Zoli Restaurant at Amant Art Complex Blends Cuisine and Culture

Zoli, a new restaurant in the East Williamsburg contemporary-art complex Amant, has quickly become a destination for both art enthusiasts and food lovers. The restaurant is named after the imaginary dog of Lonti Ebers, a serious art collector and MOMA trustee married to Canadian billionaire Bruce Flatt. Amant, a sprawling four-building, twenty-one-thousand-square-foot campus, opened in 2021 to acclaim in the art world but limited broader attention. Zoli, which opened in spring 2024, has put the museum on the map for a wider audience. The kitchen is run by chef Ned Baldwin, who also operates Houseman on Greenwich Street in Manhattan. Baldwin works alongside chefs Danny Roberts and Aimee Li. The menu features a salad inspired by Richard Olney, the American food writer and Francophile who emphasized ingredient quality over precise recipes. The room, designed by Brooklyn firm G.R.T. Architects, blends industrial brutalism with mid-century sleekness, featuring raw cinder-block walls, a cherrywood staircase, and a Pierre Huyghe aquarium installation titled "Satellite." Zoli has drawn comparisons to Marcel, the restaurant at Sotheby's headquarters in the Breuer Building, but focuses on playful exploration rather than luxury. Desserts include chocolate layer cake with fermented black garlic and cheesecake with fresh Taleggio.