Midtown West welcomes Seasonal Weinbar restaurant - Contemporary Austrian and German restaurant opens its doors December 2008

Midtown West welcomes Seasonal Weinbar restaurant - Contemporary Austrian and German restaurant opens its doors December 2008
December 8, 2008

New restaurant, Seäsonal, offering the finest Austrian and German cuisine and wine, is set to open their doors on December 8, 2008. Wolfgang Ban and Eduard Frauneder, the Executive Chefs/Co-Owners of Seäsonal, have combined their award winning culinary skills and created an authentic, upscale weinbar & restaurant that offers New York City diners a fresh perspective on Austrian and German dining with a modern Viennese interpretation of contemporary European cuisine.

“The foundation for modern cuisine should have its roots in a comprehensive understanding of the traditional” says Wolfgang Ban. “Seäsonal will not only bring together the delicacies of Austria and Germany as well as an outstanding wine list, but also a neighborhood in need of a restaurant offering exceptional food, service and atmosphere. Eduard Frauneder, our investors and I are very excited about our new endeavor.”

Seäsonal offers a high-end blend of unique wine and dish options including, Schweinsbauch (Crispy Pork Belly) braised in Riesling served with leeks and caraway foam, Wiener Schnitzel (Breaded Veal cutlet) served with a potato and cucumber salad, Monkfish Medallions served on Szegediner Kraut and Emperor Gulasch (Braised Veal) served in a pepper coulis with lemon zest and sour cream. All menu items at Seäsonal are made with the freshest, locally grown ingredients based on the season, staying true to the restaurant’s name, Seäsonal. In addition, Seäsonal offers several mouth watering desserts that include Austrian Strudel Variation and Chocolate Hazelnut Soufflé with Vanilla Ice Cream.

Each wine listed on the impressive wine list has been hand selected directly by the owners from Austria and Germany specifically to compliment every meal served at Seäsonal. Several indigenous and typical varietals like Riesling, Rivaner, Grüner Veltliner, Blaufränkisch (known as Lemberger in the United States), Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Zweigelt, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris), Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Chardonnay are offered at Seäsonal.

The décor of Seäsonal combines elegance with a modern European touch, which sets the tone for a memorable dining experience. The dining room is illuminated by a celestial ceiling with sparkling lights in the shape of branches which lay beneath a film of translucent, sound isolating material. Not only does the ceiling create a glowing canopy over Seäsonal’s signature elliptical wine bar, it also ensures the restaurant’s noise level remains at a comfortable level for guests. The twinkling lit room is surrounded by a blank canvas of white walls, which serves as a revolving exhibition space for contemporary Austrian and German art.

Wolfgang Ban and Eduard Frauneder, merged professional paths after meeting while students at the prestigious, Gastronomie Fachschule, the Culinary Institute of Vienna. It was there Ban and Frauneder shared the same mentor and went on to manage and cook at many of the same high-end restaurants in Europe and the United States. Both Ban and Frauneder worked for Austrian Ambassadors in London and New York and a few years later were invited by the German Government to manage the German House Restaurant, a private delegate’s dining room located within the German Mission to the United Nations. In 2005, the business partners opened the catering company, Elderberry Catering and just a few years later, Ban and Frauneder decided to join forces with a group of investors and partner on their biggest endeavor yet - Seäsonal.

Seäsonal
132 West 58th Street
New York, NY 11002
Tel: (212) 957-5550