History
Aquavit was created and opened by Håkan Swahn in 1987. After 17 years in one location, Aquavit relocated in 2005 to new premises giving the restaurant an entirely new look. Aquavit opened a second restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1999, but it failed to take hold and ultimately closed in mid-2003.
Aquavit was a pioneer in New York in 1987 in creating two distinct dining rooms, a casual café with modern but rustic fare as well as a cutting-edge modern dining room. This was conceptually based on the Stockholm restaurant, Operakällaren, whose owner, Tore Wretman, was one of Aquavit’s original partners. Aquavit with the arrival of Chef Marcus Samuelsson in 1995 garnered greater culinary recognition.
Aquavit enjoyed a three-star rating from The New York Times from 1995 until 2010, when it was downgraded to two stars, and was ranked by New York Magazine in 2006 as the 9th-best restaurant in New York.
In 2002 the cook book “Aquavit and the new Scandinavian Cuisine” was written by Marcus Samuelsson based on the food of the restaurant.
Read more about this topic: Restaurant Aquavit
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