A new contemporary French restaurant just opened in New York City and is welcoming diners… if you can find it.
The interior of Frevo. Image by Charissa Fay
Frevo is Greenwich Village’s latest culinary addition and quickly becoming one of the most talked about in the neighborhood. Not only because it’s under the helm of Brazilian-born chef Franco Sampogna, but because it’s secretly tucked behind an art gallery space on West 8th Street. To enter Frevo, you must pass through the gallery, which displays pieces by French painter Toma-L and find the secret door disguised as a large painting.
The new restaurant. Image by Charissa Fay
Once inside, you’ll find everything you’d expect from a speakeasy-esque restaurant. There’s only room for 24 diners at a time with 18 sitting at the chef’s counter and an additional six at an adjacent, private chef’s table. It’s here where you’ll be served a five-course tasting menu, which rotates seasonally, and consists of two appetizers, meat and fish courses, and a dessert. Recent dishes included green asparagus, pistachios and coconut, ravioli with calamari, halibut fennel mushroom marmalade, and a lemon and lime custard to top it off.
The restaurant serves this ravioli calamari. Image by Charissa Fay
Sampogna, who previously trained for eight years in France at three Michelin-starred restaurants, feels he’s struck a unique balance with this concept described as “refined French-style dining with energetic and unpretentious service.” Diners get a blend of comfort and glamour with the cozy, hidden space and experiential flavors and textures of the dishes that continuously change.
The interior of Frevo. Image by Charissa Fay
“As with the name Frevo [which means ‘boiling’], New York City served as a major inspiration, drawing from the speakeasy cocktail bar scene and Chelsea’s world-class art galleries,” Sampogna told Lonely Planet. “The idea was to play with guests’ expectations, making the experience start way before the first bite. The idea is to create something that is alive, ‘boiling,’ a space that will constantly evolve like the city.”
The restaurant is open from 6 pm—11 pm from Tuesday to Saturday, for dinner only and costs US$124 (€109) per person.
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