Lower Manhattan’s Best Cuisine Featured at Dine Around Downtown Event

ONE day, around FIFTY restaurants, HUNDREDS of signature dishes, THOUSANDS of delicious servings and happy eaters, and LIVE music. Today the Downtown Alliance held its 12th Annual Dine Around Downtown festival at Chase Manhattan Plaza, where 50 local restaurants dished out over 150 of their most popular menu items.

"Lower Manhattan has a red-hot culinary scene, and we’re thrilled — once again — to offer workers, residents and visitors this opportunity to sample the creations of our most exciting chefs and restaurants," said Elizabeth H. Berger, President of the Downtown Alliance.

Attracting approximately 20,000 Lower Manhattan diners, this mouthwatering lunchtime event featured scores of well-known Lower Manhattan restaurants, including Delmonico’s Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Stone Street Tavern, Battery Gardens, Les Halles Downtown, Harry’s Italian, Smorgas Chef, Nelson Blue and Haru. Cuisines ranged from French to Japanese to Mexican to New American. With free admission, diners purchased signature menu items ranging from $3 to $7 per tasting. The event featured live music by the Jazz Museum AllStars.

Dine Around Downtown highlights Lower Manhattan’s thriving culinary scene and provides a once-a-year opportunity to sample the creations of Lower Manhattan’s most exciting chefs and restaurants. The event was presented by the Downtown Alliance with additional support from Bloomberg, JPMorgan Chase, The Moinian Group, The New York Observer, WNYC New York Public Radio and 1-800-Postcards.

“This is one of my favorite events – and I’m delighted we’re back in this wonderful space, thanks to JPMorgan Chase and the beautiful work they have done on the plaza,” said Robert R. Douglass, Chairman of the Downtown Alliance. “None of this would be possible without the efforts of the Downtown Alliance team, the 50 restaurants participating here today, and our sponsors.”

Dine Around Downtown Top Chef Guest Appearance

Left to Right: Downtown Alliance Chairman Robert R. Douglass; All-Star Top Chef Stephen Asprinio; Bloomberg Radio Host Peter Elliot

Adding to the fun was a special appearance by Stephen Asprinio, who recently appeared on Bravo Network's Emmy Award-winning series, "Top Chef", competing in the All-Star season alongside the best of the best from seasons past. Asprinio is a Lower Manhattan resident and owns S.A. Hospitality Innovations.

A chef, a sommelier, and a restaurateur, Asprinio graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and Cornell University, and became one of the youngest sommeliers in the country as the wine director for Michael Mina’s Nob Hill at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. And at the age of 26, Stephen opened his first and namesake restaurant, Forté di Asprinio in South Florida, which was named "One of the Top 10 Best New Restaurants in the United States" by the Gayot Restaurant Guide.

In 2010, Asprinio was named a “Top Chef All-Star”, competing in the eighth season of the series, alongside the best of the best from seasons past. Also in 2010, Asprinio signed on with Nespresso USA as the company’s resident sommelier, initiating the Nespresso “Coffee Meets Wine” program in the United States. In 2011, Asprinio will be launching a wine-centric restaurant concept named PizzaVinoTeca (PVT) in NYC. He also is writing “Eat & Drink Until You Die”, which focuses on enjoying the everyday food and wine experience.

Dine Around Downtown 2011 participants included: Adrienne’s Pizzabar; The Bailey Pub & Brasserie; Battery Gardens Restaurant; Beckett’s; The Beekman Pub; Bobby Van’s Steakhouse; Brick NYC; Bridge Café; Burger Burger; The Capital Grille; Ciao Bella Gelato; City Hall Restaurant; Crepes du Nord; Delmonico’s Steakhouse; The Dubliner; Financier Patisserie; Fino Wall Street; Fizzy Lizzy; Harry’s Café & Steak; Harry’s Italian;Haru; Inatesso Pizzabar; Jim Brady’s; The Ketch; Kitchenette; Les Halles Downtown;The Libertine; Mad Dog & Beans; MarkJoseph Steakhouse; Merchant’s NY Café; Merchant’s River House; Nelson Blue; Open Door Gastropub; P.J. Clarke’s on the Hudson; Pound & Pence; Salud Restaurant; Sequoia; Smorgas Chef; SouthWest NY; Stella; Stone Street Tavern; Suspenders Restaurant; Suteishi; Trinity Place; Ulysses Folk House; Wall & Water; Waterstone Grill; and, Zeytuna.

For images and video footage from Dine Around Downtown, visit the Downtown Alliance’s Flickr and YouTube pages.