MADISON SQ PARK— Geoffrey Zakarian announced today that he is turning his three starred (and Deathwatched) restaurant Country into a steak joint to be called Country Steak. The more casual cafe downstairs will remain in tact, but expect a full overhaul of the upstairs come this fall. The official press release explains the new take:
"The steakhouse will open on the restaurant’s second level following the annual summer hiatus in the upstairs Dining Room and replace its current multi-course tasting menu. The steakhouse menu will complement the European-Mediterranean cuisine served in both the Café at Country and each of the nine Private Event rooms...the new Country Steak kitchen will be headed by Executive Chef Willis Loughhead."Zakarian tells Mr. Cutlets that he is simply fulfilling a longtime dream of owning a steakhouse (not putting in a last ditch effort to save his restaurant):
"I was looking for a location, and we're already doing a lot of head-to-tail cooking at Country. So we're just going to do it here. I'm installing a wood grill, and we're going to open after our usual summer hiatus in September," he tells Cutty. Please remember back in June when we asked Zakarian if he would be changing the upstairs, he responded: "...one never says never since the landscape and customer are particularly smart as well as fickle.....having said that, we have a great new chef , and look forward to business as usual in the dining room.Deathwatch status: Death imminent.
· Country Steak Planned for Country Upstairs [Cutlets]
· Deathwatch: Country [~E~]