What’s happening: After almost two years of waiting, former Best of Award of Excellence winner Saint Urban has relocated from Syracuse, N.Y. to New York City’s Flatiron neighborhood. The wine-centric, tasting-menu spot from chef and owner Jared Ian Stafford-Hill has taken over the space formerly occupied by Veritas—the Grand Award–winning restaurant that operated on East 20th Street from 1999 to 2013, which Stafford-Hill considers to be “the wine restaurant of the time.”
“It wasn’t that we were looking for spaces around New York City,” Stafford-Hill told Wine Spectator. “It was that it made sense to continue the legacy and the spirit of the restaurant that was there for 15 years, for another generation.”
Stafford-Hill opened the first Saint Urban (named after the patron saint of winegrowers) in 2019, returning to his hometown after more than two decades working in top New York restaurants. He closed that location in 2023 to move to the Big Apple when the Veritas space came on the market. The Manhattan version follows the same wine-forward approach to dining, with each month’s menu and wine pairings devoted to a single wine region. The first menu, for May, is devoted to the cuisine of Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune. Each year, the restaurant will return to the same cycle, which includes Champagne in February, Tuscany in July and Bordeaux in December.
When it re-opened: May 13, 2025
Why you should know about it: Following in the footsteps of Veritas, Saint Urban is ambitiously opening with a wine list of over 3,000 labels, all chosen by Stafford-Hill, who also serves as wine director.
The menu: Guests can choose either a four-course prix fixe menu or Stafford-Hill’s seven-course chef’s tasting menu. Relying on seasonal ingredients, dishes on the May menu include the likes of scallop warmed in the shell with snail butter and fennel, lobster a l’Americaine with ramps and spring onions, the chef’s take on classic boeuf bourguignon or a veal ribeye with sweetbreads and porcini mushrooms. “It feels like you’re traveling,” comments Stafford-Hill.
What’s on the wine list: In keeping with the menus that change monthly, the wine list focuses on California, Champagne, Northern Rhône, the Loire, Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune, Spain, Tuscany, Southern France, Southern Rhône, Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits, Piedmont and Bordeaux. May’s Côte de Beaune program features more than 130 selections of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Aligoté. Each month will have four different pairing options for the chef’s tasting menu available: the standard ($90), a reserve pairing ($175), the luxe Charlemagne option ($325) or a pairing devoted to a specific winery or winemaker (starting with Famille de Montille, $275).
The full wine list is more than 124 pages long and features verticals from the likes of Giacomo Conterno, Domaine de l’Arlot and Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. Stafford-Hill takes pride in the relative affordability of the bottles on the list, with low markups from whatever Stafford-Hill himself bought it for.
“It’s still a work in progress. I’ve been adding more wines every week for six years,” said Stafford-Hill. “It’s a lot of options for a lot of different guests. We have whatever aged bottle at whatever price point, not just things you can’t afford. As a diner, I go to restaurants and there’s five wines that I could afford on the entire wine list. It’s not very fun.”
The design: Bentel & Bentel created a dining space that conveys the nature of wine, with rooms accented by finished oak and muted tones of green and brown glass, reminiscent of wine bottles. Art fills the space, with abstract landscapes that evoke a sense of terroir, and glass leaf structures appear to float over guests’ heads. —Julia Larson
Legendary Tuscan Producer Frescobaldi Partners with Princess Cruises
What’s happening: Tuscan powerhouse producer Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi has teamed up with Princess Cruises, revamping one of the cruise line’s signature Italian eateries. What was “Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria” will now be “Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, Inspired by Frescobaldi,” offering diners traditional Tuscan recipes matched with a curated list of Frescobaldi reds, whites and rosé. In addition to regular dinner service, once per cruise, the restaurant will host a “Grand Tuscan Dinner,” where guests can experience a multi-course tasting menu with wine pairings. The new venture made its first appearance on the Majestic Princess, with plans to expand fleetwide later this year.
When it launched: April 9, 2025
Why you should know about it: Princess Cruises provides compelling wine programs at sea, with many restaurants across its 17-ship fleet offering lists of more than 250 selections, with emphasis on wines from California, France and Italy. The cruise line earned its first Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards in 2023, with 15 of its restaurants honored with the Award of Excellence.
Frescobaldi, currently helmed by 30th-generation owner Lamberto Frescobaldi, traces its origins in Tuscany back to the 1300s, when the family began its first agricultural estate, Tenuta Castiglioni, still operational today. Notable labels in the Frescobaldi portfolio also include Super Tuscan icons Masseto and Ornellaia.
“Partnering with Princess Cruises to bring the essence of Tuscany to Sabatini’s is an honor for us as we share our wines, stories and cuisine to the guests onboard,” said Lamberto Frescobaldi in a statement.
The culinary approach: The restaurant’s menu is primarily inspired by the winemaker’s flagship restaurant in Florence, Ristorante Frescobaldi, focusing on fresh, simple ingredients prepared in a Tuscan style. Highlights include classics like burrata with 18-month-aged prosciutto, guazzetto di cozze e gamberi (a seafood stew) and handmade, ricotta-stuffed tortello pasta.
For the special “Grand Tuscan Dinner” offered one night per cruise, guests will be offered a six-course tasting menu that consists of plates like tuna and scallop carpaccio, pan-seared sea bass and pinolata Senese (pinenut cake served with custard). Following tradition, the dinner ends with almond biscotti served with Frescobaldi’s Grappa di Vino Luce.
What’s on the wine list: The 45 wines available, most priced under $100, will span the Frescobaldi portfolio, from the Attems Pinot Grigio and the lush white Gorgona to Chianti, Brunellos and the spicy, rich Castello di Nipozzano Mormoreto Cabernet-Sangiovese blend, along with top-tier bottlings from Masseto, Ornellaia and Solaia.
Several new signature cocktails, all created with Frescobaldi wines, are on offer with names like “Rosato Reverie,” “Chianti Sunset” and “Mormoreto Old Fashioned.”—Greg Warner
Keep up with the latest restaurant news from our award winners: Subscribe to our free Private Guide to Dining newsletter!
