Chef Jonathan Benno’s Michelin-starred Benno restaurant, which has been temporarily closed since March of 2020, is scheduled to reopen with a French fine dining menu this September, but another eponymous Benno operation beat it to the finish line.
The brand new Bar Benno in the Evelyn Hotel is intended as a casual companion to the reimagined Benno.
“It's not enough for us to just reopen Benno, I want to expand it further,” the chef says. “When we began planning Bar Benno I really wanted to focus on my foundation in French food and technique, the kinds of dishes I remember travelling and cooking in France.”
Opening menu items include a fruits de mer plateaux with oysters, jumbo shrimp, Maine lobster remoulade and tuna tartare ($100), escargots ($18) rotisserie chicken ($32) and steak au poivre ($52). A happy hour from 5pm to 7pm each night includes deviled eggs with ossetra caviar ($12), salmon rillettes ($9) and white anchovies ($9.) And cocktails like the Death by Ramos (gin, absinthe, citrus, cream, egg white and Champagne), will be available alongside wine in 250ml and 500ml increments, as well as by the standard glass and bottle.
Bar Benno is located in the Evelyn Hotel at 7 East 27th Street and is open from 5pm to 10pm each night. The bar will be open until 11pm.
