Patrick Abatiell
Midtown, Manhattan
In a stunning twist of fate, we continue to find ourselves drawn BACK up to Rockefeller Center for another of the newer dining establishments making a splash in the area. Jupiter is a dream to enter (perhaps a fever dream), as you descend down from a rather buttoned-up lobby at 20 W 50th street and into an airy and colorful dining room with front row seats to the Rock Center ice rink. The staff makes you feel immediately at home, likely a nod to GM Patrick Abatiell’s go-to saying with the other managers: “care is a limitless resource.” This is truly what it feels like when you dine or lunch at Jupiter, from their earnest suggestions on dishes they think you’ll love, to the fact that when you leave, you realize you know half the staff’s star signs. Find out more on what goes into an environment as dreamy as this one with Patrick’s full interview.
Full name, age, where are you from?
Patrick Abatiell, 38, from Rutland, Vermont
What is your title and where do you work?
General Manager at Jupiter in Rockefeller Center
Was food a big part of your upbringing?
Yes! I had this grandmother who was the most incredible host. Dinner at her house was always such an event, even if it was only a casual weeknight thing. The food was simple — red sauce, meatballs, veal cutlets, a huge salad she’d dress and mix with her hands — but so satisfying, and there was always so much of it. The thing that always struck me, even when I was young, was how much she enjoyed having people in her house and how clear it was that she took pleasure in feeding them. She loved a big, full table with a bunch of people talking all at once.
I think about her a lot when I’m at work because her natural hospitality is such a touchstone for me. It’s everything we try to bring to service at Jupiter: generosity and abundance and humor and comfort and fun. We have this saying among the managers at Jupiter: “care is a limitless resource.” And I think one of the many things I took from Grandma Josie is this understanding that serving people food is such a beautiful way to show people care.
What are your earliest memories of dining out?
There’s a genre of restaurant my friend Orion calls the “shit-on-the-walls Italian restaurant.” Think: plastic gondola models collecting dust, framed photos that say “buon appetito” or whatever. I’m sure you can picture it. The one in my hometown was called Sabby’s and we used to go with my parents on weeknights after school, for special occasions, basically all the time.
Humble as it was, Sabby’s gave me my first taste of what it’s like to be treated like a regular. Servers who remember your usual order, an owner that comes to the table and says hi. On some fundamental level, this is the same sense of recognition and welcome I still look for when I dine out, like I’m still chasing after this early feeling of comfort.
If you could give a piece of advice to someone who wanted to pursue your career, what would it be?
When we were opening Jupiter, a friend whom I respect immensely took me aside to give me some advice, and I will pass it on forever now. He was like, “don’t forget to do the fun part.”
Especially in an opening like the one we just did, it is so easy to get bogged down in the mundane details (and the frustrations, and the emails, and the guy who was supposed to come fix something but isn't answering his phone). I’m aware that all that stuff matters and that you have to get satisfaction out of addressing it. I know I do. But fundamentally I chose this as my career because it lets me make people happy for a living. I don’t want to lose sight of that.
What do you think working in this industry has taught you?
A lot of smart people do this in a lot of different ways. But I’ve learned it means everything to find people you vibe with, who believe in you, and who share your values. Frank O’Hara, the gay New York poet, has this line, “you just go on your nerve.” There has been so much planning and preparation and training and effort in bringing Jupiter to life. But at the end of the day, the thing I’m most proud of is that it just feels like us. Like something we did together.
What's your favorite dish/drink on the menu?
Normally, I gravitate toward wine. But our Bar Director, Rob Giles, has designed such a gorgeous cocktail list. The highlight for me is the Jupiter Vesper — a play on a classic that uses gin, fig leaf-infused vodka, and a blend of Sardegnian myrtle-based spirits. My perfect post-work meal at the bar is a Vesper alongside our Tajarin con fegato — this absolutely luxurious egg-yolk pasta with emulsified butter and lobes of seared chicken liver. Just like…simplicity, elegance. Pure pleasure.
What is your favorite place to go out and eat at and what are you ordering?
I’m such a creature of habit, so this one is easy: dinner and cocktails at The Fly. Half chicken. Wings if you’re feeling playful. Green beans. Fries. Onion rings if they’re on the menu. Caesar salad. And a Black Manhattan.
You’re on a desert island, what are the 5 kitchen items you need to run your business?
So in this scenario I have my same job but it’s on an island? Dreamy. I guess I’d say laptop, wine key, comfortable shoes, sunglasses, and a fucking incredible sense of humor.
