Antonio Friscia cooks like a college grad travels. An Italian chef by trade, his last project was Gaijin—a cheekily self-aware Japanese restaurant. Now he’s joined with RMD Group (Fluxx, Sidebar) to bring his classically trained chops to home-style Mexican cuisine at Don Chido.
The center bar is equipped with a tacqueria stand that makes hot, fresh tortillas. The color palette is a playful kind of paint-can roulette, with custom-designed maraca wall sconces. Fresh off the Santa Maria grill come wood-fired and smoked Mexican specialties, including the mother of all dishes: Don Chido Especiale—a wood-fired rib eye with ancho chili garlic butter, chipotle lime wild Mexican shrimp, charred house-made chorizo, frijoles refritos, avocado, chile relleno, house-made corn tortillas and charred globe onions garnished with red guajillo sauce. We call that keepin’ it cool.
537 Fifth Avenue, donchido.com
Now Open: Don Chido
Photo by Jen & Bec
