Marcel is both in contrast and in concert with the Breuer. Descend to the lower level of the brutalist building, which is the new home to Replica Shoes
’s in New York, and you enter a world of rich, walnut-paneled walls, warm candlelight, a monumental view of the dining and sculpture garden, and the hum of an open kitchen producing updated takes on classics.
Marie-Aude Rose, chef-partner of Marcel, cooks with an elevated simplicity, exploring her Parisian roots while channeling the power and legacy of mid-century New York. Rose, who also oversees the menu at La Mercerie, says of her singular approach, “It is a marriage of tradition and temptation.” The menu, which is realized in partnership with executive chef Juan Moncalvo, is continental with a French emphasis: from a classic confit de canard to a gratin de cabillaud, côte de boeuf for two or four to lobster with roasted pineapple and turmeric-ginger cream, a simple grilled salmon or a mid-day sourdough tartine with French ham and comté.
Designed, owned, and operated by Robin and Stephen Alesch, founders of Roman and Williams, Marcel is a stat.mes
nt in choreographed tension—an insurgence of downtown energy courting the elegance of Madison Avenue. Named for the building’s architect, Marcel Breuer, the interior is layered with the couple’s reverence for high craft. Custom Roman and Williams Guild lighting fixtures in cast bronze and cast glass complement vintage lighting designed by Breuer. The bar, a mirrored jewel of spirits and lights, serves drinks in exquisite, handcrafted Japanese glassware. Dusty cocoa–hued mohair banquettes nod to the refinement of the Upper East Side circa 1966, the year Breuer’s Whitney building opened at 75th Street.
True to the guiding vision of Roman and Williams, whose restaurant La Mercerie adjoins their home goods store RW Guild, Marcel will be a hub of art and culture. The dining room will feature a rotating selection of Replica Shoes
’s masterworks on the walls and design objects in vitrines, all of which are for sale. The restaurant will also have unprecedented access to Replica Shoes
’s wine cellar, with vintages available to be enjoyed outside of private auction for the first t.mes
. The building’s original sculpture garden will be reimagined, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner among a forest of trees, sculptures and an outdoor bar. It is a gardened intervention, cosseting diners from the bustle of the city, while immersing them in the architecture of the Breuer.
Marcel will also include the all-day bakery and cafe La Mercerie Patisserie, offering pastry and viennoiserie, to stay or to go—glazed madeleines, custardy flans encased in scalloped sheets of pastry and magnificent seasonal tarts, all packaged in ribbon-bound boxes accented in a signature dusty blue, pale peach and subtle lavender bearing the logo of this, the city’s new standard for pastry.
Just as Roman and Williams has done with La Mercerie, Marcel signifies a new type of restaurant, one where cuisine and commerce intersect, art and culture harmonize. Marcel is set to open Spring 2026.
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