Michael Schulson goes the steakhouse route with Alpen Rose on 13th Street
The 40-seater, a mere fraction of Schulson’s other joints including Giuseppe & Sons and Osteria, sits beneath a barrel-vaulted ceiling punctuated with crystal chandeliers.
After a string of big, splashy restaurants, Michael Schulson is going much, much smaller with a steakhouse called Alpen Rose, opening March 27 at 116 S. 13th St. It’s taken over the former video store and computer-repair shop on 13th Street south of Sansom, thus creating a true Schulson collective of three restaurants, including Sampan/Graffiti Bar and Double Knot.
Schulson and wife Nina Tinari are going for an old-world experience emphasizing the art of butchering, which Schulson learned from his grandfather, who had a butcher shop in the Bronx. Alpen Rose’s beef is aged in-house from 14 to 120 days.
And speaking of grandparents: Schulson said the name Alpen Rose is not a nod to the rhododendron but is a tribute to his grandmother, who kept a beautiful rose in a cup on an otherwise ordinary table.
Menu, executed by chef Michael Le under Schulson culinary director Leo Forneas, includes steakhouse classics. Tinari said the dinner tab would be about $75 per person, including drinks.
The 40-seater, a mere fraction of Schulson’s other joints including Giuseppe & Sons and Osteria, sits beneath a barrel-vaulted ceiling punctuated with crystal chandeliers.
The wooden wall paneling and the collection of old photos and books tucked into the walls give it a rich feeling, vaguely reminiscent of Barclay Prime. Mixed china and cutlery give it a homespun charm.
The open kitchen, by way of a wood-burning grill and hearth, is visible to much of the dining room. Tucked into one corner, just past the hearth, is a four-seat bar.
It will be open nightly from 5 p.m.
Also still in the pipeline locally for Schulson: a restaurant on the 1700 block of Locust Street as well as two restaurants on the Camden waterfront. Schulson said no concepts have been decided.