The Standard Grill has been a blend of steakhouse and New American cuisine since its opening in 2009 in the Meatpacking District. Its impact on the New York City food scene has been rooted in a self-described “rebellious streak.” The streak seemingly continues with the restaurant’s foray into Italian food via its collaboration with the Italian sauce brand Sauz.
“Sauz has a reputation of transforming a pantry staple into something nontraditional yet bold and oh-so-delicious,” said Emily Sussette, marketing and culture manager at The Standard, High Line. The Standard Grill itself has a bold design, combining an old-school, mellow vibe inside (red booths and checkered flooring) with a more modern, elegant outdoor dining setup.
After launching in 2023, Sauz launched into virality this year, followed by a slew of brand collaborations intended to get more of the pasta sauce into customers’ hands. The brand’s most recent collaboration with The Standard Grill hopes to get Sauz onto the plates of more patrons in the month of August.
“The idea behind the Sauz x The Standard Grill collaboration was to take something cult-loved, ‘in,’ and making waves and bring it tableside,” said Sussette.
Piloted by Chefs Angela Bazan and Frederick Aquino, Sauz and The Standard Grill’s limited-edition menu is small but mighty, with just nine total options across starters, entrees, and drinks but a variety of Sauz’s jarred sauces in use. The one-pounder meatball, for example, uses the Miso Garlic Sauz, where the Fried Mozzarella uses the Hot Honey Sauz and the Calamari Fritti utilizes the Summer Lemon Sauz. With just the three starters, you’re introduced to the flavor palettes of three out of the company’s seven available sauce flavors.
The menu stays true to Italian cuisine classics like spicy rigatoni (made with Sauz’s Creamy Calabrian Vodka sauce) and chicken parmigiana (made with the Cracked Pepper Parm Sauz), but veers into brand-new territory with the beverages. The three specialty cocktails are innovative takes on traditional drinks.
Mimicking the flavors of the Hot Honey Sauz, the margarita of the same name utilizes reposado tequila and chili peppers to bring forth that smooth, subtle smoky flavor. Basil liqueur is an ingredient in the Tomato Basil Martini, which is garnished smartly with a small tomato (where you’d usually see an olive or a lemon peel). Rosemary is infused into the ingredients of the Wild Rosemary Negroni, bringing out the same flavors you might get from Sauz’s Wild Rosemary Marinara sauce.
Available only in the month of August, this limited-time menu is thought to be a “summer fling” by the team behind it, highlighting both The Standard Grill and Sauz as being culinary innovators.
“Both The Standard and Sauz share an air of not taking ourselves too seriously, while also caring deeply about the details,” said Sussette. “We’re both know for taking the familiar and flipping it on its head.”
The familiar is where the root of this menu stems from, according to Chef Angela Bazan at The Standard, High Line. Having grown up in Queens in an Italian American household, Chef Angela is bringing her family’s cooking to The Standard’s diners.
Meatballs were Chef Angela’s mother’s central Sunday dinner dish, and that Miso Garlic sauce is used to elevate the homey, cheese-filled meatball to a restaurant-level meal. The mozzarella wedges slathered in the Hot Honey sauce bring Chef Angela’s own nostalgia back into her kitchen—because everyone loves a cheese pull.
Chef Angela’s philosophy that “every meal should blow your taste buds away” holds true in each dish’s ability to balance sauce and texture. The mozzarella wedges, meatball, chicken parmigiana, and pinwheel lasagna all come covered in Sauz’s product, yet none of the dishes have an element that is soggy or unpleasant to eat. The flavors in this partnership work together, and, moreover, Chefs Angela and Frederick make it a point to balance texture and flavor.
The buzzing online presence of Sauz is sure to get patrons old and new in the door at The Standard Grill, and the team is selling jars of Sauz onsite at The Shop at The Standard to capitalize on the brand’s popularity. Launched by two childhood best friends, the team behind Sauz aims to show that jarred sauces don’t have to make for boring pasta dishes; The Standard Grill’s chefs are working to prove that philosophy right.
The Standard Grill x Sauz menu will be available through August 31, 2025. Reservations can be made via Resy.
