Food

So, This Is What Happens When an Artist Designs a Restaurant

Heirloom Tomatoes and Sherry Cocktails Under Grand Murals

By Sarah Freeman ·
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Photo: Francis Son

You've thought about it before.

What would happen if a world-famous artist got his hands on a restaurant?

Or you're thinking about it now. And the MCA made it a reality at the now-open Marisol. They tapped Chris Ofili to cover the walls in vibrant art and Jason Hammel to plate equally colorful food. The result looks like this.

Inspired by French-Venezuelan artist Marisol, who was an icon of the New York art scene in the 1960s, this edible exhibit has windows etched in doodles. The private dining room features a floor-to-ceiling mural of ethereal figures that matches the multi-colored furniture.

Pull up a blue chair and take a gander at the seasonal menu designed by the chef behind Lula Café. Good luck choosing between heirloom tomatoes with salmon roe, summer squash with pickled cherries and whole roasted sea bass with late-summer beans. Or get it all.

A black marble bar is a fitting canvas for Sindey J, a sherry and tequila cocktail topped with a lemon twist. A global wine and beer menu lets you drink glasses of Italian orange wine followed by a bottle of Spanish cider. Or just peruse the vermouth list.

Gotta love a good perusal.

Sarah Freeman

Sarah Freeman is often accused of hiding secrets in her hair. She can make any cocktail, as long as that cocktail is a rye Old Fashioned, and has never met a saison she didn’t like.

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