Maybe NoMad should be called the Meat-eating District.
Rocco Steakhouse will be the latest meat mecca to land in the neighborhood when it opens at 72 Madison Ave. next month. The area is also home to Ben & Jack’s and the soon-to-open Prime and Wine.
Owner Rocco Trotta, who is also co-founder of the LiRo Group, a construction management engineering firm, has partnered with Pete Pjetrovic, a former general manager at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse who will take the same role at Rocco and Jeff Kolenovic. Executive chef Johnny Jevric also worked at Wolfgang’s on Park Avenue.
To stand out from the rest of the carnivore pack, Rocco will focus on locally sourced food, along with more than 100 wines on offer from California, France and Italy.
The decor, though, from designer Davide De Angelis, is best described as steakhouse classic — that is, traditional mahogany wood with gold and silver accents.
The 3,700 square-foot eatery will have 150 seats, with 30 to 35 people at the bar as well as a private room that can accommodate 50 additional people.
Grownup grilled cheese lovers should be pleased with the rollout of Croque Monsieur.
The original on East 13th Street is expanding to Midtown East with a takeout-only spot set to open next month at 459 Lexington Ave. — and that is just the beginning.
“We want to start by establishing the brand in New York, then roll out nationally and internationally with franchises,” co-owner Alberto Benenati told Side Dish.
Next up: outposts in Midtown West and Wall Street.
We hear…the wildly successful Shake Shack, which sold shares to the public this year, was a “complete accident,” according to founder Danny Meyer.
It started as an art project request for a hot dog stand in Madison Square Park in the summer of 2001. “It took about five minutes to write up the menu — crinkle cut fries, frozen custard and burgers,” Meyer said during an Amex Restaurant Trade Program panel in Aspen…Patti LaBelle, Valerie Bertinelli, Katherine Heigl and Nick Lachey will join Whoopi Goldberg, Haylie Duff, Rev Run and Chrissy Teigen as hosts of the eighth annual New York City Wine & Food Festival in October.