Latest news with #DerekBoccagno
Time Out
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A new steakhouse just dropped next to Madison Square Garden
While we lay in wait for the new and improved $7 billion dollar Penn Station, developers have already spun up a new neighborhood around the transportation hub. The emerging locale dubbed the Penn District has begun to welcome everyday travelers and loads of tourists with retail, bars and eateries that trump the last-standing Sbarro in Manhattan. Among Moynihan Train Hall 's bevy of businesses, including Alidoro, E.A.K Ramen and Jacob's Pickles, you can get a solid Guinness pour and then some at The Irish Exit from the team behind The Dead Rabbit. Joining Los Tacos No. 1 on the pedestrian-only plaza on 33rd Street, Roberta's opened a standalone location in Manhattan last year, replete with a grab-and-go slice shop and a rooftop that streams basketball games from the neighboring Madison Square Garden. And while casual, to-go restaurants make perfect sense in the transit-heavy area, the minds behind Sunday Hospitality (of Sunday in Brooklyn, Rule of Thirds and all of the F&B concepts inside Hotel Chelsea including the recently opened Teruko) figured that the concertgoers of Madison Square Garden deserved a nice sit-down something as well. Tapping into New York's steakhouses of yesteryear backed by some serious chef talent, the team opened The Dynamo Room on May 31st. Modern steakhouse it may be, The Dynamo Room is quick to hit us with all the nostalgic feels. Referencing iconic eras from the atomic age to the space race, the interior designed by Evidence of Things features embroidered booths, mirrored and bronze elements and a massive Sputnik-styled sculpture with magnified lenses that hangs over the bar. Speaking of art, the larger-than-life portraits that dot the interior will rotate every six months, thanks to a partnership with KARMA Gallery. But if you'd rather admire the great outdoors, the space's indoor-outdoor patio welcomes nine to fivers to the late-night crowd over cushioned furniture, palm frond-like plants and lazily spinning black fans that help to push the air along. When things cool down, the patio can easily be closed off from the main room thanks to interlocking glass sliders. The kitchen keeps it in the family as Sunday Hospitality's co-founder Jaime Young is joined by head chef/partner Derek Boccagno, previously of Café Chelsea at Hotel Chelsea. Using chef Charles Ranhofer as a guide (the famous Victoria chef who put Delmonico's on the map back in the 19th century), the two straddle steakhouse classics alongside the ever-changing palates of the city. 'Our goal was to craft a menu that feels both timeless and forward-thinking, honoring the classics while introducing flavors that reflect the evolution of dining in New York," said Young in a press release. Taking cues from New York's storied oyster cellars, the menu starts with all of the tried-and-true raw selections: oysters, Maine mussels and littleneck clams. Showstoppers include impossibly thin slices of tuna and salmon found in Sicilian Crudo, finished with crushed pistachios, capers and a few glugs of good olive oil. The Chilled Deviled Lobster is also sure to turn heads, as plump lobster chunks served with deviled egg filling as a side are proudly served in the hollowed-out body of the beast. Soon, the back room will house a full raw bar for sitting and slurping. Starters continue on with golden brown Parker House Rolls with glossy tops that shatter upon ripping and roasted bone marrow charred with a lashing of barbecue sauce. Meanwhile, the Smoked Cheddar Souffle is as appetizing on the eyes as it is on the tastebuds. Served at the table, a server carefully breaks through the airy top, filling the resulting crevice with molten cheese delicately poured from a silver ladle. But if you came for steak, then steak you shall have. Eleven cuts of beef grace the menu at The Dynamo Room, from KC Strip Steak to 50-Day Dry-Aged Ribeye shareable for two or even three hungry souls. If the number of steaks on the menu intimidates you, fear not. Before an order is placed, servers present a tray of all of the prime cuts via a rolling cart, gently walking diners through marbled selections and dry-aged portions. And if you are in need of a drink, industry veteran and Sunday Hospitality's director of bars Brian Evans has mixed up a blend of old and new. Classic cocktails reign supreme with seven martinis on the menu (including the scotch-heavy Rob Roy priced at $45.95) next to tipplers that lean into the futuristic theme, such as the Infinity and Beyond (gin, passion fruit, macadamia nut and makrut) and the frozen Galaxy Surf Club (Greek gin, kalamata olive, yogurt whey and blanc de blanc). There's also a tight wine list, spirit-free drinks and even Miller High Life, if that is more of your speed. And it wouldn't be a steakhouse without choice desserts, now, would it? Decadent finishers include thick slices of Carrot Cake and Triple Chocolate Layer Cake plus chocolate tarts bumped with a serving of caviar and gold leaf. But as we are in the season of ice cream, the Cherries Jubilee will keep you cool with glee, with spoonsful of fat cherries, ice cream, chunks of brown sugar and whipped cream.
