GIVEAWAY ALERT⭐⭐⭐
Calling all home cooks: Our friends @ Misen are giving away a FREE 18-Piece Misenware Mixed Set ($259 value). Enter by midnight on 10/31. If chosen, you’ll receive a one-time code via email, redeemable through 12/31.

2. HexClad’s latest baking set—I’ve been a HexClad fan since the brand launched a decade ago, and its new six-piece Hybrid bakeware set is a smart upgrade: It’s made from patented laser-etched stainless steel, has a PFAS-free nonstick surface, and includes a few different cake pans, a baking sheet, and a cooling rack. It’s also a very good holiday gift.

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In 2006, chef Iñaki Aizpitarte opened Le Chateaubriand at 129 Avenue Parmentier in Paris. Everything about the restaurant looked like a typical neighborhood bistro: bare wooden tables, marble countertops, a blackboard against beige plasterwork. But the cooking said otherwise. The daily set menu, which included rose veal sweetbreads and candied egg yolks, was paired with a biodynamic wine list. The staff wore their own clothes. The service was fast and casual, sometimes described as chaotic and messy.

The industry declared Aizpitarte the “godfather of bistronomy.” He became the first chef in the category to make the World’s 50 Best list. He helped amplify the natural wine movement (he also opened/ran Le Cave, a teeny wine shop down the street). On how he impacted Parisian dining, Tarajia Morrell wrote for The Wall Street Journal in 2016: “Septime and Saturne, as well as Au Passage, Spring, Le Servan and Frenchie, grew up in the path Le Chateaubriand carved out.”

In 2024, Aizpitarte stepped away from day-to-day operations. Now, after 20 years, Le Chateaubriand will close permanently in December. Until the doors close, the kitchen is handing the pass to chefs whose talents it helped shape (names like Bus Palladium’s Valentin Raffali, a fitting nod from a generation that grew up in Aizpitarte’s shadow). Also reflecting on its legacy is The Complete Works of the Restaurant Known as Le Chateaubriand, first published in French and now translated into English for the first time. Compiled over three years from one hundred interviews, the book features memories and reflections from chefs, critics, regulars, and more on “the Paris bistro that broke every rule fine dining had.”

Here, in an exclusive excerpt, six well-known regulars share their favorite moments from the restaurant’s heyday.

The late Bertrand Grebaut, Chef, Septime

“It was the coolest place in Paris. In bourgeois culture, spending the evening enjoying an extensive menu is already commonplace, whereas in middle-class, artistic, or trendy culture, dining out is incidental. It expanded the idea of spending an entire evening at a restaurant. Spending your time at this creative place became the thing to do, and more and more people started to come overnight.”

Alexandre Cammas, Founder, Le Fooding

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To kick off our series, we visited the Brooklyn Heights home of Amanda Hesser, writer, editor, cookbook author (The Essential New York Times Cookbook and The Cook and the Gardener, among others), and the co-founder and former CEO of Food52. Amanda is also the author of the best-selling newsletter Homeward here on Substack, where she shares home and design ideas and resources, along with a BTS look at her Ojai, California reno project (which is a delight).

A kitchen can reveal a lot about the person who cooks in it. Here’s what Amanda has to say about hers.

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As I was sitting down to write today’s story, I came across an Instagram post from Abigail Sandler, an architect who also writes the design newsletter Price Upon Request here on Substack. It was a slideshow of dining rooms at spots like Spago in Beverly Hills and (the bygone) Ma and Pa in London with the caption: “On the next episode of When Did Architects Stop Designing Restaurants…”

That sentiment felt well timed, since this week I chatted with Christine Gachot, one of New York’s most beloved and in-demand interior designers + co-founder of Gachot Studios (which she opened in 2012 with her husband, John). Tldr: Their firm has earned all the biggest industry honors—AD100, Elle Decor A-List, Wallpaper* US400—and its team of 50 is responsible for building residential, commercial, and hospitality projects across the country, from Detroit’s Shinola Hotel to Izzy’s Steaks and Chops in San Francisco.

Pre-launch, Christine spent 20 years inside NYC’s exclusive hospitality scene, working between Bill Sofield and André Balazs. Despite how busy she is, I managed to pin down 15 minutes with her to find out what really makes a living or dining space truly enchanting and irresistible. And, guess what? “90% of it has nothing to do with how the room looks,” she told me.

