sbe's Disruptive Restaurant Group Brings Modern Mediterranean to New York City's Mondrian Park Avenue with Cleo. Next Stop: The World

Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami Cult Favorite Cleo Makes its First Foray into New York City, Accelerates Expansion with Three More Locations to Open in Los Angeles, Nassau and Kuwait City in next six months

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sbe

Oct 18, 2017, 09:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Disruptive Restaurant Group, a subsidiary of sbe, the leading global lifestyle hospitality company, announced the group's award-winning Mediterranean culinary concept, Cleo, has opened its first New York City location inside Mondrian Park Avenue. The 5,000-square-foot hotel flagship restaurant signals the brand's ambitious rollout across the country and around the world—with another two Cleo restaurants set to open in Los Angeles and Nassau as soon as next month.

"To say we're in a very exciting growth phase for the Cleo brand is an understatement," said Daniel del Olmo CEO, Disruptive Restaurant Group. "sbe was one of the first organizations to identify and embrace the emerging trend of Mediterranean cuisine and the desire to share plates and flavors with partners, friends and family, creating the award-winning Cleo concept with home-grown Executive Chef Danny Elmaleh. Seven years and numerous awards later – including being named #5 on OpenTable's "50 hottest restaurants in the U.S." – we believe Cleo is ready to provide discerning diners in New York City a unique twist to the conventional Mediterranean dining experience."

Cleo New York opens with a new, vibrant menu from Executive Chef Danny Elmaleh that reflects his Israeli-Japanese heritage and celebrates ingredients and cultures of the eastern and southern Mediterranean. The multi-city openings provide the inspiration for his new menu, unveiled in unison across all locations, featuring standout dishes from duck matzo ball soup with confit duck in a consommé broth to harissa tuna tartar. The menu has also transitioned from offering several small plates, to larger, "family-style" dishes engineered to share such as charcoal-grilled Branzino served whole with fresh tomato and niçoise olives, hot oil seared snapper with Calabrian chili, olives and barberries and the wagyu flat iron steak—a decadent dish, plated and presented for sharing.

"It's an honor to be able to bring a taste of the food I've known and loved for so many years to one of the most influential culinary cities in the country—one that already has such a rich tapestry of cultures, flavors and cuisines," said Cleo Executive Chef Danny Elmaleh. "My vision is for Cleo to create a new space for New Yorkers and travelers to explore and celebrate great food with family and friends."

Cleo, a celebrity favorite from Los Angeles to Miami, will continue its rapid brand growth throughout the remainder of the year, with the opening of Cleo Third Street, its third Los Angeles location, inside The Orlando Hotel in early November. Ideally located in one of Los Angeles' most vibrant culinary and cultural corridors, Cleo Third Street will open with a bold art statement: a mural commissioned by street artist Cryptik, known for enlisting ancient symbols and themes to reference wisdom and universality.

Cleo Third Street will also open with Executive Chef Danny Elmaleh's new menu as well as beloved classic Cleo dishes including the signature Brussels sprouts; spicy cigars and addictive laffa bread; plus bounty-to-bar cocktails and a diverse wine list. The restaurant will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a takeaway window for fresh-pressed juices and small bites on the go, and the ultimate perk for The Orlando Hotel Guests—Cleo room service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Following the opening of Cleo Third Street will be the group's highly anticipated international expansion, with its first Cleo location outside the United States—Cleo Baha Mar, located within the 299-room SLS Baha Mar in The Bahamas. Cleo Baha Mar, set to open in mid-November, will capture the vibrancy of Cleo's Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, where new yet familiar flavors will be enhanced by worldly charm with local Bahamian ingredients. Additionally, the brand will continue its international expansion with the opening of Cleo Kuwait within The Avenues Mall, the largest shopping mall in the country, in early 2018. sbe has plans to open seven more Cleo restaurants by 2021.

About Cleo
Cleo, an award-winning concept from sbe, with locations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami, and new locations set to open in The Bahamas and New York. Named after the Egyptian queen, Cleo, helmed by Executive Chef Danny Elmaleh, showcases a modern twist on eastern and southern Mediterranean cuisine. Each Cleo location has its own distinct look and feel to complement its surroundings and encourage a social dining experience, all the while staying true to its' Mediterranean roots. For more information, please visit www.cleorestaurant.com

About Disruptive Restaurant Group
Disruptive Restaurant Group is the leading restaurant company devoted to the development of visionary concepts and award-winning culinary experiences. A subsidiary of leading lifestyle hospitality company, sbe, Disruptive Restaurant Group incubates, operates and licenses globally renowned culinary brands. The company's critically-acclaimed restaurants include Katsuya, Cleo, The Bazaar by José Andrés, Hyde Kitchen + Cocktails, and Umami. For more details, please visit sbe.com/restaurants.

About sbe
Established in 2002 by Founder and CEO Sam Nazarian, sbe is a privately-held, leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning hotels, residences, restaurants and nightclubs. Through exclusive partnerships with cultural visionaries, sbe is devoted to creating extraordinary experiences throughout its proprietary brands with a commitment to authenticity, sophistication, mastery and innovation. Following the acquisition of Morgans Hotel Group, the pioneer of boutique lifestyle hotels, sbe has an unparalleled global portfolio featuring 22 world-class lifestyle hotel properties in 9 attractive gateway markets and 136 global world-renowned hotel, entertainment and food & beverage outlets. The company is uniquely positioned to offer a complete lifestyle experience - from nightlife, food & beverage and entertainment to hotels and residences, and through its innovative customer loyalty and rewards program, The Code, as well as its award-winning international real estate development subsidiary, Dakota Development - all of which solidify sbe as the preeminent leader across hospitality. The company's established and upcoming hotel brands include SLS Hotel & Residences, Delano, Mondrian, Redbury, Hyde Hotel & Residences, Clift, Hudson, Sanderson and St Martins Lane. In addition, sbe has the following internationally acclaimed restaurants and lounges: Katsuya, Cleo, The Bazaar by José Andrés, Fi'lia by Michael Schwartz, Umami Burger, Hyde Lounge and Skybar. More information about sbe can be obtained at sbe.com.