A new entertainment venue opens this week underneath Chelsea Market with dinner theater, concerts, comedy, and food from the chef at upstairs’ Israeli pita place Miznon. The owners of the Tippler, Kingdom Entertainment, and China Club will debut Chelsea Music Hall on Thursday, October 18th at 407 West 15th St., between Ninth and 10th avenues.
Chef Eyal Shani has put together a menu, available at the bar and kitchen area, different from his popular pitas at Miznon, but with the similar idea of food inspired by his interpretation of New York City. Dishes include a bagel with shrimp salad and a tuna tartare with caviar, with each item having a very specific inspiration. The shrimp salad bagel comes from the idea of taking a prawn pita and putting it on a vessel more embedded in NY, while the tuna tartare is a take on a bite Shani had at uptown sushi temple Masa. A salad is inspired by the idea of an urban jungle.
Shani created the menu here, but Miznon chef Meir Ringart will be executing. Despite not being physically present, Shani has a very specific vision for his food.
“I had a big dream for a long time to connect food into night clubs and into places where music is the main essence. Because if you are going to a club to listen to music and dance, it’s talking about music and the movement of your body,” he says. “The music comes into your blood and the food combines with the music and comes into the energy storming inside your blood.”
Beyond this restaurant and Miznon, Shani is also working on what he calls a flagship space that will be “a bullet in the heart of the traditional food of New York.” It’s at 10th Avenue and 50th Street, on track to open in March.
At Chelsea Music Hall, his food is alongside a packed slate of programming, including a regular dinner theater show from RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Dusty Ray Bottoms. There will also be comedy, concerts, and DJ’s. Co-owner Chip Quiqley’s Kingdom Entertainment produced the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, while Sullivan Room’s Serge Sklyarenko is in charge of all the late night and DJ booking.
Hours are a little wonky to start, with the kitchen open to the public at 8 p.m. this Friday and Saturday. On nights there are shows, tickets are required for entry, but starting Thursday, October 25, the kitchen is open to the public on non-show days starting at 5 p.m.