snackwire: blt market opens thursday
Laurent Tournondel's long awaited BLT Market opens Thursday in the Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South. Note it is dinner only with a 10% discount (indicating preview versus full opening) until September 10. Full press release after the jump.
Laurent Tourondel opens BLT Market at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park
New York, NY – August 13, 2007 – Acclaimed chef and restaurateur Laurent Tourondel opens BLT Market (1430 Avenue of the Americas at Central Park South, 212-521-6125) in The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park on Thursday, August 16. BLT Market opens its doors for dinner only, serving a preview menu at a discount of 10% on food. The restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner at regular menu prices beginning September 10.
BLT Market focuses on fresh, seasonal ingredients available in farmers’ markets, paying particular attention to unusual, wild and locally grown items. The menu rotates monthly, and blackboard specials are updated weekly with first-of-the-season produce. Impeccably fresh produce is served only at its peak; seasonal fish, meat and cheese are sourced from local producers.
Opening selections will include appetizers such as Big Eye Tuna with tonnato sauce, avocado and fresh hearts of palm; Arugula and Dandelion Salad with artichoke, yellow wax beans and summer truffle; and Half-Cooked Tomato Soup with fried green tomatillo and spicy aioli; and main courses like Stuffed Amish Chicken Provencal with grilled tomato, shoe string potato and jus and Pan-seared Striped Bass with cranberry bean caponata and fennel confit. The menu also will include a column listing monthly peak produce.
Designed by Michael Bagley (BLT Steak, BLT Fish and BLT Prime), BLT Market features a palette in shades of coffee and cream. To enliven this subtle canvas, Tourondel commissioned artist Marilyn Sommer to create a series of vibrant paintings depicting fruit and vegetables. Portraits of BLT Market’s purveyors captured by photographer Quentin Bacon are displayed throughout the restaurant. Other design accents include fluted walls, reclaimed wood furniture and wooden cupboards filled with artisanal products.
Dinner served daily, 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm. BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 10: Lunch served Monday - Saturday, 11:30 am - 2:00 pm. Breakfast served daily, 7:00 am - 11:00 am. Brunch served Sunday, 11:30 am - 2:00 pm. For reservations, please call 212-521-6125. Visit www.bltmarket.com
ABOUT LAURENT TOURONDEL
Acclaimed by Food & Wine magazine as a Best New Chef in 1997 and honored with an
array of “Best of…” awards from publications such as Esquire magazine, Travel & Leisure, Saveur and Bon Appétit,
Tourondel has changed the approach of fine dining by creating accessible menus
prepared with the finest ingredients and presented in a casual, comfortable
dining room. By adhering to his belief that ingredients should be stellar, food
simply prepared and service kind and efficient, BLT restaurants have become
household names.
With the passion and skill of a French-trained chef and the sensibility and style of a metropolitan restaurateur, Laurent Tourondel has successfully infiltrated the rarified world of New York restaurants and the national dining landscape, much to the delight of critics and diners alike.
ABOUT BLT RESTAURANT GROUP
BLT Restaurant Group is owned by Jimmy Haber, Laurent Tourondel and Keith Treyball, and
comprised of BLT Steak in New York City (2004), Washington, DC (2006) and San
Juan, Puerto Rico (2006); BLT Fish (2005), BLT Prime (2005), BLT Burger (2006)
and BLT Market (2007) in New York City. Additional locations of BLT Steak are
scheduled to open in Los Angeles, White Plains, Dallas and Miami later this
year.
ABOUT THE RITZ-CARLTON NEW YORK, CENTRAL
PARK
Within walking distance of Fifth Avenue’s finest shops,
boutiques and cultural attractions, the 259-room Mobile Five-Star and AAA Five
Diamond Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park offers traditional luxury; the first
stateside La Prairie at The Ritz-Carlton Spa; a well-equipped fitness center
with personal trainers available; a multi-million dollar art collection;
afternoon high tea; and the wit and charm of famed bartender Norman.
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This is a classic New York tourist trap. Food is good but the service is lousy and rude. They charge 20% gratuity during special days like Valentine. This is unheard of in NEW York expecially for small parties.
Posted by: MB | February 15, 2008 at 10:58 AM