Why I Opened Bartolo (Part 2)
In 2023, I wrote down my dream of opening a Spanish restaurant in the West Village. In 2025, I opened Bartolo. Here is why I did it and how
In June 2024 I had just come back from hanging out in Madrid and Barcelona for a few weeks. Inspiration was running through my blood. I had taken lots of photos of places that spoke to me.
I showed them to my wife and her sister. We all knew we wanted to design a place that was timeless. An atmosphere that looked like it had been there forever. Years of interior elements that had been built upon itself. We worked closely with a wonderful design team called Coseen Collective for about a year, from conception until opening day.
With the precise vision and direction of myself and my partners, the design team brought the rooms to life. Marble, burled wood, and beautiful fabrics were put in place. Custom light fixtures and mill work were laid out. Different paint jobs gave each room their own identity. The space became a place that I would want to spend time in. It unearthed a sensation of why I love to eat and drink in these environments. The stage was set. It was now time to finish the job.
I had the team in mind I wanted for the kitchen.
I knew I could rely on the current chef and kitchen team at Ernesto’s for certain elements of production. In order to expand, I worked like the scout of a professional football team to assemble a unit that would be right for the task. Young, fresh, talented individuals. I also joined forces with a restaurant veteran who was the Chef de Cuisine of one of NYC’s most well respected restaurants over the last twenty five years. Some of the new hires I knew previously. One had worked with me at Ernesto’s. There were a few that I didn’t know personally but had worked in great kitchens.1
Once the crew was assembled it was time to design a menu. A menu can’t be written until you know what kind of equipment is available to work with. There usually are boundaries and limitations in any New York City kitchen. At Bartolo, I certainly had my hands full. The preexisting kitchen was in poor condition and quite small. We redid the floors and drains. The dish pit and sinks had to be changed. Stainless steel was installed on all the walls. We trashed all the old kitchen equipment and small wares. All pots, pans and appliances were not spared.
I was dying to have a fancy little European suite. A stove top and an oven or two under it. One piece. I knew I could get a custom Athanor stove put in. I had just come back from Spain on a trip in May of 2024 and a lot of my friends were using a brand called Charvet in their restaurants. Like Athanor, the stoves were beautiful. The only problem was that a lot of these units came with only one or two gas burners. Also there was no grill. Knowing what I knew and what kind of restaurant we were going for, I had to compromise.
Yes, I wanted to do refined plated food, skilled sauce work, and grand roasts. I also knew what a dinner service in a tiny kitchen in the West Village would be like. It would start at 5 pm and usually go til midnight. With only forty seats across both dining rooms, I’d have to do three turns a night to make ends meet. I said goodbye to the custom dreams and went for firepower. Units that were dependable, and could last. Don’t get me wrong, the equipment we got is pretty good. I’d say top of the middle of the road. In the end it was what we needed.
The kitchen line was set. A two basket Pitco fryer. Two Jade Bistro Line stoves. One had a plancha and two open burners on top. There was an oven underneath. Next to it was one more stove that was covered with a flat top and two more open burners. Another oven underneath. We now had four open burners to work with. I wanted to do Spanish fried eggs, which have to be fried over a burner with an open flame. I knew the eggs would be popular so I wanted to play it safe.
Next to the second stove was a small, Japanese clay oven grill. This grill was perfect to sear tiny sardines as well as char hulking chuletas. The hot line was complete. Two feet from the grill, opposite a hand sink, we set up a garde manger station which consists of a few ninth pans for toppings, a cutting board and a refrigerator underneath. On the other side of the line, two low boys would double as the pass during service. All dishes would be plated and finished on top of the low boys by myself or the other chefs.
Now that I knew what gear I was working with, I could start to dream up an opening menu. This restaurant reflected Madrid so there were staples that had to be included. There needed to be roasted baby lamb, roasted suckling pig, Madrid style tripe. There’s no way you could start your meal without fried jamón croquetas or grilled pan de cristal topped with cold butter and Cantabrian anchovies. Gildas would still be present, now and forever, here and at Ernesto’s. I like them so much at Ernesto’s, we serve them the exact same way at Bartolo. Batter fried shrimp and bacalao would be coming off the pass at the same time as thinly sliced, heirloom beefsteak tomatoes dressed in olive oil and minced garlic.
We opened on July 31, the apex of the Summer 2025 heat wave. There had to be some items that could accommodate the elements. One dish that always stood out in my head that I wanted to bring to New York was ajo blanco. Obviously, this dish has been presented in different forms at different places but I had my own thoughts. I wanted to capitalize on the contrast of temperatures and textures to leave people something to talk about on the sweaty subway ride home.
Ajo blanco, in its essence, is blanched white almonds that have been blended with water, garlic, bread, vinegar and olive oil. It’s savory, creamy and fatty. Not so different from a rich tahini. Normally, it’s garnished with green grapes or melon. Sometimes jamón. I wanted to go one step above the norm and cool people down. Nothing is more satisfying than a fresh, cold honeydew sorbet. And that’s exactly what we did. Sorbet was another item produced at Ernesto’s everyday to meet the demands. I can say there were a few days I was concerned we’d be left with melon soup after a half hour in heavy traffic.
Lastly, the fried eggs that I mentioned earlier did become a hit. We needed those four open burners. The eggs are served on top of fried potatoes and shrimp cooked in garlic, parsley and plenty of olive oil. The cazuela of eggs is then brought to the diner and purposefully cut up tableside and tossed together. This was the way I enjoyed them in Madrid. A few months after opening, this dish has been crowned one of New York City’s favorites of 2025.
Dreams, thoughts, research and notes from the last twenty years of my life were coming together. Most dishes worked out in that tiny kitchen. There were some dishes that didn’t fit then. Hopefully they’ll materialize at another time.
I was confident with the kitchen staff and the menu. While I was orchestrating the menu development and lab work in the kitchen, we were simultaneously hiring and training the front of house staff. A seasoned general manager who could handle the intensity of opening as well as my own quirks (which some call passions) was brought on. With the help of our wine director, beverage director and director of operations, all of whom I had worked with for some time at Ernesto’s, we were ready to open the doors.
I was nervous, but confident. I recognized we were doing something significant and different. Most importantly, I felt ready to stand behind this sequel restaurant.
One thing I can say is that in the world of kitchen lore, I did not and do not ever poach. Meaning I don’t personally reach out to cooks to steal them from other restaurants. On the contrary, if a cook or chef reaches out to me because they want to work with me because of what we do I will certainly take the meeting. If I feel that we will work well together and they want to join the team I will leave it up to them to speak to their current employer. I shouldn’t be the one to have to call up someone’s supervisor if it is ok if they quit because they want to work with me. I have had many people leave me and then take jobs at establishments that I frequent. Some even happened to be run by people I know. Not once did I call and ask why they didn’t call me first. I have my dignity. Let them go. If they want to go somewhere else they should. What would some cranky phone call or passive aggressive text do?
Eagerly anticipating more of these in the way I do the huevos fritos con gambas y patatas!