A Culinary Marvel: Or’esh Brings Live-Fire Cooking to SoHo
Catch Hospitality Group, the masterminds behind Taylor Swift’s favorite SoHo spot The Corner Store, is preparing to unveil their most ambitious restaurant yet. Or’esh, opening next month in SoHo, represents a bold new culinary direction centered around an extraordinary seven-figure custom grill. This impressive fire-cooking apparatus will be the heart of a menu showcasing vibrant flavors from across the Levant region. Michelin-starred chef Nadav Greenberg, fresh from his acclaimed work at Eyal Shani’s Shmoné in the West Village, will helm the kitchen, bringing his passionate approach to live-fire cooking. The restaurant’s name itself—”Or’esh” meaning light and fire in Hebrew—perfectly captures the essence of what diners can expect: cuisine transformed by flame and smoke into something truly exceptional.
The centerpiece of Or’esh isn’t just another kitchen appliance—it’s a culinary masterpiece that Greenberg himself helped design. Though diners won’t see this magnificent grill in action, they’ll certainly taste its influence throughout the menu. “It’s literally a Ferrari. It can’t get better than this,” Greenberg enthuses about his custom creation. Securing approval for such an unconventional cooking apparatus presented significant hurdles for the restaurant team. Eugene Remm, one of the founding partners of Catch Hospitality Group, described the process as “a huge challenge and a very long process,” but one worth undertaking because “the flavor is just something you can’t fake.” The grill will transform ingredients from Israel, Morocco, Lebanon, and beyond into dishes like grilled whole lobster, seared salmon sashimi, and perfectly charred vegetables—all infused with that distinctive, irreplaceable flavor that only comes from cooking over live fire.
What makes this approach to cooking so special is its unpredictability and artistry. As Remm learned from working with Greenberg, live-fire cooking “isn’t precise… It’s more of an art than a science, and that’s what makes it interesting and unique.” Greenberg elaborates on this philosophy: “You can’t program it, because one moment the heat is here and the next it’s there. Cooking is the only art where you need to use all of the five senses.” This commitment to culinary craftsmanship means that even a seemingly simple dish like branzino becomes extraordinary—perhaps salt-baked, accompanied by a sauce made from smoked bones, or paired with smoked tomato and stracciatella with sage. The custom-built grill guarantees flavors that can’t be replicated elsewhere, justifying its seven-figure price tag (though Remm politely declined to share the exact cost).
Or’esh represents the third restaurant from Catch Hospitality Group in just 17 months, following the tremendous success of The Corner Store—a modern homage to New York with creative spins on local classics—and The Eighty Six, which occupies the historic Chumley’s/Frog Club space once frequented by Ernest Hemingway. Located on Broadway near Prince Street, just steps away from The Corner Store, Or’esh is positioned to continue the group’s remarkable run of success. While still under construction, the vision for the space is already apparent. Walls have been strategically removed to open up the floor plan, while those that remain are covered in sound-absorbing fabric. The ceilings have been lowered, with decorative frames and beams added to create a more intimate atmosphere for diners.
The meticulous attention to detail extends beyond the menu to every aspect of the dining experience. “The number-one thing that is important to me in a restaurant is the sound,” Remm explains. “If you work hard but you bleed your ears out, it’s a horrible experience. We made an investment into soundproofing the space to make sure it wasn’t a cold, hollow space.” This focus on comfort continues with the restaurant’s layout, which prioritizes “smaller spaces and beautiful banquettes—not tight tables focused on how many covers you can squeeze into a space.” When completed, Or’esh will accommodate 75 diners in its main dining room, plus an additional 15 to 30 guests in a private dining space with its own separate entrance, ensuring both exclusivity and intimacy.
As the opening date approaches, anticipation builds for what promises to be one of SoHo’s most exciting culinary destinations. Or’esh represents the beautiful marriage of ancient cooking techniques with modern sensibilities, housed in a thoughtfully designed space that prioritizes the guest experience. Chef Greenberg’s passion for live-fire cooking and his custom-designed grill will transport diners to the sun-soaked shores of the Mediterranean and beyond, offering a taste of the Levant’s rich culinary traditions reimagined through a contemporary lens. For Catch Hospitality Group, Or’esh marks another chapter in their growing legacy of creating distinctive dining experiences that resonate with New Yorkers and visitors alike. When the fires are finally lit next month, Or’esh is poised to become not just another restaurant, but a true culinary destination where the ancient magic of cooking with fire brings new light to SoHo’s dining scene.
