How to Throw a Party for the Best New Restaurants in America (Yes, There Is Food)
Last night, we threw a party. A big party. The reason? To celebrate the chefs and restaurants of this year's Best New Restaurants in America. Over 250 of our closest friends gathered at Gotham West Market, where the Hot 10 chefs took over the market's stands and recreated their restaurants' best dishes. Here's a look at how it all went down—plus, a glimpse into how the chefs keep their cool on such a hot night.
Leandro Justen/BFANYC.com1/16First up, you've got to secure a great location. With a huge floorspace and existing kitchens for the chefs to cook, NYC's Gotham West Market fit the bill.
Leandro Justen/BFANYC.com2/16You're also going to need drinks. Lots of drinks. Key move: Multiple bars, so there's no bottleneck as people wait for their cocktails.
Leandro Justen/BFANYC.com3/16Hey, look: The (Hot 10) gang's all here! From left: Micah Wexler, Tomas Martinez, Paul Qui, Thai Changthong, Quealy Watson, Zoi Antonitsas, Chris Gould, Aaron Silverman, Alex Bois, Kristen Murray, Ignacio Mattos, Josh Even.
Leandro Justen/BFANYC.com4/16Bon Appétit publisher Pamela Drucker Mann, restaurant and drinks editor (and Hot 10 decider!) Andrew Knowlton, and editor in chief Adam Rapoport mug with chef Aaron Silverman, owner of Rose's Luxury—the no. 1 Best New Restaurant in America.
Leandro Justen/BFANYC.com5/16How did chef Ignacio Mattos of Estela choose what to serve to guests? Give the people what they want: "Everyone at Bon Appétit told us we had to make tartare!" It's true: We love the dude's beef tartare with sunchokes. LOVE.
Alex Lau6/16This year's Hot 10 list features a wide variety of restaurants—from a food truck to a bakery, there was a little something for everyone.
Alex Lau7/16Ellen Yin, co-owner of High Street on Market, had a solid game plan for making sure the night ran smoothly: Not only did she and her cooks bake custom loaves of their roasted potato bread in thinner shapes for the party's grilled cheese sandwiches, they pre-sliced and pre-toasted the bread, and even garnished each plate with a pickled hot pepper. When the crowds rolled in, High Street on Market was all ready, aim, fire.
Leandro Justen/BFANYC.com8/16There's that grilled cheese, folks. With cultured butter and Pennsylvania Noble cheese.
Alex Lau9/16Tomas Martinez, from Tacos Tumbras a Tomas at Grand Central Market, wasn't too worried about the night's challenges. "I face challenges every day," he said, adding that the only change he made to the signature carne asada taco was to shrink it in size. Did that make it easier to execute? "No," he said, laughing. "But it does let us make more!"
Alex Lau10/16Rose's Luxury chef Aaron Silverman was busy plating all night: pork sausage, habanero, and lychee bites (a riff on this dish, featured in the magazine and on his menu). He almost didn't make it to the event—he was worried about closing up shop in D.C. for a night and disappointing customers.
Alex Lau11/16Kristen Murray of Måurice had a strategy for serving a memorable dish: "We wanted to serve something light, something that would brighten people's palates in the midst of all this food." The solution? Lemon soufflé cake with sugared huckleberries. "My grandmother used to sugar huckleberries for the holidays," she says. "This felt like a special enough occasion to do the same."
Alex Lau12/16Quealy Johnson of Hot Joy flew in from Texas the morning of the party. "I had to keep things simple," he said about his smashed cucumber salad. "When you cook like that, having the right ingredients matter." He double-checked to make sure his go-to brand of lime pickle would be available. "It sounds small, but it's a really important part of the dish."
Leandro Justen/BFANYC.com13/16Central Provisions' husband-and-wife team Chris and Paige Gould worked together to come up with their dish: red snapper ceviche with lime, cucumber, and Thai peri peri. "We balance each other out," Paige said. "When one of us is having a breakdown, the other is usually okay." Any breakdowns the night of the Hot 10 Party? "Nope!" they both said as they sipped Champagne.
Leandro Justen/BFANYC.com14/16Tosca Café served a soft-boiled egg tonnato with anchovies. Co-owner April Bloomfield didn't have to think too hard about what dish to serve; everything on the menu would have worked. "The really important thing," she explained, "is to only do food that inspires you and speaks to you. If you're excited about what you're cooking, it'll seem easier."
Leandro Justen/BFANYC.com15/16Zoi Antonistas, co-owner of Westward, kept things super simple with octopus and tzatziki sauce. "We created something original but stayed true to the Greek flavors of our restaurant."
Leandro Justen/BFANYC.com16/16Oh—one last thing. Make sure to stack the deck with plenty of good reading material.
