Alfred Portale Wants to Open a Casual Uptown Restaurant

After 30 years of having just one restaurant in New York, Gotham Bar and Grill chef and co-owner Alfred Portale is looking to open a second, along with his Gotham partner Jerry Kretchmer. "It will be way more casual than Gotham,'' says Portale, who we caught up with at the Annual Chefs' Tribute to Citymeals-on-Wheels at Rockefeller Center.

"All my training is French and I worked with all French chefs, but I am Sicilian,'' explained Portale, who is best known for his forward-thinking American fare, first at Gotham and then at Gotham Steak in Miami, which closed in March. "This time I want to combine those influences; to do a Mediterranean menu with a lot of seaside Italian dishes.'' Portale is also focusing on a new neighborhood. "We are looking uptown, but there are challenges because it's hard to get a big space and I don't want to do a small restaurant,'' he explained. "I am psyched; we are just trying to make a deal!''
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