Chef Franklin Becker has spearheaded several successful NYC restaurants over the years, perhaps most notably the mainly veggie mini-chain Little Beet. He’s been quiet the last few years, but 2023 is shaping up to be a banner year for Becker.
After the launch of Koreatown Continental restaurant Press Club Grill earlier this year, Becker is back with his latest: Point Seven, a seafood showstopper in Midtown’s MetLife Building. Get ready for pristine seafood dishes from around the world in a stunning, ocean-inspired setting that even includes a massive crystal light ceiling sculpture that looks like a swimming school of fish.
Becker’s new surge is thanks to a partnership with restaurateur Stephen Loffredo (Cena, Jovia), and their company Hospitality Department is banking big on Midtown’s resurgence.
“People are going back to the office, and Midtown is really coming back,” Loffredo says.
Point Seven is just the first of three new projects Becker and Loffredo are opening in the city. Cocktail bar Bronze Owl and doughnut shop Sweet Graffiti will follow in the coming months, but for now read on for why Point Seven is one of the most exciting recent debuts in Midtown.
What to eat
The menu at Point Seven is informed by Becker’s travels, so that means globally inspired seafood dishes that slot into sections like chilled, small and large plates, and a section dedicated to luxe ingredients.
Highlights include grilled octopus in a pool of tomatoey Veracruz sauce. “It’s not too dissimilar to an Italian sauce, but it speaks to Mexico in every way,” Becker says. Swordfish hangs like shawarma from a spit, rubbed in chermoula and served with a side of chickpeas and couscous. “[It’s about] the beauty and the bold flavors of the Middle East,” the chef says. And Peruvian-style ceviches have some of the fish pureed into the sauce. “That’s what gives body to the sauce,” Becker says.
The menu’s section for swanky ingredients like uni and truffles also happens to have some dishes that lean closer to home for Becker. The smoked sturgeon salad and caviar atop a pumpernickel bagel is a nod to the chef’s childhood. “I remember growing up with bagels and lox and smoked fish on Sundays,” Becker says. “It’s a nod to my Jewish heritage. I always like to sneak in a little bit of my mother to keep her memory alive.”
Plus, if the extensive seafood menu is too much to choose from, the restaurant also has a 21-course tasting menu for $350 per person at a 10-seat sushi counter. Called Coral Omakase, it can also be paired with seven to nine beverages.
What to drink
Drinks, too, embrace Point Seven’s nautical and global sensibilities in nearly a dozen cocktails and beers and wines from around the world.
Bar vet Max Green (Death & Co., Amor y Amargo) has created a mix of lighter and heftier cocktails depending on what you order off the menu. Think tropical options like Rescue at Sea with rum, banana, and orange (in an octopus mug!) and the spicy piña colada-like Sea Legs with cocoa rum, pineapple, and Calabrian chile. Or opt for something smoother like Anchor’s Away with vodka and jasmine.
Where to sit
Every facet of this spacious bi-level restaurant evokes the water, from the undulating seafoam banquettes to the coral-shaped light fixtures on the wall to the bar back made with sea shells.
But the main design attraction, without a doubt, is a massive crystal sculpture on the upper level made of 182 illuminated fish swimming across the dining room. It’s clear that Point Seven is among the most exciting immersive seafood dining experiences in the city right now.
“I always followed the coastline on my travels and what really struck me was the seafood,” Becker says—and at Point Seven, you can get in on that action, too.
When to go
Point Seven is open Monday to Friday for lunch from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, for snacks from 3 pm to 10:30 pm, for dinner from 5 pm to 10:30 pm, and the bar is open from 11:30 am to 11 pm. On Saturdays, snacks are available from 4 pm to 10:30 pm, dinner from 5 pm to 10:30 pm, and the bar is open from 4 pm to 11 pm.
Coral Omakase runs Tuesday through Saturday with two seatings nightly at 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm.
Tanay Warerkar is OpenTable’s NYC writer and a content marketing manager.
