Saturday, February 13th, 2010

Part of the $1.2-billion renovation of Lincoln Center’s campus is a glass-enclosed, sophisticated restaurant, and Per Se’s current chef de cuisine Jonathan Benno was selected to lead the high-profile endeavor as executive chef.  The yet-to-be-named restaurant is slowly nearing its September 2010 opening, so the New York Times checked in on its progress, along with Benno’s perspective on the pressure that comes along with its greatly anticipated coming.  Benno is working with Lincoln Center, restaurant operator Nick Valenti, Valenti’s partner at Patina Restaurant Group, Joachim Splichal, to create a sure-to-be popular restaurant that will serve a contemporary Italian menu in the under-construction building off 65th with glass walls and a grass-topped roof.  When the restaurant opens, Lincoln Center will be in a frenzy of activities and special events, from the fall opening of the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, and the New York Philharmonic to the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (coming to Lincoln Center for the first time this year) to the 50th anniversary celebration of Lincoln Center.  Even after the celebrations and openings simmer down, traffic around the restaurant will remain high, as approximately 5 million visitors come to Lincoln Center yearly.  Benno has the substantial task of not only creating a restaurant that lives up to high expectations (his old gig, Per Se, has widely been lauded as one of the best restaurants in the country), but managing the logistical issues that come with a slew of pre- and post-theatergoers and VIPs.  All eyes are on Benno as the building’s construction continues and plans for the restaurant shape up, and many are eager to soon see the results of this massive and high-profile opening.  Read more about the fascinating journey to the Lincoln Center restaurant’s opening date here.

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Tags: Openings/Closings