Tag: Nightlife & Dining

A West London Dinner Party: Zoë and Layo Paskin Debut The Barbary Notting Hill

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Zoe and Layo Paskin. Studio Paskin

For Zoë and Layo Paskin, going to a good restaurant should feel like being invited to a dinner party. It’s a welcoming philosophy that the siblings have embodied in all of Studio Paskin’s openings, from their iconic (now closed) London nightclub The End, to debut restaurant The Palomar, which opened in 2014, to Covent Garden favorite The Barbary, which opened its doors in 2016, to Michelin-starred fine dining spot Evelyn’s Table. Now, the hospitality group has expanded west with The Barbary Notting Hill, a lively restaurant that is notably bigger than all of their prior endeavors, but still retains that intimate dinner party vibe.

“I’ve always enjoyed having people to my home,” Zoë tells Observer. “So that’s, for me, how it all feels and how you’re making someone feel. And they need to feel better when they leave than when they arrive, so when they walk out that door, they think, ‘I just had a great time.’”

“It’s a bit like music,” adds Layo. “You need all the classical professional things to be there, but a little bit of the jazz that goes on top and feeling with the people who are serving you or welcoming you or are being present in that moment with you is quite important. You need to feel the whole thing is engaged.”

The Barbary Notting Hill seats 75 guests (the original has only 24), and expands on the sharing plates and flatbreads beloved at The Barbary and its sister restaurant, The Barbary Next Door. The dishes and ingredients are inspired by the Barbary Coast, a 16th-century region that comprised North Africa and southern Europe, although the dishes are modern and forward-thinking. It’s helmed by head chef Daniel Alt, who has included both classics and new offerings on the menu, which is accompanied by a 250-bottle wine list.

Guests for lunch and dinner can currently partake in two types of flatbread, accompanied by small plates like fried artichokes and dips like hummus and spinach borani. There is a range of fish preparations, from scallop aguachile to monk fish tempura, as well as larger plates of meat and seafood cooked on the fire (a personal favorite was the coffee rub organic chicken). These can be served with vegetable sides, although there’s no wrong way to order. It’s all intended as a convivial, collective experience, which Zoë describes as a “feast of flavors.”

The Coffee Rub Organic Chicken. Mickaël A. Bandassak

“In London, you’ve got a lot of reinvention of Thai food and Indian food, and with lots of cuisines here right now, you get the layering of lots of different dishes and flavors,” Layo says. “It’s a really fun way to eat, because you get a lot more food. Don’t get me wrong: It’s nice having one dish and one thing. But we’ve all been embracing, over the past few years, this option of having loads of dishes together.”

Zoë and Layo chatted with Observer about the two-year journey to opening The Barbary Notting Hill, how the menu was brought to life and where they like to dine when going out in London.

The Barbary Notting Hill took over a former gallery space. Mickael A. Bandassak

Observer: Why did you decide to open in Notting Hill?

Layo Paskin: We asked ourselves the same question. All of our places, and even going back to when we had our nightclub The End, are in central London, but neither of us live centrally. With the pause that happened during Covid, we focused a bit more on our own neighborhoods. So when we started to think about doing [another restaurant], we decided to step away from the center of town, although Notting Hill is a central neighborhood. So that started the conversation. And then, really, what often happens is, you see the site. We saw this site when it was an art gallery and it was a beautiful room. It was quite an immediate reaction to the site. A bit like when you’re searching for a flat and you see something you love. Galleries are nice because you get a sense of peace from the space. So straight away, we got a nice energy from it.

Zoë Paskin: We always hoped one day to do a corner site. The combination of that and a blank canvas was quite exciting.

How challenging was it to develop the restaurant once you found the site?

ZP: First, we had to secure the site. There were various people going for it. And then the lease took a long time, and the license had to be sorted out because it was a change of venue [type]. We actually went on a high-risk journey with this, evolving what we wanted to do but always knowing we may not quite get there. But once we started designing the restaurant, it was about what we wanted to draw from The Barbary’s core and essence. Obviously, it’s many years later in a very different location. When you find a space you always get informed by it, too. The Palomar was an old restaurant called The Spice Bazaar. The Barbary in Neal’s Yard was a skate shop.

LP: In the back of our minds, it was always to take some elements from The Barbary. We wanted to have a kitchen bar still, but we always wanted to have these bigger tables. You put down all of the things you want to include, and then you try to incorporate as much of that into the design as possible.

Inside the Barbary Notting Hill. Mickael A. Bandassak

Sitting at the counter is a big draw at the original restaurant. How did you balance having tables and a counter here?

LP: One of the biggest functions in this restaurant, from our perspective, was that the kitchen and the kitchen team could really work. So the positioning of the kitchen and the back of house informed a lot. The kitchen had to be in a certain position, which dictated where the bar is. There were two possible entrances to the restaurant, and we picked the one where your immediate reaction when you walk in is the drinks bar, with the tables to one side and the kitchen bar to the other. These are subtle things, but you think about where the thoroughfares are. If you’re sitting at a table, you don’t want a ton of people always walking past. The reality is you can’t overcome every obstacle, but I think we’ve achieved a lot of what we wanted.

How does it feel to finally open a restaurant after going through all of that?

ZP: In the middle of a service, you feel like you’ve taken this vessel out to sea. In a marvelous way. I quite like standing in the middle of the restaurant and seeing it all come together and all of the respective chatter. But, of course, it is a bigger restaurant to captain, in that sense.

LP: The nicest thing about a bigger restaurant is that there’s more places to be in it. Take our restaurant Evelyn’s Table; we can’t really be in service unless we’re actually in service because it’s so small. So it’s quite nice to be in the room orchestrating and working with the team, but not feel too in the way.

Octopus Sabzi. Mickaël A. Bandassak

How did you determine which dishes to bring from The Barbary and which dishes to introduce as new?

LP: We’ve been testing dishes all of this year. So we’ve got a big bank of recipes that work seasonally with different things, and that will react to how people in the area respond. But we tried to take all of the things that were important to take while also wanting to develop. We didn’t want to open the same restaurant in a different neighborhood. The Barbary and The Barbary Next Door are so small that there was a lot more to the story we could tell, and by doing that in a bigger restaurant with a bigger kitchen, we could have more scope. And none of it is hard and fast. It’s always evolving. That probably makes life harder work-wise, but it probably makes the restaurants have more longevity.

ZP: One of the things about the menu is the buildup of lots of flavors and lots of dishes, which is my personal favorite way to eat. I like the way they all complement each other.

