Marc 179
Marc Murphy is best known these days as a long-running judge on Chopped and frequent cohort of Guy Fieri on The Food Network. As we noted late last year, Murphy is also co-founder of an Italian extra virgin olive oil company, Umbrian Gold. Now, Murphy is dusting off the old chef’s whites for a new three-nights-a-month sort of pop-up restaurant, Marc 179, in the Tribeca space that housed one of his former restaurants, Landmarc, which closed in 2017. (He has since used it as an event space and catering kitchen and will continue to do so.)
Marc 179, named for the address at 179 West Broadway, opens this Thursday, March 7, with service through Saturday, March 9. The menu is prix-fixe, $75 for four courses. The menu will change each month and draw on Murphy’s Italian and French kitchen experience. This week, it starts with arugula salad and pan-fried artichoke in a sweet garlic vinaigrette, then moves on to cacio e pepe, roast chicken breast with mushrooms, and a chocolate mousse with bourbon whipped cream.
When Murphy had several thriving restaurants in Manhattan, he liked to emphasize half-bottles of wine that allowed diners to experience top vintages at more affordable prices. Marc 179 will similarly offer half bottles, as well as reasonably priced full bottles, with Italian and other Old World wines as well as New World options.
For more information and reservations for this week’s launch or for the next available dates, April 11-13, visit the Marc 179 page on Murphy’s website.
TUCCI - New York
Billed as “NoHo’s Newest Fine-Dining Italian Restaurant,” TUCCI - New York opens March 15 from the Delmonico’s Restaurant Group Hospitality team. The name pays homage to partner Max Tucci’s family and to his father Mario, whose love of Italian food and spirits is represented in a menu packed with favorites from shareable appetizers (focaccia, meatballs, baked clams) to pastas, seafood, steaks, chops, and a chicken parm.
TUCCI - New York’s kitchen will be headed up by Edward Hong, now Corporate Executive Chef of DRG Hospitality. He’ll continue to oversee Delmonico’s, the iconic steakhouse and restaurant operated by Max Tucci’s grandparents and parents from the 1920s to the 1990s. The original location closed during the pandemic but reopened to rave reviews last year with Tucci joining DRG partners Dennis Turcinovic and Joseph Licul.
Tucci is also author of The Delmonico Way, and has contributed stories about his family and favorite recipes to Appetito.
TUCCI - New York will be open for dinner daily at 643 Broadway in Manhattan. For more information and reservations visit tuccinyc.com and follow @tuccinyc on Instagram.
Savta
Restaurateur and baker Vincent Benoliel has just opened a new “California-inspired” restaurant, Savta, at 259 Bleecker Street, in the space that once housed longtime Italian bakery Zito and Sons (though that closed in 2004). Benoliel, who splits his time between New York and Los Angeles, opened the new restaurant in honor of his grandmother—Savta means grandmother in Hebrew—who owned two restaurants in his native France. The menu suggests California as well as French, Italian, and other Mediterranean influences.
Benoliel discussed his colorful career with Appetito late last year, when he opened the first NYC location of his restaurant Pasta Corner, which originated in Los Angeles’ Original Farmers Market. He and his Pasta Corner partner, French pop star M Pokora, also have a location in Paris. For Savta, Benoliel is going solo in a classic West Village space, with a menu that looks to be a crowd-pleaser, covering raw bar items to creative salads, house-made breads and desserts, pastas, continental mains, and pizzas.
The pizzas appear on the dinner and weekend brunch menu, but will take center stage as a late-night weekend menu, available with cocktails and drinks from 11pm-1am on Fridays, and 11pm-2am on Saturdays.
More information and reservations are available at savtanyc.com and check for updates on @savtanyc.
Other NYC Restaurant News
West Village mega-hit Don Angie is getting ready to open its first offshoot, San Sabino, from Chefs Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli with Quality Branded. It’s slated to debut at 113 Greenwich St. in mid-March. Follow @sansabinonyc or visit sansabinonyc.com for updates. >>> Florence sandwich shop All'Antico Vinaio continues its Manhattan expansion. A fourth location of the popular chain, where lines stretch down the street during lunch hours, opened this week at 89 7th Ave. South. Backed by Joe Bastianich and headed by sandwich maestro and entrepreneur Tommaso Mazzanti, who was on hand to christen the new location, All’Antico Vinaio also has shops in Florence and Milan and reportedly will open more in New York City soon. Follow @allanticovinaio and check allanticovinaionyc.com for more information.
