Midsummer Chill Out Party at the Fillmore Room 

By Alex Fine

As I entered The Fillmore Room for their Midsummer Chill Out Party, the cultivated ambiance of an art deco old New York meets new New York came over me. I felt as though I had been invited into the secret back room of an old New York city restaurant. Black bricks outlined the room, and warm lamps hung from the ceiling by metal chains. The numerous copper adorned fireplaces, which seem to be a rarity in the city, made me wish I had scuttled into The Fillmore Room in the dead of winter for a midwinter warm up party. I couldn’t help but imagine lounging around one of the restaurant’s fireplaces with friends drinking whiskey for an amazing escape from the city’s harsh winters.

The Fillmore Room nevertheless offered a comforting sanctuary from the debilitating heat of the day, and I was relieved the fireplaces were not on. Among the cocktails served at the party were Mojitos and house cocktails such as the Strawberry Smash – a refreshing perfect for summer vodka drink made with muddled strawberries, fresh basil, lemon and agave.

Those in attendance were also treated with a selection of Chef Liran Mezan’s offerings. The Grilled Octopus Skewers with Heirloom Tomatoes were beautifully charred and smoky without overpowering the Octopus. The Barbequed Brisket served as a Miniature Brioche Sandwich was perfectly tender.  The fluffy Brioche added a lightness to a usually heavy Sandwich. The Veal Ricotta Meatballs al Pomodoro were decadent in a rustic Tomato Sauce. The Fillmore Room also served various Crostini with House Made Spreads – such as a Bacon Marmalade, that I would gladly put on everything I ever eat.

The rest of Mezan’s menu includes twists on American fare, such as the Peach Marinated Barbeque Pork Chop, a Lobster Burger, and a Hamburger served with the aforementioned Bacon Marmalade that has been compared to the critically acclaimed burger from the Spotted Pig. The Fillmore Room also has a raw bar that serves among other raw seafood: Oysters, Clams and Tuna Tartare with Avocado, Radishes and Micro Greens.

The Fillmore Room is the creation of Chef Liran Mezan, who previously had helmed the meatpacking district’s STK as corporate executive chef. The Fillmore Room is across from the renovated elevated train line that is now High Line Park, and is in a space that has been serving the Chelsea neighborhood for over one hundred years. Chef Mezan kept the original bar and metal ceilings, and tastefully added details that fooled me into thinking he had barely made any alterations to the space, until he pointed them out himself.

Much of my takeaway from The Fillmore Room was taken in from an offhand comment that Chef Mezan made to me about tiles he had laid near the exit of the main kitchen. Mezan was talking about how he had gone to great lengths to find antique tiles that would not feel out of place in the restaurant and disturb what was already there, and that eventually, he was able to track someone down who made distressed tiles and re-purposed vintage tiles. Had he not pointed this out to me, I would have assumed that like the bar, they were many decades old. The Fillmore Room itself as a whole operates on a very similar level.  If I hadn’t known that the restaurant was only a few months old, I would have just assumed it had been here the entire time.

The event itself served as a mixer of sorts, for food writers, event planners and other industry types. As I peaked into one of the various rooms at The Fillmore Room, I was greeted by events director Juliana Kapovich, who was eager to show off the beautifully decorated event rooms that can accommodate small intimate groups of up to twenty, to groups of two hundred.

Chef Mezan’s Fillmore Room seamlessly weaves these identities – restaurant, bar and lounge, and event space together in a way that is so rarely done without being overt and free of subtlety. The ambiance of the restaurant feels as unforced as it is impressive. Chef Mezan’s menu offerings and cocktail program suit the atmosphere that has been cultivated for, and by the space, and offers unfussy, yet unique, interesting and creative American fare.

Fillmore Room is located at 146 10th Avenue (at 19th Street)