The name Bobby Flay resonates deeply within the culinary world, a figure I’ve admired since his early days at Miracle Grill in the late 1980s, where he introduced the vibrant flavors of the Southwest to the East Village. His subsequent success at Mesa Grill solidified his reputation, and over the years, he has built an impressive restaurant empire and become a prominent television personality. Having followed his journey, I was particularly interested to find Bobby Flay Steak as a featured option at the newly launched Wonder Food Hall, located at 128 W. 23rd Street in Chelsea. This concept of a “wonder food hall” intrigued me, promising a curated collection of iconic chefs and top restaurants in one place, primarily focused on delivery and takeout.
Wonder, spearheaded by entrepreneur Marc Lore, former president of Walmart e-commerce, debuted in 2023 and has rapidly expanded to 12 locations, including six in New York City, five in New Jersey, and one in Pennsylvania, with ambitious plans to reach 100 by 2025. With a significant investment of $60 million in crafting recipes and restaurant concepts with partner chefs like Marcus Samuelsson and José Andrés, Wonder positions itself as a revolutionary “new kind of food hall.” This sparked my curiosity to experience what this innovative approach to dining truly offers.
At the Chelsea location, Bobby Flay Steak is one of nearly twenty restaurants available, featuring a menu of steaks, appetizers, salads, and sides. Seeking a comprehensive steakhouse experience, I opted for the thick cut bacon appetizer ($11), a 16-ounce rib-eye steak ($34) cooked medium rare, accompanied by creamed spinach ($9) and mushroom mashed potatoes ($9). The order, including tax, totaled nearly $72, setting expectations high for a premium takeout meal.
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My $72 Bobby Flay Steak dinner was ready for pickup in just 13 minutes, neatly packaged in foil containers. The rib-eye steak was substantial and boneless, though cooked closer to rare than my requested medium rare. Despite the slight miscooking, the meat itself was of good quality, well-marbled, and boasted a flavorful, crispy crust reminiscent of a potato chip, which unfortunately tended to flake off. However, the bacon appetizer was disappointing, proving to be tough and unpleasantly slimy. The creamed spinach was similarly underwhelming, drowning in cream and topped with unappealing crunchy elements. The mushroom mashed potatoes were palatable but overly salty, with vaguely discernible grated mushrooms. Overall, the meal felt like a parody of a steakhouse experience, costing nearly as much as a traditional sit-down steakhouse dinner, yet lacking the service and ambiance.
To gain a broader understanding of the Wonder food hall concept, I ventured to explore other locations – East Village, Chelsea, and Hoboken – focusing on restaurants helmed by chefs whose cuisine I was already familiar with. My aim was to assess the consistency and quality across different culinary styles within the Wonder ecosystem.
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The Chelsea location’s ambiance is characterized by a compact space decorated in muted gray and forest green tones. A menu rack displaying around 15 options stands prominently, adjacent to touchscreens and a pickup counter for delivery personnel. Across all Wonder locations, approximately half of the restaurants (15 out of 29 listed on their website) are collaborations with celebrity chefs, while the remaining offer more conventional fare like wings, sushi, or burgers.
My exploration continued with tasting dishes from other renowned chefs available at Wonder.
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M’s Fried Chicken & Waffle at Streetbird by Marcus Samuelsson ($13): The breaded and fried chicken breast, cut into two pieces, had a tough exterior, and the waffle was disappointingly cold and small. Grade: B.
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Classic Brisket Sandwich at Tejas Barbecue ($13): While the bun, pickle, and raw onions were satisfactory, the brisket, purportedly oak-smoked by a Houston-based chocolate factory and barbecue establishment, tasted stale and rubbery. Grade: D.
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Paella de Mariscos at Jota by José Andrés ($27): This paella for two was generously portioned with ample seafood, though the squid rings tasted less than fresh and had a brownish hue. Furthermore, an excessive amount of liquid pooled at the bottom of the container. Grade: B.
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Cavatelli with Sausage and Mushrooms at Walnut Lane by Jonathan Waxman ($18): Similar to the paella, this dish also had a thin liquid at the bottom. However, the cavatelli pasta itself was excellent, and the sausage was plentiful and flavorful, complemented by a mix of two types of mushrooms. Grade: B+.
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Spicy Pepper & Feta Sandwich at Yasas by Michael Symon ($10): After seeing Michael Symon on numerous food competition shows, it was surprising to encounter what might be the most uninspired sandwich. It consisted of chopped raw vegetables and crumbled feta on a pita that was so stale it could double as a sports mitt. Grade: D.
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Original Square Pizza from Di Fara Pizza ($27): This replica of Dom DeMarco’s Sicilian pie featured a thick, crisp crust, flavorful sauce, and somewhat unusual cheese (described as burrata on the menu), topped with a typical Di Fara shake of Romano cheese. However, it lacked the fresh basil that DeMarco traditionally added to his pizzas. Grade: A-.
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Saag Paneer at Chai Pani by Meherwan Irani ($17): While flavorful, this saag paneer was marked down due to a scarcity of spinach, an excessively thin sauce, and arriving cold. The basmati rice, however, was excellent. Grade: B-.
Reflecting on the $72 Bobby Flay Steak order, it also earns a grade of B-. Wonder food halls present an intriguing concept, bringing together a diverse range of cuisines from celebrated chefs. However, the experience is a mixed bag, with some dishes hitting the mark while others fall short, particularly considering the price point which rivals traditional dining experiences. The “wonder” of this food hall is still in development, with potential yet to be fully realized in consistent quality and value.
