even try. This wasn't humbling. It was awesome. That's what restaurants like Le Veau d'Or are for. Instead, I'll embrace minimalism this weekend, simplicity, bold flavors easily coaxed from good ingredients, and make Sarah Copeland's fine recipe for broiled fish tacos (above). I'll use mahi-mahi or halibut, if I can find any — or flounder or swordfish, if I can't. (Truthfully, it'd be pretty good with industrial tilapia, if that's all you can get. The spice rub of salt, paprika and coriander goes a long way.) Sarah serves the fish with warm corn tortillas, a brilliant salad of lime and herbs and a drizzle of crema. You should as well. Featured Recipe View Recipe → I could go for some buttermilk pancakes this weekend, too, and classic tuna salad sandwiches for lunch. There's not much easier than a five-ingredient creamy miso pasta for dinner on Saturday night, with a freestyle fruit salad with yogurt to follow in the morning: orange, pineapple, banana, mango, under a shower of lime juice. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
