Chef Jonathan Benno is batting 3-for-3 at the Evelyn Hotel in NoMad.
Benno launched Leonelli Taberna, an 1800-square-foot casual Roman-inspired trattoria in Nomad, over the summer. The eatery offers rustic dishes like arancini — fried Arborio rice croquettes; burrata with walnut pesto; house-made salumi; and pasta such as gnoccho alla Romana, and ravioli cacio e pepe.
Adjacent to the trattoria is Leonelli Focacceria e Pasticceria, a 1200-square-foot bakery and cafe that opened in July and serves house-baked cookies and Italian pastries like sfogliatelle, along with breads like focaccia and a drip coffee blend created in partnership with La Colombe. The cafe has 24 seats in a mezzanine area, plus a space that holds 12 people for private events.
Now Benno is set to launch his eponymously named fine dining Mediterranean-style restaurant next month, focusing on the foods of Liguria and Provence — that delightful region where France and Italy meet.
“Five years ago I saw a unique opportunity to do everything I’ve ever done in my career in one space in this beautiful landmarked building — a pastry shop, a casual Italian trattoria, and a fine-dining french Mediterranean restaurant. Each space is very different, but they are all tied together by the beautiful design by Parts and Labor Design,” Benno tells Side Dish.
Benno — once dubbed a “criminally under-appreciated” chef by the late food writer Josh Ozersky — formerly helmed the kitchen at Lincoln, where he was known for his first-rate cuisine, for six years before leaving in 2017. He also worked as chef de cuisine at Per Se.
His new restaurant, Benno, will be 2,500 square feet — with 45 seats and an additional ten seats at the bar.
This Sunday, Leonelli Taberna is also launching Sunday Suppers that will feature hearty dishes like Ragù Napoletana filled with meatballs, pork spare ribs, short ribs, and hot Italian sausage, cooked in a homemade marinara sauce, and served with bowls of house-made rigatoni. The restaurants holds 45 seats in the dining room, 20 seats at the bar, another 10 at high tables in the bar area, and 25 seats in the lounge.
The Evelyn, at 7 East 27th Street, is a 160-key hotel in a building that dates to 1903. It was formerly known as the Gershwin, before it was rebranded by Triumph Hotels in 2015.
