Martha Stewart Visits Co., Gives Jim Lahey Decorating Advice

Posted by Adam Kuban, January 26, 2009 at 2:15 PM

Martha Stewart, who is, unsurprisingly, a fan of pizza, visited Jim Lahey's Co., where "one can eat delicious breads, cheeses, sausages, and pizzas." Ms. Stewart has a 20-picture photo gallery embedded in her blog post, and true to form, spends almost as much time discussing the design of the dining room (three photos of its handsomely designed lamps) as she does the food. Looks like she's even collaborating with Mr. Lahey on décor:

The shelves: We discussed, with the owner, what should be atop these shelves. No decision was made.
The wooden tables, glass carafes, and plain dishes and glassware, make the feeling "everyman" perfect, for now.

Ms. Stewart recommends getting the lardons on the escarole salad dressed with anchovies and herbs, but we're more interested in her take on the pizza:

The first pizza to emerge from the oven—cheese, mushroom, and sausage. It had thin crust—a great combination of wet and crispy—Jim talked to us about his philosophy about pizza and its texture. And look—the menus are printed on the place mats!

Martha signed a place mat for Lahey's wife (above right), with a message meant to placate her, I'm sure: "All chefs work too hard, too long, and if they are great, it's worth it." [via NYMinknit]

Co. Pizzeria Soft Opening Photo Gallery
First Taste: A Pizza Preview of Jim Lahey's Upcoming Pizzeria, Co.
Martha Stewart Tries Cheesesteak for First Time, Prefers Geno's to Pat's

3 Comments

Tags: celebrities, Chelsea, Co., Company, Manhattan, Martha Stewart, NYC

3 Comments:

That pizza looks a bit beyond "charred" to me. Burnt!

dmcavanagh at 5:28PM on 01/26/09

I ate at Co. for the first time last week, and I must say that I was a bit disappointed. I thought that the pizza was indeed very good, although I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoy the much more simple pizza sold at the Sullivan Street Bakery. It reminded me quite a bit of the style of Mozza, although definitely superior to it. Very good, while not reaching greatness.

What was disappointing to me though was the ambiance of the restaurant, which I think is run rather thoughtlessly and without graciousness. Those dining at Co. are divided neatly into to groups: 1) those that are friends or family of Jim or his investors; and 2) everybody else. Preference is very clearly alotted to Group #1, who who walk right past those waiting in line for their reserved tables, and are otherwise treated with great favor and courtesy. Those of us in Group #2 are left to wait in line, get treated coldly, and allowed to watch the show. I didn't care for this aspect of the restaurant at all, and is probably the main reason that, while I will probably return some day, I am in no great rush. Lahey is a great cook, but perhaps not a very good restauranteur.

Makanmata at 3:22PM on 01/27/09

Hey! Only 2 comments on the Martha and Jim show, let's move on to new and better articles. Jim and Co. have had enough advertising.

Raoul Duke at 9:48AM on 01/28/09

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