Ever since Casa Tua’s founder, Miky Grendene, opened the exclusive private club’s first location in Miami Beach 25 years ago, members have been asking him to open an outpost in New York. Grendene first opened additional locations in Aspen and Paris, and now — at long last — he has found a home for Casa Tua in New York.
“I looked at countless locations,” Grendene says earlier this summer from his house in Aspen. “For me it’s quality, not quantity. And most of the time quality and quantity don’t go together. So it was very important, if we open in New York, to be in the right location,” he adds. “In The Surrey, in the Upper East Side, I found the perfect location for us.”
Casa Tua is located inside the newly renovated The Surrey hotel, and serves as the property’s official food and beverage partner. Located on East 76th Street and Madison Avenue, the Surrey features 100 guest rooms and suites, as well as 14 private residences and an on-site spa.
You May Also Like
“I think that the Upper East Side needs — more than downtown — new blood, new things, new energy. And I think that Casa Tua hopefully will bring that to the Upper East Side.”
Miky Grendene
“Everybody asked me, ‘Why did you open on the Upper East Side? Why didn’t you go downtown?” Grendene says. “I never follow a trend. I never look at what other people do; I do what I feel is right for us and for the brand and for my customer. I think that the Upper East Side needs — more than downtown — new blood, new things, new energy. And I think that Casa Tua hopefully will bring that to the Upper East Side.”
Casa Tua will include a restaurant and lounge on the hotel’s ground floor, open to the public. Similar to the club’s other locations, the focus of the menu is Mediterranean: Italian cuisine with French influences. There is also a private members-only space on the second floor, which will offer exclusive programming and personalized service. The idea was to create a home away from home for its nearly 3,000 members.
“Each client of mine is a celebrity for me,” Grendene says. “The club allows me to know them better, to know exactly what they like, what they don’t like, and be sure that it’s a customized experience for them,” he says, adding that there is no distinction between service provided for members and nonmembers at the restaurant. “The only difference is they have a space where they have more privacy. For us, privacy is key.”
Casa Tua doesn’t promote its literal celebrity clients, although its locations are a popular spot for famous tastemakers. During Art Basel Miami Beach, the restaurant is a favorite location for VIP dinners and parties.
“Everybody wants to know about everybody,” Grendene says. “Everybody’s trying to show off what they do, the private plane, the huge boat. We’re trying to be the opposite of that: create a little oasis where you still have the sense of privacy, where we respect your privacy.”
The club’s New York space was designed in collaboration with architect and designer Michele Bönan, informed by Grendene’s own aesthetic sensibilities. “Casa Tua has always been and will always be a result of what our life is,” Grendene says. “Me and my wife, we travel the world and, like a sponge, we pick and choose and if we see something that we like, we integrate it in our design.”
And while many openings lean into hospitality design trends, Casa Tua aims to take a more singular approach. “We look at being timeless. We look at being soulful. We look at being elegant,” Grendene says. “We’re not looking to be trendy, because trend is by definition the beginning of an end,” he adds. “We always want to do a design that…is good now, could be good 20 years ago, and can be good 20 years from now.”
With Casa Tua settling into its New York digs, Grendene is already eyeing potential homes for a fifth location, with Madrid a leading contender. His son is currently studying there, which has given him an opportunity to get to know the city’s vibe. “When I’m there, I feel good, because there are great restaurants, the people are fun, and people like to dine out,” he says.
In other words, the city feels a little bit like home.
