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On March 20th, Zachary Weiss recalls turning on his oven for the first time after living in his downtown Manhattan apartment for nearly three years. For a New Yorker that spent almost every night out covering parties and events at the city’s best restaurants and bars for publications like Vogue.com and British GQ—at least before the current crisis—it wasn’t all that unusual.
But as the hospitality industry's recovery creeps back, Weiss is collaborating with The Standard High Line to help out in a way that only a man about town could think up: The Yacht Dog. It’s an over-the-top $75 hot dog topped with caviar that’s on the menu throughout October and all proceeds are being donated to the non-profit Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants (ROAR). If you want to get fancier, you can pay $99 by adding a miniature bottle of Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut champagne.
“I just felt like ROAR had the leading voice in all of this,” Weiss tells Time Out New York. “They spoke up early for the entire industry. They were going for the jugular with legal changes and not just reposting a graphic on Instagram.”
Weiss came up with the idea for the Yacht Dog after seeing a chef friend post a photo while on a boat off the coast of California. He approached The Standard, a regular hangout for him, with the idea. The Meatpacking District hotel’s restaurant, the Standard Grill, now makes the hot dogs in house with a lemon-chive aioli and a “healthy portion” of Royal Transmontanus White Sturgeon Caviar.
Weiss jokes that the novelty of cooking at home wore off for him and that the few times he’s used the oven since March has been for chicken nuggets. Before outdoor dining was possible, Weiss says he ordered a lot of takeout—including from trendy spots like Carbone and the Beatrice Inn—to support businesses across town. He’d even dress up with a jacket and tie at home to make it an occasion. These days, he’s going out more again to support his favorite spots in town.
“Restaurants in NYC and the many people who make their living working in them are in desperate need of support,” says Amar Lalvani, CEO, Standard International, in a statement. "We are thankful for organizations like ROAR that are stepping up and lending a much needed hand.”
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