On going from personal assistant to running the Soho Grand.

“I worked for Bill Sofield and Emma O’Neill for ten years, and was really given the privilege to be part of their inner circle. As Bill’s assistant, I wore every hat; I was reception, I was with him at Aero Studios. He told me, ‘Hey, you’re really good at this; you just need to learn to draft.’ Back then, architects used CAD and designers mostly didn’t, so I took classes at Parsons at night. By the time I left, I was running projects, including the Soho Grand.”

On what working in hotel development taught her about design.

“I was introduced to André Balazs, and knew it was time to move on. I worked on so many projects for him, from Hotel QT in Times Square to The Standard High Line. Both Bill and André bet on potential rather than true experience. Their attitudes were, ‘Haven’t done it before? Of course you can.’

“Being in-house and on a development team broadened my language around design. I know a little bit about a lot, so I can talk about brand and operations, not just ‘Oh, I love this shade of black.’”

On the most important design detail guests don’t notice.

“Flow. How does the team circulate? How do you get a hamburger to a guest at the exact temperature they requested? How do drinks get from the service bar to the pool? Have you ever walked a football field? A basketball court? I also ask how long people should linger, how comfortable the seats should be, what the nightly turnover is, how many seatings there are, and what’s being served. Clients sometimes say, ‘Just do the design, we’ll pick an operator later.’ And I’m like, ‘The operator may need different equipment, so you should probably decide sooner!’”

On what happens the first week of a restaurant project.

“We have lunch, we talk, we get to know each other. At that point, nobody has a menu yet—they’re developing as we are—but they know the tone and the vibe [they want], and my job is to help make that physical. Then I make what I call a ‘telephone book of imagery’—a huge pile of references that everyone comments on. It becomes a visual narrative and a common language, but also works like a psych test. A client will say, ‘I love that lamp!’ and I’ll think, ‘I was looking at the ceiling, but good to know.’”

On how much the design impacts a restaurant’s success.

“Honestly? About 10%. Think of your favorite places. The bartender is awesome; the host always finds you a great table; the shrimp is amazing. It’s usually not about the physical space—it’s about the culture, the team, the lighting, and the food. The team is really what makes or breaks it.”

On her toughest restaurant project.

“Jac’s on Bond was a challenge. It’s complicated when you have a beloved neighborhood establishment like The Smile, and [its owners], Matt [Kliegman] and Carlos [Quirarte], want to change it. I was designing it myself and thinking, ‘But where will I eat?!’ I lived on Bond Street for 25 years; I felt like I was ruining the block!

“I wanted [Jac’s] to be ‘90s downtown and not overdo it—to feel reminiscent of places like MercBar and Café Tabac, where their cool had less to do with the design than with the team, the vibe, and the curation of the crowd. Making a space desirable is very hard to do, and thank goodness the onus is not on me to do that. But I really wanted Jac’s to be desirable, and not just from an aesthetic standpoint.”

On the last-minute piece that changed everything.

“The design was basically done, and I thought, ‘We need a pool table.’ I knew they’d shoot it down, because a pool table means removing seats. I called Carlos first, since I go to him with the really whacked ideas, and Matt when it’s something practical. They said, ‘Great, do it.’ Anytime I’m there, it’s packed. Everyone’s playing pool and hanging out. It's like the old days when shit was just cool.”

On the best rooms she’s ever sat in (that she didn’t design).

“Everyone loves Raoul’s. It’s all vibe. It just never fucking gets old—and I don’t even eat meat. I went to a Khaite dinner there after their fashion show and was like, ‘The tarot card reader is still here!’ Shit does not change.”

“Indochine is another one. Again, it never gets old because of Jean-Marc [Houmard] and the team. My family and friends have a Christmas Eve tradition to have dinner there; there’s always about 15-20 of us, we dress over the top—I wore a gown last year—and the next day we go to Katz’s Deli.”

On the best seat in the house.

“The bar!”

On what hotels can learn from restaurants.

