As Top Chef goes global, Tom Colicchio reflects on the competition s recipe for success salon.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from salon.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Vallata is the small town in Campania where Chef Tom Colicchio’s family lived before coming to the States. It’s also the name of the new restaurant in Craft’s former private dining room, which had been shuttered during the pandemic. “Just after we were able to reopen indoors, no one was holding private events,” Natalie McDade,
Chef John Fraser, whose 701West holds
Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence, opened Iris April 21 in Midtown Manhattan. The restaurant offers Aegean-style dining, influenced by Turkish cuisine and Fraser’s Greek background, with an emphasis on plant-based dishes.
“This restaurant is such a direct expression of my heritage and passion, as seen through the lenses of cuisine and travel,” Fraser told
Wine Spectator.
Leading the wine program is the group’s beverage director, Amy Racine, who also oversees 701West’s 650-selection list. Iris features about 180 labels highlighting regions along the Aegean Sea, with Greek and Turkish bottles making up about half the selections. There is a diverse selection of sparkling wines as well, plus picks from Napa, Piedmont, Burgundy, the Rhône Valley and beyond. “It was a privilege and very fun to explore these new varietals, to introduce our guests to something new,” Racine said. “We really wanted a ‘If you like Sance