Local eateries made the best of a bad situation back in the cold, cold winter months with an excuse to try out all the first-rate dining rooms with the generous deals found during Restaurant Week: Two- and three-course prix fixe meals ranging from $29 to $39 to $59.
The promotion begins Tuesday, January 18, through Sunday, February 13 and, per NYCGo, the deals run Monday through Friday (not Saturdays) and it’s up to each restaurant whether they honor the rates on Sundays. You can read more details at the Restaurant Week site but for your convenience, the following are the participating restaurants below Chambers Street:
Anassa Taverna (104 North End Avenue)
Bareburger (155 William Street)
Batard (239 West Broadway)
Blue Smoke (255 Vesey Street)
Capital Grille (120 Broadway)
Felice (15 Gold Street)
Front & Wall Street (110 Wall Street)
The Fulton (89 South Street)
Gran Morsi (22 Warren Street)
Industry Kitchen (70 South Street)
La Pizza & La Pasta A Colori (101 Liberty Street)
Mad Dog & Beans (83 Pearl Street)
Malibu Farm (89 South Street)
MarkJoseph Steakhouse (261 Water Street)
Merchants River House (375 South End Avenue)
Morton’s The Steakhouse (136 Washington Street)
Route 66 Smokehouse (46 Stone Street)
Sant Ambroeus (200 Vesey Street)
Schilling (109 Washington Street)
Treadwell Park (301 South End Avenue)
Vino e Grano (101 Liberty Street, Eataly NYC Downtown)
Get ready, because this Saturday – once again! – it’s time for the annual Taste of TriBeCa. Back for the 23rd time, this year’s Culinary Festival will take place on Saturday, May 20th and feature dishes from 60 plus neighborhood restaurants.
The best part of it though, is the great taste attending this event leaves you with. Not only from the flavorful food concoctions, but the beneficial component of the event. Taste of TriBeCa is the oldest fundraiser that benefits the arts and enrichment programs at two neighborhood public schools, PS 150 and PS 234.
“We have a couple of new things going on this year, including a raffle for a Vespa, which is very exciting and fun. We also have a demo for kids that is being done by Eataly on pasta making and that’s a new event for us,” said Keith Klein, co-chair of Taste of TriBeCa about this year’s new additions.
It really is worth noting that this is a true neighborhood event, for both adults and the children of this area. Each year, they make great effort to ensure children are entertained too.
“In addition to the Eataly demo, we have the Kid’s and Sports Zones, each of which has a wide range of activities and performances,” said Klein.
There will be face painting, a custom balloon, Minecraft with Pixel Academy, and a photo booth hosted by Tribeca Journal.
“The Sports Zone, produced by our friends at Manhattan Youth, features clay-making and sports-themed carnival games for young athletes,” explained Klein.
But – let’s be honest, we’re going there for the food. And with more than 60 participating restaurants, food wise this year is shaping up to be a great one. The lineup includes newer additions such as Bâtard, Two Hands and Hank’s Juicy Beef as well as restaurants that have been part of the event for the last 23 years including Bubby’s, Duane Park Patisserie and Walker’s.
Back for its second year is Two Hands, a restaurant and bar taking inspiration from Australia’s culinary scene, located on Church Street in TriBeCa.
“When I moved to New York a little over 5 years ago, one of my very good friends took me to Taste of TriBeCa and I had such a great time. It reminded a lot of the market days back in Australia with delicious food and great vibes,” said Giles Russell, co-founder of Two Hands.
Participating in the culinary festival was a chance for the restaurant to really connect with the neighborhood and get ingrained in the community in a deeper way.
“Two Hands is all about supporting the community we are in. We wanted to open a restaurant in TriBeCa for the people who live in the neighborhood. We felt like they deserved a great day to night café that could be also be a hub for locals. Being a part of Taste of TriBeCa was a natural extension of that goal as well as an opportunity to raise money for an important cause,” explained Russell.
And what do they wish guests take away from visiting Two Hands’ booth at the festival?
“A smile! We want people feel good when they eat our food. We also want to meet our neighbors and make new friendships,” stated Russell.
Also back this year, for the third consecutive time, is The Beer and Cider Tour of TriBeCa. The tour boasts beer and ciders sourced from New York breweries, including newcomer SingleCut Beersmiths from Astoria, Queens and will be hosted by establishments around the neighborhood such as Church Publick and Woodrow’s.
To ensure diversity in the food and beverage lineup, so there’s something for everyone, Taste of TriBeCa has a hardworking restaurant committee.
“We have a great roster of volunteers, truly exceptional people across the board. Our restaurant committee manages that, working with the restaurants, making suggestions to ensure that there is a balance and that each restaurant stand out,” explained Klein.
Klein’s best advice for guests? Come hungry!
“I think that all the restaurants do such a great job and really put effort into their tastes, I am excited to try all of them! Seriously, you never know who’s going to have something that’s just going to blow you away, so I find it best to come in with an open mind and hungry stomach,” he said.
Founded in 1998 by Chuck Templeton, OpenTable is how more than 20 million people book their dining reservations every month. Having come a long way since the company’s early days — when only establishments in San Francisco were served — OpenTable now provides reservations for around 40,000 restaurants, including locations in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Not only does this remain a free service to diners, but OpenTable also holds its own in providing users with rewards points, which they can redeem for Dining Rewards.