“The idea of special care, thoughtfulness—that there’s a person, place, and idea tied to it. It’s what André did really well. He showed up. He threw the party. They were his people. I just went to The Point on Saranac Lake in New York…a former Rockefeller estate. It was over-the-top hospitality in the most genuine way. The chef comes out and cooks for you, you dine with other people, anything/anywhere you need—and when I say anything/anywhere, I mean it—they’ll do it. It feels like you’re staying at someone’s home, much like Passalacqua on Lake Como. At the end of my visit, they gave me a picnic basket and said, ‘By the way, we topped off your tank so you don’t have to stop.’ I was like, Drop the mic!”

What’s next:

• The Nora Hotel, West Palm Beach, with Sean MacPherson and Richard Born. It’s more Bowery Hotel than The Breakers. “I remember putting on this silk black-and-white Khaite dress while there for dinner one night. I looked at John and said, ‘So what do you think? Don't I look super Palm Beach?’ He’s like, ‘No, baby, you look like you're from New York!’ [The property’s] a different vibe [than expected], but I think that's going to be really nice.”

• A new private club in New York. 👀

• A (hush-hush) restaurant project with Ignacio Mattos.

More we’re reading/buying/enjoying right now:

1. Joshua David Stein looked into America’s pizza renaissance for Food & Wine’s latest cover story. As much as we love new styles/trends, we’ll forever be Team Dollar Slice.

2. Erin’s thinking ahead to the cornbread she’ll be making for Thanksgiving and upgrading her cast iron skillet.

3. Film + food = YES. It’s Just Cinema shared its top five favorite movies about food. The list included Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels, which the British Film Institute voted the Greatest Film Ever Made in 2022.

4. A tale of steak frites and stolen $$$. Quel scandale!

5. (Friends supporting friends!) We’re getting a head start on the holidays with Christine’s first book, The Thought That Counts: A Guide to Gifting for Every Occasion.

6. John attended the NYCWFF and had fun (as usual) at Burger Bash (there’s a reason it’s one of the most popular and entertaining events of the week). Here’s what he had to say:

Last week at Pier 17, the Burger Bash crowned two winners. The crowd went for Nowon, Jae Lee’s Korean spot in the East Village, and the judges picked Gotham Burger Social Club. Two great burgers and well deserved.

This is the 19th edition of the festival’s signature showdown, and the list of past winners reads like a map of how New York has been eating burgers since 2008. Katie Lee Biegel (formerly Joel) took the first-ever one with a patty melt. Then came Mercer Street Hospitality; it was exciting that our “Bash Burger” won People’s Choice six times: Lure Fishbar in 2009 and B&B (RIP) in 2011-2014 and 2020. Bobby’s Burger Palace got one in between. Black Tap is the only other repeat winner with three straight (2015-2017), plus two Judges’ Choice trophies after that. Then came the beer halls, the butcher shops, and the smash burgers: Clinton Hall, Pig Beach, Mister Dips, Mel’s Butcher Box, Capon’s, El Sazon RD, and now Nowon. All of these are exceptional burgers and worth trying if you haven’t yet.

See you next week. — John

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Before we get into our list, John spoke to legendary longtime New York Times food writer + critic Florence Fabricant about her hotly anticipated memoir, which charts her 50+ years of eating at/reviewing the world’s best …

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Newsy Things This Week:

1. Justice for the dinner party! The Atlantic reports the number of adults who regularly have friends over has declined dramatically since 1975.

2. Legendary LA eatery Jon + Vinny’s is popping up at Babbo October 21 + 22, and there are still some lunch reservations (and one late-night dinner slot) available.

3. The Group Hospitality (the team behind Boucherie + Olio e Più) has purchased the West Village building that Sushisamba (RIP) once occupied.

4. La Boca by Francis Mallmann at the Faena earned the top spot for best use of lighting at the 2026 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards.

5. How are we feeling about dogs at restaurants?

What We’re Buying This Week:

1. Dom Pérignon x Damien Hirst introduced two limited-edition bottles — a Vintage 2018 and Rosé 2010 — with kaleidoscopic artwork labels.

2. Knife Fork Spoon: Modernist Cutlery 1900-2025 traces the history of iconic flatware by designers including Gio Ponti, Josef Hoffmann, and Carlo Scarpa.

