Dovetail Vying for Central Park Cafe & Cart Spaces

Upper West Side: Last week, the Parks Department announced they were accepting requests for proposals for two planned food operations in Central Park: a cafe space in Mineral Springs (between West 69th and 70th, right near the Sheep Meadow) and a gourmet food cart at the Arcade at Bethesda Terrace (West 72nd St). Chef John Fraser tells us his restaurant Dovetail hopes to win the bids on both spaces. While he won't tell us much about the cafe space until he submits a full proposal next week, we did get our hands on his proposal for the Arcade food cart, which was due yesterday afternoon. It's quite the plan:

The gourmet food cart would be called Greenscart, and it would serve a scaled down and more accessible version of Dovetail's fare, along with local wines and three kegs of local beer. Imagined menu items so far include heirloom tomato salads, hand-cut muffelatta, handmade duck sausage on ciabatta, gelatos and picnic baskets with champagne, sandwiches, cheese, and salads. And come evening down by the cafe space:

"...the seating area will transform, offering service under the glow of sparkling lanterns and intimate seating. By creating a hub of social interaction and exchange, the Greensward café will become a new destination for Park visitors and contribute to the culture of New York City."

The Bethesda Fountain area could seat about 100 people, so Fraser would need to win both bids to make the cart feasible: "I wouldn't want to do all the cooking at Dovetail, so we'd need the cafe space. We're still trying to figure it out." Fraser tells us he would want to deliver food to people sitting beyond the allocated food cart or cafe seating, "Imagine walking into the park on a Sunday, getting hammered by the fountain on a bottle of rose. What's better than that? Oysters on the half shell in one of the best man-made parks?"

The proposal for the cafe space, which Fraser would call Greensward (Frederick Law Olmstead's original name for the park) is due Monday. And with all fairness to whomever else applied, we think we know who we're rooting for. Here' a look at the proposed menu, everything priced between $8-16:

SMALL SALADS
hummus, cucumber, pine nuts
waldorf, chicken, raisins, walnuts
jersey tomatoes, arrugula, mozzarella
beets, tabouleh, greek feta
rigatoni, pork terrine, provolone cheese
grilled summer squash, eggplant, roasted garlic
asparagus, mushrooms, balsamic
beans, bacon,basil, pearl onions
cured salmon, orzo, horserdish, onions

LARGE SALADS
panzanella, tomatoes, avocados, onions, capers
warm harissa baked wings, cabbage slaw
baked chicken breast, romaine lettuce, preserved lemon
warm skirt steak, salsa verde, peppers, spinach
fried rissotto, escarole, buttermilk
pate, frisee
3 cheese, grilled bread

LONG ISLAND WINES
Rose
Champagne
Chardonnay
Pinot Grigio
Greenscart Wine Spritzer
Merlot
Granache

BROOKLYN BEERS
Pilsner
Wheat
Stout

PIZZETTE
potato, onion, green olives, cremefraiche, parsley
tomato, basil, mozza
pigs head, asparagus, blue
bitter-sweet symphony
artichoke, chicken, lardo
chorizo, peppers, olives
lamb, yogurt, onions, cucumbers, zatar
squid, romesco, shrimps
corn, watercress, chicken livers, bacon, chiles
corned beef, cabbage, horseradish, riccotta

SANDWICH (COLD)
muffeletta
beef tongue, pickled parts
potato, deviled eggs
bouilabasse, rouille
ham, butter, pickles
tuscan vegetable

SANDWICH (HOT)
long island duck dog, mustard, cranberries
Coach Farm goat cheese, mint, figs
Pennsylvania pulled pork, bbq
lamb meatballs, spiced tomatoes
soft shell crab, avocados

KIDS
animal crackers
grilled cheese
pasta
wonder tuna

DRINK
water
coke
diet coke
sprite
root beer

CUPCAKES
cinnabun cupcake
carrot cupcake
red velvet
black and white
strawberry, rhubarb

PICNIC 50
cheese
champagne
water
sandwiches
ham and butter
bean salad
crackers
fruit
2 cupcakes

GELATO
champagne
berri
vanilla

coffee, tea, juice
fruit
bagel
cereal
· City to Launch New Cafe and Gourmet Cart in Central Park [~E~]

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