Chef Andrew Sheridan opens his latest venue today – a New York-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar in Liverpool’s Ropewalks area named Manhattan-style after the corner it sits on, Seel & Slater.
The launch follows an astonishingly quick transformation of Gary Usher’s Wreck Bistro, which served its final meals last Sunday, having been acquired by Andrew’s Open Restaurant Group.
Seel, the upstairs restaurant component, is opening first, with Slater, a 1940s-themed cocktail bar at ground level scheduled to follow next month.
Andrew says of his inspiration: “There’s something about the old New York dining rooms that I’ve always loved – the food is generous, the rooms have energy and you can settle in for as long as you like.
“That’s what we wanted to bring to Seel & Slater. Big plates, great cuts, proper pasta and a menu that keeps evolving, with a space that feels relaxed and welcoming from morning through to late at night. We’ve carried that same New York spirit throughout the building, so whether you’re joining us upstairs for dinner or heading downstairs later in the evening, it all feels part of the same place.”
The new project joins Andrew’s ‘fine-dining’ flagship Restaurant 8 on Cook Street in his home town. The Open Restaurant Group, which he operates with co-founder Sam Morgan, now has 11 venues and most recently added another former Gary Usher site to its portfolio – Hispi in Didsbury, now called Arcadian.
The 45-cover Seel opens seven days a week from 8am, serving breakfast and brunch through to lunches, dinner and late-night drinks. The menu channels both the classic New York steakhouse and Italian-American cuisine, with dishes that range from pastrami egg and provolone cheese or crab Benedict for breakfast, via parmesan doughnuts, wagyu ribeye and lobster lasagna to desserts led by a tiramisu cheesecake tart.
