Cucina 8 1/2 – Power Lunching On Billionaires Row
It took less than three years for the legendary New York City culinarian August Ceradini, along with his partner Tommy Pooch, to re-master a moribund yet still stunning restaurant. A landmark space among the grand old ladies of Billionaires Row, it’s located in the iconic Solow Building at 9 West 57th Street (rechristened the Soloviev Building in 2020).
Cucina 8 1/2, attuned to old-school Italian fare, has emerged from the pall of a pandemic to become, suddenly, the power lunch spot of uptown power lunch spots emerging from the kitchen of seasoned veteran Chef Sam Hazen, who knows how to run this type of huge place.
“This is an iconic room; there are not many jewels like this one left,” says the impresario
August Ceradini, with the wave of a hand across the sweeping room—containing many private dining rooms and such, this is a 20,000-square-foot behemoth. “We’ve moved from the old French to a rugged yet elegant Tuscan narrative for Cucina 8 1/2. It’s now about an Italian stylization rather than the brasserie effect that preceded this room,” says the debonair Ceradini, whose esteemed legend remains as Chairman Emeritus of the famed Culinary Institute of America.
Gordon Bunshaft was the architect of this “most elegant and heroic of buildings,” according to
a New York Times’ description of the Solow Building back in 1974. It was instant iconography from day one. “Extraordinarily sensuous.” Was the verdict. Other critics were enraptured with the
sleek curtain wall of the sloping glass tower with its lapis lazuli palette of glass. And then the piece-de-resistance, the 275-square-foot nearly cylindrical entrance down the sweeping stairs and into the dramatic dining room, which effortlessly reeks of power, money, and more power. Appropriately Felliniesque, this vast and beautiful setting is the definitive allure of Cucina 8 1/2 and cause alone for its burgeoning buzz du jour.
Cucina 8 1/2 has emerged as the best-kept secret amongst current top-shelf Manhattan politicos who get to rub shoulders with the billionaire hedge fund big-wigs. The investment firms and venture capitalists with offices upstairs and for whom a lunch here is like going to one of the swankiest cafeterias in Manhattan. This is where the owner of Chanel, Alain Wertheimer, takes lunch. It’s just an elevator ride from his office in one of the most secure buildings in town, with its private security force at the Soloviev Building. 9 West 57th Street, even as a public building, is as secure as Fort Knox. After all, there’s almost $3 billion dollars worth of modern art all over this property.
So lunches among the curtained banquettes, not to mention the burl-walled private dining rooms with seat-side Modigliani paintings, have quietly made Cucina 8 1/2 one of the low-key yet essential spots in town to network and close the mega-deal. With its signature steel curtain facade and decor that reeks of Rochebobois (which I love, for the record), descending those extraordinary stairs is enough to jolt the joie de vivre. For others, it’s the mere scent of the place, that some of the world’s top net-worth individuals, a.k.a. zillionaires, live and work on this stretch of 57th Street. And you never know who you might meet by the golden bar of Cucina 8 1/2. Is that the perennial all-American ‘80s supermodel Carol Alt swanning down the stairs and looking ever-glamorous, wrapped to her ankles in a simple sheath of black? Indeed it is! The high net-worth uptown It-girl starts her Thursday night with an early dinner at Cucina 8 1/2 and ends up down the street on the verandah in the sky at the Aman Hotel.
Cucina 8 1/2 well understands its pedigree as a very competent high-end restaurant in one of Manhattan’s most valuable office buildings. So going the “refined rustic Italian” route was the perfect note. “We are bringing old-school glamour, tableside steak spectacles and 21st-century cooking,” opines Chef Sam Hazen. Thus, the server mixes the Caesar tableside, and the five-star version of the Cucina 8 1/2 Chicken Parm is served via Dutch oven. It’s the signature dish of the house and a must-order. The Lamb Cavatelli has also been a hit with the regulars who sometimes saunter in wearing full-on Loro Piana for dinner from another billionaire tower down the street. Nobody stares or gives a second glance when Kim Cattrall, another new regular, often shows up for early supper with her beau and takes up one of the discreet banquettes of which there are many.
The customized dining experience is what it’s all about for a kitchen that stays open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. You never know when “Mr. Chanel,” working very late, might make his way down for something to nosh on. Or, even moreso, the esteemed mogul and CEO power behind the throne of the $6 billion Soloviev Group, Michael Hershman.
For the arbiter, the Tuscan Steak is always worth every visit to Cucina 8 ½, to gorge and gnaw on like a Rottweiler all night long. The pasta is made in-house, of course, but the only thing missing from Cucina 8 1/2 is the cheese wheel presentation and the most perfect Cacio e Pepe with guanichella to be had in New York City. Maybe one day. If it is a light supper night, go for the Spaghetti al Limone, yet another outstanding signature house dish. And if you are still on the foodie train? Then, by all means the creamy burrata with a caponata of sweet-sour pickled vegetables is in order. And why not sit at the swanky Onyx bar: All-white terrazzo floors, statuesque columns, expansive floral displays, a grand piano and dimpled leather couches. Architect Hugh Hardy at Holzman Pfeiffer Associates created the initial design, which seasoned NYC fashion designer and tastemaker Cesar Galindo has since tweaked. Classic modernism now complements the Gordon Bunshaft roots of this iconic New York City skyscraper. It’s the one on 57th Street, a kiss away from Bergdorf Goodman, the sloped building with the lipstick-red “9.” Yes, that iconic NYC public art masterpiece from the artist Ivan Chermayeff.
“Remember when dining out was an experience? That’s why we are here, and in the process, we’ve reinvented this corridor along West 57th Street,” says Ceradini. Sure enough, the buzz has caught on, and Mr. Ceradini’s claim will advance when the uber-icon of hospitality Jean-Georges Vongerichten opens his next creation. His Four Twenty Five will be 14,000 square feet of uptown foodie glamorama to arrive at 425 Park Avenue at 57th Street. But when it comes to Cucina 8 ½, there is simply no competition. Make sure to get to know the inimitable “Miss Liz,” who runs this post-millennial power dining room with wit and precision.
Cucina 8 1/2
9 West 57th Street
212-829-0812
