Rejoice! Fabio Trabocchi, off the chef galaxy radar since the shuttering of Fiamma, is back in the cucina. Last month, owners Julian Niccolini and Alex von Bidder lassoed the 35 year old Trabocchi to replace the late Christian Albin as exec chef at The Four Seasons restaurant. "As a young chef, I have always admired the legendary Four Seasons restaurant from afar," gushes Trabocchi of his new gig. "Today it's a great honor to be part of it."
Sad good-bye: After 68 years, Gourmet magazine folded its final napkin on October 5.
The fierce competition for who makes the city's best pizza got fiercer. The highly decorated Nate Appleman, who left San Francisco's SPQR and A16 last summer, will helm Keith McNally's Pulino's Bar and Pizzeria, opening next month at 282 Bowery. Appleman will preside over two wood-fired ovens, one for pizza, the other for meat.
Marco Canora and Paul Grieco are no longer involved at Insieme (Michelangelo Hotel). The team, who own Hearth and Terroir, are cloning Terroir at 24 Harrison St. next spring.
In September Michael Psilakis and Donatella Arpaia, who together own Anthos and Kefi (NYC) and Eos (Miami), announced that Psilakis will no longer be exec chef/partner at Mia Dona, now solely owned by Arpaia.
This month Robert Werhane, principal owner of dell'anima and L'Artusi, and restaurateur Joshua Morgan open Rockfish at 308-310 Bleecker St. (formerly Bar Q), where the Maryland natives riff on Chesapeake Bay inspired seafood.
Mercat Negre (65 Grand St., Brooklyn) is the second Catalan-themed restaurant for Jaime Reixach (owner of Mercat in Manhattan). The new place, opened last month, focuses on the rustic foods of the Catalan city of Girona, birthplace of chef/partner Oriol Sala Colomer.
Union Square Hospitality Group is transforming an empty lot on the corner of Prince and Mulberry Streets into a hamburger haven with the opening of its fourth Shake Shack early next year.
More USHG news: In September Angela Pinkerton ascended from exec pastry sous chef to pastry chef at Eleven Madison Park.
Last month the NYC-based Stephen Hanson's B.R. Guest, which opened Bill's Bar & Burger at 22 Ninth Ave., unveiled Postcard Inn on the Beach (formerly a Travelodge at 6300 Gulf Blvd. in St. Pete Beach, FL), an unfussy surfer-inspired property with a Wildwood offshoot. Postcard is a joint venture between B.R. Guest and Barry Sternlicht and Starwood Capital Group's Fund VII.
Owner Avi Stieglitz of Blue Elm (opened in September at 198 Orchard St.) recruited chef Malik Fall, who was born in Senegal and has worked at such places as Asia de Cuba and China Grill, to put a global accent on small plates.
Never tried haggis? Now's your chance! And if that doesn't appeal, there are plenty of other Scottish specialties at Highlands, opened last month at 150 W. 10th St. (the old P*ong and Batch space). Owners are Brian McGrory and Mary Wan (both natives of Scotland and alums of AvroKO Restaurant Group) and Donal Brophy, originally from Ireland and an industry vet. Chefs are William Hickox, who was recently cooking in Spain, and Jeremy Hammond Chambers, a Scot whose résumé includes stints at Babbo and DB Bistro Moderne.
The owners of Sant Ambroeus, Gherardo Guarducci and Dimitri Pauli, snagged the Lever House space and transformed it in September into Casa Lever, a modern Milanese-styled spot with food by Sant Ambroeus corporate exec chef Mario Danieli.
The old Florent space is now Gansevoort 69, a diner owned by David Graziano and Corey Lane, co-owners of Bagatelle. New to the scene is exec chef Jacqueline Lombard, who is fixing comfort eats.
In September Jeffrey Chodorow and China Grill Management transformed the Center Cut space facing Lincoln Center into Ed's Chowder House, with chef collaborator Ed Brown (also chef/owner at Eighty One) riffing on East Coast-style seafood.
Restaurant years are even shorter than dog years, so Mr Chow is practically immortal! The 57th St. location celebrated its 30th anniversary last month. Mr Chow also opened its fifth location, in the W South Beach in August.
Chanterelle, also in its 30th, closed last summer for a revamp with plans to reopen this month, but in September, owners Karen and David Waltuck, downtown pioneers, decided to close the restaurant for good instead.
Early next year, Per Se chef de cuisine Jonathan Benno will transition out of the post. He has taken a gig as chef at a new Patina Restaurant Group restaurant in Lincoln Center. Per Se exec sous chef Eli Kaimeh will rise to chef de cuisine.
Scott Riesenberger took over as exec chef of Cru in August, replacing Shea Gallante, who returned to Bouley.
The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, Atlanta's standard-bearer for fine dining and a playground for the likes of Guenter Seeger and Joël Antunes, served its last meal last month.
Next spring chef Hugh Acheson, who owns Five & Ten and The National in Athens, is opening his first place in Atlanta. Empire State So. will replace Grand Central Café at 999 Peachtree St. and will serve up classic-and sustainable-Southern standards.
Steven Satterfield left Watershed (Decatur) and this month unveiled Miller Union (999 Brady Ave.) with partner Neal McCarthy (formerly Soto Soto gm). Look for unpretentious food inspired by the harvest and a cool rustic setting. Replacing Satterfield at Watershed as exec sous chef is Brian David Jones, who debarks from Canoe.
This month Riccardo Ullio, owner of Sotto Sotto, Fritti, and Beleza, converted his Spanish place, Cuerno, into Lupe, a Mexican taqueria. Former Sotto Sotto chef de cuisine Darvelio Palma is chef.
Last month Concentrics Restaurants opened Bakeshop (903 Peachtree St.) a retail/wholesale operation. Chef/co-owner Jonathan St. Hilaire also oversees all Concentrics desserts.
In other Concentrics news, Drew Van Leuvan, recently of Trois, replaced Tom Harvey at ONE.midtown kitchen in September. As for Harvey, he now helms the kitchen at Murphy's, stepping in for Gregg McCarthy.
Last month, restaurateur Brian Lewis and exec chef Todd Ginsberg (a Concentrics alum) opened Bocado (887 Howell Mill Rd.), where the focus is sandwiches, small plates, and salads.
Elysian, the Windy City's new ultraluxe hotel (opening to be determined) hired Jason McLeod, a Marco Pierre White protégé and recently exec chef at the Grand Del Mar Resort (San Diego), to take command of its two eateries, Balsan and the upscale land-meets-sea concept Ria.
Two longtime Wicker Park residents and restaurateurs, Terry Alexander (co-owner at Mia Francesca, The Publican, and Violet Hour) and Peter Garfield (co-owner of Violet Hour), along with partners chef Paul Kahan and Donald Madia (co-owners of Blackbird, avec, and The Publican), purchased the Pontiac Cafe space (1531 N. Damen Ave.) and transformed it into an as-yet-unnamed bar. "Peter and I have been in Wicker Park for over 20 years," says Alexander. "We're not building a shiny new restaurant or throwing together another sports bar with 50 TVs. We're creating a neighborhood ‘honky tonk' with a small taqueria next to it in the spirit of the bars in Bakersfield, California in the '40s and '50s." • Speaking of Blackbird, Patrick Fahy, fresh off a stint at The French Laundry, is the new pastry chef. Fahy replaced Tim Dahl in September.
Stefan Quisser (recently of Drake Hotel) bought Tallulah from Matt Fisher last summer and refashioned it last month along French contemporary lines. It's newly dubbed LM Le Restaurant, and Blackbird alum Bradford Phillips is exec chef.
John Giannopoulos is serving up the foods of his native southern Greece at Melanthios Greek Char House, which opened at 3116 N. Broadway last month.
Last month also ushered in Bar Novo to the Renaissance Chicago Hotel.
The new mixologist at BOKA, Benjamin Schiller, decamps from In Fine Spirits and is using his hooch know-how to revamp the wine list and cocktail menu. He steps in for Dan De Oliveria.
Dan McGee returns to the Swissôtel Chicago, where he was chef from 2002 to 2004, to take over as exec chef from John Seagro. McGee remains partner of Dan McGee Restaurant & Catering, which he opened while not Swissing it.
Whoa Nelly! In June Robert Del Grande and Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group shuttered their legendary Café Annie (Houston). A month later, they opened RDG & Bar Annie (1800 Post Oak Blvd. in BLVD Place, a new mixed-use development in Houston), designed with the dining habits of the 21st century in mind. A three-in-one concept, the restaurant's downstairs is home to BLVD lounge, while upstairs houses the casual Bar Annie. RDG Grill Room, also upstairs, is a more traditional sit-down dining area.
Also new to Houston is Giacomo's Cibo e Vino (3215 Westheimer Rd.), the latest concept of Lynette Hawkins, chef/owner of the shuttered La Mora Cucina Toscana. Opened in September, Giacomo's is fast-casual-meets-modern Venetian wine bar, serving cichetti, panini, and the like, in an arresting modern setting.
This month Mansion on Turtle Creek (Dallas) snagged Bruno Davaillon, recently of Alain Ducasse's Mix (Las Vegas), as exec chef.
NYC's loss is L.A.'s gain: In September Tony Esnault, last seen heading Alain Ducasse's Adour, is now exec chef of Patina, Patina Restaurant Group, and Joachim Splichal's flagship downtown L.A. restaurant.
Tony DiSalvo, formerly of the shuttered Jack's La Jolla and before that top toque at NYC's Jean Georges, is now exec chef at Whist (Santa Monica).
In September there was a bit of a shake-up in the David Myer fiefdom. Sona's former management, Food Art Group, exited the fine dining business, resulting in the public sale of its assets. David Myer (who is chef/owner of Sona and Comme ça in L.A. and Pizza Ortica in Costa Mesa) formed a new management company, David Myer Group, and is hatching a plan to open a new restaurant. Meantime, at Sona it's business as usual.
Later this year, Adam and Stacy Jed, co-founders of the San Francisco-based Amuse Management Group, are opening Bluestem Steakhouse Brasserie at 1 Yerba Buena Lane (San Francisco). Helming the kitchen is exec chef Michael Magliano, who knows his way around beef from his tenure at Craft in L.A.
What's not to love? San Francisco Foreign Cinema's chef/owners Gayle Pirie and John Clark unveil Show Dogs (1020 Market St., San Francisco), a fast-casual venue with a seasonally changing and globally inspired menu of hot dogs and sausages.
In September, SPQR (San Francisco) hired Matthew Accarrino, recently chef of Craft (L.A.), as exec chef, to replace Nate Appleman.
Meantime, A16 is opening a sibling restaurant in Tokyo.
Craig Patzer left his exec chef post at Jardinière (San Francisco), and Morgan Mueller, who worked at Jardinière from 2002 to 2007, returned to replace him.
Book your tables now, because Carnelian Room, a San Francisco white tablecloth dining institution for nearly 40 years, is serving its last dinner this New Year's Eve.
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