While visiting New York Fashion Week, you’ll want to explore these fine dining experiences. Italian, seafood, and comfort dishes are just a few of the choices you’ll have to refuel after exciting days of taking in the new season’s fashion.
Esther & Carol Bistro
Esther and Carol Bistro is the perfect spot after you’ve worked up an appetite from taking in the latest fashion. Located near all the downtown shows in the heart of Soho, Esther and Carol brings an an elevated take on the traditional American bistro with an upscale and upbeat atmosphere. The menu features comfort foods with a healthy twist, just what you would expect from a restaurant named after the owner’s moms; Esther and Carol. Keeping with the theme of comfort and tradition, Kevin King and Cordell Lochin, wanted to create a welcoming space that felt like a “living room that guests can visit pre-and post-meal.”
While you wait to be seated in their plush table settings, cozy up to the elegant wood bar for cocktails. Before digging into your buttermilk fried chicken or wild Alaskan salmon, start your meal with the Cheese Board that features the Chef’s selections of world-famous cheese and salumi, served with house pickles and homemade condiments.
Maialino at Gramercy Park Hotel
Maialinio is located inside the Gramercy Park Hotel in Soho, just a short distance from the downtown show locations. Open throughout the day, Maialinio serves breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner. Its wooden ceiling beams and Italian paver tiles bring a rustic ambiance to this restaurant whose name means “little pig.” The cucina features a salami, cheese and antipasto station on one side and a coffee, dessert, and bread station on the other side of the dining room.
Executive Chef Jason Pfeifer draws inspiration from classic dishes found throughout Rome and sources fresh, seasonal ingredients from the Greenmarket and local farms. One of the house specialties is Malfatti alla Maialino (suckling pig ragu). The menu also features specialty cocktails and a carefully curated all-Italian wine list with hundreds of selections from exceptional producers and vintages.
In 2017, Maialinio was named NYC’s Best for Handmade Pasta by Zagat Survey and Best Italian Restaurants in New York by The Infatuation. Pfeifer has also created an entire menu full of unique twists on American classics and comfort foods. There is even a private dining room that can seat up to 24 people for family style feasts.
Santina
If you are looking for a socially responsible spot serving gluten free meals, Santina is the place for you. Located near Milk Studios, Soho House, and The Jane Hotels, Santina is the perfect spot to be in the middle of the action. Santina is located under the Highlline, a park that was once a train railway. In fact, a portion of all proceeds from your dining experience benefit The Friends of the Highline helping to preserve its historic and cultural influence.
Satina is available for large galas and parties and can accommodate up to 120 of your closest friends and colleagues for seated events. Or, if you are planning something more grand, Santina can serve up to 250 guests for cocktail style receptions.
Santina offers plenty of outdoor seating and specializes in light coastal Italian cuisine with a focus on fish and vegetables. The Santina Spritz, their house cocktail, is incredibly refreshing after a busy day. Made from frozen aperol, prosecco, and soda, it’s large enough to share with your fellow fashionistas.
Legasea
The Legasea Seafood Restaurant is on the Moxy Hotel’s second floor West Terrace. Menu favorites include the Lobster Bake (shrimp, clams, mussels, corn, new potatoes), the impressive 7th Ave Seafood Tower with oysters, shrimp, crab, and lobster, large market-driven salads, and delicious seafood entrees.
Since Legasea can only seat 145 people at a time, it’s encouraged that you make reservations at least 30 days in advance to ensure you can experience it during New York Fashion Week. Curated by chef/partner Ralph Scamardella and executive chef Jason Hall, the approachable menu includes fun, shareable twists on classic seafood fare.
As you enter the restaurant, you are greeted by a spacious atrium whose globe pendant lamps float beneath a generous skylight. Subway tiles, polished copper, leather accents, and antique mirrors provide an inviting environment with subtle nods to the nautical theme that appeals to all your senses.
We hope you have an amazing time at NYFW. In fact, you’ll also want to Go Behind the Scenes at NYFW with Kristen Taekman before exploring these dining spots for New York Fashion Week.
