Marea is the flaghship restaurant of Altamarea Group. Runed by Mr. Fakahany, Chief Executive, and Mr. White, Chef, the group has Ai Fiori, Osteria Morini Soho, Osteria Morini NJ, Nicoletta, Due Mari and Al Molo restaurants inNew York City.
There’s nothing unusual prima facie. But if you go deep in Altamarea’s story, you can get very surprised. What is it that makes this group different? Why is it that you can resume everything with just a word? Success!
- Marea’s main dining room (Photo by Melissa Hom)
Nationwide, most restaurants close within the first year but Mr. Ahmass Fakahany is a financier by training; he did career at Merril Lynch and he built his restaurant group like ‘the money man’ he once was. He has hired back-office members from places like Goldman Sachs and Bain Capital to help him watch expenses. But that’s not all, he also hired his former driver at Merrill Lynch to shuttle around almost everything: from clients to wine crates.
Michael White, the chef, spent his childhood in Wisconsin and graduated from the Kendal Culinary Institute. Nowadays, he has won several Michelin Stars and has been named Esquire’s Best Chef, just to name a few awards. Not to mention that his restaurant, Marea, is one of the best restaurants in New York City (said by Zagat, The New York Times, James Beard Foundation…).
This team seems to be invincible!
- Mr. Ahmass Fakahany and Mr. Michael White
Marea, from the sea to the table
Located in Central Park South, Marea can be described like “the food is so heavenly, I don’t mind going to hell”, as we just read on a blog. Three stars from The New York Times, two Michelin Stars in 2012 and many other acknowledgments from several organizations endorse this sentence.
Marea, meaning ‘tide’ in Italian, redefines the high-end Italian food. The cuisine is committed to the freshest and most seasonal fish and shellfish from theMediterranean and waters worldwide. Selections are crudo, a wide variety of oysters and clams and antipasti.
Mr. White is famous for his house made pasta, plenty of frutti di mare. The menu also includes composed fish dishes, whole fish preparations and a short selection of meat.
- Capesante scallops (Photo by Ted Axelrod)
- Semidreddo walnut mousse, fig, poached pear (Photo by Ted Axelrod)
And after watching the pictures, the mouth is watering, doesn’t it?
For those who are planning a visit to the city that never sleeps, here’s our recommendation in New York City! Good food, nice venue and incredible business management.
