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Next year, New York City is getting a new restaurant from famed chef, restaurateur and Iron Chef competitor David Burke: Park Ave Kitchen, a brasserie opening in Midtown Manhattan’s 277 Park Avenue office building in May 2023. A collaboration between David Burke Hospitality Management Group and the Stahl Organization real estate company, the restaurant joins a slew of Wine Spectator Restaurant Award–winning Burke establishments: David Burke Prime Steakhouse in Connecticut, BLT Prime by David Burke in Washington, D.C., and Red Horse by David Burke in Rumson, New Jersey.
“We saw it as an exciting opportunity in a triple-A location with great visibility, and [started] planning how best to take advantage of those attributes,” Burke told Wine Spectator via email, noting that the restaurant will combine American and European influences. “[It] will fill a void in Midtown East for very good, approachable food by a proven brand known for quality and creativity.”
The brasserie menu will offer Burke’s signature cuisine with a focus on seasonality, with dishes like short ribs and roast chicken, along with pizza and pasta selections. (The restaurant will also be the first of Burke’s 15 to let guests know of daily specials via a mobile app.) Adjoining Park Ave Kitchen is a 49-seat café and market space with to-go options, including baked goods from Dixie Lee Bakery by David Burke, a nearly century-old eatery in Burke’s home state of New Jersey; the chef added it to his group earlier this year.
There’s no word yet on who will be overseeing Park Ave Kitchen’s wine program, but Burke foresees a list that “will range from casual selections to super high-end wines as befits the building’s tenants and their reasons for dining with us, whether it’s an after-work dinner with friends or colleagues, or entertaining clients.” There will be about 125 wines to choose from, including rarer bottles, and guests can expect educational tastings a few times each month, as well as wine dinners like those held at David Burke Tavern on New York’s Upper East Side.
Design firm Lemay + Escobar has created a look for the 148-seat brasserie that incorporates an exposed ceiling, mosaic tiles and a pink Himalayan salt wall (a signature feature of Burke’s restaurants), and the café space centers around a yellow flatbed truck. Notably, this is the first time Burke and his team are opening a restaurant in New York from the ground up. “We are determining design and flow, not dealing with the bones of a former restaurant,” the chef said.
Farther north, in White Plains, N.Y., Burke is opening a new Red Horse location in January 2023. Located at the Opus Westchester hotel, the 280-seat restaurant will combine steak-house flair with Asian elements. Guests can expect many of the dishes featured at the original Rumson location, along with Burke mainstays like lobster dumplings, salmon pastrami and popovers.
General manager David Feeback is leading the wine program, which will center on American, Italian and French selections, rounded out by picks from other countries, with well-known names throughout. The wine list will share “chef Burke’s commitment to quality, creativity and fun,” said Feeback, emphasizing the importance of engaging with diners. “Our goal is not only to give the guests what they want, but to also offer them [varieties] and pairings they may not be familiar with.”
Per Burke, the new Red Horse will debut with about 150 wines, growing from there. “We aim for White Plains to be on par with and even exceed [the Rumson location],” he said.
Like Park Ave Kitchen, the White Plains restaurant will feature a pink salt wall, as well as red-and-white “stirrup” wallpaper, a to-scale sculpture of a red horse and other art from Burke’s personal collection.
Oceania Cruises to Unveil New Champagne Experience and Mixology Program in 2023
You won’t want to miss the boat on this one: luxury at-sea hospitality leader Oceania Cruises is debuting an innovative beverage program on the newest ship in its fleet, the 1,200-passenger Vista, which is set for a May 13, 2023, launch.
Vista—which boasts nine culinary experiences along with its high-ceilinged, Art Deco–inspired main dining room—is the first of Oceania’s Allura-class ships, which emphasize “a fresh perspective on the finest cuisine at sea,” according to a statement from Oceania president and CEO Howard Sherman. The line is already known for its high-quality wine programs both on board and at its marina, including Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners Jacques, Polo Grill and Toscana.
Vista will provide guests with special wine options, including a new three-course Moët & Chandon Champagne experience (paired with sea bass tartare, duck foie gras terrine and cured beef tenderloin) and two new wine-pairing lunches led by an on-board sommelier. The line’s six-course tasting menu paired with Dom Pérignon, introduced in 2019, will be offered at the Privée dining venue. Making the rounds on the deck will be new specialty beverage carts, such as the Bubbly Bar for Champagne cocktails and the DIY Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar. In keeping with current trends, Oceania’s new Aquamar Kitchen, dedicated to healthy cuisine, will offer a slate of low- and no-alcohol wines, spirits and cocktails.
Also on board is a new molecular mixology program developed by Oceania corporate beverage director Daniella Oancea, featuring fresh creations such as a barrel-aged negroni and cocktails served in coupes cappped with a bubble holding aromatic vapors. “I worked hand in hand with our culinary team to bring naturally sourced ingredients to our cocktail crafting process, like the creation of homemade syrups and reductions,” said Oancea in a statement. “On Vista, having a drink will be an experience unto itself—from the beauty of watching a skilled bartender smoke an Old Fashioned to the tableside preparation of an espresso Martini.”
On its first voyage, Vista will travel through the Mediterranean and to London before making its way to the Western Hemisphere. Reservations are now open.