Acclaimed chef Melissa Rodriguez has unveiled her highly anticipated new restaurant Crane Club, in the historic 85 Tenth building in West Chelsea [at 10th Avenue and 16th Street]. Crane Club offers a new culinary perspective from the chef, who, for the first time, is cooking outside of the bounds of a strictly Italian or French kitchen. Crane Club is a partnership between Chef Rodriguez and her team, who have been working together in the space for over a decade, along with powerhouse Tao Group Hospitality. Tao Group Hospitality is known for its distinctive culinary and premium entertainment experiences and is a portfolio company of Mohari Hospitality, a global investment firm with a focus on luxury lifestyle and hospitality investments.
The Team
Chef Melissa Rodriguez, veteran restaurateur Jeff Katz, and their front and back of house teams have been working together for over a decade in the 85 Tenth Avenue space, first when it was Del Posto, followed by Chef Rodriguez’s Michelin-starred Al Coro. Their staff has truly become like family, and they now come together again for the opening of Crane Club. Crane Club is opening in partnership with Tao Hospitality Group, whose team Katz and Chef Rodriguez have known for many years, and who bring unique expertise, resources, and global relationships to the launch of this concept.
Joining Chef Rodriguez in the kitchen are Pastry Chef Georgia Wodder and Executive Chef Katherine Rock, who both previously worked alongside Chef Rodriguez. Crane Club’s bar program is led by Chris Lemperle, who opened both Crown Shy and Overstory alongside Katz, and the wine program is curated by Cat Fanelli, who was Wine Director at Al Coro.
The Food
Crane Club’s menu reflects Chef Rodriguez’s French and Italian fine dining experiences (cooking at Daniel, Del Posto and Al Coro), but presented in a new way, with additional influence from a 12-foot Mibrasa wood-fired grill custom designed by Chef Rodriguez and built in Spain. The extensive menu spans sections of Appetizers, Pastas, Meats, Fish & Poultry and Vegetables, with additional fun, elegant touches like a Raw Bar Cart, that roves the dining room throughout the evening, displaying an array of illuminated seafood on ice, such as Shrimp Cocktail and Razor Clams. Savory dish highlights include oven-baked Cherrystone Clams with a garlic bread and butter crust, served with a spicy pepper butter sauce poured tableside; a vibrant Chicory Salad with tempura root vegetables and a black truffle vinaigrette; savory Sfogliatelle with potato and fontina, topped with Classic Osetra Caviar; Baked Shells filled with ricotta, and mascarpone and topped in a black truffle jus; Duroc Pork Double Chop with urfa, fenugreek, seaweed, mushroom; Caraflex Cabbage with dashi, jalapeño and white soy; and Potato Sarladaise with duck fat, smoked bacon, sherry, parsley, dandelion greens.
Desserts are from Chef Rodriguez’s longtime pastry chef Georgia Wodder and include Banana Layer Cake with Guava Sorbet, and her take on the freezer aisle favorite, a Chocolate Vienetta.
The Beverages
Crane Club’s cocktail menu is created by Chris Lemperle, and highlights contemporary riffs on classic cocktails, meant to complement dinner. Most of the cocktails are also available in non-alcoholic versions. Highlights include Beet Gibson with gin, vermouth, beet, and pickled onion; Two Birds One Stone with mezcal, preserved nectarine, habanero, and bergamot; Pisco Punch with pisco, oolong, and Meyer lemon; Flight Pattern with reposado tequila, pear, lemon, and white chocolate; Snow Bird with rum, banana, pasilla, and lime; Field Notes is a clarified cocktail with vodka, umeshu, Genmai matcha, red bean, and coconut; and Cavalier with rye whiskey, Irish whisky, calvados, vermouth, and celery. Cat Fanelli’s wine program features over 1,000 international wines.
The Design
Crane Club’s completely re-imagined interior design is a collaboration between Susan Nugraha, who leads Tao Group Hospitality’s in-house design team, and Laseu Studio. Hidden behind a grand host stand that greets diners when they walk into the building, the Crane Club space comprises a main dining room with double-height ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows ensconced in red velvet and cream drapery, as well as a separate dimly lit bar room. With rows of curved booths and archways that naturally divide the space into separate sections, Crane Club’s main dining room feels intimate and inviting, while evoking a sense of elegant grandeur. Tucked to the side of the dining room is the bar room, featuring a long 12-seat red marble bar that extends nearly the entire length of the space. The decor features rich materials, including red velvet upholstery and wallcoverings, smoked floors, herringbone floors, textured walls hand-brushed with gold leaf, and Art Deco touches that nod to the building’s storied past (it was originally built in 1913 as a Nabisco factory).
Details
Crane Club will be open daily at 5:00 PM. Hours are:
Reservations can be made via OpenTable and Resy.
Image courtesy of Mona Creative
