When Chef Ralph Scamardella designed the menu for Peak by Priceless at Edge, he faced a problem most chefs would envy and few could solve: how do you make food the focal point when your dining room sits 101 floors above Manhattan? The answer wasn’t to compete with the skyline. It was to translate it onto the plate.
At a moment when New York’s restaurant scene demands sharper execution than ever, Scamardella has delivered something unexpected: a menu that treats the city itself as its primary ingredient. From a Black Sea Bass that echoes the Atlantic coast visible through the glass to a signature dessert called The Skyline, every dish is engineered to pull your attention away from the view and back to the table. It’s a philosophy born from decades in some of the world’s most demanding kitchens, distilled through the lens of a chef who grew up respecting seasonality in a Brooklyn kitchen and never stopped.
In conversation with DSCENE’s editor in chief, Zarko Davinic, Scamardella discusses why a dramatic setting demands dramatic food, how he keeps Peak distinct within a sprawling hospitality empire, and what excites him about building restaurants in a city that refuses to let anyone get comfortable.
Peak by Priceless occupies one of New York’s most recognizable locations, high above Hudson Yards at Edge. How did the setting influence your approach to the restaurant and its culinary identity? – When you are cooking 101 floors above Manhattan, your perspective changes, literally and figuratively. You aren’t just looking at the city; you’re able to examine the different cultural hubs with a direct line of sight into the energy that flows throughout the streets and avenues below.
The setting at Peak with Priceless demanded an approach that matched the scale of the view. We knew the menu couldn’t be an afterthought to the view and that we wouldn’t be serving your standard, expected dishes. This need for more is what inspired us to treat New York City itself as our primary muse.
The inspiration coming from New York’s architecture, views, and atmosphere of the landmark location is wonderful to spot in the menu. – New York is a city built on layers, contrast, and constant reinvention. Our new dishes draw directly from that energy, translating the very architecture of Manhattan onto the plate. You see this translated literally in our signature dessert, The Skyline, which pairs dark chocolate and hazelnut semifreddo into a structural silhouette that echoes the view.
A restaurant with such a dramatic setting can easily become defined by its view. How do you make sure the food remains central to the experience at Peak? – To keep the culinary experience central to our guests’ visits, our dishes have to be just as dramatic, vibrant, and intentional as the horizon outside. When I was designing the menu for Peak with Priceless, I knew I didn’t want to compete with the view, but rather compliment it with bold flavors that ground you in the region.
Take our Black Sea Bass,for example. Guests are looking out at the Atlantic coast while tasting its finest local flavors right on their plate. At Peak, the skyline is a spectacular backdrop, but the food is always the main event.
What New York diners value most right now is a true sense of escapism and a complete return to hospitality. In recent years, priorities have moved away from minimalist, transactional dining. People want an evening out to feel like a real event again, where the service, the design, and the vibe are just as memorable as the meal itself.
How would you describe the menu at Peak to someone visiting the restaurant for the first time? – I would describe the menu at Peak with Priceless as modern American cuisine. When we first started working on the reimagined menu, our focus was on executing a refined, world-class American menu that drew direct inspiration from the vibrant city sitting right below us. It has become a reflection of Manhattan’s unique energy, architecture, and cross-cultural boundaries.
Seasonal ingredients played an important role in your family’s Brooklyn kitchen. How does that early connection to fresh produce continue to shape the menu at Peak? – Growing up in an Italian-American home in Brooklyn, seasonality wasn’t a culinary trend, it was just how we ate. My family’s kitchen revolved around what was fresh that week, whether it was tomatoes in August or root vegetables in November. That instilled a deep respect for ingredients in me from day one.
At Peak with Priceless, even though we are sitting 101 floors above the city, that same ingredient-first mindset drives our menu. It’s why we work so closely with local Hudson Valley farms and regional purveyors to capture flavors at their absolute best. By respecting the seasons, keeping it simple, and letting the natural flavors do the heavy lifting, our menu stays alive and fresh all year round.
At Peak, a dish is ready when it turns the skyline into a beautiful backdrop and makes the food the main event.
What does a dish need to achieve before you feel it belongs on the Peak menu? – Before a dish earns a spot on the menu at Peak with Priceless, it has to pass a pretty high bar and be compelling enough to pull your attention away from the view. When you are sitting 101 floors up, the skyline is naturally the first thing you look at. A dish only makes its way on this menu if its flavors, aromas, and presentation can successfully pull your focus back to the table. We look for plates that have confidence and structure, but stay grounded in great ingredients.
