Acadia opens in Midtown

A big beautiful Levantine Brasserie steps from Carnegie Hall.

Friends,

I’m very excited about Acadia, the beautiful new Mediterranean Brasserie from Chef/Partner Ari Bokovza (Dagon) and Simon Oren of the Chef Driven Hospitality restaurant group ( Barbounia, Monterey, Marseille, Nice Matin, and Dagon) opening Wednesday December 13th in midtown.

Acadia takes its name from the Acadian Empire, an ancient culture in Mesopotamia, and the French word Acadia which means “place of plenty.” The concept is Bokovza’s take on a modern day take on an open-air market. Under a dramatic arched Alder wood ceiling, you’ll find a central exhibition kitchen, a sleek brass rotisserie for seasonal vegetables, and a traditional Taboon where breads, meat and fish are baked and roasted. 

I love Bokovza’s food at Dagon and his menu for Acadia sounds equally exciting to me; it includes small plates like Chicken Liver Mousse, Matbucha, Hummus with Braised Leeks, Eggplant Carpaccio with Tuna Bresaola; Cigarillos with Tahina and Amba (yum!); and Sweetbreads Schnitzel Nuggets with Pistachio and Truffle Aioli. Like you find at Tel Aviv restaurants like Habasta, Acadia is doing a seasonal selection of rotisserie veggies —right now Bokovza is doing Beets, Cauliflower, and Koginut Squash.

There’s also an unusual casserole-style pasta called Kaltzonehs—baked lemon and ricotta filled agnolotti in a nutmeg spiked bechamel covered with bubbling kashkaval cheese; as well as more classic options like Squid Ink Tagliatelle, and Octopus Bolognese. Entrees include Black Bass Tagine, Short Rib Wellington Boreka, Duck & Merguez Cassoulet, and Sasso Chicken. 

Lamb, Steak Frites and the Kaltzonehs Pasta

At the 14-seat bar you’ll find cocktails by beverage director Aviram Turgeman who has created his own twist on the espresso martini, this one made with cardamom-infused vanilla vodka, tiger stripe espresso, lucano caffé, hazelnut, and Turkish delight essence. His Sabra Margarita is my kind of drink: a mix of Tanteo Chipotle Tequila, 400 Conejos Mezcal, cactus pear, and lime, served with  zaatar salted rim on the rocks.

Also of note if you need a venue for a dinner party over the holidays, Acadia has three private rooms seating 20 each which can be joined together for larger groups.

Acadia is located at 101 West 57th Street. Corner of 6th Avenue. Reservations can be made on OpenTable.Dinner service Sunday-Thursday, 5pm-10pm, and Friday-Saturday until 10:30pm. Breakfast and lunch will be added in early 2024.