The newest restaurant from Catch Hospitality Group – known for The Corner Store in SoHo, beloved by Taylor Swift – will feature a seven-figure, massive custom grill that will serve up sizzling dishes from the Levant.
Or’esh, which will be helmed by Michelin-starred chef Nadav Greenberg, opens next month in SoHo and will offer staples from countries like Israel, Morocco and Lebanon — such as grilled whole lobster, seared salmon sashimi and charred greens.
Greenberg, who made his name at Eyal Shani’s Shmoné in the West Village, will oversee the live-fire cooking, which will go into most of the dishes.
The chef said he sketched the design of the grill, which won’t be visible to diners, with restaurateur Eugene Remm noting getting the right approvals from the city was a challenge.
“It was a huge challenge and a very long process, but the flavor is something you just can’t fake,” Remm told Side Dish.
“What I learned from Nadav is that [live fire cooking] isn’t precise … It’s more of an art than a science, and that’s what makes it interesting and unique.”
Greenberg can’t wait to fire up the grill when Or’esh, which denotes light and fire in Hebrew, opens next month.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s one of a kind,” he said. “This is literally a Ferrari. It can’t get better than this.”
Or’esh, located on Broadway near Prince Street, paces away from The Corner Store, will be the third restaurant from Catch in 17 months. After the success of The Corner Store – a sort of love letter to New York, with unique takes on classic local staples – and The Eighty Six, located inside the historic Chumley’s/Frog Club spot once frequented by Hemingway, expectations for the new spot are high.
Although Or’esh is still under construction, the founders’ vision shines through. The walls have been knocked down, and those that remain are covered in fabric to absorb sound, while the ceilings have been lowered, with frames and beams added, to create a more intimate space.
“The number-one thing that is important to me in a restaurant is the sound,” Remm said. “If you work hard but you bleed your ears out, it’s a horrible experience. We made an investment into soundproofing the space to make sure it wasn’t a cold, hollow space.”
He also pointed out the restaurant’s “smaller spaces and beautiful banquettes — not tight tables focused on how many covers you can squeeze into a space.”
Or’esh will have 75 seats plus a 15- to 30-seat private dining room with a separate entrance.
And then there’s the magnificent grill.
“You can’t program it, because one moment the heat is here and the next it’s there. Cooking is the only art where you need to use all of the five senses,” Greenberg said.
The custom build guarantees unique flavors, he added. Remm put the price tag at seven figures, though he declined to share the exact cost.
“Even if it is a simple Branzino, it will taste different – with a salt bake or some of the bones smoked for the sauce or smoking tomato and stracciatella with sage,” Greenberg said.
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