Corton

Stephanie Goto redefines the architectural aesthetic of a Manhattan culinary landmark to launch its thoughtfully plotted metamorphosis.

By Linda C. Lentz
This is an excerpt of an article from the January 2009 edition of Architectural Record.

When New York City—based restaurateur Drew Nieporent opened his critically acclaimed Montrachet in 1985, he broke ground on two fronts: launching the career of chef David Bouley (whose food garnered a three-star rating from The New York Times just seven weeks after it debuted), and pioneering a yet-to-be-exploited Tribeca (the now über-hip neighborhood in Lower Manhattan). In contrast, the interior space itself — in a two-story commercial brick building typical of the area’s historic architecture — was “built with the funds that we had at the time,” Nieporent said, and notable only for its lack of ostentation. Consequently, when the restaurant received several “tired” reviews after a successful run of more than 20 years, he closed shop to revitalize its image — which continued to evoke the promise of a great meal — and give equal emphasis to its decor.

What many thought would be a renovation, however, evolved into a full-blown reincarnation, dubbed Corton. The new restaurant, named as a reference to what oenofiles consider the only other white Burgundy to rival a top-quality Montrachet, was the brainchild of Nieporent and his newly enlisted partner and chef, Paul Liebrandt.

Program

Known for his vanguard approach to contemporary French cuisine, Liebrandt wanted the room to set the stage for — not upstage — his food, with its artful flavors and presentation. So when he suggested bringing in designer Stephanie Goto, a friend and self-acknowledged “foodie,” Nieporent agreed. 

A protégé of David Rockwell and Rafael Viñoly, Goto was no stranger to restaurant design.

She had successfully completed five restaurant projects — including Tadao Ando’s Morimoto [record, September 2006, page 98] and Christian Liaigre’s Buddakahn, for which she was associate architect. Moreover, Goto understood the chef and his food. And while the room that had been Montrachet held a certain charm and comfort level with its tin ceilings and red tufted banquettes steeped in nostalgia, she knew “it did not take Liebrandt’s food into consideration.”

Comprising a series of three rooms — a front room with a bar; a central, L-shaped dining room; and a kitchen at the back — Montrachet was plagued with remote tables in its far corner. As a remedy, Goto lobbied to relocate the kitchen to that back corner to open up the central dining area as one large room. This strategy would also reduce occupancy from up to 100 diners to 70. On the other hand, says Nieporent, “People don’t want to feel that they’re in a second-class situation.” Goto’s plan would eliminate the problem. As a nod to the past, though, he insisted that the footprint of the bar and banquette remain similar to the original.

Solution

With limited funds, Goto aimed to create something luxurious. “From the onset, we wanted a room that would embrace the diner,” she explains. She achieved this by gently sloping and curving the walls and corners of the reconfigured space. The ceiling, too, slopes toward a central canopy made of tensioned cables — a visual connection between the dining room and entry that also houses ambient lighting, offers a path for ventilation, and provides access to the mechanicals hidden in the curvature of the walls and slope of the ceiling. Also, says Goto, “The slow curve of the walls allowed us to conceal the existing nuances of a Tribeca building.”

Not one for “decoration,” Goto admits, “restaurants require an element of whimsy.” Taking her cues from the imagined salon of an elegant French maison, she treated the warm white walls with a textural plaster relief of leaves and branches — routed, and then filled and sculpted by hand, and uplit by perimeter LEDs. Golden leaves appear to float. The color palette recalls the restaurant’s namesake wine with subtle variations of its greenish gold hue in the mohair banquettes — embroidered with 19th-century herb motifs — real and faux leather seats, and carpet. Lavender-topped stools evoke the region’s flora and vintage red. The architect designed delicate brass rod chandeliers fitted with fiber optics, some with hand-blown glass eggs, and had structural columns coated with luminescent mica dust.

Ever the star, the food shines at each table via carefully pointed MR16 pinholes. And diners can glimpse the chefs at work through the kitchen’s sliver of a window set high into a stark black proscenium that never intrudes on the experience.

Commentary

In a series of subtle architectural gestures, Goto crafted a setting that does not overwhelm but reveals its character in the course of the dining experience — like a fine wine as it breathes. Nieporent reports that the redesign “is working tremendously well.” There’s not a bad seat in the house now, he says, and the customers are happy.

Formal name of project: Corton

Location: 239 West Broadway New York NY 10013

Gross square footage: 2500 sq.ft.

Owner: Corton

Completion Date: October 2008

Architect:
Stephanie Goto Design Group
One Union Square West
New York Ny 10003 Usa
212 475 5575
212 475 0055

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