the buzz

“Willow Road Opening in Chelsea”

Will Malnati (Abe & Arthur’s and Catch, Tenjune, SL, and Catch Roof) and Doug Jacob (CEO of JWALK and a former investor and operator at Tenjune) will open Willow Road, a gastrobar in Chelsea on December 6th. The team at Willow Road also includes: Executive Chef Todd Macdonald (formerly Executive Chef of Cru and Sous Chef at Clio in Boston); General Manager Jordan Lari (The National Bar & Dining Rooms and The Lambs Club); and Mixologist Greg Seider (Summit Bar, Minetta Tavern, Le Bernardin, Hudson Lounge, Lot 61, Asia de Cuba, and Mercer Kitchen). Recent Top Chef contestant Grayson Schmitz, will be serving as Chef de Cuisine.

The restaurant’s menu will include rustic, flavorful and seasonal small plates and larger dishes, designed to be shared. Highlights include Spiced Lamb Burgers with Cilantro and Sumac Aioli; Braised Artichokes with Fregula Sarda, Fava Beans and Lemon; Mussels a la Plancha with Kumquat-drawn Butter and Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Jerk Spices and Orange Blossom Honey. The menu will be matched by classic and modern cocktails, as well as a curated selection of craft and classic beers by the bottle, and local and international wines available by the glass and bottle.

Located in the historic Nabisco Factory Headquarters, the restaurant was designed by New World Design, who also designed ABC Kitchen. Features include an open kitchen with bar seating, recycled and distressed wood from upstate New York on the bar, walls, tabletops and seats, a floor made of poured concrete, Carrera marble at the bar, a communal table, uneven urban subway tile on the walls and ceiling, English light fixtures from Ken Friedman’s own collection, and three 65” flat screen televisions hidden by one-way mirrors. There are 60 seats in the restaurant, including nine bar stools. A semi-private dining room that seats 14 guests can be closed off for more privacy, and is equipped with a flat screen television – perfect for a business lunch or to watch a big game with friends.

Elements of the Nabisco Factory’s original foundation have been preserved, including the exposed brick and the beautiful windows above the door, which have been repurposed as part of the interior décor. In the coves of the ceiling above the bar, “Baked by Electricity” reads in baby blue neon script, a tribute to an old Triscuit campaign. The space originally included a light strip down the center of the floor, which has been covered and cut into neon light boxes, spelling out “Willow.”

Murals hand-drawn by esteemed NYC artist James Gulliver Hancock adorn the walls. Hancock is a Brooklyn-based Australian illustrator renowned for his ongoing project, All the Buildings in NYC, where he was commissioned to draw every building in the city’s five boroughs. At Willow Road, Hancock’s sketches include a large, playful mural of the neighborhood and his rendition of the “Miss Subways” program, a citywide pageant from the 1940's to the 1970's that featured a female subway passenger on posters throughout the New York subway system.

Also of note: Malnati and Jacob are also partners in the NYC opening and national expansion of Toro, Boston’s popular tapas bar from chefs Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette, which will be located directly adjacent to Willow Road. Oringer and Bissonnette are also investors in Willow Road.

Willow Road is located at 85 10^th Avenue b/w 15th and 16th Streets, 646.484.6566, www.willowroadnyc.com. Initially, Willow Road will be open daily for dinner and late-night only, from 5:30pm to 4:00am Thursday through Saturday, 5:30pm to midnight Sunday through Tuesday, and 5:30pm to 2:00am on Wednesday, with lunch and brunch following in January. 

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