Last month, OpenTable released its “Best Places To Dine Like A Celebrity” list. Its New York selections included Balthazar, Catch, Emilio’s Ballato, Fowler & Wells, Le Coucou, The Polo Bar, Sant Ambroeus SoHo, The Spotted Pig, Upland, and Vandal. While those selections speak for themselves, Downtown wanted to learn more about OpenTable’s operations and had the pleasure of speaking with Caroline Potter, the company’s Chief Dining Officer. Caroline is not only full of great dining recommendations — herself being a trained chef — yet also wit.
Caroline Potter: I actually worked at restaurants before that, most of my teen to adult life, on and off. My first job was as a busboy; I was the only girl on that team, so that’s what they called me! Over the course of the years, I did everything from bussing and serving to bartending and hostessing. At the French Culinary Institute, students had to spend time cooking at L’Ecole, the student-run restaurant, and it gave me great admiration and respect for the folks who work the back of the house.
CP: After graduating culinary school, I volunteered at the New York City Greenmarket, and I wound up helping with their newsletters. I met the then-editor of Edible Brooklyn and Edible Manhattan there, and I began writing for those publications. From there, a friend who worked in wine writing recommended me for this opportunity at OpenTable.
CP: I had not. The title was coined by Shannon Stubo Brayton, who headed up the comms team at OpenTable at the time. She’s now the CMO at LinkedIn, so she remains as clever as ever.
Do you remember the first time you ever used OpenTable? And where you booked a reservation for?
CP: It was in 2003, but I can’t remember what restaurant it was at, as I had a different account back then with a different email associated with it, I believe! I’ll have to have someone on our support team look it up for me. (laughs)
CP: I would love to say I spend my days dining out, but like most people, I spend a lot of time at my laptop — writing and/or editing blog content, selecting and sizing photos, answering emails, collaborating with our acquisition and engagement teams in San Francisco, and working with our social media specialist on social content for our channels, including social video, which has been really fun for us and the participating restaurants. We hear a lot from our restaurant partners and the OpenTable field team, and we work with them to support their needs, whether it be promoting a restaurant on Instagram, crafting tweets around an event, or featuring them on our blog.
What does it take for an establishment to sign with OpenTable? Is the company always seeking new establishments, or is there criteria to come onboard?
CP: Any restaurant can join OpenTable, and there are a variety of solutions available to them. For example, they can use GuestCenter, our guest and floor-management solution, or a simpler option, OpenTable Connect, which lists a restaurant on OpenTable.com.
On average, how many meals out do you have per week? Or do you make an effort to cook more because of your industry?
CP: I love to cook, but I usually reserve that for the weekends. I prefer to dine out on weeknights as I find it’s a more chill experience and there’s a lot more availability. Tuesday is the new Saturday, as I like to say. Some weeks will be four nights, others one or two depending on my schedule — and how my skinny jeans are fitting.
OpenTable responsibilities aside, do you have a favorite restaurant in New York?
CP: My favorite restaurant in New York, and beyond, is Bâtard in Tribeca. Chef Markus Glocker and managing partner John Winterman have created this perfect “choose your own adventure” dining experience at incredible prices — you can do two, three, four or more courses. The food is elegant, accessible, and sublimely-delicious. I’m obsessed with their English pie, but, honestly, everything is so flavorful and balanced – and beautiful, from the duck to the pastas to that now-iconic octopus pastrami. I honestly never really understood the appeal of schnitzel until I had Chef Glocker’s. It’s a revelation of juicy goodness. Winterman will build you a killer cheese plate, too. Meaghan Levy mixes a perfect martini, and wine director Jason Jacobeit will introduce you to the magic of Burgundy wines at a price that won’t break the bank. And the atmosphere is ideal — buzzy, flattering lighting, unfussy. It’s the place to go to have a great time any time, so don’t be surprised to find me there a LOT!
Any upcoming events or promotions coming up for OpenTable?
CP: At OpenTable, we’re proud to partner with No Kid Hungry to help end childhood hunger in America and it’s Taste Of The Nation season. The San Francisco event took place recently, and there are a bunch coming up in cities around the nation, including New York on Apr. 24. It’s a wonderful way to help support a truly worthy cause.
Is there something you wish more people knew about OpenTable?
CP: OpenTable is a great restaurant discovery tool. If you ever find yourself in a neighborhood or city — or country — you’re not familiar with, pop open the app and let it show you delicious options that are right around you. You can read verified reviews from diners who have actually dined at the restaurants they’ve reviewed, see menus, and more. So even if you’re feeling lost, we can help you find your next great meal.
When not busy with OpenTable, how do you like to spend your free time?
CP: Dining, drinking vodka martinis, gardening, sailing, and hanging with my dogs and my husband.
CP: In our eating for the Insta society, I like to remind diners to revisit their favorites. Restaurants operate on narrow profit margins — Manhattan restaurants in particular, thanks to skyrocketing commercial rents — and they depend on regular customers to stay in business. There’s nothing sadder than seeing a beloved eatery shutter only to have a chain retail store or bank take its place. Restaurants help create the character and community of a neighborhood. Support them with repeat business.
