UPPER WEST SIDE — The Marcus Samuelsson empire is about to expand.
The celebrity chef is opening a new restaurant and bar at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall Friday to replace At65 cafe, which was overseen by chef Anthony Verga.
According to the restaurant's representatives, "American Table Cafe and Bar" will offer "a unique dining experience through the eclectic reinterpretation of Americana."
The menu was crafted by Samuelsson and Nils Noren, Marcus Samuelsson Group's VP of Restaurant Operations and the restaurant is a partnership between the group and Restaurant Associates.
Charlene Johnson-Hadley, formerly a line cook at Samuelsson's Red Rooster in Harlem, is the new restaurant's Executive Chef.
The 75-seat lobby/cafe space, which opened in February 2009, received a refurbishment by the hall's designers, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, making it more intimate, representatives said. The restaurant will be open longer as well, instead of closing at 8 p.m. like the former venue, it will remain open until 11 p.m.
Concert-goers can also enjoy the bar with a cocktail menu designed by mixologist Eben Klemm, whose background in molecular biology at MIT influences his inventive mixtures.
While the previous menu featured "Mediterranean seasonal comfort food," and fairly standard ham and cheese sandwiches, foodies expect Samuelsson's choices to be more inventive, and informed by his international background.
Samuelsson has restaurants in Chicago, Sweden and New York City. His memoir Yes, Chef was released this June.
