Like an elementary school classroom in a Wes Anderson movie, everything is child Have a purpose. The colorblock pizza shaker can also be used as a container for drying spices and garnishes at home. An arcade game floats at the end of a bright yellow hallway, attracting young diners while adults sip organic wine from upstate New York, though if some millennials find themselves playing Pac-Man, I won’t. Be surprised. Each bathroom features a pastel phone, a nod to the bubblegum pink phones at Kidd Sisters restaurants. Morris Motel.
Chelsea’s new family playground opened at 157 West 18th Street on Friday, January 17, and even its architecture invites guests to come and play. Pipes throughout the white and wood two-story space (formerly an electrical warehouse) were painted red to highlight Kid’s logo, which is emblazoned everywhere from takeout pizza boxes to tile floors to waiters’ T-shirts. sign. A large circular cutout in the entrance wall evokes the feeling of childhood – staring into the playground tunnel and imagining the world waiting on the other side. This one is filled with pizza.
Kid is the third project from brothers Sam and Brett Nidel and Brett’s wife, Tamara McCarthy. McCarthy joined the team a month after moving to New York from Ireland in 2011, and soon after, the trio opened their first location, a lively cafe called chelsea commons. In 2017, McCarthy and the Nidels launched Motel Morris, a seasonal American bistro in the same building as The Commons. Rounding the corner just 300 feet away, Kid’s completes this family affair, a Tuesday-Saturday night restaurant designed to accommodate parties of all sizes and ages.
Inside, sage-green booths suitable for parties of two or four line the walls, with ample table seating and a stately metal bar. With 4,500 square feet of interior space, all designed by McCarthy and Brooklyn-based studio 44 LLC, the lower level of Kid is a top contender for my retro-loving heart. If Greta Gerwig and Andy Warhol designed a restaurant together, this is what I imagine it would look like.
A pale blue hallway gives way to a standing-room-only electric poppy bar. Its double service windows cater to the different restaurants on either side. The natural light from the wooden walls, geometric sculptures and stunning skylights is soothing; the other showcases shimmering green-silver paneling and modern art; both feature monochromatic checkerboard floors. The basement can accommodate private parties of up to 50 guests, host movie screenings on the projector, and may overflow when the upstairs is packed.
Another contender for my (canned fish-loving, this time) heart is the anchovy pizza. now i no way Order pizza without cheese. Frankly, I think tomato pie is a little ridiculous. But enthusiastic recommendations from my waiter Junior (who was both enthusiastic and serious) and Kid’s Director of Operations (formerly Il Buco) inspired me to give it a try. The sweet and sour flavor of the tomato sauce complements the rich, earthy flavor of the roasted cauliflower rabe. Cantabrian anchovies, sourced from Spain’s Bay of Biscay, are considered some of the best-tasting anchovies in the world, and the intense umami flavor reaches its peak when tasting Malgiacca, Tuscany’s version of Sangiovese /Caneolo blend, it’s the first and Kid’s only U.S. debut.
“We wanted to create a sense of New York style and something that everyone loves. We’re not reinventing the wheel; we’re reinventing the wheel. It’s more of a love letter to New York where we grew up,” Sa M Needell told the Observer.
He and Brett grew up between Great Neck and the Upper West Side on Long Island, where their father had lived since childhood. They go back and forth between Gino’s and Carmine’s, and that first bite becomes indelibly defining when the cheese is piping hot, the oil is perfectly blended, the crust is crispy, and the texture is just right.
To develop a menu that is both modern and nostalgic, Nidels and McCarthy hired culinary director and executive chef Ian Coogan, a New Yorker who has worked at restaurants including Altro Paradiso, ABC Kitchen and ABC Cocina. They also worked with Max Blachman-Gentile, culinary consultant at Tartine Bakery, to figure out how to translate the delicious slice format into individual pies.
“We’re lucky to have Max making our pizzas. He works closely with Ian to get the pizza plan just right. It’s really organic. We eat a lot of pizza together and try it all over the city before we find the perfect one Pizza,” McCarthy, who grew up in his father’s Irish pub before becoming a graphic designer, told the Observer.
This plain pie does what it sets out to do and is easy to enjoy with other pies like pepperoni, Brussels sprouts with carnitas and mixed mushroom duxelles (all $20 to $26 ). The opposite of the savory option is the white lemon pie, made with smooth ricotta cheese and topped with chopped Meyer lemon slices. It’s quietly decadent with delicate cream—it’s my go-to on white bresaola pizza in northern Italy, and an addition I’m happy to see on American menus. For extra zest, try a little tableside red pepper, hang it to dry, and crush it with your hands in the kid’s kitchen.
Chef Coogan also delved into vegetables, which form a large part of the menu. Vegan dishes are available as shareable snacks, ranging in price from $14 to $22. A whole head of baby lettuce slathered in buttermilk anchovy sauce and grated cheese is crisp, creamy and salty. Fennel Salad has the refreshing flavors of chilli, mint and citrus. Hearty delights like a cylindrical tart of melted eggplant, butter beans with salsa pesto or tarragon-speckled hen of the woods mushrooms are all satiating vegetarian favorites.
For those craving a more substantial Italian tapas, there are heavier appetizers such as crab claw cocktail (not the raw bar kind, but seriously battered and deep-fried), fried mozzarella Fritters and Cheesy Garlic Fingers. Mains include juicy melon prosciutto, lemon tahini salad, burrata with tomatoes and bread, and a small selection of meats including chicken alla diavola ($36), whole seared sea bass and Bone-in short ribs ($75 each).
“The fun thing about the menu is you can do it in different ways. There’s a lot of vegetable plates and appetizers. You can come and have pizza and eat something later, or just have a bunch of small plates,” Brett told the Observer 》.
For the kids, there are DIY Shirley Temple bars and black and white cookies. For adults, there’s a cocktail program that pays homage to New York (“East River Martini” and “Everyone Has a Fruit Expert”), $16 absinthe services, and a menu for New York vintners and small producers Thoughtful wine with organic products.
When it comes to this old-school, new-school neighborhood hangout, know that “Kid” isn’t catering to New Yorkers raising kids, although it happily accommodates them. Rather, it celebrates the idea that every resident, Upper East Sider and Brooklynite, has ever heard Tony or Gino’s tongue dance as the dough rose in mid-air: “What do you want, child?
