Chef Marc Murphy Opens Grey Salt In Tampa, His First Restaurant Outside Of New York

Chef Marc Murphy is best known for his New York City restaurants, which include Ditch Plains, Landmarc, and Kingside, as well as his judging gig on Food Network's Chopped, but he's expanding outside of the city's borders with the opening of his newest restaurant, Grey Salt, which opened this week in Tampa, Florida's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

The 250-seat restaurant focuses on locally-sourced fresh seafood, and the menu also includes artisanal flatbreads, handmade pastas, and rotisserie and grilled meats. There will also be an expansive bar program, with local craft beers, aged cocktail, and a wide international wine selection.

"I was born in Italy, I'm half French, and I've lived in Rome, Germany, Greece, and Israel, and I'm drawing inspiration from traveling and living all over the world," Murphy told us when asked what the inspiration behind the restaurant is. "The restaurant is mainly Mediterranean-inspired, and being right next to the Gulf means we'll have access to amazing seafood."

Appetizers include roasted octopus with potato, garlic, parsley, and smoked paprika; roasted clams and shrimp with garlic, chili flakes, shallot, and white wine; and wood grilled merguez with le puy lentil and mustard vinaigrette. Pastas include shrimp rigatoni with Calabrian chili and roasted leek risotto with crispy shallots and Parmesan. Entrees include roasted Gulf Coast snapper with seasonal vegetables, wood grilled Berkshire pork chop with eggplant caponata, rotisserie half chicken, and a Prime bistecca alla fiorentina with watercress and grey salt.

Why Tampa? "I've been looking around for a place to do something outside of New York, and the culinary scene in Tampa is starting to get really interesting," Murphy added. "It's right on the Gulf, there's great seafood, and the city's dining scene is really up and coming. I'm excited to be a part of it!"