Hospitality Design - October 2016 - 72

perspectives

interview major food group
3. Santina, with
architecture by Renzo
Piano and design by
Thomas Schlesser.

3
4

neighborhood and our partners
who own it-Sean MacPherson, Ira
Drukier, and Richard Born-are the
best hoteliers in New York, and people
we always wanted to work with.

Santina-an amazing location
and building by Renzo Piano
under the High Line. How did
you get involved in that project?

Photo by DANIEL KRIEGER

door and created a larger concept around what
was a very classic Italian-American sandwich
menu. We added other dishes and design elements
that celebrated the New York Italian lifestyle.

Three years after opening, Carbone is still
one of the hardest tables to book in New
York. Why does it resonate with guests?
The food is delicious, it is fun, and it tells a
complete, multifaceted story. We work hard to
continue to make Carbone better and better and
evolve this very special product every day.

Why did you decide to try your hand at
French fare in your first hotel project with
Dirty French?
Rich loves cooking French food and we're all very
passionate about French food, but we wanted to
spice it up and do it our own way. We also felt that
the concept worked well with the history of the
neighborhood [New York's Lower East Side] as
well as the hotel concept. We chose the Ludlow as
our first venture in a hotel because it's an exciting

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October 2016 hospitalitydesign.com

We worked our asses off to win the
competition to get that space. At that
time, we were the underdogs. We
only had Torrisi and Parm. We were
playing against all the biggest guys in
New York, so it was a big victory for us to open a
restaurant in this very significant space.
Santina is coastal Italian because the location
used to be the coast of Manhattan, before it was
landfilled, and it used to be the site of one of New
York's main greenmarkets. Thus, we wanted
to focus on fish and vegetables to celebrate the
history of the location.

Guests' tastes are changing, for both
casual and fine dining restaurants. How
are you responding?

Hopefully, we're paving the road for the way that
people currently like to eat. It meshes well with
our style. People want great food, but they also
want to have a great time. They don't want stuffy
restaurants. They want places that reflect the
passion and dedication of the people who run it.

Where does design fit into your process?
How involved are you?

Design is critical. Until recently, we designed [most
4
of] our restaurants ourselves. We have also worked

4. The blue paneled
dining room at Carbone,
a collaboration with
architect Glen Coben.

with some great collaborators, but even when
we work with others, we are very involved with
choosing every detail. We never hand over our
spaces to other people and let them do whatever
they want, which is too common in this business.
We collaborated with Sean MacPherson at
Dirty French. We had the opportunity to work
with Piano at Santina, and we also worked
with Thomas Schlesser on that project. We love
working with Ken Fulk. He designed Sadelle's and
Carbone Vegas. We have very good synergy and
we see things in the same way.
Currently, we are working with Annabelle
Selldorf on the restoration of the former Four
Seasons space in [New York's] Seagram Building,
which was designed by Mies van der Rohe and
Philip Johnson. Our goal is to restore this historic
landmark space and bring it back to life in
[various] ways.
We are also incredibly excited about the new
restaurant that we are designing with Peter
Marino, which will also be located in the Seagram
Building. We have had an incredible experience
working with [him], and we are creating
something very special together.

What are some of your favorite design
highlights in the restaurants?

The Godfather-inspired black and white tile floors
at Carbone; the vintage 1950s wallpaper at ZZ's;
the Murano glass chandeliers at Santina; the neon
sign at Dirty French; and the bagel theater at
Sadelle's.

You have devoted followers-what have
been some secrets to success?
Hiring people who love what they do and are
excited about doing it, and giving them the
opportunity to let their personalities shine and
connect with the guests.

Restaurants are all about the details. How
do you ensure perfection?

Every single detail is looked at over and over again
by the three of us until we have something that we
are all happy with. This includes every aspect-
food, service, music, uniforms, design, tableware,
artwork, etc.

What's the one thing you would do away
with in a restaurant?
Tasting menus only. hd
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