Tag Archives: the National
The National Cafe
CLOSED
The task of opening a restaurant has gotten even more daunting in the past few years: getting the investors, the space, the chef, the liquor license, and the staff is only the first part of the challenge. The second, impressing your diners, now begins on opening night, because even if the Times waits to give its verdict, Yelpers wait for no one.
The National is one of a growing contingent of restaurants (like the Redhead) that opened in stages. It first served just coffee, then lunch, then dinner when the liquor license came through. This smart strategy allows the restaurant to start making money on day one, instead of sitting on an expensive lease while waiting for all the elements to come together at once. It also means the chef and the staff have some key practice time. (more…)
New Spot: The National Restaurant
Rarely do you make the news for not making the news, but that’s just what’s happened with new restaurant The National, which quietly opened over a month ago and is literally off the (Google) map. According to WWD, first-time restauranteurs Julie Dickstein and Jeremy Hogeland wanted to get everything right before alerting the media – unlike so many new places that launch a multi-platform press attack.
Located next to Freeman’s, The National looks like it has a quaint, homey vibe, with antique pieces collected over the span of five years. Chef Zoë Feigenbaum is also a first-timer and graduate of the French Culinary Institute, and is serving up a mostly-seasonal menu that Dickstein describes as “schizophrenic,” because it runs the gamut, Blue Ribbon-like, from Korea to Maine.
So no press, next to Freeman’s, very few seats inside. You know what that means: It’s going to be mobbed.
The National
8 Rivington Street between Chrystie and the Bowery
New York, NY
212-777-2177