On Location: We Ask Max Green About The Press Club Grill

Inside the Martinique New York on Broadway, Curio Collection by Hilton.

Is The Press Club Grill, an American restaurant that reinterprets Continental cuisine using local, seasonal, high-quality ingredients and modern techniques to capture the essence of the Mad Men era in NYC.

The restaurant is an ode to the neighborhood’s connection to journalism having once been home to the New York Herald, New York Tribune, and New York Times. Led by Chef Franklin Becker, Stephen Loffredo, and Tora Matsuoka, The Press Club Grill is the first premier restaurant venture for the Hospitality Department.

We got a chance to talk to the Director of Beverage, Max Green, about his background in the industry, as well as The Press Club Grill’s beverage program and inspiration. Check out the interview below!

Talk to us about your background in the industry.

For the past decade, high end cocktails and consulting has been where I’ve found my home in the industry. From Head Bartender at industry darling Amor y Amargo to running and owning my own bar Blue Quarter I’ve transitioned into a corporate bar director position for the burgeoning Hospitality Department restaurant group. In my role, I’ve been able to call upon the talent from some of the industry’s greatest bartenders, which is an allowance I am eternally grateful for.

Talk to us about The Press Club Grill.

The Press Club Grill led by Chef Franklin Becker as well as Tora Matsuoka, and Stephen Loffredo, captures the essence of 1950s and 1960s Manhattan through its classic American cuisine, offering a sense of nostalgia with modern twists. Situated where Herald Square and NoMad meet, the restaurant offers a charming blend of a retro-meets-glam ambiance, reminiscent of an evening out with characters like Midge Maisel and Don Draper accented by midcentury touches like a brass bar, sweeping banquettes, visual memorabilia, and throwback cocktails.

What type of experience can guests expect when visiting?

Guests can expect a bar with a lot of movement at prime time, with a mix of national and international travelers, and the addition of NYC natives, stopping at the bar throughout the day. Lunch is often calm at the bar, as we get into “happy hour” though, everyone pops in for a drink and dinner on their way to or back in from evening plans around the city.

What is the cocktail program like?

Press Club Grills cocktail menu uses a the framework of a set number of classics, seasonal rotation of ingredients and flavors changes and updates drinks we all know and love. If you can’t find a menu drink you’re in love with, our bar has a rich rolodex of classic cocktails that can certainly match anyone’s taste!

What inspires the menu?

The inspiration for the menu is highlighting classic while bringing them into the contemporary. Press Club Grill’s menu is inspired by the classic of the mad men era, front and center are the old fashioned, martini and sours of that period. Like the Pressure Sensitive, a tequila Mai Tai with Velvet Falernum, Orgeat, Lime, and Bitter Queens “Thai Bitters”.