New York City had a very exciting June.
Well, it’s always exciting in New York City, perhaps just a little more so last month.
The awards for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants were in town, as were a number of Australian and global chefs such as Neil Perry and Peter Gilmore. Many of the Australian visitors were dining at some of New York’s Australian owned restaurants, such as the new Dante and Two Hands.
Linden Pride and Naren Young, part owners of Dante, are alums of Neil Perry’s Rockpool restaurants. Their executive chef, Rachael Polhill is also an alum of Neil Perry’s signature restaurants. Cutting their teeth there has paid off as they were just announced as nominees for the Best New US Bar for the coveted Spirited Awards at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. Along with many Australian ex-pats, Baz Luhrmann and wife Catherine Martin, who live across the street, are frequent diners at Dante as well.
The original Caffe Dante opened its doors on Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village 1915, which at the time was known as the ‘South Village’ and mostly an Italian neighbourhood. It was a local meeting place where Italian immigrants would gather over espresso and talk of home and politics. In 1971, Mario Flotta Sr. took over the space. Over the course of the next 40 years, community neighbours and celebrities alike frequented the cafe for a piece of Italy. Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld and Bob Dylan were just a few of the famous faces that passed through.
In 2015, the Flotta family decided to part ways with the cafe and entrusted its future with a small New York based Australian family. The family has stayed true to the Italian heritage of Caffe Dante whilst taking influences from the global ingredients that New Yorkers have learned to love and seek out. The new Dante really is a love letter to the original. The pictures that line the walls are not only of the original owners, but also highlight the wonderful cast of characters that have passed through these doors. From artists and writers, like Anais Nin and Ernest Hemingway of the Bohemian age, to Robert Maplethorpe and Patti Smith, Caffe Dante is a place that people have always flocked to.
Striving for innovation through authenticity, the team’s success has been to revive the historic brand and cultural symbolism whilst reigniting it as an all-day destination for coffees, dinner and aperitivo. The majority of Dante’s beverage ingredients are made in-house, including the ginger beer and tonic water. The ice cream is also made in house. There is a menu dedicated solely to the Negroni cocktail, created by Naren Young, which features 12 variations.
If you’re looking for a restaurant in New York City where you can feel like a local, but also be part of a local community of Australian ex-pats, Dante is the place.
To find out more about Caffe Dante, visit www.dante-nyc.com.
