Le Caprice

The Best of London Comes to New York: Chef Michael Hartnell of Le Caprice

Filed under: Dining

Chef Michael Hartnell of Le Caprice in New York.

Luxist had the opportunity to talk to rising star chef, Michael Hartnell, Executive Head Chef at Le Caprice, the fashionable Martin Brudnizki-designed restaurant in Manhattan's Pierre Hotel overlooking Central Park. The 28 year old wunderkind is known for his creative and modern European dishes.

Hartnell has worked for the Caprice Holdings Group for the past six years; prior to opening Le Caprice in New York, he was Head Chef at Daphne's in South Kensington, London.

Le Caprice, which opened in October 2009, is the American outpost of the famous London brasserie that shares the same name.

Luxist: Tell us about your background?

I was born in West London and grew up on the outskirts of London. My big opportunity came at the age of 15 when I did my work experience with my brother at The Ivy in London's West End. After finishing school, I completed my apprenticeship there and at other restaurants including Daphne's in South Kensington where I eventually became Head Chef at age 26 and Locande Locatelli, which is a One Star Michelin Italian Restaurant owned by Giorgio Locatelli.

Luxist: How does Le Caprice reflect your personality and vision as a chef?

Le Caprice embodies everything I love about food: its simple, well-produced and well executed. There is something on the menu for everyone's taste and that is a good reflection of myself. I'm not a complicated cook that likes to over elaborate on dishes, but what we do is done with a lot of passion. I aim to produce simple food using the best produce possible in sync with the seasons.

Luxist: Describe the menu offerings at Le Caprice in New York. What are the specialties? How often will the menu change? Describe your seasonal fare.

Chef Hartnell: We have Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner and Bar menus. We have weekly changing specials and we also tweak the a la carte menu on a weekly basis to keep the menu as seasonal as possible. At the moment we are using fantastic fava beans, peas and artichokes. One of my favorite things right now is King Salmon, which we get from Washington State.

Tags: Anna Wintour, awards-main, Chef Hartnell, cocktails, Donald Trump, Glenda Bailey, Le Caprice, luxist-awards, Michael Hartnell, New York, Pierre Hotel, restaurant week, restaurants

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Le Caprice Celebrates Restaurant Week in New York

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Spirits

Le Caprice on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is an art-deco designed restaurant.

For the first time, New York's Le Caprice, the fashionable Martin Brudnizki-designed restaurant in Manhattan's Pierre Hotel overlooking Central Park, will participate in Restaurant Week. Le Caprice will offer a special prix fixe menu featuring a three course lunch for $24 while the three course dinner menu is priced at $35 per person. Restaurant Week runs from Monday, July 12 through July 25th.

"Restaurant Week gives everyone the opportunity to visit the restaurant to experience our signature and New York specialties if they have not already done so," says Le Caprice's Executive Chef Michael Hartnell.

Le Caprice, which opened in October 2009, is the American outpost of the famous London brasserie that shares the same name.

Le Caprice's prix fixe lunch and dinner menus during Restaurant Week feature Signature Caprice dishes such as the mixed beets salad, wild salmon served with buttered runner beans and chanterelles and Chicken Milanese as well as New York Specialties such as the Caprice Burger. Dessert options include Le Caprice's delicious honeycomb ice cream served with hot chocolate sauce.

Signature cocktails at the Le Caprice Bar are not to be missed. Included on the menu are such signature drinks as Gabriel's Martini and the Ginger Caprice. Le Caprice is also featuring a few Summer cocktails on the menu which include a light and refreshing Raspberry Mojito and the Amalfi Martini, which is made with fresh lemon puree.

The restaurant's wine list features a broad selection of wines from around the world. It includes select European wines from small producers whose focus is quality rather than quantity and who release small parcels to the U.S. The restaurant also features smaller boutique producers from the US who likewise focus on the craft of their wine making rather than the status of their labels.

Le Caprice is located at 795 Fifth Avenue. It is open for lunch from 12 pm to 3 pm Monday through Friday; dinner is served from 5:30 pm to 11:30 pm. On weekends, brunch is served from 11:30 am to 4 pm.

To make a reservation, call (212) 940-8195 or book online at Open Table.

Tags: awards-main, Le Caprice, Luxist-awards, Pierre Hotel, Restaurant Week

The Ivy and Le Caprice Will Open in Dubai

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Two iconic London restaurants are bound overseas opening in 2010 adding to the growing and diverse culinary landscape of Dubai. Both The Ivy and Le Caprice will debut in the emirate clinching their premier status on the international scene, although they are both already popular celebrity haunts in their home country. I haven't had the pleasure of visiting either of these eateries but if they are good enough to transplant to Dubai they must be exceptionally full of culture, cuisine and character.

Gallery: The Ivy & Le Caprice in London