New York’s only rotating restaurant has undergone a transformative makeover. Located on the 47th and 48th floors of the Marriott Marquis, in Times Square, The View debuted in February under the direction of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). It’s a big upgrade from the previous iteration, which first opened in 1985 and closed its doors five years ago.
With the newly renovated lounge and restaurant spaces, designed by the acclaimed Rockwell Group, and an American-focused menu curated by chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley, The View is part steak house, part supper club, and it gives guests an elevated dining experience that matches the extraordinary 360-degree view of NYC.
Ricky Dolinsky oversees the wine and cocktail program at The View, which strikes a fine balance between recognizable blue-chip names and wines to be discovered, with an emphasis on American producers—as well as a refreshing focus on value.
Dolinsky, who grew up cooking and working at his parents’ Taiwanese restaurant in Morristown, N.J., moved to NYC at age 19 to serve as chef de cuisine at Fatta Cuckoo in the Lower East Side. His résumé includes stints at the Catskill Distilling Co. in Bethel, N.Y., and Rotisserie Georgette, on the Upper East Side, where he was the lead mixologist.
In 2018, he and his wife opened Tzarevna, an Eastern European restaurant in Downtown Manhattan, followed by the Japanese pop-up restaurant Yo+Shoku, and then a speakeasy called Paper Planes. In 2021, Dolinksy competed on Chopped, where he beat Bobby Flay and Michael Symon. Wine Spectator senior editor Kristen Bieler spoke with Dolinsky about his “love letter to NYC” cocktail program, the biggest perks of a rotating restaurant and his favorite off-the-beaten path value-priced wines.
What is the most interesting aspect of working in a rotating restaurant?
Every day we have children doing the split stand—keeping one foot on the non-moving interior circle and the other foot on the rotating outer ring. They watch their legs slowly get farther and farther apart until they are in full splits. The best part: There is no bad seat in the house. In most restaurants, everyone is always fighting for the best table, but there are great views all around us here, and the tables are always moving. The lounge rotates once every 45 minutes and the restaurant about once every hour and 10 minutes.
The View’s cocktail program really is a fun celebration of all things New York. My favorite is the Katz’s Martini, a tribute to the legendary pastrami sandwich at Katz’s Delicatessen, featuring pastrami rub spices and brisket fat–washed gin. Talk about your inspiration.
When designing menus, narrative is important because it resonates with people. Some wine directors might be afraid of Times Square because it is so touristy, but I say, “Lean in!”
I wanted to give guests at the hotel this NYC checklist without having to leave the Marriott. There’s the “New Amsterdam Sour,” made with Ravines Cabernet Franc and McKenzie rye, both from New York’s Finger Lakes region. Our Manhattan is the most Manhattan-y Manhattan, made with a single barrel of select rye native to New York from the New York Distilling Company, and our vermouth and bitters are also made in-state. We have a collaboration with Magnolia Bakery called “Whipped and Swirled” that features several different rums, a banana–condensed milk syrup and Nilla Wafers. “Liberty’s Torch” is a tiki drink that emulates the look of Lady Liberty. Whenever we can use local ingredients and tell the story of NYC, that’s what we do.
How would you describe the breakdown between locals and tourists—and how do they drink differently?
Right now it’s roughly 60 percent locals and 40 percent tourists. We get a lot of New Yorkers stopping by for a drink after work or a bottle of wine before a show since we are in the heart of the theater district. I would estimate our out-of-towners are 70 percent American, and the remaining are mostly French, German, some Eastern European.
It’s consistently true that Americans primarily ask for full-bodied Napa Cabernets or Pinot Noirs: big, bombastic flavor profiles. We certainly have those on our list, because it’s important to us to offer a lot of familiarity. When appropriate, I try to steer people toward something that offers a softness in addition to punches of flavor. For example, in Napa, I’m a fan of Shafer and Mayacamas. I also suggest a Brunello di Montalcino or Montepulciano from Italy; they don’t translate to Napa Cab one-to-one, but the tannin and grip profile really resonate in a similar way. Not to overgeneralize, but our European guests are looking for more subtlety and nuance in their wine and cocktail selections.
[article-img-container][src=2025-05/ushg_theview_medsker_149.sommelier-talk-ricky-dolinsky-the-view_1600.jpg] [caption=The cocktails, such as the Katz’s Martini, pay homage to NYC.] [credit= (Eric Medsker)] [alt= Katz’s Martini at The View in NYC][end: article-img-container]
The View’s wine program is smaller than other wine programs at USHG restaurants, like The Modern or Ci Siamo. What is your focus here?
We have around 180 selections and the brevity of the list really works for what we are doing here. We know the list inside and out and are evolving in real time with what guests are asking for. Naturally, as a hybrid steak house we have a big section of France, with more Burgundy than Bordeaux and some Southern and Northern Rhône, then some Italian selections. But our American section, and Napa specifically, is our largest.
