A Denver Restaurant Veteran Is Opening a New Latin Restaurant in Manhattan

A restaurateur behind acclaimed Denver southern-meets-Latin restaurant Work & Class is opening a restaurant in New York City — with a focus on influences from food of the American Southwest.

Delores Tronco-De Pierro is planning a new American restaurant with Southwestern influences called Banty Rooster in the West Village section of Manhattan.

Dishes from chef John De Pierro — Tronco-De Pierro’s husband who last worked at esteemed New York restaurants Rebel, Miss Ada, and Metta — include pork collar with hatch chile, cotija, and pickled onions; grilled short rib with charred okra and ancho barbecue; and biscochitos (a New Mexican lard cookie with cinnamon and anise) with toasted masa ice cream.

Tronco-De Pierro made a name for herself in Denver for opening Work and Class, a Latin and American restaurant that got two James Beard nods and landed on some best new restaurant lists with restaurant veteran Tony Maciag and executive chef Dana Rodriguez. Maciag and Rodriguez continue to own and operate Work & Class.

With Banty Rooster, Tronco-DePierro is bringing a lesser-seen-in-NYC cuisine that has a rich culture. Southwestern restaurants in New York include Javelina, but much of the cuisine in all its breadth has not made its way to that city yet.

According to Tronco-De Pierro’s Facebook page, the restaurateur (who went by the name Delores Tronco during her time in Denver) moved to New York in 2017 and got married last year. Tronco-De Pierro previously worked as a manager at Ace and Steuben’s before opening Work & Class.

• A Promising New West Village Restaurant Will Dive Into Flavors Of The American Southwest [EN]
• Previous Eater Coverage of Work & Class [EDEN]