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
The Dynamo Room Conjures Classic New York Next to Madison Square Garden
Opening The Brooklyn-based Sunday Hospitality Group, which runs everything there is to eat in the Hotel Chelsea, is opening its first stand-alone Manhattan restaurant. Steps from Madison Square Garden, the group is installing a 200-seat steakhouse that embraces some New York traditions with an oyster bar and décor that references the old Penn Station. The chef and a partner, Derek Boccagno, formerly at Café Chelsea, has a menu of classic steaks ($42 to $210), prime ribs, chilled deviled lobster and maitake steak with mushroom bordelaise. (Opens Friday) 2 Penn Plaza (West 33rd Street), 203-297-9477, Part of a larger group, this restaurant, with an elaborate dining room with black marble, gold veining and plush banquettes, is well represented across India, the Middle East, Canada, London and even in Bellevue, Wash. The food, by the chef Gaurav Chawla, takes liberties with tradition, with dishes like paneer lasagna, charred avocado tikka and smoked lamb curry. Chicken tikka made with goat cheese, keema pie, spiced broccoli florets, and truffled asparagus and mushroom bharta are a few of the dishes that will be served only in New York. (Thursday) 78 Leonard Street (Church Street), 646-499-9040, Nikki Zheng's career trajectory has taken her from Tokyo to New York to work with sushi masters at Masa, Sushi of Gari and Sushi Nakazawa. Now, she's in charge of her own 12-seat counter in a simple storefront with pale wood finishes. Her omakase consists of 18 courses for $195 and might include smoked Spanish mackerel and several cuts of tuna, some aged along with excellent rice. At her side is the chef Jeff Lam from Hong Kong. 317 East 75th Street, 917-921-3239, Guy Vaknin, the chef and restaurateur who first attracted attention with his clever vegan Beyond Sushi and has gone on to open more vegan restaurants, is adding this kosher dessert (and appetizer) spot. The pastry chef Makenna Hale comes up with complex, fruit-forward confections like the Sun, which delivers tastes of almond, orange blossom, passion fruit, cantaloupe, apricot, tangerine, caramel and white chocolate. Salads, salt-baked potatoes and mushroom sliders make up some of the savory side, and cocktails with dessert on their minds are part of the picture. (Thursday) 135 Metropolitan Avenue (Berry Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, This spot has relocated from its original location in Syracuse, N.Y., where wines were poured to match a tasting menu, to the former Veritas space, in Manhattan. In the hands of the chef and owner Jared Ian Stafford-Hill, the choices are a four-course tasting ($148), or seven courses ($188) with inevitable optional extras. The menus change from time to time and have a regional focus. There's Côte de Beaune to start. Flights of wines to go alongside are priced according to their pedigree. 43 East 20th Street, 646-375-0945, Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Time is a Flat Portobello Cap
Image Derek Boccagno's maitake au poivre, adapted by Florence Fabricant. Credit... Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. Living any portion of your life online increases the likelihood of the digital jump scare: spotting an ex on a dating app, say, or receiving a LinkedIn invitation from a childhood nemesis. But neither compares to the minefield that is Facebook and Instagram's 'On This Day' feature, which highlights old posts. Remember the heartbreak? The vacation that ended in food poisoning? The time you bleached your own bangs? This week, 'On This Day' transported me to 2020 — the day after the pandemic was declared, specifically. That feels like a different lifetime. That feels like yesterday. It can be jarring to clock time's hurried march when we are less than prepared for it. So when a nice memory pops up, I savor it. Like the one of an old apartment I adored, or the one served to me Monday, of some mushroom tacos I posted two years ago. Then came a different kind of jump scare: I haven't written a Mushroom Week Veggie in two years. On this day, we remedy that, with many different mushrooms. Frilly maitake (or hen-of-the-woods) may be my favorite mushrooms to cook with, their edges becoming crisp and lacy when pressed against a hot skillet. Now imagine those browned bits beneath a blanket of piquant au poivre sauce, à la the maitake au poivre from Cafe Chelsea in Manhattan. Actually, you don't have to just imagine, since Florence Fabricant's procured the recipe. 'Made this for an intimate dinner party of four,' a reader wrote. 'Rave reviews and clean plates all the way around.' Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
