With more than 20 years experience acquiring and developing high-end hotel, restaurant and nightlife properties in New York, Boston and Miami, Seth Greenberg certainly knows a thing or two about opening a haute restaurant. After all, he has had a hand in opening some of Boston’s most popular dining and entertainment spots over the decades from the Paradise nightclub and the French-Mediterranean inspired Mistral to the swanky XV Beacon Hotel and the redevelopment of the Ames Hotel. The hospitality impresario is once again preparing to make his legendary mark in Back Bay with the much anticipated arrival of Serafina on Newbury Street in just a few weeks.
We caught up recently with Greenberg to chat about the impending arrival of Serafina to Newbury Street, Bastille Kitchen‘s new private dining space and what has been his biggest accomplishment to date.
Photo Credit: Seth Greenberg
Can you tell us a little about Bastille Kitchen’s newest private dining space, the Gallery Room?
Bastille Kitchen is now four years old and I think it’s a really special place. The Fort Point area is part of the “new” Boston. We have had a huge demand for private dining that just keeps growing. More technology and financial service companies and new tech savvy businesses are in the neighborhood. GE is behind us; Amazon is directly next door and we are a stone’s throw from the Seaport and Convention Center. We added a third room called the Gallery Room featuring a beautifully curated art collection by Petra Hausberger that I am really proud of. There are big oak doors that separate the room so there is private dining and seating for a la carte dining as well.
The restaurant has recently rolled out a new fall menu. What are some of your favorite dishes this season?
There is a Duck L’Orange that is amazing, a dry aged ribeye and lemon sole meuniere that are all excellent. Everything is very delicious yet approachable. There is something for everyone here. We have added flatbreads, deviled eggs and sliders to the lounge menu. I have great confidence in our executive chef, Brendan Burke. He really is putting out beautiful food. We want Bastille Kitchen to be a destination for dinner and lounging. Our motto is ‘come for dinner, stay for drinks.’
Photo Credit: Bastille Kitchen
Let’s talk about your latest venture – the much anticipated opening of Serafina on Newbury Street.
For me, Boston has always been about Newbury Street. It’s Boston’s answer to Madison Avenue with its beautiful brownstones and amazing walking presence. When I was in the nightlife business, I would spend a lot of time walking Newbury and hanging out at Safar. It was always ground zero for beautiful people. Serge Safar said he would move Safar (salon) to the second floor if I would open a restaurant on the first floor. We are about to open in this fantastic location at the corner of Newbury and Fairfield Streets. As far as demographics go, it’s arguably the best address in Boston. We are just weeks away from opening something that has been in the planning stage for years.
Before you started developing hotels and restaurants, you launched some of Boston’s most successful nightclubs. Why did you decide to make the switch?
It was just a natural progression for me. At a certain point, I didn’t want to be in the nightclub business anymore. I wanted something different in my life and I knew high end hospitality was the logical growth for me. I like the idea of developing assets and making them better by programming creative hospitality.
You have been acquiring and developing high end hotel, restaurant and nightlife properties in Boston, New York and Miami for decades. What would you say has been your biggest accomplishment to date?
Probably the greatest success story is Mistral. It has been there for 21 years and is just as good, if not better today, than when it first opened. The management team is exceptional and the food is consistently excellent. We have an amazing team over there and it’s simply a great collaboration.
Photo Credit: Mistral
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