With Santi, Chef Michael White Marks His Return to New York

1. Nothing is the same, and nothing was rushed.

When you’ve prevously held five Michelin stars simultaneously, and racked acclaim and awards from The New York Times to the James Beard Foundation, it’s impossible not to feel pressure to repeat your past successes by mimicking what you’ve done previously. But both White and Bronster felt strongly that Santi should be something new — and recognizable as such. That doesn’t mean it’s not identifiable as a Michael White-led kitchen, or that he’s not enjoying using some of his past dishes as a jumping-off point, but that it’s clear the chef isn’t resting on his laurels.

“We wanted to do something really forward. To do that, we spent a lot of time thinking about where Michael has been — he worked in the south of France with incredible technique and in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region and San Domenico in the south, spending seven years there, getting married, learning Italian,” says Bronster. “Michael is a man who now thinks in Italian, even though he was born in the United States.”

Santi, which translates to “saint” in Italian, refers to the sainted hands of a chef, who can transform raw materials into food. Because it is BBianco Hospitality’s new flagship restaurant, both partners waited patiently until the right space came along, turning down several other projects ranging from licensing and management deals to flashy Hudson Yards spaces.

“We’ve been working on Santi for two-and-a-half years, and I’ve been chomping at the bit to get back into the city and lay down new roots and different food,” says White. “Obviously, the food that I’ve done throughout my career, you’ll see nuances of all those things, especially the pastas, but to get back into the kitchen in New York City is awesome and in Midtown, where my core customer is.”

For example, instead of the rabbit-veal-and-mortadella-stuffed agnolotti that was once on the menu at Alto, at Santi, there will be a rabbit for two (coniglio al forno) with multiple iterations of the protein. Similarly, the design is a complete gut renovation, and White used his advantage of having cooked in the space previously to iron out any issues like low ceilings and poor lighting that he remembered from his Alto days.

2. The dining room is carefully designed and filled with art.

Michaelis Boyd led the design in a close partnership with White and Bronster, who wanted an intimate interior that recalled an Italian home in some ways, like the not-so-polished walnut walls. There are subtle references to White’s past restaurants, like green onyx, which recalls and renews the honey onyx in Marea. There’s also a 16-seat horseshoe bar, something White says he’s always wanted in a restaurant, and lighting is by L’Observatoire International.

Like a home, there are several distinct areas for drinking and dining, including that U-shaped bar area; a section they’re calling the Den with low-slung ceilings, detailed millwork, and lots of onyx and leather; the two-level atrium; and a cozy mezzanine with curved walls and cove lighting.

The carefully curated artwork is from the personal collections of White and Bronster, including works by Peter Bardazzi and Robert Motherwell, a 10-foot-six mirror covered in 14-karat goldleaf from the 1800s that Bronster found at a Hamptons estate sale, and two black-and-white sketches that were White’s first-ever art purchases back from his days in San Domenico.

“Every time I walk past them in the restaurant now, I remember that time,” says White.

3. The menu is full of references to past Michael White dishes — but not straight replicas.

At Santi, White isn’t looking to cook his old standbys. (“You’re not going to find fusilli with bone marrow octopus, we’ll let other people do that now, I’ve already done that.”) Instead, he’s creating new dishes that may have subtle references to his long resume. The aforementioned rabbit for two, for example, includes the leg and saddle with various accoutrements, followed by rabbit agnolotti delivered several minutes later, with shaved truffles on top. There are also several handmade pastas and risotto, various crudos, and multiple meat and seafood mains.

Here, White describes a few dishes he’s most excited about.

Tortellini alla Panna

“I’m cooking meat-filled tortellini, but I’m going to cook them in chicken stock (not just boil them in water). Then, I let some of that chicken stock reduce so it gets viscous, add a pat of butter, some parmigiano, in a kind of really classico Bolognese type of cooking,” says White. “It has a classic meat filling of equal parts mortadella, prosciutto, pork shoulder, and parmigiano.”

Vitello

“My formidable years were at San Domenico in Imola and we were roasting veal chops, or nodino di vitello,” says White. “We would serve it with caramelized cippolini onions that have a little bit of balsamic vinegar and cream, and it was kind of braised in that. We’ll be doing that as an ode to San Domenico and chef Nino Bergese.”

Affogato

“Desserts are going to be with pastry chef, Francis Joven, who’s been with me for 15-plus years. And Francis is working on a new version of affogato. I remember putting affogato on the menu 100 years ago, and now we’ve probably had maybe 10 versions,” says White. “In Santi’s affogato, there will be a coffee gelée on the bottom of the glass and then a scoop of eggless fior di latte [gelato], and then [a scoop of] gelato that does have egg in it — not vanilla gelato, but crema. Before there was vanilla in Italy, there was caffé d’orzo, toasted orzo [a hot drink made out of ground, roasted barley]. We’re making orzo gelato without vanilla, but with orange and lemon scorza, that’s the peel, and that’s how you make the real crema, and then with espresso on top.”

4. You should stop by for a drink in the afternoon in the near future.

At its launch, the restaurant will focus solely on dinner service with a tasting menu option alongside à la carte ordering. But given the neighborhood and his fan base of power lunchers, lunch service is expected down the line with a pre-fixe menu of two or three courses. But White wants all diners to feel welcome, all the time.

“I love it when customers come in for just a quick bite to eat and it’s not for a special occasion. I want it to be a restaurant that you can just pop into and have a great glass of wine and pasta at the bar between services. We’re not shutting the kitchen down, so after 3 p.m., you can come in for a drink and a proper meal from a limited menu in the shoulder period.”

The wine list focuses on classic regions of Italy, including Sicily, Piedmont, Tuscany, and Veneto. There are eight bespoke cocktails, and several zero-proof options as well.

Santi is open Monday to Saturday from 5 p.m. to the last reservation at 9:45 p.m.

Devorah Lev-Tov is a food, beverage, wellness, and travel journalist with bylines in The New York Times, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Eater, Vogue, and more. She is the author of the recent book, 150 Spas You Need to Visit Before You Die. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two children, and senior shih-tzu. Follow her dining adventures (usually at a reasonable hour) on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.