LP: I like that we can also do bigger dishes. We could do a whole fish for two, which is just not feasible in any of our other places. And we’re only just beginning how we’re doing that. We’ve worked on it a lot. Even with our flatbreads, we’ve got lots of toppings and ideas, but because we have a brand-new team, we want to give them a bit of time to feel their way in. Those are the biggest changes in the dishes we’re doing—the rest of the evolutions of dishes that we’ve done and other things we’ve worked on in the same vein.

Has the concept behind The Barbary shifted since you first opened the one in Neal’s Yard?

LP: It’s developed. With The Barbary Next Door, we haven’t got a fire there, so it’s more about raw and slow cooking. That made us look at the cuisine in a different way. With The Barbary Notting Hill, we’ve gone farther into Europe than we have before. It’s the same geography of southern Europe and northern Africa, but we’ve moved that around a little bit. There’s more from southern Spain and southern Italy than we have in the original Barbary.

Did you travel to research those places?

LP: Yeah, that’s the best bit of the job! We went to Sicily. We went to Seville. San Sebastian. El Palmar de Vejer. Costa Brava.

ZP: It’s slightly more complicated now that we’ve each got children, but it’s one of the ways we get into a creative space together.

There’s still bar seating. Mickael A. Bandassak

What’s your favorite thing about opening a new restaurant?

LP: When you see it all come together and you feel that atmosphere and you see all the work, from yourselves and the team, come together. And all of that time and energy and creative endeavor comes together. It feels really, really good. And maybe you get a nice moment with a customer, either re-booking or coming up to you and saying they had a great meal. That’s when you feel, “Okay, we’re in the right area of where we want to be.”

ZP: At the end the night last night, I sat down to have some food at the bar on my own before driving home, and I managed to get to chatting with the couple next to me. I just had such a wonderful conversation with them. They had lived on Shelton Street near The Barbary and had loved it and recently had moved to Chelsea. They were so complimentary about their relationship with The Barbary and how they felt about the one they were now sitting in. It was just a magical moment. Very, very special.

It’s a nice idea to think about people having living relationships with restaurants.

ZP: They are living things, aren’t they? Like I said earlier, you’ve got this vessel and you’ve got the bar, the kitchen, the kitchen porters, the runners, the guests. People are waiting for a table patiently or impatiently. People won’t get off their table. There’s this whole improvisation going on every day where the core elements are the same but they’re completely different every day. And that’s bit where, hopefully, all of the good stuff happens.

Where do you both like to go out to eat in London?

LP: Thinking about it like relationships, I have different places for when I want different things. I like going to Bistrotheque if I’m having lunch in east London. On a night out, I’d choose somewhere like Chiltern Firehouse. If I want turbot, I’d go to Brat. If I want dim sum, Royal China Club. If I want Turkish, there’s a place in Dalston called Number 34. For takeaway, my favorite in Islington is called Afghan Kitchen. We go to all of the new openings, but some I repeatedly enjoy. For me, it’s a personal choice about what I’m in the mood to eat.

ZP: I have my favorites, too. Most recently, I keep wanting to go back to Farang. I live quite near and I like strong, spicy flavors. For old favorites in town, I love Barrafina.

What’s the most memorable meal you’ve had recently?

ZP: Whenever we order a ton of oysters and my partner shucks—that feels like a real treat at home. Or we go to the Japanese fish market near us, and we do a massive plate of sashimi at home. When I was at the end of my pregnancy, those were the two experiences I was asking for most.

LP: This summer, I was near Saint Tropez and near Dubrovnik, and both times I had lunch in beachside restaurants. Grilled fish and bottle of rose by the sea. If I can picture what my last meal should be, it’s that. Being in those moments, surrounded by friends and family, and feeling that sense of relaxed, late afternoon sun.

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Emily Zemler

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September 25, 2024
Can Le Veau d’Or Suspend Time? A Reincarnation in Review

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Le Veau d’Or is back. Gentl + Hyer

Anthony Bourdain once called Le Veau d’Or, New York’s longest-running French bistro, “a restaurant that time forgot.” The restaurant arrived on the Upper East Side in 1937, from the same family behind Benoit Paris. It quickly became a New York society favorite and A-list haunt—Orson Welles preferred the corner booth by the bar, while Audrey Hepburn and former presidents’ names and numbers were frequently penned in the reservation book. For decades, bon vivants folded themselves into red banquets and drifted, for the night, to a bygone era.

While time may have forgotten—and incidentally, institutionalized—Le Veau d’Or, Frenchette’s Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson did not. Beginning in 2012, they periodically rang owner Catherine Tréboux (whose father, Robert Tréboux, ran the restaurant from 1985 until his death in 2012) for seven years, resolute in their efforts to purchase, renovate and reopen the iconic restaurant. In 2019, Tréboux finally conceded and closed the restaurant to solidify the sale.

While Nasr and Hanson hoped to restore the tired kitchen, worn floors and other aging details of the historic bistro and open within a year, the coronavirus pandemic stymied their efforts, and Le Veau ended up under construction for another five years.

The same, but different. Erica Chayes Wida

On July 16, 2024—12 years after Nasr and Hanson first began their mission to take over Le Veau d’Or—“The Golden Calf” finally reopened its doors.

I entered the back-streets-of-Paris-sized bistro between Lexington and Park for the first 5 p.m. seating on a steamy Tuesday evening, two weeks after the reopening. I held the door for a younger couple in baggy denim, half-buttoned dress shirts and glasses as we made our way through the rouge velvet curtain. Joe Cocker’s saturated howl crackled over the speakers as the soles of my sandals tapped against the replicated red-checked linoleum. Petite floral arrangements in white and blush porcelain calves perched on each table (I spotted one gold outlier in the farthest corner of the snug space), and the original handwritten dinner menu, tattered under conservation glass above my table, included dishes like Filet de sole Grenobloise for $2.50.

An original menu hangs on the wall. Erica Chayes Wida

The Art Deco light fixtures, red vinyl booths and pint-sized bar; the faded oil painting of the iconic sleeping calf; the large mirror etched with the wine regions of France: everything was an echo of the past. The art display thinned out in this incarnation to allow the inlaid wood walls, one of the only salvageable components of the original build, to exhale warmth into the room. Many pieces, including the faux French street sign and a collection of black and white photos, had been there since the Benoits started Le Veau.

The coat closet was filled in under the stairs, and Tréboux’s upstairs office was transformed into a private dining room, but everything else looked the same, just refreshed and restored.

