From then moment you walk through the wood style doors on 38th street and 9th avenue you’re immediately transported to your favorite Hamptons style eatery; bringing in all occasions such as date nights, business meeting and old friends catching up on their lives while enjoying a cocktail at The Restaurants stylish bar.
Designer and owner Joseph Ienuso goal was to create a space that contrasts the hustle and bustle of midtown New York City. It all began with the as Joseph Ienuso describes rope and a few Boy Scouts skills.
“Your eyes follow lines. When I first walked in I noticed the space is narrow and ceiling aren’t that high, so I immediately thought of rope. I didn’t know I was gonna go this crazy *he laughs. The rope is 6,000 ft which is equal to about 2 miles. The details go from the floor to the ceiling, I wanted people to come in here and feel like they’re leaving the chaos of honking traffic to like a nice relaxing feeling.”
Opening its doors the first time only weeks before the covid lockdown back in 2020. Joey describes that time as a huge struggle for the restaurant business as a whole, especially one just starting out. Event through that obstacle Ienuso was the first to open, using his location to provide aid and a flavorful escape for the men and women battle the covid crisis in the Jacob Javits center.
“We didn’t know the Javtis center would turn into the largest hospital in New York City five weeks after opening. We were the first to reopen in the neighborhood and I wanted to reopen to help out the people working out of the Javits Center. There was the national guard there and no food open besides on Taco Bell and a McDonalds, this was 2020 May. That was the reopening, it was me and chef with a limited menu. And the rules were changing. It was you could stay out til midnight than ten pm, then no one at the bar. So I could show you some funky pictures where I said its really sad to come into a bar and no one is there, so I put stuffed animals at the bar.”
As New York began to reopen the Hell’s Kitchen gem began to shine again catching the attention of New York culture, packing its seats from front to back. Even the stuff animals have to make reservation. What brings these costumers back? Well if the enchanting decor doesn’t keep you in your seat, the extraordinary flavor and aroma coming from the kitchen will make The Restaurant a fan favorite with a signature menu.
“Three things go into a menu. One is chef specialty, you always wanna highlight what your chef can do. So we have out Octopus dishes with out different curries, our wild chicken and our salmon really highlights chefs abilities to utilize the products and spices and flavor profile.
Second thing that goes into the menu is you gotta read your neighborhood, you gotta see who’s walking through your door.
And the third thing is multiple menus. We have a lunch menu, brunch menu and we are actually thinking of creating a late night menu to stay open to 2am”. As we walking through The Restaurant and sample its incredible cuisine you can catch a glimpse of Joseph Ienuso’s proud smile as he reflects on his passion ands creation come to life. The restaurant filled with costumers enjoy each and every moment from the spice of the curry sauce layering the Salmon to the tender octopus topped over the flavorful rice plated ever so elegantly. So for your next dinning experience check out The Restaurant, New York City’s newest hidden gem.