Jewelry designer Jill Platner has had her SoHo store for nearly 20 years. Tucked away on a relatively quiet stretch of Crosby street, Jill’s displays large scale bronze sculpture alongside scaled-down wearable pieces. Made from hand-formed articulated parts, this is jewelry for people who appreciate and understand how things are made. Jill’s studio and home are the geographical mid-point between her shop and her favorite restaurant and local haunt, Il Buco Alimentari. Donna Lennard is the owner of this NoHo staple, and she is also Jill’s closest friend. Enter Il Buco on a any given day and you will find a mix of elegant, low-key Italians and the rare species of artist who can still call this part of town home. My first time eating there, I sat next to Chuck Close and Philip Glass, if that drives home the point clearly enough. For the same reasons I find that artists love salad, artists love this restaurant; it’s unpretentious, the food is simple, confident and it isn’t trying to be anything more than what it is: contemporary Italian food that’s obsessed with the best ingredients.

What people don’t know about Il Buco Alimentari is that they have a the kind of roof deck that Manhattanites only dream of. Years ago, Jill installed some of her hanging bronze sculptures out there, in the hopes that this would be the local for some really great parties. The neighbors didn’t quite agree, and it was not until this last week that the outdoor space, sculptures included, were opened to the public. I was honored when Donna and Jill asked me to work with their chef Garrison Price on food for the event. We whipped up a new take on some SFP party favorites, radishes with miso-ghee and black sesame powder, and salad tacos with Good Water Farms microgreens (one had pulled chicken and crunchy lentil topping, and the other with pecorino, anchovies and celery hearts). There was house-made charcuterie and fluke crudo, and Salad Garden martinis (of course).

*Photos by Giada Paoloni