About
Kutsher’s Tribeca – a modern Jewish American bistro located at 186 Franklin Street—brings the atmosphere, fun, and spirit of hospitality of the legendary Kutsher’s Country Club resort to Manhattan. Drawing on the famous Catskills resort’s century-long history, the owners sought to foster a sense of community, uphold traditions, and preserve cultural identity for future generations by offering a playful take on American-Jewish culinary classics—ranging from light bites to heartier dishes.
History
Founded in 1907 as a farm that took summer boarders, Kutsher’s Country Club became one of the pre-eminent resorts in The Catskill Mountains. Max Kutsher, his wife Rebecca, and brother Louis immigrated to America at the turn of the century in hopes of making a better life for their families. Working as tailors on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, they saved up enough money to purchase some farmland in Monticello, New York and established Kutsher’s Brothers Farm House. Business grew during the post-war boom of the 1920′s, which resulted in the proliferation of small hotels and bungalow colonies that were a retreat and haven for hard-working Jewish families living in New York City. In 1946 Milton and Helen Kutsher married with a dream of turning Kutsher’s into a renowned vacation destination. Beginning in the 1950′s, Milton took great risks to realize his vision; he borrowed large sums of money to purchase neighboring land, build more hotel rooms, create a beautiful golf course, provide additional hotel amenities and upgrade the existing facility to enhance the Kutsher’s vacation experience.
Milton strongly believed that he could set Kutsher’s apart from its competition through an emphasis on sports and entertainment. An unprecedented number of cultural icons, sport legends and famous performers all formed a significant part of the hotel’s particular history as well as that of The Catskill Mountains. Kutsher’s first “Athletic Director” was Red Auerbach – enough said. Wilt Chamberlain worked as a bellhop during high school and college and remained a significant “member” of the Kutsher family for the rest of his life. Milton, along with NBA star Jack Twyman, started the Maurice Stokes Basketball Charity Game to raise money for disabled and sick NBA veterans with NBA legends playing every summer for this great cause.
Countless prizefighters used Kutsher’s as a training camp, including Mohammed Ali, Ezard Charles, Archie Moore and Floyd Patterson. Comedians Rodney Dangerfield, Jackie Mason, Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Crystal, Buddy Hackett, Jerry Lewis, Joan Rivers, Alan Kind, Shecky Greene, Robert Klein, David Brenner and Bill Maher either honed their craft or got their start in The Catskills. The musical talent that played at Kutsher’s is another walk down memory lane with culturally significant stars like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Neil Sedaka, the Four Tops, Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte, the Righteous Brothers and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons all gracing the stage of Kutsher’s famed Stardust Room Night Club.
As business continued to boom during the 1960′s Kutsher’s became a second home to many families. Helen Kutsher made everyone feel welcome and part of an extended family. Mark Kutsher graduated college and returned home to manage and then expand the business his parents had grown, offering the “Jewish” experience to a widely varied, multi-cultural clientele. And let’s not forget about the food! At peak capacity, Kutsher’s served over 1100 people three meals a day, hosted countless weddings, bar mitzvahs, conventions and parties. Guests truly loved the kasha varnishkes, blintzes, brisket, pickled herring, borsht, potato knishes, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, famous roast chicken and freshly baked challah. As comedian Mal Z. Lawrence still says – someone would check in to Kutsher’s and the front desk staff would ask what room do you want and the guest would respond “Dining Room!”
At the end of the day, the winning combination of food, entertainment and, above all else, hospitality made Kutsher’s a standout in a crowded field and filled a void in many people’s lives, providing them with a true sense of community and a much-needed break from hectic city life.
Modern Times
Zach Kutsher, a fourth generation member of the Kutsher family, along with partners, entrepreneur Alan Wilzig, branding guru Richard Kirshenbaum and restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow, are bringing the spirit, fun, and hospitality of Kutsher’s Country Club to Manhattan in the form of Kutsher’s Tribeca, a modern Jewish American bistro.
The menu, created by Chef Mark Spangenthal, a three-time recipient of two stars from the New York Times, takes a contemporary and playful approach to the canon of American Jewish cooking from small bites to more substantial offerings. Chef Spangenthal will cure and smoke his own pastrami each day, hand-sliced for sandwiches at lunch, and served as part of a charcuterie selection at dinner. The cocktail list, created by Albert DePompeis playfully echoes the spirit of Kutsher’s golden age, while the non-alcoholic cocktails and house made sodas are fun and delicious for all ages.
Kutsher’s Tribeca has 140 seats and has been designed by architect Rafael de Cardenas, who created a casual yet bold geometric design, taking cues from 1960’s modernist architecture while channeling the communal and family friendly spirit of Kutsher’s historic dining room.
Menu
You can view the full restaurant menu here (please note: the prices are no longer current).
Press
“A modern take on old Jewish standbys in a plush, modern setting.” – Eater
“For anybody who grew up Jewish in the tristate area or, perhaps, went to summer camp up in the Catskills, the name Kutsher’s holds a lot of resonance.” – Wall Street Journal
“Its goal is to make Jewish cooking graceful; there’s a “borscht salad” of beets and goat cheese accompanied by fingerling potatoes and artichokes, and airy knishes laced with house-cured pastrami.” – New York Magazine
“Zach Kutsher, with partners including Jeffrey Chodorow, has opened a restaurant paying homage to the famous Catskill resort his family owned. Angular blond-wood panels reflect the décor of the 1950s and ’60s. The chef, Mark Spangenthal, is adapting authentic Kutsher dishes, including gefilte fish made with halibut and served with a beet and horseradish tartare, and a lightened version of kasha varnishkes (with bow-tie noodles) made with quinoa.” – New York Times
“Kutsher’s has to appeal to both those who crave nostalgia and those who don’t.” – Tribeca Citizen
“A little farther uptown you’ll find a newcomer restaurant with nostalgic ties to New York’s Jewish past. Kutsher’s Tribeca, which opened in November at 186 Franklin St., is the brainchild of Zach Kutsher, whose grandparents ran Kutsher’s Country Club, a popular Catskills resort in its mid-20th century heyday. The menu reinvents and updates favorite Jewish comfort foods, offering savory brisket meatballs, chopped liver made from duck, and yummy matzo ball soup with dill.” – Associated Press
Restaurant Closure
Unfortunately, Kutsher’s Tribeca Bistro ceased operations and closed permanently in June 2014. If the restaurant decides to reopen in the future, we will certainly announce it on this page.
The restaurant was located at 186 Franklin Street in Tribeca and featured a sleek, minimalist design with geometrically arranged wood slats and modern lighting — a far cry from the traditional deli or old-school resort aesthetic .
