In February, domestic queen Martha Stewart and her NYC–based Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia forked over a whopping $50 million for Emeril Lagasse's franchise of cookbooks, TV shows, Web site, food products, and kitchen gadgetry. Lagasse's 11 restaurants and his Homebase corporate offices are not included in the deal. • Marcus Samuelsson's much delayed—and highly anticipated—Merkato 55 (55 Gansevoort St.) finally opened in February. Executing the zingy global menu is exec chef Andrea Luz Bergquist, formerly of Tabla. In related news, Smauelsson and partner Hâkan Swahn unveiled Aquavit Grill & Raw Bar in the new ultramod Clarion Hotel Sign in Stockholm in February. Exec chef Martin Brag, who worked at NYC's Aquavit some years ago before returning to Sweden, is joined by five other Aquavit alums. "There are two reasons we wanted to open in Stockholm," explains Swahn. "First, at the NYC Aquavit we need a deeper contact on staff level with Sweden. My fear has been that if you are too removed from the source of your concept, you lose it. Going to Sweden on visits just wasn't enough. Now we have a much closer connection to the culinary scene there. The other reason is that we had a protection on the name Aquavit in Europe, but we had to use it or lose it." • Jeffrey Chodorow has two steakhouses up his sleeve. Coming this fall is Center Cut in The Empire Hotel. And in partnership with saucy Maxim magazine, Chodorow will replace Ono (in the Hotel Gansevoort) in the fall with Maxim Prime. Ono will remain open until Maxim Prime kicks in, and Chodorow promises a new location for Ono. • This summer, the Boston-based Todd English (who opened Beso, a Spanish twist on Olives, last month in L.A. with actress Eva Longoria and with longtime English vet Robert Gonsalves as chef) will add a second NYC venue to his roster. This summer look out for the tavernesque Libertine at Gild Hall, a newly minted property by Thompson Hotels. • The Irving Mill team—brothers Mario and Sergio Riva, Mario's wife Suzanne, and chef John Schaefer—will hatch yet-to-be-named Italian themed spot at 30 Irving Place this summer. • Seasoned restauranteurs Joel Michel, Vincent Seufert (both partners at 5 Ninth), and Stephane Dorian (creater of Le Zoo and Waterloo Brasserie) opened what's sure to become a Greenwich Village gem this month: 10 Downing (at 10 Downing St., duh!). The trio lassoed Katy Sparks as consulting chef and Jason Neroni as the exec chef. • New in February is Bagatelle at 409 W. 13th St. in the meatpacking district. The 90 seater has the classy timeless feel of a well-appointed Parisian apartment, a perfect state for a mostly French menu by Nicolas Cantrel, who earned his kitchen chops working with Alain Ducasse. Owners are Aymeric Clemente, Remi Laba, and The ONE Group. • In February brothers and partners William and Patrick Resk opened their first joint venture, Olana (72 Madison Ave.), named after the landmarked Hudson River Valley home of artist Frederic Edwin Church. Exec chef/co-owner is Al Di Meglio, recently of Osteria dl Circo. • Iberian-themed Islero slipped into Midtown (247 E. 50th St.) in February, with 24 year old Jessica Floyd, who worked with Daniel Boulud and more recently as sous chef at Brasserie 81/2, as top toque. Look for rusticated sophistication on both the menu (pimentón-crusted soft cooked egg with wild mushrooms and serrano ham) and in the design (chocolate brown banquettes and dark wood flooring). Owner Chris Bianchi is also co-owner of Crave Ceviche Bar. • Downtown, Rafael Mateo (a partner at Ostia) is also riffing on Spain at his wine bar Pata Negra, named for the pricy Spanish ham, which opened in February at 345 E. 12th St. "There is no cooking here. My focus is Spanish ham, wine, and cheese," says Mateo. • Upstairs from chef/owner Giuseppe Fanelli's Tre Dici find Tre Dici STEAK (128 w. 26th St.), serving embellished steakhouse dishes in a 50 seat setting that is part brothel, part New Orleans speakeasy. • In February Nicole Kaplan ditched her Del Posto gig to become pastry chef for The Plaza hotel. • The cheerily named Justine Smillie, formerly of Barbuto, in now cooking at E.U., having replaced Akhtar Nawab in January.
