Anton’s

Chef Nick Anderer grew up on the upper west side of Manhattan on Riverside Drive. His earliest culinary mentor was his mother, Mia, who taught him the importance of respecting family through the daily celebration of thoughtfully prepared meals.  His father, Paul, a Columbia professor with an appetite for cultural exploration, encouraged Nick to travel and to seek out education beyond the classroom.  Nick attended Regis High School and Columbia College (BA, class of ‘99).  He spent his junior year in Italy, studying art history, architecture and urban planning.  Upon his return, Nick began working in top kitchens throughout New York City—The Water Club, An American Place, Rose Hill, Manhattan Prime, Tabla, Babbo—and decided to return to Italy in 2002 to hone his culinary craft in Milan and Rome. 

In 2003 Nick joined the kitchen team at Gramercy Tavern, where he worked for six years, both as a Sous Chef to Tom Colicchio and later as Executive Sous Chef to Mike Anthony, during which time he developed a deep appreciation for vegetables and the farmers that grew them.  Nick went on to open USHG’s two flagship Italian restaurants as the Executive Chef and Managing Partner—Maialino in 2009 and Marta in 2014—each of which gained widespread critical praise. Most recently, Chef Nick has partnered with Natalie Johnson, former Beverage Director of Loring Place, to open Anton’s in the West Village, a nostalgic New York Café & Wine Bar which celebrates the rich culinary history of his hometown. Nick has been nominated several times as a James Beard “Best Chef in New York City” semifinalist (2014, 2015) and has made numerous major network television appearances: featured chef on the Martha Stewart Show (2010); featured chef on CBS This Morning, The Dish (2014); celebrity judge on Food Network’s Chopped (2017); guest chef on Vice Network’s Action Bronson Show (2018).

Menu Inspiration

Chef Nick has spent the last decade archiving old Roman recipes for USHG’s flagship Italian eateries, Maialino & Marta.  Now he shifts his focus towards the only city he knows and loves more intimately than Rome: New York City.  The menu draws inspiration from old New York classics and everyday comfort foods that active diners crave.  As with any old New England eatery, shellfish and chops play a key role, but vegetables and pasta are abundant and, in fact, hold center stage: Chicory Salad, Eggplant on Burnt Toast, Spinach Ravioli a la Noialles.

Desserts are inspired by Anderer family recipes.  The wine program, thoughtfully curated by Natalie Johnson (Rising Star Chefs Sommelier, 2019—formerly of Otto, Marta, Frasca and Loring Place) will feature depth in European and American classic regions.  The list will offer a generous range of affordable selections to encourage exploration at every level, and will provide ample opportunity for serious wine enthusiasts to hunt for treasures.  The bar program draws inspiration from old American classics: Manhattans, Martinis, Champagne Cocktails.

Q&A

What’s the significance of naming the restaurant after your great great grandfather?

Anton is actually the name of my great great grandfather who immigrated the Anderer family from Germany to the U.S. in the mid 1800’s. I obviously never knew the man, but it seemed like a fitting ancestral tribute given the nostalgic nature of our restaurant and given the menu’s inspiration from many old Anderer family recipes.

How did you go about choosing the rustic design of the restaurant? 

Natalie and I spent a lot of time at old, iconic NY bars and eateries (we still do!)—Fanelli, Keens, Gene’s—to name a few. When it came to design, Natalie went to great lengths to reinterpret the timeless coziness of old world, neighborhood haunts in an updated restaurant setting. She did this by carefully selecting varied, incandescent light fixtures, both new and antique, to create an even glow in the room. She also commissioned still life paintings from a Georgian artist and friend who, from many miles away, was able to translate much of our menu inspiration onto canvas.  Seasonal floral arrangements get updated weekly by Natalie’s own hand and are complemented by an array of vintage candelabras which add flickering warmth throughout the evening.

I know that your menu rotates daily; however, is there a signature dish that you would like to highlight?

Our Hand-cut Angel Hair Francese is inspired by an off-menu item that we often order at Gene’s on 11th Street. Our version features super thin, house-made egg noodles, tossed in a lemony chicken broth, kissed with a touch of butter and topped with a mountain of toasted garlic breadcrumbs. It’s a marriage of classic Chicken Francese sauce with not-so-classic Angel Hair noodles. Somehow it just works.

 

How have you overcome the obvious challenges during the pandemic?

Like many other restaurants in the city, and around the world, we have had to reallocate our resources to address the needs of our surrounding community, with health being the utmost priority.  We built structures to accommodate more outdoor seating in the street, we’ve added heat lamps to extend the outdoor season into the winter, we laminated menus and added new steps of service to address sanitary procedures, we tweaked our delivery menu to make our food more travel friendly, and we’ve just started nation-wide shipping of meal kits through Goldbelly. It would be inaccurate to say that we have truly overcome the challenges of the pandemic (we still struggle to make ends meet), but we have done our best to keep the majority of our restaurant family intact throughout the majority of the pandemic. That said, the spirit of our team is stronger than ever and we look forward to safer and warmer days ahead.

Location and Info