Within the hour, the cozy, U-shaped restaurant was packed. A group of women caught up quietly in the corner while friends in their 70s and 80s greeted fellow patrons as if they’d all been coming there every Tuesday for the past forty years. A couple arrived so elegantly dressed that it seemed athleisure never made its way north of 60th Street, as a man with a beard that screamed Brooklyn hipster ordered round after round for his table. By dessert, many patrons roared with glee, bumping into familiar faces from one table to the next.

I was seated at the center of the U-shaped restaurant, along the wall, which contained enough space for just two tables. The four-top had one outward-facing booth with no chairs, urging parties of two to sink into their courses—and one another—with an intimacy Parisians know best. For $125, the three-course menu delivered by chefs Jeff Teller and Charles Izenstein had plenty of options: 16 appetizers (a few vegetarian), nine entrees (fish and meat), a salad for the table and seven desserts, including a cheese plate, Les Fromages Assortis. There were familiar dishes for the decades-long regulars, as well as some Frenchette-esque takes.

Pommes Soufflées Caviar Rouge à la Crème. Erica Chayes Wida

As many New Yorkers know, fine dining establishments with a who’s who reputation can sometimes take themselves a bit too seriously. Le Veau, refreshingly, does not. Remaining true to its history, dishes were inked on the menu in blue and red French without descriptions. The ebullient server, clad in a dusky pink chore coat, relished the opportunity to elaborate on any ingredient or cooking technique I requested. She remained as attentive in the mellower moments as she did with the bustling 7 p.m. crowd, and swept over at the same time as the maître d’ (Tréboux’s son) to pull the table out from its tight position when it was time for me to exit.

I began with a dry, deep white; one of two light colors available by the glass. To start, one classic was a must: the Pâté en Croûte. Guinea hen and duck provided a nutty, not overpowering profile balanced by the creamy, albeit gelatinous, aspic. A thin forkful of crust grounded each bite. The Pommes Soufflées Caviar Rouge à la Crème was presented a stack of airy potato vessels and a silver bowl of crème fraîche and trout roe. With each constructive crunch, I could hear the clap of inner satisfaction from some friturier who mastered the art of agitating oil. I made a mental note for a future reorder.

The Duck Magret aux Cerises, an entrée reviewed during Tréboux’s reign, was tender in a sharp vinegar sauce. Tart cherries touched by heat oozed a subtle sweetness that encouraged the crisp peppered skin to enliven a good cut of duck without much fuss. The summery Sea Scallop Rosace Sauce Vièrge was a wonderful addition to enduring selections such as Les Délices “Veau d’Or” Sauce Moutarde, Gigôt of Lamb and Onglet Frites. Thinly sliced, flame-kissed scallops on a bed of bright, briny vegetables spoke for themselves without the amplification of superfluous butter or spice.

Duck Magret aux Cerises. Erica Chayes Wida

For dessert, I relished an Île Flottante so light it would’ve floated off the gingham tablecloth, if not tethered to teardrop almond slivers and crème anglaise. Of all the dishes, my favorite— possibly informed by the oppressive 90-degree heat on this New York City summer night—was the Soupe de Melon. Orbs of watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe floated like Monet’s Water Lilies amidst sorbet, blancmange and mint in a chilled melon soup. Following the precursor courses, it was an ethereal composition that was, if I may, la fin parfaite.

Did Nasr and Hanson call upon the culinary gods or Golden Calf herself to insist time forget, once again, this little Upper East Side bistro? Perhaps. But between the hum of patrons hugging from table to table and the balance of established, thoughtful French fare, I don’t think Le Veau d’Or will be seeing la fin anytime soon.

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Erica Chayes Wida

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August 7, 2024
Meet the French Winemaker Who Is Betting Big on Orange Wine

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Winemaker Gérard Bertrand. CreativesInResidence

The last decade has seen the explosion of the rosé wine industry worldwide, but orange wines are the next frontier. And one of France’s most renowned winemakers has made it his mission to make orange wines go mainstream. Gérard Bertrand, a former professional rugby player, transitioned into the world of wine after taking over his family’s estate following his father’s death. Over the last 35 years, he has become a leading figure in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region in southern France, championing sustainable practices like organic and biodynamic winemaking. His ambition has grown his holdings to 17 estates, spanning more than 900 hectares of vines, making him one of France’s largest independent winemakers.

“My father was a leader in the wine industry; he was the first to believe in the region in the south of France in the 1970s. I started to do my first harvest in 1975, when I was 10 years old. And at the end of the harvest, my father said to me, ‘You know, you’re lucky because when you are 60, you will have 50 years of experience,’” Bertrand tells Observer. “And now I’m 59, and I have already done 14 vintages, and during the same time, I already played rugby, as well.”

And given Bertrand’s recent dedication to orange wines, he isn’t even close to done yet.

Villa Soleilla, the newest accommodations at Bertrand’s Château l’Hospitalet. Soufiane Zaidi

If you’re not already familiar with orange wines, you’re not alone, but that won’t be the case for long. Orange wines are made from white grapes, but with extended skin contact during fermentation, resulting in a unique, deep orange-hue and flavor profile. Winemakers macerate the grapes alongside their solid parts—namely the skins, seeds and stems—for a period ranging from a few days to several months.

This method, though considered trendy now, is actually an ancient technique with roots dating back more than 4,500 years in the country of Georgia, often referred to as the birthplace of wine. In those times, traditionally, grapes were not pressed before fermentation. Instead, the Georgians let the wines macerate in buried amphora (clay pots), called Kyevris. This unique winemaking technique eventually spread to the rest of Europe, first inspiring the winemakers in present-day northern Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. Today, orange wine continues to be produced in Europe, as well as many other parts of the world, including the United States, New Zealand, Australia and France.

Bertrand is an admirer of this ancestral winemaking method. In particular, he loves the structure of this skin contact wine made with white grapes using red winemaking methods, which gives the wine some tannic qualities, among other things.

“I wanted to pay tribute to these people because they created a new category,” Bertrand explains. “And it was also amusing for me to try to make a rebirth of orange wine with less bitterness, and also less tannins, in order to have to create wines for drinking, not only for tasting.”

In recent years, orange wine has slowly but surely grown in popularity among winemakers, sommeliers and other certified wine experts, as well as devoted wine lovers, for its inventiveness and creativity.

But compared to rosé or popular white varietals like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc, orange wines have more of an uphill battle in the challenge for greater market share. To start, for casual or even more advanced wine drinkers, orange wines have a different taste to them—a bite, a bit tangy or gritty, or whatever you want to call it based on your experience. While this might be a winsome experience for some wine drinkers, it’s not for everyone.

