If you were to make an assumption about a restaurant just by walking in, you might think Cathédrale is just an elegant romantic dining experience inside the East Village Moxy Hotel. If that’s not expected, there’s the Fillmore sculpture created by Edoardo Tresoldi, from the legendary Fillmore East music venue once known as the “Church of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
One night at Cathédrale immerses guests in France and the Mediterranean, where culinary techniques, flavors, and culture come together to transport them outside New York. Chef Jason Hall, also the chef at Sake No Hana inside the Moxy Hotel Lower East Side, shares his travel experience in the menu, reinventing iconic and classic French dishes in the heart of Manhattan.
Traveling from Paris to New York, Hall hopes to bring guests that same international delicacy to their dining experience.
“We’re a New York City restaurant, so we bring in New York ingredients, very seasonal, so we like to be a little elemental with our dishes, so guests know what the food is,” Hall says. “Whether it’s a great steak, rotisserie chicken, fresh handmade pasta, great salad, a great tuna tartare, we’re rooted in the classics and not overdue.”
After spending time researching the menu for Cathédrale, Hall stayed at the famous Hotel Bristol in Paris, where he discovered an unforgettable dish: The Potato Chip Omelette.
“They have this omelet on their late-night room service; it’s called a potato chip omelet,” Hall says. “I brought it back with me and tried to elevate it a little by adding caviar, chives, and brocean cheese to it, so I wanted to reintroduce it to the New York market.”
Currently, this dish is Hall’s most reputable dish.
Another dish recommended, especially for a first-time dinner, is the mejule dates. This dish is a one-biter, but it doesn’t lack flavor or satisfaction.
As Hall puts it, “It’s one of my favorite dishes; it’s a little bit of an unsung hero.” “It really takes the elements of Spain, Italy, and Greece all together: Spanish dates, Marcona almonds, and Roquefort cheese all in one little bite.”
Cathédrale values ingredients and authenticity. Everything is homemade inside Cathédrale’s kitchen. Whether it’s bread, pasta, or pastries, Cathédrale has great culinary programs that help show guests who they really are.
Despite the popular food fusion on their menu, Cathédrale is really rooted in sticking to the classics.
“We really like to respect the traditions,” Hall says. “A good representation of that is a lamb chop nicoise, so if you’re in the French countryside, it’s a very simple dish: grilled lamb chop with olive tapenade on there; it’s something you get when you’re in those regions.”
Cathédrale approaches the dish with the same identity, tamanod, but adds figs now that they are in season, along with some repenni. For those who aren’t familiar with repenni, it’s kinda like young broccoli rabe; when it’s in season, Hall says it can be cooked slowly with roasted tomato.
“At Cathédrale, we like to take the classic dish and bring some seasonal local ingredients into the dish,” Hall says.
Another key concept Cathédrale follows is seasonality and ingredients. The menu currently features cherries, heirloom tomatoes, corn, and summer beans. Once autumn leaves fall, Cathédrale will reintroduce beans, carrots, mushrooms, squash, and pumpkin to the loop. All ingredients serve as supporting cast members for main proteins, Hall likes to describe.
“Right now we have some beautiful wild-caught Atlantic halibut, and then we’re serving it on a corn squash with some gold tomatoes and a little bit of brown butter,” Hall says. “In the fall, that halibut will be wild spinach, green grapes, and almonds, so we kinda take the seasonal vegetable and what we call a set for each of those elements.”
Beyond the food menu, guests can feel blown away by the dining room experience. Whether it’s the high vaulted ceilings, the sculptures, art, or lighting, the dining room is a real showstopper.
“Each of those elements plays a part in dressing the set and telling the story of Cathédrale,” Hall says.
The centerpiece of Moxy East Village holds a 300-seat restaurant, with the design inspired by the musical legacy of the 1960s in all its deadening and raw creativity. As part of TAO Group Hospitality, the restaurant’s main dining room is a triple-height space covered by a dramatic wire-mesh sculpture by Italian artist Tresoldi, with views up to the grand domed ceiling, originally from the Fillmore East, known for its Medieval Revival architecture.
The building’s history adds character, remaining iconic yet unchanged. Its incarnations help epitomize the city’s cultural pulse, creating a dramatic dialogue with the restaurant’s architecture.
Cathédrale’s layout additionally includes an open kitchen with copper accents and a bar area that references earlier East Village hotspots such as the Palladium and The Saint. The outdoor dining terrace also features a cozy garden, with rusty cabinets and plants surrounding the tables.
Today, guests want more than high-quality food; they want experience and quality.
As a well-respected chef in New York, Hall knows the New York City crowd and describes guests as well-educated in the restaurant industry, with various options and competition these days. At Cathédrale, the team believes it can deliver both experience and quality.
Hall welcomes guests to choose their experience at Cathédrale. Guests can try their famous rotisserie chicken pommes frites paired with a glass of cébileet. Or guests can come in, host a big table with high energy, and really turn the East Village restaurant into a celebratory place.
“We try to do both; we have a great happy hour at the bar, great local following, regulars coming in, and we see a lot of the same faces,” Hall says.
Comparing Europe and New York, Hall draws a few similarities.
“I feel that places that do well and provide the best hospitality are the most authentic and know who they are,” Hall says. “And for us, when you come in and you get a sense of confidence from the room, we have created an environment where the guests want to come back.”
The intention at Cathédrale isn’t to deliver a high-quality, memorable experience, or even to chase every trend that comes online, but to create a warm, friendly environment and hopefully become one of the iconic New York City restaurants people know and love.
In the East Village, between 3rd and 4th Avenue, Cathédrale welcomes New Yorkers to enjoy France, the Middle East, and a classic spin on New York fine dining.
Cathédrale is located at 112 East 11th St. For more information, visit Official Website of Cathédrale Restaurant | French-Mediterranean Cuisine