At Peak, a dish is ready when it turns the skyline into a beautiful backdrop and makes the food the main event.
How do you approach creating a menu that serves New Yorkers, international visitors, and guests marking special occasions within the same dining room? – Our approach to the menu is to find the common denominator among those who dine with us: a desire for comforting, recognizable flavors elevated by flawless technique. No matter our guest, we aim to showcase the best of New York’s regional bounty, offering a true taste of the East Coast while also offering sophisticated, indulgent dishes that impress.
We don’t try to be everything to everyone by over-complicating the food. Instead, we focus on a refined, accessible Modern American menu where the ingredients speak for themselves. No matter where you flew in from, or if you just took the subway from downtown, a perfectly executed dish 1,100 feet in the air is a universal language.
Opening a restaurant here is only the first step; the real art is in the refining, listening to the room, tweaking the menu, and constantly pushing the boundaries of what our kitchens can do.
You oversee a large number of restaurants and culinary concepts, yet each one needs a distinct identity. How do you protect Peak’s individual character within a wider hospitality group? – Protecting Peak’s individual character comes down to leaning into its specific location and purpose. Within Tao Group, we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach; a restaurant’s identity has to be entirely native to the room it occupies.
Peak holds a truly singular position in our portfolio because of our partnership with Priceless and our relationship with Edge. It provided us with a unique opportunity to extend the guest experience far beyond a typical reservation. We aren’t just a standalone dinner spot; we are the culmination of a world-class journey.
A guest can start their day taking in the views out on the Sky Deck or exploring the new immersive installations at Edge, and then seamlessly transition into Peak for an elevated meal that mirrors that same sense of wonder. By designing the menu and the newly renovated space to act as a must-add to a day at Edge, we ensure Peak’s identity remains completely tied to the sky, the skyline, and the unforgettable memories made 101 floors up.
What still excites you about opening, developing, and refining restaurants in New York? – New York is one of the toughest culinary arenas in the world, and that’s exactly why it’s the most exciting to work in. It’s a city that never lets you get comfortable or complacent. The moment you think you’ve figured it out, the energy shifts, a new neighborhood emerges, or a new generation of diners changes the rules.
What keeps me inspired, especially with a project like Peak with Priceless, is the challenge of continuous reinvention. Opening a restaurant here is only the first step; the real art is in the refining, listening to the room, tweaking the menu, and constantly pushing the boundaries of what our kitchens can do.
Guest expectations have shifted. People are looking for a true sense of value and connection in addition to delicious food. For restaurants and chefs alike, that means ensuring that every single touchpoint, from the design of the room to the precision of the plate, is justifiable to your guests for their time and investment.
How do you see the current state of New York’s restaurant scene, particularly as operators respond to changing guest expectations, rising costs, and an increasingly competitive market? – Between rising costs and a highly competitive market, operators can’t afford to rely on a great concept or a stunning view. You have to be sharper than ever to stay in the game.
Additionally, guest expectations have shifted. People are looking for a true sense of value and connection in addition to delicious food. For restaurants and chefs alike, that means ensuring that every single touchpoint, from the design of the room to the precision of the plate, is justifiable to your guests for their time and investment.
At Tao Group, our response is to double down on immersive hospitality and impeccable sourcing. In a high-stakes room like Peak, we combat industry challenges by treating them as a mandate to elevate our standards, ensuring we deliver an unforgettable experience that guests literally cannot replicate anywhere else.
What do you think New York diners value most right now, and have their priorities changed in recent years? – What New York diners value most right now is a true sense of escapism and a complete return to hospitality. In recent years, priorities have moved away from minimalist, transactional dining. People want an evening out to feel like a real event again, where the service, the design, and the vibe are just as memorable as the meal itself.
We leaned heavily into that shift with our recent reimagination of the space. Working with the design firm Journey, we moved away from the sleek, minimalist look of the original room and introduced an environment that feels incredibly rich, warm, and sophisticated. We added plush velvet drapes, lacquered woods, and tiered booth seating that gives the entire room a classic, cinematic feel with 360-degree views.
Diners today want to walk into a restaurant and instantly feel taken care of and transported. By pairing our refined menu with an interior that feels this luxurious and inviting, we make sure that the experience on the inside of the glass is just as spectacular as the skyline on the outside.
Follow Chef Ralph on Instagram @ChefRalphTao. For latest restaurant reviews and chef interviews visit DSCENE’s restaurants guide page.