Villa Soleilla wine. Alexia Roux

“Orange wine has a different taste profile, especially because of the aging during the winemaking process—more or less one month minimum, and then 12 months of aging in oak,” Bertrand explains. “And then the maceration process and skin contact development reinforces the aromatic profiles, resulting in notes like peanut butter or apricot.”

Secondly, for stemming from such an ancient tradition, orange wine is still a newer product on shelves in American wine stores or included on wine lists at restaurants stateside.

That said, Bertrand’s company has done the research (in partnership with London-based market research firm Kantar Group), arguing that the desirability and demand for orange wine is there among U.S. consumers. According to the 2023 study, almost half (42 percent) of American wine drinkers are already aware of orange wines. Among those who are aware, nearly three-fourths (73 percent) have already tried orange wine, with one-third (31 percent) of them saying they drink it regularly. At the same time, 84 percent of U.S. wine drinkers who have never tried orange wine said they are open to trying it, which Bertrand says represents a significant opportunity for growth. (For reference, the study was based on a sample of 1,000 people who drink any type of wine and are living in the United States, aged 21 and over. Quotas were balanced to census demographics by age, gender and U.S. Census region.)

Gérard Bertrand Wines now includes several orange options, each with its own distinct character and at varying price points. For curious wine drinkers who aren’t convinced yet, the Orange Gold is a good place to start. This organic wine has a very approachable suggested price of $25 in the U.S., an easy investment for experimenting with a new wine for fun. And Orange Gold lives up to its name. Housed in a striking bottle decorated with sun beams that enhance its golden hues, the wine offers a complex bouquet of white flowers, candied fruits and a hint of white pepper. It’s crafted from a blend of chardonnay, muscat, viognier, grenache blanc, chenin and roussanne grapes.

Villa Soleilla. Soufiane Zaidi

For more experienced oenophiles looking for an exciting bottle, there is the Villa Soleilla, named for the estate where it is produced. Villa Soleilla is the newest addition of luxury accommodations at Bertrand’s Château l’Hospitalet, a five-star wine and beach resort just outside of Narbonne in the Languedoc region within the south of France, along the coast of the Mediterranean.

Being a premium wine, this biodynamic wine is also more of an investment, with a suggested retail price of $195 in the U.S., although, similar to most white and rosé wines, it is one you shouldn’t let sit in your wine fridge for too long, as it doesn’t age well in the same way that red wines do.

“Villa Soleilla is already biodynamic-certified, and Orange Gold is organic. We apply the same recipes into the vineyards. For winemaking, we use only natural ingredients in the vineyards—this is easy,” Bertrand says about practicing sustainable winemaking. “We don’t have any issue with the winemaking, but we use amphora, and we also use some oak casks in order to develop complexity. And we age our wine for a minimum of one year before bottling.”

Summer is a prime time to consume orange wine as an alternative to heavier reds you might want to save for fall and winter, not to mention if your palate is tired of the usual white or rosé wines. Orange wines also pair well with a multitude of dishes. But Bertrand’s favorite food pairing? A French classic: cheese.

“The number one priority for us is really to pair all the orange wines that we make with a cheese plate. That’s because when you have a cheese plate at home or at the restaurant, you get lost. With goat cheese, it’s better to have a white; with camembert, a red; with blue cheese, a fortified wine,” Bertrand says. “The only wine that covers the spectrum of cheeses is really an orange wine. And depending on the level of maturation and the level of concentration, as well as the blend [of grapes], you can play with a lot of cuisines, from couscous to tuna tartare to Wagyu beef burgers.”

The Golden Sunset cocktail. Soufiane Zaidi

Bertrand also suggests that orange wine makes for a great cocktail mixer. Wine cocktails have resurged in popularity over the last few years as a lower-alcohol option compared to mixing drinks with much higher-proof spirits. One lower-ABV cocktail recipe developed in-house is called “Orange Sunset,” consisting of Orange Gold wine, bergamot orange and sparkling water.

“This is really a great cocktail to celebrate the sunset anywhere in the world,” Bertrand says.

Bertrand is already looking ahead to his next development, one of which is still somewhat of a rarity in the wine world, albeit still not available just yet: an orange sparkling wine.

“It’s always amazing to be the first to market, and it was a challenge for us because when you make sparkling wine with the bubbles, the bubbles develop bitterness. It was a challenge to create orange wine and then to develop the fermentation in order to develop the bubbles,” Bertrand says. “But finally, after two weeks of experimentation, we found a way to have sparkling orange wine and to avoid bitterness. And it’s amazing. I really love the intensity of the aromatic profile.”

Château l’Hospitalet. Soufiane Zaidi

Bertrand says that he hopes that orange wines will eventually slot into the top four categories of wine, which right now stands at red, white, sparkling and rosé.

“I remember when rosé was starting slow, in France and exporting to other markets in early 2000. And now it’s an amazing category,” Bertrand says. “I think it takes time, and not all the chefs and sommeliers like to pair with orange wines yet. It will [only] be a matter of time when more winegrowers are involved.”

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Rachel King

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July 5, 2024
The Most Iconic Old Hollywood Restaurants in L.A.

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From its star-studded residents to its rich history, Los Angeles is a city of icons. The glitz and glamour of Old Hollywood never loses its charm, and several restaurants, hotels and bars have made it their mission to maintain that sense of timeless class and elegance. From restaurants with vintage-inspired decor and black-and-white photos to dim-lit bars that have been serving stiff drinks since the 1950s, L.A. is home to several historic hot spots that have long attracted loyal locals and first-time visitors alike.

Many of L.A.’s most legendary eateries have welcomed icons such as Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart and Elizabeth Taylor, giving patrons the chance to enjoy a piece of the past as they indulge in comforting cuisine and fine wines. Several of these spots still attract modern-day celebs, so don’t be surprised if you catch a glimpse of your favorite actor or musician while sipping on a glass of red at Dan Tana’s or enjoying breakfast at Chateau Marmont. Whether you’re in the mood for the city’s best dirty martini or want to dine like Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin with a hearty plate of pasta or freshly shucked oysters, these are the most iconic Old Hollywood restaurants in L.A.

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Allie Lebos

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May 8, 2024
Inside the AFI Awards Gala Honoring Nicole Kidman

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Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. Getty Images for AFI

On a balmy April evening in Hollywood, the stars aligned to honor one of cinema’s most acclaimed talents: Nicole Kidman. At the iconic Dolby Theatre, the Australian actress reached rarified air, becoming only the 49th recipient of the prestigious American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement Award in its nearly 50-year history. Kidman is the first Australian, and one of the youngest, to receive this highest honor.

