The Buildout

When Cody Pruitt opened Libertine, the acclaim was immediate. The restaurant became one of the hardest reservations in New York, while its saucisse-purée quickly took on a life of its own.But three years later, the initial fervor had faded, and filling the dining room every night was no longer as easy as it once had been. Pruitt made the difficult decision to close Libertine and transform the space into a new concept: Capitaine.Drawing on both the successes and shortcomings of Libertine, he set out to create a restaurant that would be easier for regulars to return to again and again. Pruitt joins Adam on this episode of The Buildout to discuss what he learned from Libertine and how he arrived at the tough decision to start over.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastCapitaine: https://www.instagram.com/capitainenycCody Pruitt: https://www.instagram.com/codycpruittVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor

From the first time Max Reis visited Mexico, he was hooked. What began as an obsession grew into a deep passion for agave and Mexican spirits, eventually making Reis one of the foremost authorities on the category in America.That knowledge and respect for the culture behind the spirits led him to open Mírate and Daisy, two Mexican spirits-focused bars serving some of the most exciting and inventive cocktails in the country — all while honoring the spirits, traditions, and people who make them.Max joins Adam on The Buildout to talk about his journey, how he views the current Los Angeles bar scene, and why honoring the people and culture of Mexico remains central to everything he does.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastMírate: https://www.instagram.com/mirate.losangelesDaisy: https://www.instagram.com/daisy.losangelesMaxwell Reis: https://www.instagram.com/beerghostVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor

Andrew Carmellini has spent the past decade building one of New York’s most successful restaurant groups. From the breakout success of Locanda Verde, opened with Robert De Niro, to hits like The Dutch and Bar Primi, NoHo Hospitality has repeatedly shown an ability to understand what New Yorkers want to eat and drink. The group has even created bona fide cultural phenomena along the way, from Frosé to the viral Suprême pastry.Carmellini joins Adam on this episode of The Buildout to talk about his career, the rise of NoHo Hospitality, and what it takes to keep creating restaurants that resonate in New York. He also explains why he wishes more diners would put down their phones and stop letting “the box” tell them where — and what — to eat and drink.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastAndrew Carmellini: https://www.instagram.com/andrewcarmelliniVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor

Katie Renshaw simply loves being behind the bar. That passion has helped make her one of the best bartenders in the country, from winning World Class in 2019 to leading some of Chicago’s most acclaimed bar programs.But despite all of that success, she had never owned a bar of her own. Until now.Bar Bambi is the culmination of Renshaw’s experience, personality, and creativity — a bar that takes drinks seriously without ever taking itself too seriously, and one that has quickly started attracting attention in Chicago and beyond.Renshaw joins Adam on The Buildout to talk about why she finally decided to take the leap into ownership, what it took to bring Bar Bambi to life, and what she learned from doing it all on her own.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastBar Bambi: https://www.instagram.com/bambi_chicagoKatie Renshaw: https://www.instagram.com/jiggermetimbersVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor

How did James O’Brien build the restaurant where seemingly every sommelier in New York wants to drink wine on their night off? The prices are certainly part of the appeal, but Popina’s location is hardly the most convenient. Its success comes from something deeper.It begins with the hospitality of the owner, which carries through to the entire staff, and a shared commitment to creating a restaurant that feels inviting, delicious, and accessible.James joins Adam on this episode of The Buildout to discuss how he created a restaurant that is both a destination and a neighborhood spot filled with regulars—even when many of those regulars live nowhere nearby.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastPopina: https://www.instagram.com/popinanycJames O’Brien: https://www.instagram.com/obsworldVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor

Toby Maloney is one of the country’s most respected cocktail creators, responsible not only for multiple modern classics, but also for some of drinkers’ favorite bars across the country. Through his consulting business, he has been involved in more projects than even he can name, but the bar he is best known for is Chicago’s The Violet Hour. On this episode of The Buildout, Toby joins Adam to talk about how The Violet Hour came to be, the impact it had on Chicago’s cocktail scene, and the legacy it leaves behind following its recent closing.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastToby Maloney: https://www.instagram.com/tobycocktailVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor

Building a celebrated restaurant group in New Jersey is already an accomplishment. Bringing that success across the Hudson to New York City is another challenge entirely—one many restaurateurs never even attempt. But Sidharth Sharma and Sammeer A. Raajpal were determined to try.With Kidilum, their celebration of Kerala cuisine in Manhattan, they are betting that the same commitment to hospitality and showing guests a wonderful time that fueled their success in New Jersey can also resonate in New York.Sidharth and Sammeer join Adam on this episode of The Buildout to discuss how they built their restaurant group, why they were confident their approach would translate to New York City, and what it takes to make the leap into one of the world’s most competitive dining markets.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastKidilum: https://www.instagram.com/kidilum.nycVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor

New York Distilling Company was born out of New York’s cocktail renaissance. Founded by Allen Katz, an entrepreneur obsessed with cocktails and the bars creating them, the distillery was built as a brand for New York bartenders.Katz also turned New York Distilling into a destination for the liquid-curious, creating a hands-on experience in Williamsburg where both aficionados and novices could learn more about spirits and cocktails. Since its founding, the brand has become a mainstay behind bars across New York, but Katz always believed it could become something bigger. That ambition ultimately led him to sell the company this past year.Allen joins Adam on this episode of The Buildout to discuss founding one of New York State’s first distilleries after Prohibition, building the brand, and preparing it to go global.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastNew York Distilling: https://www.instagram.com/nydistillingAllen Katz: https://www.instagram.com/nydistillerymanVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor

Opening a restaurant in New York is difficult, even when the people behind it come from one of the best restaurants in the world.When Cedric Nicaise and chef Andy Quinn set out to open The Noortwyck, they wanted to create a true West Village neighborhood restaurant—something very different from the three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, where they had both previously worked. But building the restaurant has not been easy, a reality Cedric is refreshingly candid about. Some days, he admits, it can still feel nearly impossible.At the same time, The Noortwyck created the opportunity for them to open Oriana, their more approachable take on fine dining, which is already attracting attention and acclaim.Cedric joins Adam on this episode of The Buildout to discuss learning from mistakes, the importance of service and hospitality, and what restaurant critics get right—and wrong—about the dining experience.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastOriana: https://www.instagram.com/oriana.nycCedric Nicaise: https://www.instagram.com/cedlovesbaconVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor