Interview: Restaurateur Istvan Nagy of SIDE DOOR and ONE LENOX

Istvan Nagy, who arrived in New York City in 1998 from his native Romania, has had a journeyman's education in the restaurant business, playing both the back and front of house roles. He started his hospitality career in the kitchens of Carnival Cruise Line in 1995 as an assistant cook, moving into the dining room as server, and then manager.

In New York City, Istvan took a job as server at Keen's Steakhouse. Three years later he started working with China Grill Management for twelve years. Istvan was part of the team that opened new restaurants for the company, including Tuscan, English is Italian, Ono at the Gansevoort, The Gansevoort Rooftop, and The Empire Hotel Rooftop.

With the goal of opening his own place, Istvan moved on in 2010 to concentrate on the management of food-driven bars, reaching his owner/operator goal six years later when he opened One Lenox at the base of Lenox Hill at 61st Street and 1st Avenue. His second project, the larger and more ambitious restaurant, Side Door, located on East 57th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenues, opened in November of 2020.

Broadwayworld.com had the opportunity to interview Istvan about his career and his newest restaurant, Side Door.

What was your earliest interest in the culinary arts?

As a child, food was essentially fuel. There was nothing exciting or inspirational about it - we ate to survive; we had enough food to do that and that's all. It was the Communist way. I did have an uncle who owned a local cafe where I spent a good deal of time hanging out. Looking back, I think I unconsciously picked up some knowledge about cooking and even some interest in it. But none of that applied until I started working in cruise ship kitchens. Then I discovered I had a good palate and a certain flair for cooking, but, for the most part. it was "just a job;" I was more attracted to the pubic-facing front-of-house and I segued into that...where I have remained and where I have attained an ever-growing appreciation for the culinary arts because I've been privileged to work with some great chefs like Todd English and Rocco DiSpirito and I was always asking them questions.

We know that you worked your way up in the restaurant business. What were some of the greatest challenges?

Besides everything? Actually, the greatest challenge was all about language - learning the English language first and then learning the language of the restaurant business. That took a few minutes! Fortunately, I had become a BS artist at an early age and relied on that to get by initially. It didn't always work. I remember a ship passenger asking about where to find grits on the breakfast buffet - I helpfully directed him to the flatware. No amount of charming BS could save me from admitting I didn't have clue about what he was asking.

Once I got both languages down, learning how a restaurant works - the systems, the interaction between front-and-back-of- house and time management - took a while to grasp.

Teamwork is an important part of the success of a restaurant. Tell us about your team at your newest restaurant, Side Door.

The cornerstone is our chef and culinary director Dan Nistorescu. We're both from Brasov, Romania, but didn't get to know each other until we were adults and working on cruise ships. Later, we became real friends after we both landed in New York City and now we're working together, which is great. Not only is Dan a wonderful chef, he's got a great team he's worked with for years that came to Side Door with him. They've got the kitchen working like a well -oiled machine.

Front-of-the-house is a different and pandemic-driven story. We'd only been open about six weeks when December's indoor dining ban went into effect. We had to close altogether because we hadn't been open long enough to get the traction needed to do significant takeout and delivery business. When we reopened, most of the original staff had scattered; so we had to start over again to meld the new staff into a solid a front-of-house team. That process is being helped by the having a couple of people who also work at my other place, One Lenox, which never closed. We have a long history together and having their presence at both places is contributing to the teamwork factor.

What have been some of the guest reactions at Side Door?

People love the look and the size of Side Door. The ceilings are so high and there's a nice airy feel about it, which tends to make people feel more comfortable these days. People love the food too. Customers are always commenting on how much they like that our food is different than that of other casual neighborhood places because of its Eastern European accent. In fact, Dan's goulash has developed a growing group of regulars. Who knew?

There's also a lot of talk about and interest in the mezzanine area overlooking the space for small gatherings and people can't wait to sit at out bar. It's' so big and inviting!

The Saturday drag brunches generate a lot of positive comment, too. We started them as an experiment after we were approached by a promotor who was attracted to the space and thought the brunches could be a fit. They proved hugely popular with a diverse crowd. So we're working on making them a regular Saturday fixture.

Can you share with us some of your favorite menu items at Side Door?

I'm on that goulash bus and I love the papriskash too - probably has a lot to do with sentimental food memories of Romania. My other go-tos are the hogburger and the wild mushroom flatbread.

On the weekends, I take the "Bodega Breakfast Hoagie," basically a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, and replace the bacon with the fabulous fried chicken from the Crispy Yardbird sandwich. So delicious! Guess I've just "announced" a secret off-menu item.

I'm also a big fan of the bread pudding and I don't even normally like bread pudding. Dan's with brioche, crème Anglaise and blueberry coulis is a revelation.

What are some of your future plans?

I'd like to expand on Side Door's success with other Eastern European accented gastropubs that have a bit of a sports bar vibe. There's a market for it and the close of so many places during the pandemic means there are interesting real estate opportunities. But we're not quite set yet to make that desire a reality.

Reader alert! Stay tuned to Broadwayworld.com. We had the opportunity to visit Side Door and will be posting a review for the restaurant in the near future.

Side Door is located at 151 E. 57th (between Lexington and 3rd Avenues). The restaurant is open daily from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Take out and delivery is available. For more information and menus, visit: https://www.sidedoornyc.com/ or call 646-422-7660.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Side Door