New Bowery hotel Sister City’s anticipated American restaurant opens today, with outdoor seating and light fare from two local chefs that bring a lot of cred to the table.
Chefs Joe Ogrodnek (Battersby and Dover) and Andrew Whitcomb (Colonie, Norman, and Petit Crenn) will debut their all-day restaurant Floret on the ground floor of the hotel on Monday at 225 Bowery, between Rivington and Stanton Streets. The restaurant will start with a robust menu of toasts, pastries, sandwiches, bowls, and sides running from morning to 4 p.m., until a sturdier dinner menu arrives in the evening.
Ogrodnek describes it “very light, nourishing cuisine you might associate with California or the Mediterranean.” Dishes will pull from seasons and may include also include flavors from East Asian and North African cuisines.
That translates to an all-day menu of sourdough toast topped with roasted eggplant, tomato, and fresh robiola; a roasted lamb sandwich on ciabatta bread, stuffed with tapenade and red pepper confit; and a Peekytoe crab bowl with brown rice, cucumber kimchi, and ginger.
A long list of sides was drawn up to complement each dish, Ogrodneck says, the point being to offer a wide variety of options for people who don’t necessarily eat eggs only at breakfast time and might want something other than fries with his or her burger. Those options include salads, smoked bacon, fruit, yogurt parfait, roti bread, and fries, among others. Most of the menu is under $20; see it in full below.
“We have a hell of a lot more offerings than you would see in a traditional breakfast menu, but also a lot more flexibility too for mixing and matching your dishes,” Ogrodnek says.
For dinner, a separate, less casual menu will kick in at 5:30 p.m., including larger entrees and a wine list. The restaurant will open for the evening meal on June 19.
Ogrodnek, as the hotel’s culinary partner, was charged with creating the concept for both Floret and the hotel’s already open rooftop bar Last Light. Meanwhile, Whitcomb is executive chef and will man the kitchen on a day-to-day basis, though both chefs worked on the menus.
The duo come with a lot of experience at acclaimed restaurants: Ogrodnek previously working at now-closed but well-received Brooklyn restaurants Battersby and Dover, while Whitcomb has worked in Brooklyn restaurants Colonie and Norman, as well as the high-end French restaurant Petit Crenn in San Francisco.
Floret is a 186-seat space with nearly 50 seats outside in a garden patio, plus a 16-seat bar. It’s an expansive, sort of retro space with white and wooden accents, matching the warm, minimalistic decor of the hotel. It’s their second project within Sister City, the newest spin-off brand from trendy hospitality company Atelier Ace, the company behind Ace Hotel.
They opened Last Light in April on the 11th floor of the hotel, a space featuring expansive views of the city and an outdoor patio. Cocktails, wine, craft beer, and small plates are served there. Josh Hanover, who was the originally in charge of the drinks, is no longer with the team.
Floret will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The all day service begins June 3; brunch starts June 15, and dinner rolls in on June 19. It’s a cash-free establishment.