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Teruko Yokoi was a Japanese-born Swiss painter whose abstract expressionist works were regularly exhibited in the galleries of New York, London and Switzerland. To this day, two museums in Japan stand in her name. But before she gained prominence, she, too, was once an artistic hopeful. Moving to New York in the 1950s, Yokoi found residence working and living out of the Hotel Chelsea, subsequently adding her name to the long list of notables who passed through its doors, including Andy Warhol, Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin. While the artist passed in 2020, her work has recently been revived in a new way, now on display at the hotel's latest restaurant.
Opening on the cellar level of the Hotel Chelsea this past March, Teruko keeps the legacy of the artist alive. Not just in name alone, the Japanese restaurant and lounge operated by Sunday Hospitality feature a collection of the artist’s original paintings framed throughout the space. The beauty continues on with antique limestone floors, arched brick ceilings and elements of kumiko, a traditional form of Japanese woodworking, that hangs above the marble sushi counter. With an interior that prides itself on reused and raw materials, the illuminated bar near the entryway is perhaps the greatest find, salvaged from Tokyo’s iconic Orchid Bar found inside Hotel Okura.
This all sets the scene for a showcase of Japanese cuisine. However, executive chef Tadashi Ono (formerly of the now-closed Matsuri inside The Maritime Hotel) takes a page out of Yokoi's book, focusing on traditional fare inflected with a few worldly influences. Starters begin with a menu of both chilled and hot appetizers, including the cold smoked and seared amberjack in the Kanpachi Tataki. At the counter, fresh fish flown in from Japan is fashioned into edomae-style sushi and sashimi by head sushi chef Hideaki Watanabe. The robata grills and sears head-on prawns, chicken meatballs and Wagyu sourced from Ozaki Wagyu, located in Japan’s Miyazaki Prefecture.
And yet, there is a bit of flair to be had here. Seemingly channeling Serena, the hotel's nightlife venue that resided in the same spot, several dishes are prepared tableside. Presented on a rolling cart, the Shake Kamameshi is served in a cast iron pot, filled with King Salmon, a nice undertone of ginger, rice and a blanket of salmon roe, before being stirred together. Meanwhile, the Crepes Teruko come to the table bubbling in a Japanese citrus, before being lit on fire and tamed with a scoop of ginger ice cream.
This labor of love continues behind the bar. Anticipating the coming restaurant, George Padilla (of Sunday Hospitality’s Rule of Thirds) and Brian Evans (director of bars at Hotel Chelsea) stowed away Japanese whiskies over the years. Today, the restaurant unofficially features one of the largest collections in the city. Padilla, who also runs Bin Bin Sake in Greenpoint, has introduced a menu of shochu and sakes available to taste by the glass and the bottle.
Teruko marks the third restaurant concept to open since the hotel's revival back in 2022. Balancing something old and something new, the Sunday Hospitality team revived El Quijote, a Spanish restaurant that initially debuted inside the hotel in the 1930s, while also introducing the French bistro Café Chelsea. The arrival of Teruko follows suit in a way, blending of art and culture to make something entirely new.