Lambert left at the end of 2019 and was replaced as Executive Chef, just before the pandemic hit, by New York State native Mary Attea. The restaurant reopened in July 2020, with a leadership team made up entirely of women—namely Attea, Vitagliano, and pastry chef Camari Mick—and a brand new, globally inspired approach to menu creation. Attea and her team draw on their diverse heritages, experiences, and tastes to create imaginative dishes that transcend national borders and individual cultural traditions.
In this second incarnation, The Musket Room offers two different tasting menus—for omnivores and vegans respectively—as well as an à la carte menu. It has retained its Michelin star, garnering critical acclaim and popularity with locals and visitors alike for serving world-class cuisine in the friendly atmosphere of a neighborhood bar.
The décor is simultaneously contemporary and rustic, its Scandinavian-infused design consisting of mid-century furniture, industrial lighting, lime-washed brick walls, intimate nooks, and vibrant blue banquettes. The long walnut timber bar provides a focus, from which—according to Pete Wells’ 2022 review in The New York Times—“a lot of Musket Room’s energy radiates.” Following the bar leads one to the spacious Barrel Room, which looks out onto a verdant back garden that is both attractive and functional. Its large planters contain lemon balm, nasturtium, basil, and various other ingredients used in many of the recipes prepared in both the kitchen and the bar.
Born in Buffalo, New York, Executive Chef Mary Attea abandoned her pursuit of a master’s degree in criminal psychology to enroll at New York’s Institute of Culinary Education. After graduating in 2011, she began work as an intern at Michelin-starred restaurant Annisa in Greenwich Village. Here her talent was spotted by chef-owner Anita Lo, who became Attea’s mentor, giving her a series of promotions before creating the role of Chef de Cuisine especially for her. Lo credits Attea with earning Annisa a third star from The New York Times and ensuring the restaurant retained its Michelin star. When Annisa closed in 2017, Attea spent a couple of years between lively Italian restaurant Vic’s and eclectic eatery High Street on Hudson before taking on the Executive Chef role at The Musket Room. Here she employed her considerable skill and experience in giving the restaurant new life and a new direction on reopening after its pandemic-induced closure in 2020.
The Musket Room has held a Michelin star for many years. It was included in The New York Times’ 50 Favorite Restaurants of 2022 and was a James Beard Award nominee for Best Restaurant: New York State the following year.
