Park Avenue Summer has returned to the Upper East Side of Manhattan, just in time to herald the season’s arrival. This original concept brings to life the seasonal premise of the restaurant with a physical design, cuisine, and beverage program that completely change with the season.

Esteemed chef Craig Koketsu (Quality Meats) created the summer-inspired menu with refreshing summer cuisine, including a Summer Crudo section that features Tuna Carpaccio with Crispy Bread, Ricotta and Mint and Kona Kampachi with Cucumber and Lime. Another section highlights entrées made by a time-honored summer preparation, grilling: Fire-Roasted Lamb Chops with Smoked Cherries, Grilled Langoustines, and Filet Mignon with Grilled Corn on the Cob and Watermelon Barbeque Sauce. In addition to the selections on the dinner menu, Chef Koketsu also emphasizes the season with a special menu on a particular ingredient or theme. For this summer, the menu focuses on picnic items, like Fried Ipswich Clams, Dr. Pepper Ribs with Peach Slaw, and Blueberry Pie for Two.

Richard Leach, James Beard award winner, executive pastry chef, conceived a stable of summer confections that delight for their concentrated flavors and stunning presentations. For Park Avenue Summer, Leach’s dessert selections include Sweet Corn and Rhubarb Sundae with Warm Caramel and Puffed Corn; Summer Peaches, Warm Lemon Cake, Panna Cotta and Sorbet, and Fresh Cantaloupe Sorbet with Chilled Honey Mousse and Pink Peppercorn.

Michael Stillman joined forces with award-winning design firm AvroKO (Public, Stanton Social) on the concept and all aspects of architecture, design, and graphics of the restaurant. All physical components for the four Park Avenue projects were born from one key necessity: transformability.  To effectively change both the mood and the architectural details of the space, several systems of receptacles were devised throughout the restaurant.  Custom steel wall frames surround the space and were built to accept differing seasonal panels.  These panels not only have unique materials for each season, ranging from wood, to porcelain, to mirror, but also have unique architectural details that affect the style of the space overall. AvroKO endeavored to design a space with a sense of discovery, rather than focus on creating stereotypical, physical manifestations of a “season.” This led to using Captain James Cook’s explorative travels as a loose design reference.  The designers researched the regions he had visited in each of his major expeditions as a way of framing each season.

Summer in particular has references from the Galapagos Islands, envisioned through a classic, naturalist’s lens, and then reinterpreted with a modernist’s sensibilities. Forty hand-cast tortoise shells are mounted throughout the space on high gloss lacquered panels as part of a custom steel frame system that will change seasonally. Cook’s original maps are utilized as a departure point for the identity, menu graphics, and wine labels.  Reclaimed, whitewashed wood from a coastal town also forms portions of the ceiling planes, doors and cabinets.