What is an off-the-beaten-path wine that you’ve enjoyed introducing people to?
One of my favorites is the Ermes Pavese Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle. It’s a fantastic Alpine white from the base of Mont Blanc in Italy. Most good wine transports you to a place, and when you taste the Ermes Pavese, it sends you straight to the Alps. You smell the air, the pine, the resin and smoke and forest. It’s from really old vines and it’s so affordable.
I appreciate that the majority of your list is under $100. What’s another go-to region for value?
I consider it my job and responsibility to make sure I’ve curated great value for our guests. I look to the Jura in eastern France for super affordable wines. Right now I’m turning guests onto the Pinot Noir–Trousseau from Les Matheny made from 45-year old vines. I describe it as a Sunday afternoon red wine—super juicy and drinkable, almost like a great Beaujolais, with the funk of Trousseau and mushroom and earth and intense blackberry. It doesn’t necessarily need food but would pair well with cheese and crackers and baseball.
How about the most expensive bottle on your list right now?
When it comes to high-priced wines, Napa is first and foremost what our clientele gravitates toward. We offer Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon Mount Veeder 2018 for $385. In Burgundy, we offer the Benjamin Leroux Vosne-Romanée for $280. I’d say most people are sticking to the $80 to $160 range.
You grew up working in your parents’ Taiwanese restaurant. What did you absorb about hospitality at a young age?
My mentality to cater to and nourish and help our guests feel at home came from working at that restaurant as a child. I did everything from washing dishes to serving to helping prep and cook. From a young age I often went to the fish market in Hunts Point at 2 a.m. to pick out fresh fish with my uncle, and we would break it down and cure it.
I adopted that mentality when I opened my first restaurant eight years ago and did the same thing. Working at my family’s restaurant instilled in me the idea of quality, and the importance of fresh ingredients. People will always come for quality, and hospitality is intertwined in that.
I also learned the power of hard work: My uncle came from Taiwan in the 1970s with no money and sold hotdogs in my hometown of Morristown, N.J. He saved enough money to open a restaurant. It’s a true American dream story.
[article-img-container][src=2025-05/sommelier-talk-ricky-dolinsky-the-viewb_1600.jpg] [caption=Live piano music—with a contemporary twist—sets the mood at The View.] [credit= (Jason Varney)] [alt= Dining room, featuring a grand piano, at The View in NYC][end: article-img-container]
You’ve opened, owned and operated a number of your own restaurants. How have you seen guests’ wine preferences evolve in the last decade?
My wife and I opened a Georgian wine bar about seven years ago, at the peak of the natural wine movement. At that time, a wine that was organic or biodynamic or “natural” was a separate selling point, but today those attributes are mainstream and here to stay. These wines are no longer a fad, but intertwined into general wine lists and retail shop offerings; the wines people select just so happen to be natural.
Really? Just how “natural” are we talking? I see people turning away from the natural wine trend because they’ve been burned by too many flawed wines that tasted like vinegar.
Wines that drink “natty” generally don’t resonate with guests dining at a Midtown wine program like ours at The View. You’ll still see the more polarizing style of “natural” wines in other parts of Manhattan because there are guests who seek that specific style. We occasionally have guests who ask for that style of natural wine, but we don’t lean into it too much and can steer them toward sustainably minded producers currently on our list.
There’s live piano music nightly in the dining room, but not in the most traditional style. Explain.
I think that the piano player brings the entire concept home; there’s nothing more quintessentially New York than a lounge piano. Our modern approach to nostalgic New York means guests will hear a Top 40–heavy playlist. One of my favorites is when the pianist plays “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. It really threw me off guard at first. Another pianist did a crazy “Clair de Lune” and “Hallelujah” mashup that made me do a double take. They are truly incredible and talented musicians.
You competed on Chopped, the reality cooking competition show on Food Network, up against Bobby Flay and Michael Symon. What was that like?
Those were some of the most intense and memorable experiences of my life! I was much younger at the time and had a lot to prove, both to myself and to the audience. It confirmed to me that perseverance does pay off. But if you are too focused or not having fun and taking it too seriously, you can crumble.
The “Throwdown” [a segment featuring repeat champions] with Michael Symon was completely spontaneous, and I believe that helped me win. With “Beat Bobby Flay” [where chefs band together to compete against the master chef] I was so determined to win that I made silly mistakes that I normally never would have. All of these lessons have become part of my philosophy as a creative and beverage director, and I hope that I can relate them to younger cooks and bartenders going through their own culinary journey.
Keep up with the latest restaurant news from our award winners: Subscribe to our free Private Guide to Dining newsletter!