The festivities began back in November 2022, when it was announced Kidman would join the ranks of previous AFI honorees like Bette Davis, Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Poitier and Tom Hanks. After postponement due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, the ceremony finally took place on April 27. The televised tribute, airing on TNT on June 17, celebrated Kidman’s career through film clips and testimonials from her co-stars.

In the days preceding this grand convocation, Kidman stoked anticipation by sharing intimate behind-the-scenes shots on Instagram alongside some of the illustrious presenters—her dear friends and frequent collaborators Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon, Morgan Freeman and Naomi Watts. “Just a few of the people I can’t wait to see again on Saturday,” the actress teased in the heartwarming snaps, whetting appetites for the emotional reunions to come.

On the Dolby red carpet, Kidman stunned in a gold Balenciaga gown with a five-inch train, accessorized solely with gold rings and a one-of-a-kind 26mm De Ville Mini Trésor watch from Omega in Moonshine Gold, pavéd with glittering diamonds and emerald hour markers. She was joined by husband Keith Urban and daughters Sunday and Faith, marking their first public appearance with the actress.

Keith Urban, Faith Margaret Urban, Sunday Rose Kidman-Urban, Sybella Hawley and Nicole Kidman. Variety via Getty Images

The evening’s festivities kicked off with 2011 AFI honoree Morgan Freeman setting the tone in a video spoof of Kidman’s infamous AMC Theatres “we make movies better” ad. His quip, “Nicole Kidman. She makes movies better,” resonated with everyone who took the stage to honor the actress that night. A lineup of celebrities paid tribute, including Zac Efron, Zoe Saldana and a disguised Mike Myers, who slinked onstage donning one of the eerie orgy masks from Eyes Wide Shut. In a recorded Zoom segment, fellow Aussies Cate Blanchett and Hugh Jackman engaged in cheeky banter with Jimmy Fallon, collectively praising Kidman while playfully joshing that Blanchett should have been the first Australian honored.

The most emotional highlights came from Kidman’s loved ones. Her husband brought her to tears saying she showed him “what love in action really looks like” when his substance abuse issues arose shortly after their 2006 wedding. “Nic pushed through every negative voice, I’m sure even some of her own, and she chose love. And here we are, 18 years later.”

Nicole Kidman accepts the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award from Meryl Streep. Getty Images

Big Little Lies co-star Witherspoon lauded Kidman’s collaborative talents as a producer, recalling how their hit show materialized from their shared desire to bring it to life. “Instead of fighting it out in court or some televised Las Vegas boxing match, we decided to team up. Because there’s one thing Nicole knows very, very well—there’s power in collaboration and even more power in sisterhood,” Witherspoon explained, adding, “That’s why I’m here tonight, sister. I want to thank you for being a friend and the best colleague ever.”

Streep, who presented Kidman with the Life Achievement Award after receiving it herself in 2004 for The Hours, poked fun at being “incessantly called the greatest actress of my generation.” She revealed the hardest part is facing someone “really, really, really, really, really, really great” like Kidman, who did things Streep couldn’t on Big Little Lies. Still, Streep assured Kidman her best work lies ahead.

Miles Teller, Reese Witherspoon, Lee Daniels, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Zac Efron. Getty Images for AFI

In her speech, Kidman expressed gratitude to the directors, living and late, who enabled her unconventional roles, name-checking Stanley Kubrick, Lars von Trier, Baz Luhrmann, Jane Campion, Yorgos Lanthimos and Sydney Pollack. “It is a privilege to make films. And glorious to have made films and television with these storytellers who allowed me to run wild and be free and play all of these unconventional women,” she said, adding, “Thank you for making me better at my craft and giving me a place, however temporary, in this world.”

Miles Teller and Morgan Freeman. Variety via Getty Images

As Hollywood royalty congregated to enshrine Kidman’s legacy, it was clear this revered actress’s cinematic journey has reached immortal heights. Just as opening speaker Morgan Freeman serenaded the radiant star with a line from one of her most beloved musical roles in Moulin Rouge!, prophetically intoning: “How wonderful life is, now you’re in the world.” For this cinematic luminary, the brightest adventures still lie ahead.

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Paul Jebara

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April 28, 2024
The Best London Cafes and Coffee Shops to Work Remotely

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If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that it’s possible to work from almost anywhere. Having the right place to work remotely, however, can make a huge difference in productivity. Light, atmosphere, location and views can impact how a space feels and what you can get done while there. And when you’re on the road, being stuck in a hotel room often starts to feel tedious and cramped, and can be isolating if you’re used to being in an office. Those in London, whether local or visiting, are in luck, as the city is quite conducive to remote working, especially if you enjoy answering emails with a good coffee in hand.

The city’s many neighborhoods are filled with cafes and coffee shops that cater to remote workers looking for somewhere to meet with colleagues or a quiet working space, from the buzzy area of Shoreditch to the popular stretch of Southbank. Whether you’re looking for a quiet, discerning space to focus or a livelier option to keep the energy high, there is a WFH option out there for you (yes, even if you don’t have a Soho House membership to take advantage of). Here are 13 of the best cafes and coffee shops to work from home in London, including hotel lounges, hipster coffee joints and museum cafes.

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Emily Zemler

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April 11, 2024
How to Cultivate a Sober (or Sober-Curious) Lifestyle

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Considering the sober—or sober-curious—lifestyle?

Cutting back on drinking alcohol can be a life-changing step for many people, but it can also be a difficult one. While the challenge of Dry January or Sober October may be helpful in embracing non-alcoholic options, putting that into practice year-round requires some focus and good alternatives. Restaurants and bars, both in the U.S. and around the world, are starting to catch on to sober and sober-curious customers. In fact, in 2024, 61 percent of Gen Z said they planned to reduce their alcohol intake, compared with 40 percent in 2023, according to a survey by NCSolutions. In the same survey, nearly half of millennials said they planned to drink less in 2024, a 26 percent increase from last year.

A scroll through social media will confirm that many people are interested in drinking less, although many servers and bartenders still seem perplexed by guests inquiring about non-alcoholic wines or alternative cocktails. (PSA: stop saying mocktail—while the term uses the work “mock” to mean faux, some find it feels dismissive and disrespectful to sober people and suggests that an N/A cocktail is a lesser version of an established drink.)

“I feel people are more comfortable asking for non-alcoholic options and they expect, rightly so, a more diverse and unique choice,” Davide Segat, bar manager at the NoMad Hotel in London, tells Observer. “I see people becoming more knowledgeable about the products in the market and developing a personal favorite. I am also seeing people become more conscious with their drinking—we have a few regulars that alternate boozy, stirred-down cocktails with a non-alcoholic one to balance and enjoy more.”

