Chef Behind Ladies-Who-Lunch Staple Freds at Barneys Is Opening His Own Restaurant

Freds at Barneys chef is opening his own restaurant

With the future of luxury department store Barneys in flux in advance of an upcoming auction, Freds chef Mark Strausman is branching out. He’s opening Mark’s Off Madison at 41 Madison Avenue near Madison Square Park come March. The new restaurant will have 100 seats inside and another 85 out, selling “the greatest hits from my 30-year career,” Strausman tells the Post.

Strausman got his start at the original Coco Pazzo, eventually ending up at the ladies-who-lunch staple Freds at Barneys. The restaurant has been a Barneys signature since 1996, known for its iconic chopped chicken salad with Bibb lettuce, avocado, onions, tomatoes, string beans, and pears with Dijon mustard balsamic dressing. Over the years, celebrities and politicians have flocked to Freds, including Martha Stewart, Laura Bush, Bruce Springsteen, Rudolph Giuliani, and Hugh Grant.

Strausman plans to stay at Freds as long as it stays open, while also opening Mark’s Off Madison.

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— True or false: