Keith McNally, who perfectly re-created the ineffable charm of a Parisian brasserie with Balthazar Restaurant and Pastis, is trying his hand at an Italian trattoria with the February launch of rustic Morandi (211 Waverly Place). Jody Williams, formerly of Il Buco, is exec chef. • Jeffrey Chodorow shuttered English Is Italian last month and relaunched in April as Wild Salmon, serving a Pacific Northwestern menu. Recruited to man the stoves is Charles Ramseyer, former exec chef at Seattle's Ray's Boathouse. • Last month restaurateur Barbara Matsumura (owner of Haru, with locations in NYC and Philly, plus a Boston outpost in the works) opened a two-concepts-in-one-space deal, Natsumi Restaurant and Natsumi Bar and Lounge, at 226 West 50th St. Chef is Haru Konagaya (formerly of Haru), whose menu fuses Japanese and Italian cuisines along the lines of green tea ravioli with lobster/mushroom filling and thin-crust pizza with seared salmon and fresh buffalo mozzarella. • After a two year hiatus, Lola reopened last month in its new digs at 15 Watts St. Manning the stoves is TV's Top Chef finalist Dave Martin, formerly of XO Wine Bistro (Manhattan Beach, CA). • A while back Greg Ryan, David Leonard, and Brian Woods closed Black Pearl, their popular lobsta' shack tucked into the back of an East Village bar, in the hopes of finding roomier digs. Well, it finally happened: they reopened in January at 37 West 26th St., this time with a raw bar and a few meat entrées for the fishphobic. Exec chef is Tom Bowes, formerly of The Cutting Room and Dip. • Fig & Olive opened a downtown branch in December at 420 W. 13th St., with exec chef Pascal Lorange running both kitchens. Laurent Halasz's partner at the spin-off is Lou Ramirez (who worked at both Park Avalon and Blue Water Grill). • The new pastry chef at Country is Hsing Chen, who was last seen baking at The French Laundry (Yountville, CA) and Masa's (San Francisco). Chen replaces Craig Harzewski. In February exec chef Tyson Wong Ophaso left Chinatown Brasserie to return to his native Thailand for some quiet time with family. Dim sum chef Joe Ng was promoted to the top spot. • Nicole Kaplan, new exec pastry chef at Del Posto, arrived in January via Eleven Madison Park, to replace Tai Chopping. No word yet on the new pastry chef at Eleven Madison Park. • Matthew Hamilton, formerly chef/owner of shuttered Uovo, replaced Helen Park at Pair of 8's in January. • The Russian Tea Room, which has struggled since its reopening in November, parted ways with its talented opening exec chef Gary Robins in January. No word yet on who will replace Robins. • After a 12 year run, Ed Brown left the helm at The Sea Grill in February to open his own place. Chef de cuisine Jawn Chasteen mans the kitchen, while owner Patina Restaurant Group searches for a new exec chef. • At press time, Patina Group signed off on a $79.5 million deal to acquire Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group. Details remain veiled. Stay tuned for more. • SoHo soba haven, Honmura An, closed in Feb ruary. • 7Square served its last steak in February; at press time the owners were hoping to renegotiate the lease.
Next summer, legendary pastry chef François Payard will open Payard Patisserie at Caesars Palace. The Rockwell Group–designed space will have tempting cases of pastries, candies, and chocolates, with a counter service bar serving coffee drinks and panini as well as a full-service dining room. • The new exec chef at TAO Asian Bistro (in The Venetian Hotel) is Mark Andelbradt, who decamped from Morimoto in NYC to replace Josh Thomsem. • Longtime Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group vet Kenny Magana returns to Sin City after a stint at Puck's Atlantic City venue, Wolfgang Puck American Grille. Now director of pastry (a newly created position) at Puck's Las Vegas eateries (he replaces Christophe Ithurritze), his expanded responsibilities include developing menus for all existing and new properties in the Puck empire. • After a massive redo, Aladdin was reborn this month as Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, with an outpost of the NYC–based The Glazier Group's Strip House coming next month. The 250 seat space is being designed by The Rockwell Group. John Schenk, exec chef for all Strip House venues, is opening the Las Vegas property. With locations in NYC; Livingston, NJ; Houston; Palm Beach Gardens, FL; and Farjado, Puerto Rico, this will be the sixth Strip House. Additional ones are planned for San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Naples and Key West, FL.
Down the pike for Stephen Starr is a yet-to-be-named gastropub that will go into the former Angelina space (Philly). Work is well underway, but Starr won't cut the red ribbon until next year. • In related news Starr Restaurant Organization (SRO) hired Charlie Trotter's (Chicago) vet Guillermo Tellez as director of menu development, a newly created position. His first task is leading the Striped Bass kitchen team. • Husband and wife Mitch and Jennifer London Prensky, who own The Global Dish Caterers, will launch Supper at 926 South St. in Philly in June. Look for upscale American fare served in a casual urban farmhouse setting. • Also new to Philly is 707 Restaurant & Bar, peddling moderately priced American standards (the entr•e ceiling is $20), which opens this month at 707 Chestnut St. Owner/operating partner is Ryan Margolis, a SRO veteran; chef Dan Soley was previously chef de cuisine at Brasserie Perrier Café at Boyds. • In February Dan Butler (also chef/owner of Toscana Kitchen & Bar and Deep Blue Bar and Grill in Wilmington, DE) opened his third venue, Brandywine Prime Seafood and Chops, in the historic and thoroughly refreshed 300 year old Chadds Ford Inn (Chadds Ford, PA). All the menu's prime beef comes from the cattle ranch (Second Chance Farm in Williamsport, PA) owned by Joe Grace, a developer who also owns the Brandywine Prime property. The meat is matured in the restaurant's state-of-the-art dry-aging unit. Chef de cuisine Keith Rudolph hails from Georges' (Wayne, PA).
This spring Michael Mina's eponymous San Francisco restaurant is getting a new exec chef, Chris L'Hommedieu, who worked with Mina when he was at Aqua but more recently was exec sous chef at NYC's Per Se. L'Hommedieu's predecessor is Jeffrey Lloyd. • San Francisco's The Villa Florence Hotel and adjacent Kuleto's changed hands in February. Kimpton Group sold both properties to Larkspur-based Larkspur Hospitality, which is sinking $4 million into renovations. Kuleto's exec chef, Bob Helstrom, remains on board. • David Cohen decamped from his exec chef post at Scala's Bistro; at press time Kimpton Group, the owner, was searching for his replacement. • Peter Armellino left Aqua (San Francisco) to team up with Josh Weeks, the new owner of Plumed Horse (Saratoga). They closed the space in February for a head-to-toe contemporary revamp and will reopen under the same name in May. The refined California menu, approximately half seafood, will lean to tasting menus. Stepping in for Armellino at Aqua is Ron Boyd, who comes from Grand Cafe. • Incanto's Chris Cosentino and the restaurant's owner, Mark Pastore, are opening a wholesale cured-meat business, Boccalone (Italian slang for "big mouth"), based in Oakland, CA. They'll start peddling artisanal salumi later this year. • Quarry Pond Market Hall, a delicious mix of specialty groceries, local produce stands, and restaurants, opened in February in Granite Bay at 5500 Douglas Blvd.
José Andrés, who enjoys a TV cult following in Spain and other Spanish-speaking parts for his wildly popular Vamos a Cocinar (Let's Cook), has started filming Passport to Spain for American television. It will air nationally in the fall of 2008 in tandem with the release of his second cookbook. In related news, Andrés and his THINKfoodGROUP partner, Rob Wilder, relocated their Mexican small plates concept, Oyamel, from Crystal City to the Capitol's Penn Quarter (401 Seventh Street, N.W.) last month. The new venue has a more intimate urban feel than the original. • In Alexandria, Anthony Chittum, who cooked recently at D.C.'s Notti Bianche (White Nights) and Dish, now rules the ranges at Neighborhood Restaurant Group's (NRG) Vermillion Restaurant. He stepped in for Bobby Beard in March. • Rustico, another NRG property, also boasts a new chef. Frank Morales, formerly of Zola, started in February, replacing Kevin Kearney.
Chip Lawrence, who helped open Steven Clement's Avalon before moving on to Clement's Catering, is back in the Avalon kitchens, this time as exec chef, taking over from Mat Shalenko. • The Brown Hotel hired Laurent Géroli, who recently cooked at Casa Marina Resort & Beach Club (Key West, FL), as exec chef to replace Joe Castro in January.
In February the Raleigh-based Urban Food Group (UFG), whose roster includes Frazier's and Vivace, among others, launched South (4351 The Circle at N. Hill St.), a contemporary Southern bistro serving such irresistible delights as buttermilk fried chicken and pimento cheese beignets. Jeremy Sabo, who was chef at Vivace, is running the kitchen at South; he has also been promoted to exec chef for all UFG venues and made managing partner. • Charlotte's Ballantyne Resort morphed its Grill Room into Gallery Restaurant in February, shifting focus from casual to upscale fare with a Southern twang. The renovated space is adorned with art from owner H.C. "Smoky" Bissell's personal collection. Kirk Gilbert, exec chef for the property, mans the kitchen.
This summer chef/partner Laurent Tourondel and BLT Restaurant Group will introduce BLT Steak to West Hollywood at 8720 Sunset Blvd. (formerly home to the legendary Le Dome). This will be BLT Steak number four (the original is in NYC; sibling venues are in Washington, D.C., and San Juan, Puerto Rico.) • In a similar vein, Erica Cohen and Celeste Fierro, partners at NYC's One Little West 12th and STK, set their sights on West Hollywood with the March launch of One Sunset, part clubby lounge, part sexy restaurant, at 8730 Sunset Blvd. Exec chef Christopher Ennis' pedigree includes time at Vibrato (Bel Air) and Asia de Cuba (L.A.). • Social Hollywood's new gm is industry vet Sam Zaidi, a Chicago transplant. He fills in for François Grand.
Upon completion of a massive makeover, Houston's landmark Warwick Hotel will be reborn in June as a chic outpost of Dallas' ZaZa Hotel. Leading the signature dining venue Monarch, where premium steaks cozy up to light Mediterranean fare, will be Bradley Manchester, an émigré from Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel. The Oklahoma City–based Givens-Records Development owns both ZaZa Hotels. • Last month, at the tender age of 24, Markus Pinyero opened his first restaurant, Urban Taco (5331 E. Mockingbird Lane in Dallas). The menu eschews such Tex-Mex embellishments as cheddar cheese and sour cream in favor of modern riffs on classic taquería fare. Exec chef is Fernando Huerta, formerly sous chef at Stephen Pyles. • Thanks to a minor kerfuffle with Veuve Clicquot, Dallas' recently opened restaurant Vueve was redubbed Vue in February. Exec chef Tony Gardizi previously worked at the now-shuttered Riviera.
This month George "Chef Mavro" Mavrothalassitis, owner of Chef Mavro restaurant (Honolulu) opened a second place, Cassis Honolulu, in Honolulu's Chinatown (66 Queen St.). It's a low-key rendevous where bistro classics get a Hawaiian tweak. Chef Mavro's protégé, Ben Takahashi, who has been acquiring hotel experience the past few years, is back in the Mavro fold, running the kitchen. • After five years in Hong Kong as head chef at Felix in The Peninsula Hotel, local girl Dee Ann Tsurumaki returns to Hawaii as chef de cuisine at CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani Resort (Kohala Coast), replacing Jon Matsubara. Tsurumaki got her start with Roy Yamaguchi, working her way up his organization and eventually being named exec chef at two of his venues.
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