Food & Beverage : Menu engineering
Pescado Naked Tacos at Dos Caminos in the W New York – Times Square
DOS CaMINOS ,
W New York – Times Square
Noah Fecks
One of the original hipster hotels in New York , W New York – Times Square , decided it was time to turn one of its earliest F & B attractions , the Whiskey Bar , into a restaurant .
Like many hotels these days , it went looking to put something unique in an area that has become a sea of chain restaurants . “ Our desire was to have a destination restaurant that provided great service , good cocktails – well , margaritas – fun cuisine and a place where neighborhood residents and global travelers could come together ,” says General Manager Ed Baten .
Executive Chef Ivy Stark says Dos Caminos is the company ’ s fifth restaurant in New York , offering fresh , authentic Mexican cuisine and a bar with hundreds of tequila varieties . Everything is made on site from scratch , even the tortillas . “ We don ’ t serve fried food with melted cheese ,” Stark says .
One of the main features of the restaurant is a 40-seat mezcal and margarita bar on the street level , along with a custom agave plant-inspired glass and steel back bar . The main , subterranean dining room seats up to 80 people and features a margarita and guacamole bar .
Chef Stark ’ s menu features smaller plates with a focus on lighter , health-conscious fare . Dishes include the tortilla-less Naked Tacos , which include a choice of protein or vegetables over a warm quinoa pilaf , pinto beans , corn and poblano salad and avocado salsita . Chef Stark also grinds her own nixtamal for handmade tortillas , using Masienda corn , which is an heirloom variety from Mexico .
Since Dos Caminos just opened in September , Baten says there aren ’ t yet real metrics to show its success . “ However , we do know we have made more guacamole than ever before ,” he says .
36 HOTELS November 2015 www . hotelsmag . com