3. D.S. & Durga’s new Ain’t That Sweet eau de parfum, AKA “a gourmand for people who don't wear gourmands.”(+ a playlist)

The scent comes with its own soundtrack, too ↓.

4. Ahead of its November launch, Misen’s stainless steel food storage (non-toxic + microwave-SAFE) is 15% off during pre-sale.

5. A wearable version of Robert Indiana’s 1962 art series Eat/Die.

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Those of us who either grew up close to food/cooks/beloved eating places, or came of age during a notable wave of arrivals—and departures—of many legendary New York establishments, spend a lot of time appreciating restaurants. As much as we love and are devoted to our own favorite places, I suspect that connection is very different for the special people who take on the immense responsibility, risk, and uncertainty of opening their own place—especially in this city.

With Danny Meyer’s new memoir, What Could Possibly Go Right?: The Essential Journey to Scale an Enduring Culture, hitting shelves recently, it’s hard not to be in awe of anyone who’s devoted their career to making life-affirming and delicious memories for the world at large—day after day, year after year…decade after decade.

I first met John McDonald back when I was an editor at Gourmet magazine. It was the mid-’90s, and I was heading to Phoenix to research restaurants and other good food places for an upcoming story. I’d heard he was the proprietor of the “coolest” bar in town. We remained in touch, and about a year later, I fatefully joined JM on a magazine journey that changed both of our lives.

Since then, JM and any one of his spots from his clutch of establishments have impacted so many other people, too. But it’s not easy (it never is). This summer, he and his team at Lure Fishbar, his longest-running restaurant in SoHo, confirmed it was here to stay after rumors it was in danger of closing. And in August, they endured a cataclysmic flood. When Lure reopened after some extensive repairs just a week later, the crowded tables and magic were restored. The wheels kept turning.

If you’ve lived in New York City long enough, you know that level of endurance is hard-won. It requires the kind of faith and tenacity most of us have only read about in books or seen on screens. It seems unreal that they make all these memories happen meal after meal, but it isn’t. There is a small society of restaurant owners, proprietors, and visionaries who believe that a truly great dining experience has the ability to change someone’s life. And if it doesn’t change their life, it will at least change their mood.

And so, one day not long ago when we were having an OTH meet-up, I asked John if he wouldn’t mind making a list of some of the most notable or memorable things he’s learned running and growing and closing restaurants over the past 30 years. Or, more specifically, what he’s learned about how to take care of people in a shared space, when that’s exactly what they came for. His response was this (very JM, if you know him): “You can ask me questions, and I’ll answer them. Will that work?”

Yes, it does.

1. What were you most afraid of in the beginning? And what, if anything, scares you now?

“In my early days, I wasn’t scared of much. That comes with being young and naive, but it was also a different time: the ways people judged your work were slower and less aggressive. These days, you have to have thick skin and be much more resilient to the constant feedback and occasional attacks. But, over time I’ve learned that these waves of micro-critics are nothing to be afraid of. If anything scares me now, it’s wasting time. I always have a sense of urgency to get things done. ASAP.”

2. When did you know you wanted to do what you do?

“When I first moved to New York City to finish college, I was socially around a group of downtown/creative/business guys: André Balazs, Campion Platt, Serge Becker, Eric Goode. They were creating, designing and owning their own projects, and I can remember how appealing it seemed to have some firsthand involvement in building these types of projects. They were integral to how and why I even thought opening MercBar was possible.”

3. Have any of your endeavors failed? If so, what did it teach you?

“Sometimes what you think will be (or is) a huge success gets derailed by factors you just can never see coming. Josh Pickard and I created Lever House, which had a world-class team, a historic building, earned a Michelin star, and was a huge critical hit. Then the 2008 financial crisis hit and decimated the business. That was a lesson in how to be prepared for anything—and move on without wallowing in it.

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This week, we’re rounding up some of the best/coolest/rarest NYC restaurant merch, which has become such an iconic part…

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Today, we’re excited to share our first-ever seasonal restaurant preview. What began as a scratch list of the new dining destinations we’re most looking forward to quickly blossomed into this: a highly curated guide to what feels like one of the most thrilling moments of food (and where to have it!) we’ve seen in a while.

