Out of restaurateur Ahmass Fakahany’s Altamarea Group—which includes Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner Marea—Manhattan’s Ai Fiori stands out with its extraordinary wine program, which has grown considerably since opening in 2010, and has held a Grand Award since 2018. Wine director John Canvin oversees a 1,700-label program that’s strongest in wines from Italy (particularly Piedmont and Tuscany), Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley, Champagne and California. This includes verticals and horizontals from acclaimed estates such as Barolo’s Giacomo Conterno and Napa’s Chateau Montelena. Guests are offered even more choices across the by-the-glass list of 53 wines (with rarer picks offered via a Coravin preservation system), the dessert wine selection and the small-format list. Chef Lauren DeSteno, who draws inspiration from northern Italian cuisine and French Riviera cooking techniques, creates dishes such as silky vellutata lobster soup accented with black truffles, fluke crudo under a layer of pitch-black American sturgeon caviar and a pan-seared Wagyu strip loin with eggplant and romesco. Tasting menus with optional wine pairings are offered.
400 5th Avenue, 2nd Level • The Langham NYC, New York City, NY 10018 • Tel: 212.613.8660