Alcoholic drinks offer the possibility of a buzz, but also serve a real function, especially during a meal. A glass of wine, a beer or a negroni has a welcome bitter dryness that can balance the food, and whet or clear the palate. Drinking an overly sweet soda, juice or—please no—a non-alcoholic mojito just doesn’t cut it. As the hospitality industry continues to become more inclusive to sober and sober-curious drinkers, it takes a bit of navigating to know what to order, how to order it and how to stock your home bar, without sacrificing flavor.

Mariena Boarini, a mixologist at Wynn Resorts, has been sober for seven years—but that doesn’t stop her from creating new cocktail experiences. STUDIO_J_INC

Find Your Why

There are a variety of reasons, aside from problem drinking, why someone might decide to be sober, including health concerns, general well-being and pregnancy. That “why” is usually personal, and doesn’t necessarily mean someone is an alcoholic or problem drinker. Everyone interested in exploring a sober or sober-curious lifestyle should determine what giving up booze can do for them in their own life.

“I’m all for living your best life and being mindful in how we consume, in all aspects,” Mariena Boarini, the master mixologist at Wynn Resorts, who helms the Wynn Las Vegas’ Drinking Well program, tells Observer. “I think feeling your best and drinking your best don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Personally, I have been sober for seven years, but I still wake up every day excited to create cocktail experiences, experiment with new spirits and set trends within the industry.”

After taking a break from drinking or completing Dry January, Segat recommends making a mental note of how you feel—and taking that forward. “I can safely guess [you] have felt several positive changes,” he says of a trend like Dry January. “Productivity, better sleep, clearer head, concentration and additional energy are some of the main ones. Then I would ask, ‘if you feel better in many ways, why don’t you continue?’”

Abe Zarate, sommelier at The Modern in New York City, feels the benefits are limitless. Importantly, they can include saving money and not suffering hangovers. A good starting point is to reassess one’s relationship with alcohol. “We might’ve convinced ourselves that alcohol gives us qualities, but without it the—often uncomfortable—moments of clarity offer us an opportunity to dig into what we are actually craving. It’s never just about the drink,” Zarate says.

Davide Segat.

Stay Social

Switching to sobriety doesn’t have to mean giving up drinking or going out—it just means changing what you’re drinking while doing so. Whether you’re at a concert, out for a night on the town or at dinner with a group of friends, there are ways to feel included without partaking in booze. For instance, when Zarate quit drinking alcohol, he focused on making small shifts rather than just staying home in order to avoid social situations.

“I knew I would eventually find myself in environments where it would be around and I didn’t want to be scared of a substance forever,” he says. “For those reasons, I chose not to change my lifestyle; I only changed the beverage I’m holding and I’m more thoughtful about the people I share my space with. I’m not focused on staying away from alcohol as much as I am focused on becoming increasingly more comfortable with the weirdness and awkwardness of emotions and social dynamics.”

For Segat, going out can actually be a more positive experience without alcohol. His main tip? “Don’t worry too much. You can still go out and be social. Your friends should, and most probably will, be happy you’re making healthy choices and seeing you looking after yourself. There is so much stigma about going out sober, but most probably, the worry is coming from you.”

He adds that people might be surprised at how much you can enjoy a night out without drinking. It’s a “better connection with people,” Segat says, adding that there’s “no regretting stupid choices when you drink too much.”

An influx in “soft cocktails,” which have a lower alcohol content, have also become more popular. NoMad London

Know Your Alternatives

Non-drinkers can, of course, go to high-end cocktail bars where bartenders like Segat and Boarini create unique, well-balanced drinks that just happen to be booze-free. The NoMad in London serves an entire menu of non-alcoholic cocktails within its two bars. Many other spots, though, haven’t quite caught on to the trend yet, especially outside of metropolitan areas and in parts of Europe and the U.S. that are very fixated on drinking. It’s common to ask for a non-alcoholic drinks menu and be handed a list of sodas—or that dreaded non-alcoholic mojito (in reality, it’s just overpriced soda!). If you prefer not to be stuck with water, there are a few things you can ask for.

“With the advent of so many creative ingredients, I usually like to look over the cocktail menu first and try and deconstruct a crafty N/A [cocktail], while utilizing ingredients that I know they have at the bar and that I enjoy,” Boarini suggests. “For example, [if I’m] eyeing a spicy cucumber margarita and a Tiki cocktail that lists pink guava juice on a menu, I will ask the bartender to make something non-alcoholic in the style of a spicy tropical margarita, utilizing the pink guava juice. Bartenders enjoy being creative, and being able to vocalize flavors and styles that you enjoy will help them curate something unique for you.”

Zarate encourages the bartender to make recommendations, but he’s also a fan of simple N/A beverages. “I love tonic water with lemon, especially because it’s available at most bars,” he says. “I’m three and a half years into my sobriety, so if there are really no options besides soda, I like to turn it into a challenge and see how I can enjoy myself with just water.”

And if the options suck, speak up. “Just make sure you ask for it,” Segat says. “The more people ask, the more professional bartenders and owners will understand there is a bigger demand, and most likely will act on it.”

There are tons of non-alcoholic options to stock your home bar. dpa/picture alliance via Getty I

Stock Your Home Bar

A home bar doesn’t have to be filled with just whiskey and tequila. There are more and more non-alcoholic spirits options on the market these days, many of which can be used to recreate classic cocktails or to create new ones.

“A good cocktail is a completely subjective thing, so I always encourage people to identify what they enjoy drinking, and find ways to emulate that by understanding the DNA of the cocktail and finding non-alcoholic replacements,” Boarini says. “Right now, I am obsessed with Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Classico Sparkling Wine, which tastes exactly like Champagne, which is one thing I miss! I love having a cold glass of it on its own or making an N/A spritz with their Italian Spritz Non-Alcoholic Aperitif.”

Other popular alternative brands are Seedlip, Pentire, Spiritless Kentucky 74, Monday, Ritual, Everleaf, Optimist Botanicals, Figlia and Wilfred. But Segat says you don’t need to invest in non-alcoholic spirits to make a delicious cocktail at home. He suggests “upping your tea selections at home” to help mix drinks. “Tea is one of the tastiest and most versatile N/A drinks out there,” Segat says. “It’s so easy to make, there are so many flavors to choose from and you can build around it.”

