Page 47 - Sharp Winter 2025

GUIDE
the highest standard. Cocktails such as the Borscht Milk Punch (a blend of aquavit, organic beet juice, raspberry syrup, lemon juice, vodka, rose syrup, and strained kefir served over a giant ice cube and garnished with a sprig of dill) offer playful references to eastern European cuisine. Even the wait staff balances between the warm, familial hosting that Schwartz grew up surrounded by and the charming fine-dining service one expects from a true steak house experience (bartenders donning black bow ties, hosts wearing waistcoats — classic without being stuffy, traditional without an ounce of pretentiousness).
Schwartz was equally determined to strike the perfect balance when it came to the space itself. When designing Linny’s, Schwartz was having a hard time articulating what exactly he wanted the steak house to look like. It was only after a trip through Palm Springs with his wife and friends that he found something to direct the compass in his design approach — an orange mid-century modern house phone. From that, he was able to start identifying an idea
rather than a visual reference for what would make Linny’s feel like a restaurant. Visually, subtle notes of inspiration from that very phone are evident through the restaurant — the window to the kitchen, mirrors across the dining room, and shelving at the bar being just a few clues.
As Schwartz puts it: “The timelessness of mid-century design is what we wanted to run off; that feeling of not knowing if it’s been there forever or if it was built yesterday.” While the Italian burl wood lining the walls and banquettes alludes to the more figurative components of coziness, his mother’s recipes hanging throughout the restaurant are what give it the hospitable spirit that most spots miss from a design standpoint. It’s in this way that we should critique the steak house. Is the steak good? Of course. Is the service kind and personable? Also, yes. But that shouldn’t be what makes it a steak house. Instead, Linny’s checks the box because of its inherent patina, a quality that some restaurants get through time, and others get only through perfect execution.
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WINTER 2025 • GUIDE 47