Walt "Clyde" Frazier, the NBA's Jeremy Lin of his day and the current voice of the Knicks, is shooting for a March 8th opening of his Hell's Kitchen restaurant, Clyde Frazier's Wine and Dine. The author of seven books, including the recently re-released Rockin' Steady: A Guide to Basketball & Cool, Frazier is also famous for flamboyant sayings like "swooping and hooping," "dishing and swishing" and "hustling and bustling," all of which will be the names of drinks on the cocktail list. Frazier teamed up with Michael Weinstein's Ark Restaurants for the 10,000 square foot project, whose executive chef, David Waltuck (ex-Chanterelle) has created an American menu with Asian influences. In the kitchen will be Armando Cortes, formerly the executive chef at the Grill Room in the World Financial Center. Look for dishes like blackened Scottish salmon with vanilla bourbon butter and Thai lobster curry with jasmine rice. Even though there are 56 flat screens in the bar and lounge area and a half-court basketball court, complete with professional markings on the wood floors, Clyde's is not intended as a sports bar. The dining room will be TV-free, where the décor is more about Frazier's singular sense of style.
Clyde Frazier's Wine and Dine
485 Tenth Ave.
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Good News and Bad News for Ark Restaurants. Hint: The Good News Involves Walt Frazier!