Le Jardinier
Le Jardinier
Photograph by Adrian Dirand, Courtesy of Le Jardinier
A modern day greenhouse offering flawless summer sustenance in a refined yet approachable dining environment has opened its doors at 610 Lexington Avenue in midtown Manhattan. Tucked away in the ground floor of 110 East 53rd street – a new luxury condominium designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Norman Foster – Le Jardinier is the first New York City restaurant of executive chef Alain Verzeroli, a 21-year protégé of the late French chef extraordinaire Jöel Robuchon, and world-renowned French architect Joseph Dirand; a subsequent eatery by the powerhouse design-and-dining duo is set to open on the building’s second floor later next month.
Le Jardinier
Chef Alain Verzeroli
Le Jardinier’s tranquil, jungle-like interior – a welcomed escape from it’s concrete counterpart just outdoors – features an abundance of lush vegetation, one-of-a-kind green-marble walls and flooring, and custom-made furnishings that reflect Dirand’s modernist aesthetic. Low seating, fluid lines, rounded corners – be sure not to miss the sculpted doorframes throughout the space, a personal favorite – and copious amounts of natural light all contribute to the restaurant’s Garden of Eden environment, the perfect accompaniment to Verzeroli’s vegetable-driven menu, structured around modern cuisine utilizing the highest quality seasonal ingredients.
Chef Verzeroli’s plant-first culinary philosophy complemented by wild and sustainable fish, meat and poultry, lends itself to a menu of flavorful dishes, including the restaurant’s already signature appetizer of heirloom tomatoes, stone fruits and Burrata, as well as an entrée featuring Maine scallops, baby carrots, snap peas and spring onions. Le Jardinier is a food lover’s fantasy with an ambiance to match – a ‘must go’ for anyone in New York yearning for a taste of summer.
