Pizza! Bagels! Cheesecake! Street meat! When it comes to New York City dining, it’s hard to go wrong. The food-famous city may be known for its classics, but one restaurant really became the cat’s meow by featuring a fancier feast inspired by felines!
You may know Fancy Feast for its famous commercials depicting the gourmet brand as an elite product favored by the upper crust of the cat world. In July 2022, the company announced it would bring the same feline dining experience to humans for a limited engagement.
The cat’s out of the bag! We’re excited to introduce our pop-up dining experience, Gatto Bianco. Join us and enjoy an exclusive tasting menu for humans inspired by our Medleys recipes. Reservations open August 4th at noon ET! https://t.co/eYlbKQxa2N pic.twitter.com/yQp8Q0ZM6Q
— FancyFeast (@FancyFeast) August 3, 2022
The two-day pop-up, “ Gatto Bianco by Fancy Feast ,” will provide curious cats of the human purr-suasion with an “Italian-style trattoria and culinary experience” inspired by the brand’s original recipes.
Like any New York restaurant opening worth its press, the pop-up had a guest appearance by the fluffy Persian star of the brand’s long-running advertisements.
You rang? pic.twitter.com/qTjb0ZC7JO
— FancyFeast (@FancyFeast) April 1, 2022
The West Village pop-up restaurant was open August 11 and 12 and featured dishes concocted by Fancy Feast’s in-house chef, Amanda Hassner, in collaboration with Cesare Casella, a Michelin Star-winning chef you may recognize from Iron Chef America or Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations .
Piggybacking off the success of 2021’s Fancy Feast cookbook , Gatto Bianco’s recipes will litter-ally be inspired by the brand’s Medleys line of cat food, which features flavors that admittedly do sound tasty, like turkey florentine, beef ragu, and wild salmon primavera.
Those interested in feline fine dining didn’t need to wait long to see what the fluff was about; the eight-seater restaurant took reservations through OpenTable purr their convenience.
The first Fancy Feast pop-up was such an a-meow-zing feat the brand came back for more with the opening of another pop-up restaurant in New York City. Fête du Feline officially opened on August 8, 2023–International Cat Day (naturally).
The Madison Square Park activation saw cat lovers pounce and paw their way through the dining experience feline dreams are made of. First up on the menu was the Fête du Feline Grand Tasting, where ticketed guests lapped up a layered pâté made just for humans by Hassner and entrepreneur Andrew Rea.
Before the post-pâté cat nap kicked in, guests enjoyed hand-drawn pet portraits, a meet-and-greet with the Fancy Feast cat, themed cocktails, and custom-engraved bowls and silverware to take home to avoid any furry friend FOMO.
By Meghan Yani, contributor for Ripleys.com
