On a beautiful evening at the end of September, New Yorkers au gratin gathered at South Street Seaport, right in front of the majestic three trees on the quay, to inaugurate the latest addition to the Jean-Georges family, and no less important: the Tin construction. A 5000 m2 building, designed by the French chef and consisting of six restaurants, four bars and a grocery store. At the entrance, red carpet and crackling flashes, it is the American celebrity Martha Stewart to enter the scene.
Once inside, we have the impression of being transported to a Great Gatsby party: comedians dressed as “paper boys” distribute the evening paper, a swarm of waiters offer glasses of champagne and cocktails to the many guests, and in front of us, the seafood counter with its oysters, prawns and a huge tuna instantly awakens the taste buds.
Restaurants on all floors
For this opening night, Jean-Georges Vongerichten saw things big. In the Japanese restaurant Shikku, a young woman perched high up plays the shamisen, the Japanese guitar, while guests savor the sushi and maki dishes prepared before their eyes by the chefs. Characters on stilts stroll through the audience, a duo dressed in candy pink costumes parading in front of the dessert counter, Spoiled Parrot.
The ground floor also houses the T Brasserie, which serves dishes typical of Parisian addresses, such as pâté en chaussée, steak tartare and onion soup delivered by apron-clad waiters. But also Double Yolk, one more address random available for breakfast and lunch.
Moved upstairs, the Tin Building offers possibilities for all tastes. On the one hand, The Frenchman’s Dough aims to serve Italian dishes with a “twist”. On the evening of the inauguration, the pizza with lemon, ricotta and parmesan cheese obtained unanimous approval. ” I am Italian and I find it really delicious exclaims Livia. For his partner John, the opening of the Tin Building is a godsend in the neighborhood: ” We don’t live far from here and a quality address like this was missing. We will come at any time of the day “.
On the other hand, Mexican Taquito serves a variety of low-priced tacos and Seed and Weeds specializes in vegetarian and vegan food. Finally, Chinese-inspired House of the Red Pearl is a kind of speakeasy set up around the corner of a grocery store, with its velvet armchairs and Asian-patterned walls. ” We have known Jean-George since his beginnings and are his biggest fans. He has had the same employees for 30 years, which speaks volumes about his personality. “enthused Nancy, who admits she has a soft spot for this restaurant within the complex,” fabulous ” in your opinion.
The Tin Building also offers a huge range of cheeses from around the world, a fresh fruit and vegetable department, a butcher, a ready-to-eat corner, a supermarket of Asian products and a large grocery store with a multitude of Tin produced brands. Building. A range of by-products that will also help promote this new New York name in French gastronomy.
A titanic project
As you can imagine, this restaurant behemoth – something of a high-end Time Out Market, some guests mentioned – is the fruit of Jean-Georges’ long-term work, in partnership with the Howard Hughes Corporation real estate group, since the project started in 2016.
The construction site was titanic: before starting work on the site of the old fish market (the Fulton Fish Market, which moved to the Bronx in 2005), the Howard Hughes Corporation had to rebuild the pier on which it was installed, which involved the destruction and the reconstruction of concrete and steel structures that were below the water level. The structure therefore had to be raised two meters to be above the level recommended by the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), in its centuries-old flood risk prevention plan.
Finally, this place is also a strong symbol for the French restaurateur, who arrived in New York in 1985 and building a success story unprecedented French action on this side of the Atlantic. ” Seaport Market was one of the first places I visited when I arrived and has been a huge part of my culinary inspiration ever since. says the boss. It was a great privilege to have this opportunity to bring the Tin Building back to life and reinvent an iconic place in a new and authentic way. “
For Saul Scherl, president of the New York Tri-State Region, the Tin Building is also a gem for a neighborhood in revival. ” Seaport has emerged in recent years as New York’s fastest growing culinary destination. Since 2019 we have almost tripled the number of restaurants, fifteen open today “.
There remains a recurring difficulty in catering in New York these days: finding manpower to open with extended hours. The Tin Building was open at restricted hours during the summer, due to the difficulty of finding staff. Since its official opening it has extended its opening hours and today the building is open from Thursday to Saturday from 12:00 to 21:00 and on Sundays from 12:00 to 17:00.