When it comes to non-alcoholic beer, the world is your oyster. Not so much with non-alcoholic wines. Thankfully, though, that list is growing. Zarate’s favorite is Thomson & Scott Noughty Sparkling Rose. He also recommends trying Leitz Eins Zwei Zero, Surely Sparkling Selbach-Oster Funkelwurtz Zero, and the white wine alternatives from Proxies.

Don’t try to precisely replicate an alcoholic drink—enjoy the new options in your life. Sabin Orr

Embrace the Evolution

Most importantly, don’t get caught up in trying to exactly replicate the alcoholic drinks you used to love. Being sober means finding new favorites and enjoying fresh options, like kombucha sparkling wine or a creative N/A spritz.

“There are many great products on the market, but [oftentimes] we think of a great non-alcoholic product as something that could fool us into thinking that it’s the ‘real thing,’” Zarate explains. “I see the N/A category really hitting its stride once the collective focus shifts to simply creating delicious, high-quality beverages—whether they’re reminiscent of wine or not. The demand is already there.”

“We are in an exciting time where there is a whole range of innovative non-alcoholic spirits that emulate the flavor profiles of gin, tequila, amaro, vermouth, wines, champagnes, et cetera,” Boarini adds. “Paired with craft elixirs such as fermented kombucha or tepache, flavored sodas and tonics, herbs, teas and tisanes and innovate garnishes, a non-alcoholic beverage can have the hallmarks of mixology culture, while creating an experience with refinement, sophistication and robust with flavor—all while telling a story.”

As more and more people consider becoming sober or cutting down on alcohol intake, for a variety of reasons, it’s clear that the hospitality industry still has some catching up to do (ahem, the use of the word mocktail). But every step towards being more inclusive to non-drinkers is a positive one.

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Emily Zemler

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February 26, 2024
The Most Unique Dining and Drinking Experiences in Healdsburg
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- 231 Center St, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Between its coveted Michelin star and renowned reputation, Barndiva should be at the top of every foodie’s bucket list. However, if you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind group activity that is just as delicious as it is fun, try the cocktail class with master mixologist Scott Beattie. Upon walking into the rustic studio, participants are greeted by a long table of unique spirits, juices, bitters and decorations. After a quick demo, you’re ready to start shaking. From margaritas and mojitos to more spirit-forward martinis, there are several different cocktails to make and master. Once the class is over, indulge in a coursed dinner in Barndiva’s modern dining space.
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Allie Lebos

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February 9, 2024
Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick Make a Blockbuster Deal to Take Marea Worldwide

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Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick. Major Food Group

Major Food Group co-founders Jeff Zalaznick, Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi are going on a shopping spree. As for what they’re looking to acquire? Top-tier restaurants.

Major Food Group has partnered with Altamarea Group founder Ahmass Fakahany to expand Marea, New York’s dominant Italian seafood restaurant, worldwide.

“It’s the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our company, where we’ll be buying brands that we love,” Zalaznick tells Observer. “Marea is the first of many incredible legacy brands that we’ll bring into the Major Food Group portfolio. We’re looking for excellence in the luxury field.”

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Marea. Marea

Given Major Food Group’s strength in Miami, where Zalaznick, Carbone and Torrisi opened Chateau ZZ’s in December, bringing Marea to South Florida could be imminent.

“Miami would be a logical first step for us, and we’re definitely looking at that,” Zalaznick says. “But you never know with us. We’re identifying locations based on places we put our own restaurants. We think it’s a perfect fit within our portfolio.”

Born in New York, Major Food Group already has more than 50 restaurants around the world. Mario Carbone’s eponymous and unrivaled Carbone, for example, is open in New York, Las Vegas, Miami, Dallas, Hong Kong, Doha and Riyadh.

The goal for Major Food Group is expanding Marea, not revamping it.

“Marea is a distinct thing,” Zalaznick says. “The brand will stay intact. What we’re going to do with Marea and other great brands is not change them, but celebrate them. Marea has been a part of my life, and Rich and Mario’s lives, since it opened. It was an inspiration to us when it opened and has continued to be one of the few restaurants in New York that we all go to and we all think is a fantastic restaurant.”

There’s no reason to change something Major Food Group loves. So there’s not going to be spicy rigatoni, veal parm or a tuxedoed captain making Caesar salads tableside at Marea. Marea guests will continue to enjoy langoustine crudo, truffle-topped risotto and the restaurant’s beloved fusilli with octopus and bone marrow. Marea’s born-in-2009 Central Park South flagship and the Marea that is opening soon in Beverly Hills are not part of this partnership with Major Food Group, which is focused on future outposts.

Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi and Jeff Zalaznick. Camilo Rios

“The idea is to continue to create the magic that exists in New York and bring it to other cities,” Zalaznick says. “It’s no different than what we’ve done with our own restaurants. It’s part of the family.”

Zalaznick sees the next-level expansion of restaurants like Marea as a new vertical for Major Food Group. Zalaznick, Carbone and Torrisi, who recently debuted the world’s first private Carbone at the new ZZ’s Club in Hudson Yards, will continue to create their own in-house concepts as well.

“This is not slowing down any development on the Major Food Group side of things,” Zalaznick says. “We’ll continue to do what we do.”

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Andy Wang

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January 28, 2024
Inside Observer’s Nightlife + Dining Power List Party: Hospitality’s Greats, Full-Circle Moments and Spicy Rigatoni

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Noah Tepperberg, Rich Torrisi, Mario Carbone and Daniel Boulud celebrate Observer’s Nightlife & Dining Power List at ZZ’s on Monday, January 22, 2024 in New York City. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Those who dream of rubbing shoulders with the founders of the most impenetrable eateries in America couldn’t do much better than crashing ZZ’s in Hudson Yards this past Monday and turning to the left or right. There in the gorgeous new members-only club, the icons of modern hospitality convened under one roof to be honored by Observer for their outsized contributions to the industry at the annual Nightlife + Dining Power List celebration—a bacchanal that brought together a melange of the most important gastronomical gatekeepers, restaurateur renegades and celebrity chefs of the modern era.

“I want to thank everybody who’s ever worked for me or works for me now for what they’ve done for my career and all of my restaurants and customers and staff,” said chef Daniel Boulud, standing in front of a roaring fire, as assembled guests sipped champagne, wine and Negronis. The kitchen legend was the recipient of the Legacy of Impact Award, which celebrates an honoree with decades of success who continues to energize the hospitality industry and tirelessly expand their impact.

“Daniel is thirty-one,” said Boulud of his landmark namesake restaurant that celebrated its three-decade anniversary last year. “But it’s getting younger every day.”

