Opening Shot is a column that peeks inside new hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops with dreamy interiors.
Location: New York City
Designer: Joyn Studio
On Offer:
Having weathered the era of austere French bistros, the newly opened boîte Chez Fifi marks a return to extravagance. The Upper East Side dining room follows in the footsteps of indulgent institutions like Balthazar, La Grenouille, and Pastis. The latest project from Sushi Noz owners and brothers Josh and David Foulquier is an ode to their mother, the eponymous Fifi.
Brought to life by Stockholm-based JOYN Studio, the bi-level townhouse pays homage to the spirit of the family matriarch. The cobalt bistroplaque by the bar once hung in her garden, the lilting jazz evokes the music played at her dinner parties, and the roasted chicken follows her grandmother’s recipe. Even the art, a gallery of works including pieces by Calder and Miró, is the family’s collection.
Downstairs, the dining room is wrapped in gleaming mahogany walls and velvet banquettes whose drink rails (dividers) collect emptied bottles of Iberian wines. Upstairs, the 28-seat Salon Di Fifi à L’étage channels the warmth of a Parisian living room, with a black marble fireplace and wood floors, lovingly pre-scuffed for a lived-in feel.
Standout Features:
Executive chef Zack Zeidman, who cut his teeth under Ignacio Mattos at Estela and Altro Paradiso, doles out a lineup of carefully constructed takes on French and Basque classics. Burgundy endive leaves cradle green apple, dates, walnuts, and buttery Fourme d’Ambert cheese. Frog legs arrive nestled in a spring green persillade. A silver platter of poulet rôti swimming in a blonde foie gras jus balances the accompanying salad, a blend of spring greens and shallots with an acidic bite. Fried golden potatoes with rosemary round out Fifi’s childhood Sunday tradition.
