Prolific hotelier Sean MacPherson (
the Bowery,
the Jane,
the Maritime) expands his New York holdings with this
French-Mediterranean café inside the restored Marlton Hotel, onetime haunt of Jack Kerouac. Located behind the lobby, this skylighted 98-seat café honors the space’s storied past with old-world decor (herringbone floors, antique glass mirrors) and seasonal cocktails named for Beat icons, like the Kerouac-inspired Dharma Bum (tea-infused pisco, lemon, orgeat). The daily-changing food menu—a collaboration between chefs Michael Reardon (Napa’s Tra Vigne) and Jeremy Blutstein (Montauk’s Crow’s Nest)—is also rooted in seasonality, inspired by the coastal cuisines of France, California and the Mediterranean. Look for dishes like the Farmer’s Board (red-quinoa tabouli, avocado hummus), day-boat cod with sea bean, and
rotisserie chicken with
urfa biber (Turkish chili pepper) and green
harissa. Pastas, like squid-ink
bucatini and buckwheat rigatoni, are made in-house, and wines are of the organic, biodynamic variety. See the food menu below.
5 W 8th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-321-0111)
MENU
TO START
Olives, citrus, chili, preserved lemon, $5
Crispy sunchokes, lemon labne, $6
Grilled artichokes, mint, cloumage, $10
Lamb meatballs, saffron yogurt, $10
Black bass crudo, aji amarillo, yuzu, $12
Market vegetable soup, $9
Cheeses, seacoast honey, red walnuts, $18
-Robiola, cow, goat, sheep, Piemonte
-Casatica, water buffalo, Lombardy
-Brebish, sheep, Pyrenees
-Hudson Red, cow, NY
-Bleu d'Auvergne, cow, France Farmer's Board, $19
-Red quinoa tabouli, kale harissa
-Spicy smashed sweet potato
-Avocado hummus
-Beets, grains of paradise
SMALL:
Cauliflower custard, crispy brussels leaves, acorn squash, $9
Burrata, garlic muffin, crushed basil, $11
Fennel, treviso, barrel-aged feta, pomegranate, sumac, $10
Winter citrus salad, escarole, almonds, olives, parsley, $11
Lacinato kale, lemon, chilies, spicy pumpkin seeds, $10
HOUSE-MADE PASTA:
Squid ink bucatini, dungeness crab, Calabrian chili, $19
Buckwheat rigatino, speck, cabbage, $19
Wild mushroom risotta, reggiano, sherry, $17
Kale casarecce, braised rabbit, black trumpets, vermentino, $18
MAINS:
Diver scallop, celery root, brussels leaves, black trumpet & chanterelle, $28
Wild striped bass, Montauk squid, cannellini, $24
Dayboat cod, savoy cabbage, sea bean, Maine kelp, lime, $24
Grilled Colorado lamb chops, winter vegetables, bagna cauda, $29
Burger, English cheddar, pickled jalapenos, potato & sunchoke chips, $14
Rib-eye for two, garlic yukon, cipollini, $59
Rotisserie chicken, urea biber, smashed sweet potato, green harissa, $21
SIDES:
Roast cauliflower, romesco, $8
Rotisserie vegetables, chicken skin, $7
Braised winter greens, $6
Sweet potatoes, curry yogurt, $7
Roast brussels sprouts, $6