This fall, everything seems to be happening everywhere/all at once — case in point: Five of our featured spots open over the next week alone. What’s most exciting about this crop of newcomers — places, not people, as some of those featured here are from the NYC food scene’s biggest ⭐s — is how much they reflect the talent behind them. Each chef and restaurateur we spoke with is offering diners an extension of themselves, ie: an intentional and very personal perspective on their type of food, drinks, interiors, and the kind of energy and ambience that puts craft over trends. But first…

✨ Got a GREAT On the House-style scoop to share? Email us directly at info@oth.media. Potential brand partners, that means YOU, TOO. ✨

Newsy Things This Week:

• Air Mail spoke to The Women Who Run The West Village, ie: Via Carota’s Jody Williams and Rita Sodi.

• Restaurateur Jeremy King makes a cameo in the short film for Emilia Wickstead’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection, shown at London Fashion Week.

• According to Ian Schrager, “the traditional notion of luxury is old-fashioned and outdated…”

• Bar Leone (Hong Kong) isn’t thrilled with the new Bar Leone (no relation) that just opened in SoHo.

• Mill’s third-annual Make Food Not Waste Restaurant Week is bringing together NYC spots like Somssi, Corima, Raf’s, + more from September 28 – October 4 to share their approach to sustainable cooking.

  ***GIVEAWAY ALERT: Our friends at Mill are offering ONE OTH reader a $200 certificate to Chambers in Tribeca (#29 on The New York Times’ list of The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City) to be used during Mill's Make Food Not Waste Restaurant Week. For the event, Chambers will be showcasing specialties like carrots sourced from Norwich Meadows Farm in Upstate New York, served with yogurt and topped with carrot-top pesto. Comment below to enter + we’ll randomly select a winner on Friday 9/25.

What We’re Buying This Week:

1. Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s latest cookbook, All Hours, is filled with recipes for “early mornings, late nights, and everything in-between.”

2. Made In relaunched its collab with Tom Colicchio, and it includes a carbon steel frying pan that recalls one he bought at Zabar’s in the ‘80s.

3. Is it too early to start our holiday shopping? Nope! This week, Fishwife introduced two fun collabs: a starter pack in a special/collectible tin with illustrations by artist Claire Dufournier (left) and reusable eye masks in partnership with Dieux (right).

4. J.W. Anderson x Wedgwood’s ribbed mugs (inspired by a 5th-century Greek design from Jonathan Anderson’s personal ceramics collection) now come in varying shades of blue.

5. Flamingo Estate is hosting its Great Estate Sale Showcase, where pantry + home items are on sale, and one-of-a-kind vintage pieces from their archive are up for grabs.

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New York’s fine dining scene is loosening up. Some very shiny names are opening laid-back taverns and bistros, all-day cafes, and local-feeling bars. We’re being reminded of what fun + unpretentious can look like (again!) while mercifully cooling it on the all-scene/no-substance spots that make booking a table an actual nightmare. Even the Daniels (Humm and Boulud) are dressing things down with more relaxed operations, giving some heft to the idea that the best new food in this town is anything but formal.

And that’s good news for NYC diners, too. Chefs and restaurateurs are democratizing the steakhouse, buoying up Brooklyn, and, YES, wanting people to eat food with their fingers! Kitsch is making a comeback via high-tech karaoke, live-fire cooking, dance floors (!!), and niche soft serve flavors (tomato + olive oil anyone?).

The restaurant openings we’re most excited about this fall — from a Cambodian beach house in Red Hook to a British import that SoHo’s been counting down for — are bringing us all the good stuff we want and need for making dinner out something that’s truly special…and above all, very New York.

1. 148 Noble Street

Opening September 24
148 Noble Street, Greenpoint
Reservations

Chef Gabriel Borges (Chez Ma Tante alum) takes over The Noble’s former space with seafood-forward small plates and an affordable wine list.

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In figuring out w…

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Second, for this dispatch, we’re hitting rewind to learn what happens BEFORE the table …

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That’s what we asked some of the owners behind New York’s coolest counter spots. “I think we’re experiencing a renaissance of sandwich pleasure,” is how Dria Atencio, the owner of Salty Lunch Lady’s Little Luncheonette in Ridgewood, answered. “We have finally remembered how great they can be—and we are al…

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A few weeks ago, one of our readers emailed us in response to this Real Simple piece w…

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