This month Bob Amick and Todd Rushing and their Concentric Restaurants open the New Orleans–themed Parish: Food & Goods, a three-in one restaurant, market, and to-go venture in an old pipe factory at 240 N. Highland Ave. Timothy Magee pivots over from Pie Bar (another Concentric venue) as exec chef. • Scott Black and chef Shane Touhy, who worked together at Blue Ridge Grill, are opening their own place this month, the 155 seat Dogwood at 565 Peachtree St. While the setting evokes an elegant Southern home, Touhy draws on his diverse experience cooking throughout the Southeast for the regional menu. • With a battle against leukemia behind him, restaurateur Tony LaRocco (best known for Fratelli di Napoli, which he no longer owns) has a new lease on life and opened the aptly named Vita at 2110 Peachtree Rd. last month. The menu is a fun-loving homage to old-school New York Italian dining. Chef Javier Munoz worked at both Fratelli di Napoli and Atlanta Fish Market. • Maureen Kaimanson and Pamela Furr, who together own Pleasant Peasant and Mick's Midtown, launched Peasant Bistro at 250 Park Ave. West in February. Exec chef is Shane Devereaux, who cooked previously at the shuttered Bianca in Bryn Mawr, PA).
With locations in Beverly Hills NYC, and London, Michael Chow is bringing his iconic hot spot, Mr Chow, to The Harmon Hotel, Spa & Residences, a new boutique hotel to be operated by The Light Group. The hotel will open in the fall of 2009 in the MGM Mirage's new CityCenter, a mixed-use development off the Las Vegas Strip that will cover a staggering 76 acres. • Speaking of The Light Group, this month it unveiled the loungey Brand Steakhouse at Monte Carlo Resort & Casino. The menu by Light Group exec chef Brian Massie includes a mammoth 8.6 pound beef porterhouse for six. • In a match made in heaven, the NYC–based restaurant mogul Dennis Riese brought his bikini-clad table concierges (read waitresses) to Las Vegas with the January spin-off of his Hawaiian Tropic Zone in Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. As in the NYC venue, David Burke designed the menu.
Uva Enoteca, an Italianate nibble and sip spot serving cured meats, cheeses, pizza, and the like alongside a hefty list of quartino wine offerings, opened in March at 568 Haight St. Exec chef Ben Hetzel (formerly of The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco) and gm Boris Nemchenok (late of Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria, NYC) are owners. • John Ledbetter made the leap from sous chef to chef at LarkCreekSteak in January, taking over from Jeremy Bearman.
Brace yourself for the 2009 launch of The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain and The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain in the desert town of Marana, just northwest of Tucson. The $160 million project, which wil include world-class golf, high-end dining, and a deluxe spa, is a joint venture of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Tucson-based Cottonwood Properties, and Scottsdale-based Greenbrier Southwest Crop. • In June, chef Robert E. McGrath, who sold his share of Roaring Fork last year and still owns Pischke's Blue Ribbon (both in Scottsdale), will open Restaurant REM at The Smoke Tree Resort (Paradise Valley). • The L.A.–based Innovative Dining Group will clone its trendy see-and-be-seen Hollywood hot spot, Sushi Roku at the W Scottsdale Hotel and Residences. Both the hotel and restaurant open next month. Exec chef is Tim Fields, previously of The Boulders Resorts and Golden Door Spa (Carefree). With additional branches in Las Vegas, Santa Monica, and Pasadena, this is the fifth Sushi Roku. • Details are few, but the Phoenix-based Mark Tarbell, Iron Chef winner and owner of Tarbell's (Phoenix) and The oven Pizza e Vino (Lakewood, CO), hopes to open a second place in Colorado this summer. Stay tuned for more intel. • The indefatigable San Francisco–based Michael Mina brought his Bourbon Steak concept to The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess in February, taking over the Marquesa space. Mina opened Bourbon Steaks in Detroit and Miami last year. • The new top toque at the Frank Lloyd Wright inspired gem, the Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa (Phoenix), is Todd Sicolo, whose extensive luxury hotel experience includes a stint at Bellagio (Las Vegas). Siccolo replaced Michael Cairns in January.