Chef Daniel Boulud accepts Observer’s 2023 Nightlife & Dining Legacy of Impact Award. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Boulud’s recognition was a full-circle moment for Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone. The pair, along with Jeff Zalaznick, took home the award for The Most-Watched Leaders in Dining and served to a degree as the focus of the party, considering the venue—the zs in ZZ’s come from Zalaznick.

“I was talking to Mario about how we worked in Boulud’s kitchen back in 2002,” Torrisi told Observer of a time when the two young chefs had a hunger for success and dreams of culinary triumph. On Monday, they hosted their former boss while getting honored alongside him, with the crowd munching food from Mario’s eponymous Carbone (including the signature Spicy Rigatoni). “From that moment working for Daniel to us standing here at our own restaurant getting this award alongside him… like, what a crazy bookend,” marveled Torrisi. “What a crazy ride.”

“From that moment working for Daniel to us standing here at our own restaurant getting this award alongside him… like, what a crazy bookend. What a crazy ride.” Pictured: Daniel Boulud and Mario Carbone at Major Food Group’s private members club, ZZ’s. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Through all the success, including the recent opening of his own blockbuster namesake restaurant, Torrisi held on to the raison d’etre he picked up during those fledgling days with Boulud: “We don’t let anything get in the way of our old-school work ethic,” he explained. “No matter what’s happening or what people are talking about, we stick to our work ethic. That’s the huge, very untold story of why we’re able to do what we do, and that’s what we learned from Daniel.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by Tao Group’s Noah Tepperberg, winner of the night’s Scene Maker Award. “We’re all probably the hardest working people in the business,” Tepperberg told Observer, later laughing that he’d never won an award before. “It’s always nice to be recognized.”

To the great surprise of everyone in the room, this was Noah Tepperberg’s first time ever receiving an award—a topic that switfly dominated party chatter. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Despite hectic schedules, several honorees flew in from out of town to attend the festivities, many just for the day. That included honoree and Sin City impresario Ronn Nicolli, CMO of Resorts World Las Vegas, who left the Sundance Film Festival to attend. “Truthfully, it was an honor to be mentioned with the people here tonight, so it felt important to be here and be present alongside them,” he told Observer. “We’re happy to be included, so it meant a lot to us. We fly back to Vegas tomorrow.”

Also making the trek from out west was honoree Liwei Liao, the “Dry-Aged Fish King of Los Angeles” behind the city’s viral seafood market, The Joint. “This is kind of like the first award I’m ever getting by just selling fish,” Liao, a native of Bayside, Queens, told Observer, tongue firmly in cheek, explaining why it was important to be feted in person. “It’s an honor to be in the room with all of these giants and bosses; it’s a milestone.”

Roni Mazumdar accepts the Most Dynamic in Dining Award on behalf of Unapologetic Foods, which he co-founded with Chintan Pandya. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Another milestone occurred when Observer writer and Industry Only founder Andy Wang presented Unapologetic Foods duo Chintan Pandya and Roni Mazumdar with the Most Dynamic in Dining Award, honored for the pair’s range of popular Indian eateries, including Dhamaka (its flagship), Masalawala & Sons and Semma. “Rather than avoiding change,” Wang said, “the winner of this award embraces it, continuously working to lead new trends and envision what comes next.”

“Rarely do you get to live your life doing what you just genuinely want to do and be recognized for it,” said Mazumdar in his acceptance speech. “For far too long in the industry that we’re in, it’s been quite Euro-centric, and success in food has always come when you’d take a direction that many other people are following. For whatever reason, we just wanted to do what we did.”

2023 Nightlife & Dining Power Honorees Scarr Pimentel, Roni Mazumdar and Fariyal Abdullahi. Just days after the celebration at ZZ’s, Pimentel and Abdullahi both received their first James Beard nominations. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

EB Kelly, the Senior Managing Director of Tishman Speyer who spearheaded the culinary rebirth of Rockefeller Center, shared those sentiments. “We feel like it’s our responsibility to be part of this flourishing renaissance in Midtown, so being on a list of people transforming hospitality is quite special to us.”

Naturally, New York slices were also represented, specifically by honoree Scarr Pimentel of his namesake ‘za shop, Scarr’s. The pizza legend brought his head pizza maker, Christiano Wennmann, along for the event. “I was getting a drink and talking to some guy at the bar, and it ended up being Daniel Boulud,” Wennmann told Observer with a laugh. The pizzaiol0, who grew up in Queensbridge, took a curious path to his current perch, from college drop-out to dishwasher to Scarr’s. But along the way, he had always known Boulud was a beloved figure.

“My mom worked as a pastry chef at his restaurant and would always tell me how much respect she had for him,” Wennmann recalled, then added, “It was a full-circle moment, for sure.”

JP and Ellia Park on their way to accept the Future of Fine Dining Award. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Ellia Park, accepting the Future of Fine Dining Award on behalf of Na:eun Hospitality, reflects upon the importance of resilience and innovation in the hospitality industry. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Jeff Zalaznick, Rich Torrisi, Noah Tepperberg, Mario Carbone and Daniel Boulud. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Rich Torrisi and Chintan Pandya. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

EB Kelly. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Eugene Remm and Joseph Moinian. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Joseph Moinian. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Sean Donovan and Brendan Fallis. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Andy Wang, Dennis DeGori, Joseph LoRusso, Danny Solomon. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Shu Chowdhury. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Andrew Harris and Johann Moonesinghe. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Brittney Stikxz Williams and Fariyal Abdullahi. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Fariyal Abdullahi and JP Park. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Brittney Stikxz Williams, JP Park and Fariyal Abdullahi. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Danny Volk, Eugene Remm and Joel Montaniel. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Jeff Zalaznick, Andy Wang, Melanie Dunea and Shu Chowdhury. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Christiano Wennmann. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Neil Blumenthal, Rachel Blumenthal, Aly Weisman and Dave Gilboa. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Victoria James. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

JP Park and Daniel Boulud. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

JP Park, Kevin Chiu and Jhonel Faelnar. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Grace Gould and Alli Stillman. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Lauren Fonda and Elise Merghart. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Rachel Blumenthal. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Vasanth Williams, Joel Montaniel, Raj Kumar and Johann Moonesinghe. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Nicole Sales Giles and Brian Giles. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Josh Horowitz and Sandro Kereselidze. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

James Freiman and Neil Blumenthal. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Amy Racine and Hanna Lee. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Danny Volk and John Fraser. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Merin Curotto and Brendan Fallis. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

Morgan Halberg, Paul Jebara, Margaret Abrams and Seppe Tirabassi. Sabrina Steck/BFA.com

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Rob LeDonne

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January 25, 2024