For SA Hospitality Group, opening Felice 56 on West 56th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues last month was a natural extension of the brand. The group, which focuses on unfussy Italian food with a Tuscan bent, runs the Sant Ambroeus restaurants and Casa Lever as well as five other locations under the Felice name.
"This Felice is a 2.0 version of the others," said Gherardo Guarducci, the company's co-founder. "We've added the coffee bar from Sant Ambroeus and the prix fixe—perfect for power lunching."
The company chose the location, inside the Chambers Hotel, because it could attract both business diners who work on Sixth Avenue and tourists shopping on Fifth.