Michel Richard of Citronelle and Central Michel Richard has been busy. In January he opened a Citronelle by Michel Richard at Carmel Valley Ranch (Carmel Valley, CA), replacing The Oaks in the remodeled main Lodge. Anthony Keene continues as the exec chef and director of culinary operations. In February Richard returned to L.A. where he first made his mark at his groundbreaking Citrus on Melrose Avenue, to collaborate with Jeffrey Chodorow on Citrus at Social, a freestanding restaurant within Social Hollywood (taking over the Moroccan Room space). Chef de cuisine Rémi Lauvand, most recently exec chef at Miró at Bacara Resort & Spa (Santa Barbara), spent several months in the D.C. Citronelle trenches before the opening. Finally, Richard has his sights on Las Vegas for a Central location. • Opened in February, the newest venue of veteran restaurateurs Charlie and Christiana Chiang is Charlie Chiang's Ping at 4060 Campbell Ave. (Arlington). The modern Chinese menu is a collaborative effort of Christiana Chiang and exec chef Chun Mui Kwok (fresh from Hong Kong). • Chef/owner Maziar Farivar and his brother and co-owner Shahab Farivar cloned their Georgetown Peacock Cafe in downtown Washington, D.C. Peacock Grand Cafe opened in January at 2020 K St. N.W. • Expect dishes like jerk chicken lollipops with fried cabbage and foie gras with coconut French toast and cranberry jam at Café Tropé, the French-Caribbean venture of Howsoon Cham (also chef/owner of Red Ginger), which opened at 2100 P St. N.W. last winter. • Dani Arana, sous chef at Taberna del Alabardero, was promoted to exec chef in January. He replaces Santi Zabaleta, who left to start a Spanish and Portuguese wholesale/retail food company.
The Valencia Group, an L.A.–based restaurant management company, is working fast to convert L.A.'s historic Art Deco Union Bank Building into The Union Restaurant & Lounge, a 200 seat fine dining destination, by next summer. Exec chef is Jeffrey Nimer, who worked at Yuca and Blue Door (Miami Beach). • This month, chef Agostino Sciandri and Robert DeNiro open a sister property to their West Hollywood hot spot Ago in NYC at 377 Greenwich St. At press time they were still hush-hush on the chef. With locations in Las Vegas and South Beach, this is the fourth Ago. • The ONE Group (based in NYC) spawned a West Hollywood outpost of its popular NYC steakhouse, STK, at 755 N. La Cienga in February. The One Group chef Todd Mark Miller worked closely with chef de cuisine Larry Greenwood (who cooked at BOA Steakhouse and The Standard) on the menu, which is rich with options for noncarnivores and scaled-back portions for those of wee-appetite. • The Alhambra-based culty micro roaster LAMILL Coffee opened its first retail outlet, LAMILL Coffee Boutique, at 1636 Silver Lake Blvd. Don't expect your standard foamy lattes and oversized muffins. Complimenting LAMILL's artisanal coffee and teas are top shelf eats courtesy of Providence's Michael Cimarusti and Adrian Vasquez, who designed the menu. • At David Myers' L.A.–based FoodArtGroup (Sona, Boule, Comme Ça). Ramon Perez, who was doing pastry at both Sona and Boule, was promoted to corporate pastry chef for the overall company. Sona sous chef Kuniko Yagi is now chef de cuisine.
In July Jose Garces, chef/owner of Iberian themed Amada and Tinto, will take a stab at the vibrant foods of Mexico City with a yet-to-be-named venue at 3954 Chestnut St. Signed on as chef de cuisine is Tim Spinner, who has been with Garces since the opening of Amada. • Steven Cook (owner of Marigold Kitchen and partner at Xochitl and Michael Solomonov (chef/partner at Marigold and partner at Xochitl) will take a refined approach to Israeli cuisine at Zahav (237 St. James Place), which opens next month. Replacing Solomonov at the helm of the Marigold kitchen is Erin O'Shea, formerly Marigold sous chef. • Next month look for a luxury steakhouse with bistro trappings by George Perrier and Chris Scarduzio, Table 31 (named for the most requested table at Brasserie Perrier), in the new Comcast Center (1701 John F. Kennedy Blvd.). Chef de cuisine is Jeremy Duclut, who decamps from Perrier and Scarduzio's Mia (Atlantic city). • Fans of chef Michael O'Halloran's teeny-weeny 45 seat Bistro 7 have another place to eat his food. This month he opened The Waverly (412-426 S. 13th St.), a 75 seater where he applies French techniques to local product. • Gossip on the Stephen Starr front is that Philly's restaurant mogul is homing in on the Chez Colette and La Bourse spaces in the Sofitel Philadelphia. Stay tuned for details.
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