Where to eat and drink this weekend.
Sempre Oggi, Bitter Monk, and a Majordōmo Pop Up.
Hello Strong Buzz readers!
I’ve made this week’s Weekend Buzz free to everyone because I missed last week’s. Sadly, I was up at the Animal Medical Center with Penny, my sweet cat, who never made it home. More on losing my Penny at another time, but let’s just say I’ve been a little down and just having a hard time getting things done (like writing). So thanks for bearing with me.
Anyway, we must seize the day as they say (or is it sleep all day?). In any event, onward to the Weekend Buzz, which has three amazing ways to eat and drink this weekend!
Sempre Oggi
The first place to put on your list for weekend plans is Sempre Oggi, a new ingredient-driven restaurant from Robert Guarino, partner in Marseille, Nizza, and Five Napkin Burger, and Barbuto veteran, chef Phillip Bassone. It’s located in the charming space that was Tom Valenti’s ‘Cesca on the Upper West Side, so it is bringing that culinary dessert a little sunshine.
Sempre Oggi translates to “always today,” a phrase that emphasizes the importance of making the most of every day. “I think all of us realize that eating with family and friends is special,” Guarino told me. “All we have is today and we should treasure these moments to sit with people you love and eat beautiful food. We are creating cuisine to celebrate the day.”
For Sempre, Bassone is leaning into concepts like San Francisco’s Zuni Cafe and Four Street in Portland Maine, restaurants that are integral to the community and neighborhood. The menu will feature a “less is more” sensibility, with purity and simplicity as hallmarks; it will change often, vegetables will take center stage, and pastas will be made fresh daily.
“We want everyone who lives on the UWS who loves the Farmers Market to come in and to see the beautiful things in the market and be excited to know that they can get them at Sempre,” said Bassone. Think dishes like sweet and sour rabbit; porchetta with kumquats, cipollinis, frilly mustard greens and pork jus; oven roasted halibut with lobster mushrooms and salsa di aragosta; and grilled Heritage chicken with salsa verde, and lemon (hat tip to JW). The pastas are all made in-house, as are the breads, most notably their housemade focaccia – a recipe donated by Chef Philip’s husband and dubbed “Patrick’s Focaccia.”
Sempre was designed by Eamon Roche of Roche Modern with an open kitchen, a 15-seat bar room with handmade ceramic tiles, and a 150-seat dining room that feels like the home of an impossibly chic Milanese friend. Oh la la!
Sempre Oggi is located at 164 West 75th Street. Tell Robert I say hi if you go in for dinner!
Bitter Monk Opens Tonight
Ektoras Binikos and Simon Jutras, the co-founders/partners behind Sugar Monk, the critically acclaimed cocktail bar in Harlem, are opening their second cocktail bar (Bitter Monk) and a distillery (Atheras Spirits) in Brooklyn's Industry City tonight.
Bitter Monk features stunning spirit-forward cocktails that highlight brands made in New York State, in addition to Binikos’ house-made amari, herbal liqueurs and bitters. Signature cocktails include the Marie Laveua made from Widow Jane 10 Year Bourbon, Palatine Amaro, Green and Black Cardamom, Fliskouni, Hoja Santa, and Palo Santo Smoke; and Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, a mix of Svol Aquavit, Faccia Brutto Centerbe, Tamarind, Yuzu, Lime, and Patchouli. There’s also a tidy food menu of small bites like hummus, empanadas, cheeses, and dumplings made by other culinary artisans and producers in Industry City.
The space is stunning and cozy — an 18-seat room wrapped in green walls with a dark midnight blue ceiling above. You’ll find soft modern industrial leather chairs, low marble tables and anchored by a mosaic of 48 north-facing colored glass window panes spanning the wall behind the bar. Quite dramatic.
Binikos and Jutras will also open Atheras Spirits, their micro-distillery nextdoor, where they will begin producing their own amari, herbal liqueurs and bitters with the goal of distribution.
“My approach to cocktails has always been to liken them to works of art, imbued with the power to evoke an emotional response and take guests on a journey,” explains Binikos. “I approach the crafting of my amari, liqueurs and bitters in the same way and am thrilled to have a new home and production space to further experiment with intriguing flavors. We aspire to have our guests taste our products both by themselves as well as in cocktails while we share with them the process involved in their production.”
Bitter Monk opens tonight in Industry City, 68 34th Street, Building 6, 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11232), Bitter Monk is now open Thursday-Sunday, 3pm-10pm. Call 646-257-1011 and follow @bittermonkbrooklyn on Instagram.
Majordōmo Pops up in NYC
Also, Majordōmo – the acclaimed Momofuku restaurant in LA, is coming to New York for three weeks only, popping up over the next few weeks with a special collaborative items at each Momofuku restaurant in the city.
Majordomo x Noodle Bar (East Village & Uptown): March 21 - March 31.
At Noodle Bar, the two teams have collaborated to offer a Smoked Prime Rib Bun with au jus and horseradish cream. Available for dinner downtown and lunch uptown, the dish includes two buns for $26.
Majordomo x Bāng Bar: March 27th - April 10
Both teams have collaborated on an exclusive dish of Ginger Soy Marinated Roasted Beef Spit with kimchi vinaigrette, pickled onion and jalapeno, cabbage, and sesame seeds. The special beef can be tucked into a signature U Wrap or Fold Up. Yum.