CENTRAL PARK SOUTH— This very moment the lovely Marisa May and her father the famed Tony May are holding a press luncheon to say farewell to their beloved Central Park South space and announce their new location for their restaurant San Domenico. The new space will be at 19 East 26th Street, right off Madison Square Park and will be renamed SD26: "Right now Danny Meyer is king of the park. We plan to challenge him," says May. He tells the group that the new restaurant will be product driven, and following in the footsteps of BLT Market and Market Table, they will also have a market in a section of the restaurant selling items featured on the menu. May adds there will be an emphasis on wine that they will stock great values from all over the world.
The design, which came to designer Massimo Vignelli in a dream, is promised to be more contemporary than the original San Domenico. The new space will be separated into two levels: a mezzanine with seating, a bar, and wine storage and then the main dining room below. The bar will feature a long slab of black granite, and the area, which includes a lounge with banquettes and sofas, will have 9 foot ceilings. May explains that bar will feature "illuminated cubes" and a light that will "vanish towards the ceiling," and that the material palate for the whole restaurant is "meant to be timeless, not flash in the pan." There will be a chocolate wood floor, sand blasted glass, simple plasters, and leather seating. It will be "as elegant as possible." The Mays expect to debut the whole show in late spring '09. For more info about the new space, Cutlets has a Q&A with May about the reasoning behind the move and the changes to the menu. Stay tuned for more SD26 intel from the rest of the press luncheon.
· San Domenico to Go Big Downtown [Cutlets]
· EaterWire Midday Edition: San Domenico Relocating [~E~]
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