Since arriving on American shores in 2012, Frieze New York has become known for cutting-edge art, picturesque East River digs on Randall’s Island, and an impressive array of dining options, which have undoubtedly inspired other art fairs to up their dining game (see What To Eat During Frieze Week When You’ve Had Your Fill of Art). This year is no exception, as the list of participating restaurants, released today, promises a slate of drool-worthy dishes guaranteed to help fuel your day at the fair.
Among the returning favorites are Brooklyn sandwich shop Court Street Grocers, hipster bakery Momofuku Milk Bar, and pizza sensation Roberta’s, which will once again host its wood-fired oven on a deck overlooking the East River.
Sadly missing from this year’s restaurant roster is Danny Bowien, who brought the recently-resurrected Mission Chinese to Randall’s Island in 2013, and its popular Mexican sister eatery, Mission Cantina, to the fair last year. Perhaps he is too busy with the new, expanded Mission Chinese incarnation to spare the resources for another run at Frieze.
Trendy downtown restaurant Fat Radish is also conspicuously absent, after participating in all of Frieze New York’s prior editions. Blue Bottle Coffee, a two-year Frieze veteran, has been replaced by Parlor Coffee, which will serve espresso and drip coffee “sourced from founder Dillon Edwards’ travels in South America and East Africa,” according to the press release.
While Frankies Spuntino continues its four-year Frieze reign, it will be sans Furanku, the pop-up sushi outfit at last year’s fair that everyone hoped presaged a permanent Japanese addition to the Frankies empire. Instead, expect a full-service Italian restaurant, and an outdoor beer garden and grill from Frankies’ Prime Meats establishment.
Some of the many dishes available at Frieze. Photo: Sarah Cascone.
This year’s VIP room will be run not by Marlow & Sons as in the last two years (although the restaurant is back with a riverfront dining room), or by Frankies, who did so in 2012, but by NeueHouse, a co-working space for creatives in Gramercy.
Letting a non-restaurant run the show at the fair’s priciest, most exclusive dining venue is an unexpected choice, but Yelp reviews from member and visitors do allude to a cafe that “serves plenty of health-conscious options that are not only good for you, but taste amazing.” To further ease skepticism, NeueHouse has brought chef Chris Bradley on board for the occasion. A veteran of the Danny Meyer empire, Bradley was the chef at Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern and ran the kitchen at the Whitney Museum‘s Untitled cafe.
Speaking of health food, the Lower East Side’s Dimes, another first-time Frieze vendor, appears to be on hand to appeal to svelte collectors, with a menu that includes chia pudding and “quinoa bowls.” Presumably, this will be balanced out by the offering of fellow newbie Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream, which the Frieze press release promises will serve “the city’s most original and contemporary ice creams.”
As repeat Frieze visitors well know, food lines at the fair can be epic, so don’t plan on sampling the fare at more than one venue if you want to leave time to see the art.
Hungry fair-goers looking to enjoy a sit-down meal are best-served by making reservations well in advance at the full-service VIP room, Frankies Spuntino, or Marlow & Sons by e-mailing frieze@neuehouse.com, reception@frankspm.com, frieze@marlowandsons.com.
Frieze New York 2015 will take place May 14–17 on Randall’s Island.