Kevin Gray - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 10

2 min

Aqua New York is a two-in-one restaurant, serving Italian and Japanese menus under the same roof

🍴 Aqua New York, offering Italian and Japanese cuisines, opened on November 11 in Manhattan's Flatiron District. Occupying a 24,000-square-foot space, the venue seats 432 guests, includes three 10-person private dining rooms, a private lounge with DJ station, and claims the city's longest sushi bar with 22 seats. Aqua Spirit, the 44-seat bar, features sakes, wines, and country-inspired cocktails. This is the third U.S. establishment by Aqua Restaurant Group, following locations in New York and Miami.

7 min

How a dozen restaurateurs are prepping for the holidays

🎄 During the holidays, restaurants like Dallas-based Imperial Fizz and others adapt by focusing on hospitality for large parties and corporate events. They offer festive décor and seasonal drinks, while some, like American Social Bar & Kitchen in Florida, expand holiday decorations across multiple locations. Special menus and themed cocktails, such as Partridge in a Pear Tree Martini, are crafted by chefs and co-owners like Angelo Sosa in Phoenix and Indian Wells, California. Restaurants like Esmé in Chicago fill up with large corporate gatherings and events, with Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor focusing on catering. Some establishments, like Cora in New York City, give staff a winter break, while others, such as Winona’s in Brooklyn, stay open and staff up, but take a restorative break in January.

3 min

Brooklyn restaurant Field Guide is now open, serving dishes inspired by central New York state

🍴 Tim Meyers, formerly of NYC culinary giants like Eleven Madison Park, opened Field Guide in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on November 1. Partnered with wine director Mackenzie Khosla, the 60-seat restaurant showcases central New York flavors with complimentary sourdough rolls and cultured butter from Meyers’ hometown in Chenango County. The opening menu features four main courses, such as rainbow trout and beef filet, accompanied by a selection of global wines and creative cocktails. Field Guide aims to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere with a distinctive approach to dining in a competitive neighborhood.

3 min

Mother Wolf opens in Miami, marking the Italian concept’s third location after Los Angeles and Las Vegas

🍴 Chef Evan Funke expanded his culinary empire with the opening of Mother Wolf in Miami’s Design District on October 5. This marks the third Mother Wolf locale, following Los Angeles' early 2022 debut and a Las Vegas branch opened later the same year. Mother Wolf Miami boasts a 10,000-square-foot space featuring a pasta lab, and offers a Roman-inspired menu with handmade pastas, brick-oven pizzas, and a selection of seafood and meat dishes. The bar complements the dining experience with over 400 wine labels, focusing on organic and sustainable options, and a cocktail menu with Italian influences.

3 min

Washington Street Hospitality opens Legami, an Italian restaurant in Charleston, S.C.

🍴 Washington Street Hospitality, known for Pasta Beach in Boston and Rhode Island, opened Legami in Charleston, S.C. on October 9. Eldredge and Tyler Ropolo, whose parents launched Pasta Beach in 2002, lead the family-operated venture. Legami serves Italian cuisine with a modern twist, offers a two-story dining experience, seating 180 guests, and features a menu crafted by Michelin-starred veteran chef Andrea Congiusta. Beverages are curated by James Ruggiero, including signature items like the Legami Martini.

2 min

Boka Restaurant Group and Stephanie Izard to open Valley Goat in Silicon Valley

🍕 Boka Restaurant Group, founded in 2002, is launching Valley Goat in Sunnyvale, California, at the Treehouse Hotel Silicon Valley, marking its first Northern California venture. The new 250-seat restaurant, headed by famed chefs Stephanie Izard—a "Top Chef" and "Iron Chef" winner—will open early 2025, offering lunch, dinner, and later brunch. The menu will feature shareable dishes highlighting local produce and globally-inspired flavors, alongside a bar with seasonal cocktails, local brewery and winery selections, and an extensive wine list.

2 min

Michelin-starred Ikaro in La Rioja, Spain, has opened an outpost in Downtown Miami

🍕 Miami welcomes international culinary influences with the opening of Momento by Ikaro, a Michelin-starred Spanish restaurant's outpost, in Downtown Miami mid-August. Chefs Carolina Sanchez from Ecuador and Iñaki Murua from Spain's Basque region unveiled their first U.S. establishment, merging their backgrounds. Momento spans 4,733 square feet, seating 80, and features a menu with seasonal ingredients, wood-fired branzino, and a bar with global wines. Ikaro Spain gained its Michelin star in 2018 while Michelin arrived in Florida in 2022.

4 min

This Denver restaurant takes its entire staff to Italy each year

🗒 Barolo Grill in Denver, established in 1992, has been taking its entire staff on educational trips to Italy annually since 1995. The restaurant, which closes for about 10 days each July for these trips, has seen benefits such as high staff retention, with employees staying for 13-18 years, and repeat guests. Barolo Grill's sommeliers received the Michelin Colorado Sommelier Award in 2023 and a Wine Spectator Grand Award in 2024. Owner Ryan Fletter, who joined the first trip in 1995, bought the restaurant in 2015. The menu is inspired by these Italian trips, featuring dishes like Castelmagno cheesecake and Agnolotti del Plin with local ingredients.

3 min

Travis Street Hospitality has opened two new concepts, Le PasSage and Rose Cafe, in Dallas

🍕 Travis Street Hospitality, after 12 years of French dining with Le Bilboquet, Knox Bistro, and Georgie in Dallas's Knox District, launched two new eateries, Le PasSage and Rose Cafe, in late October at The Terminal at Katy Trail. Le PasSage, a 4,800-square-foot space designed by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, merges Asian flavors with French technique, offering dishes like Shaking Beef and Peking duck. Rose Cafe provides a casual ambiance with small plates like pork bao buns and shrimp toast. Founders Stephan Courseau and Daniele Garcia bring experience from NYC eateries and French-Thai dining to these concepts, with culinary director Bruno Davaillon and chefs Dicky Fung and Sotear Tep. Additionally, the group plans to open Frenchie in Dallas next year.

2 min

Chef Michael White to open Mika, an upscale neighborhood restaurant in Coral Gables, Fla., this December

🍴 Chef Michael White, known for Michelin-starred NYC restaurants, is opening Mika, his first standalone restaurant in Florida, Coral Gables, this December. Mika, located in Plaza Coral Gables, boasts an 8,195-square-foot interior plus a 600-square-foot private dining room. The menu features coastal Mediterranean cuisine, utilizing local seafood and produce, and offers White’s specialties like langoustine carpaccio. The wine selection includes a 1,700-bottle cellar. White, alongside partners Alex Pirez and Matt Safchik, aims to provide humble hospitality with exceptional food in a neighborhood setting.

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