Shmone – CELEBRATED ISRAELI CHEF EYAL SHANI BRINGS HIS LATEST GASTRONOMIC BABY TO GREENWICH VILLAGE
Offering Mediterranean delicacies with an almost poetic take on some very unique and palatable plates from renowned chef Eyal Shani, Greenwich Village has a new gastronomic gem with the opening of Shmone. Meaning ‘eight’ in Hebrew, Shmone, one of more than 40 Shani-helmed eateries around the globe, all part of the Good People Group, has found its true home appropriately enough on Eighth Street. Since originally starting the seafood-focused Oceanus in his hometown of Jerusalem more than three decades ago, Shani has become known as the leading proponent of contemporary Israeli cuisine.
With intimate seating—only 50 seats altogether—and a seasonal, market-driven, neo-Levantine menu rooted in Shani’s core culinary values, New York is thrilled to welcome this new addition to Shani’s already expansive restaurant empire, which includes HaSalon, Miznon, North, and his most recent, Naked Tomato in Hudson Yards.
With an open kitchen concept, diners can sit around the bar and begin their tasting tour with scallion-inflected bourkas baked on hot stone or hot focaccia studded with tomatoes rich with sour cream. Continue with their “vegetable creatures,” or dishes drawn directly from the earth, which include asparagus cooked on charcoal and doused with sour cream or the flesh of an heirloom tomato tucked within “the softest tortellini you’ve ever tasted.” They also offer the freshest fish and meat dishes that are rich with delicate flavors and constantly change based on the seasonal ingredients as they ripen and age.
The wild fish “from the depths of the ocean” encompass a white-fish carpaccio, Spanish mackerel with a deep beet “perfume,” and monkfish enriched with Osetra caviar butter. For the best meat dishes outside of Israel, try their hand-chopped lamb kebab with yogurt and “burned” vegetables; thinly sliced entrecote “on a sharp metal,” sweetbreads and freekeh-stuffed onion, and a 60-day dry-aged prime rib steak which are all undeniably taim, or tasty, in Hebrew.
Pair your plates, which are inspired by the earth’s bounty, with a global wine program. Enjoy French pours as well as carefully selected varieties from Italy, Australia, and California, plus notable selections from Israel and Lebanon. Creative cocktails include The Helen of Troy, which pairs ouzo with fresh lemon along with the sweet almond syrup, orgeat, plus rosemary, olive oil, and egg whites. The Pearl of Tel Aviv includes Pernod, yellow chartreuse, lime, agave, and fresh oregano.
Try this latest outpost from the Good People, who are dedicated to not just offering up deliciousness, but an “open-heart” philosophy in the hospitality industry.
