Todd English will offer gourmet Greek food and wines for $3,500 by the bottle

Prodigal New York chef Todd English is back to open his first Big Apple restaurant in over two decades, Side Dish has learned.

English, who made a splash with Olives NY at the W Hotel in Union Square when it opened in 2000 and who launched a national food court trend with his eponymous Plaza Hotel food hall, will run Pappas Taverna in Greenwich Village.

Opening its doors on Feb. 15, the wood-fired Greek restaurant will offer a modern and playful take on Mediterranean cuisine, offer a 40-seat tasting room for $275 per person, and serve bottled wines by the glass for $3,500. Garnier said.

“I’m trying to give it a little flair by adding layers, like grilled tuna, adding flavors and textures to complement the tradition. That’s the exciting part,” said English, who is partnering with restaurateur Stratis Morfogen on the venture.

The 11,000-square-foot diner will open in a landmark building at 103 McDougal Street, with 220 seats inside and 50 on the sidewalk. It will also feature a 40-seat chef’s room — and no menu — for $175 per person, or $275 per plate if lobster and porterhouse steaks are included.

“The chefs will cook until the table gives up,” Morfogen said. “They can have eight courses. Chef English and [chef de cuisine] Pavlos Devaris will consult with the guests and prepare, based on their preferences, more meat, fish or vegetarian options.”

Pappas Taverna will also offer any of their wines on tap, including the 2009 Chateau Margaux, which costs $3,470 a bottle at the restaurant. Each glass will cost the wine lover $870.

Once “opened”, the bottle will be listed on the menu on the chalkboard for others to order.

“This is becoming a very social event,” Morfogen said, adding that the wine list will feature a wide selection of wines from Greece, France, Portugal, Spain and California.

“We interfere. It’s a very social thing and will work well in the Instagram world we live in.”

Stefano Giovannini

Stefano Giovannini

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Stefano Giovannini

Stefano Giovannini

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To keep the wine from souring, the restaurant turned to the high-tech company Coravin, which developed a method for inserting an “extremely thin” needle into the cork. Once the wine is poured, the cork closes naturally without damaging or destroying the cork, protecting the wine and helping it breathe.

“Using an inert argon gas, the machine pours the wine out of the bottle, protecting it from oxygen entering the bottle, so every glass tastes as good as the first,” said Greg Lambrecht, founder of Coravin, adding that there are also two additional models. . requires plug removal.

The system can store wine for weeks, months and even years, the company claims. It is available for home use at prices ranging from $119 to $399 per system.

The restaurant, named after the Pappas restaurant that Morfogen’s grandfather ran for 65 years until 1975 on W. 14th St., will also provide takeout or delivery via a touchless locker system outside the restaurant.

Delivery drivers or patrons are notified by phone when their orders are ready and they use a QR code to open their lockers, which are individually temperature-adjusted and labeled accordingly. Cold products are in blue cabinets; hot dishes are marked in red. Morfogen uses a similar system at his dumpling shop in Brooklyn.

A brief overview of the Pappas Taverna menu shows dishes, including mini clay pots with a trio of whipped avocado tzatziki and carrot hummus. Filet mignon, fried crudo, wood-fired mussels, grilled halloumi, and oak-roasted chili feta are served on small plates. There will also be classic fish and meat dishes cooked on an oak grill, as well as dishes such as duck shvarma and lavash pizza of the day.

“Mediterranean food is delicious and healthy, and that’s what people really want to eat now,” Morfogen said. “Todd and I think the same way. Greek has been overly explained. We just want to take a fresh look at what Greek food can be.”

The opening was delayed due to the pandemic as well as supply issues.

“Two and a half years of headaches and obstacles,” Morfogen said.

During the pandemic, Morfogen met English again at a friend’s Halloween party and the two decided to work together.

“He is so talented. He needed to go back, put on an apron and take back New York,” Morfogen said. “The English language market has exploded all over the world and it’s pretty sexy. But the time has come for him to become an artist again. New York is a dining mecca, and its roots are here.”

Born in the Big Apple, the 62-year-old Englishman was once named one of People magazine’s 50 most beautiful people, and Page Six magazine called him a “culinary ladies’ man” nearly a decade ago. English said those days are long gone.

“I have learned a lot since then,” English said.

Like many chefs, some of English’s projects have been canceled during the pandemic – for example, the food hall at the Plaza Hotel closed and never reopened, as did eateries in places like Dubai, Manila and Abu. Dabi, although English is in talks to open. new locations in several of these cities.

His current portfolio spans the US, including a hotel in Las Vegas, and his flagship restaurants Olives, Figs, and others continue to thrive in multiple locations, as does a restaurant in the Bahamas. However, Olives in New York closed in 2012. But other projects in New York are in the works, sources told Side Dish.

“New York is the best food city in the world. I love energy. It’s great to be back in New York in a great situation with a great partner. I’ve been doing this for 30 plus, 35 years and it’s like anything. You always have to reinvent what you do and update it,” English said.

*** We heard… that the Lincoln restaurant is hosting a gala dinner in honor of the late pastry chef. Richard Capizzi February 19 to raise funds for his widow Phyllis and their two children. For $1,250 per person, diners will be treated to an hour of cocktails followed by a six-course dinner with wine pairings prepared by a stellar line-up of chefs, including Thomas Keller, Shea Gallante, Jonathan Benno, Artem Orlovsky and Chad Palagiand confectioners Sebastien Rouxel, Stephanie Morgado, Kara Blitz, Cathy Backlund and Scott Chio dessert cooperation rule.

Capizzi suffered from glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer. He died in September at the age of 45.

The Patina restaurant group is planning a gala dinner that will also include a scholarship in his honor at his alma mater, the Culinary Institute of America.

“Richard was an amazing talent and an amazing person who graced our teams at Per Se and Bouchon Bakery. We owe to Richard the way we make our bouchons, the way we make our confectionery and so much more in the bakery. His legacy is everywhere,” Keller said in a statement.