NEW YORK CITY—Fall saw many openings and chef changes. To much fanfare, John DeLucie, whose The Lion draws crowds downtown, opened Crown (24 E. 81st St.), hoping for the same response uptown. He brought in former Gotham Bar and Grill chef Jason Hall to assist him in the kitchen, along with pastry chef Heather Bertinetti and sommelier Jordan Salcito. Bertinetti previously created sweets at Alto and Convivio, and Salcito advised on wine at Daniel. • Speaking of Daniel, after serving there as executive pastry chef for six years, Dominique Ansel left to open his own place, Dominique Ansel Bakery, at 189 Spring Street, in early November. He’ll be serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In addition to soups and sandwiches, look for mini meringues, madeleines, and the kouign amman pastries he learned to make early in his career at Fauchon in Paris. • Chef Hung Huynh opened Catch 9 (21 Ninth Ave.), his new American seafood spot. He was previously exec chef at Ajna Bar. • Patrick Connolly left his position as exec chef at Bobo (181 W. 10th St.), with no word yet as to his replacement or where he is going. He was previously exec chef at Radius in Boston. • Four young Koreans and Korean-Americans who met at The Culinary Institute of America opened Jung Sik (2 Harrison St.), naming their restaurant after chef Jung Sik Yim and their first restaurant in Seoul in 2009. The group also includes gm Andrea Ahan, exec pastry chef Jonghoon Won, and sommelier Kyungmoon Kim. • Co-owner Maguy LeCoze and chef/co-owner Eric Ripert reopened Le Bernardin (155 West 51st St.) with a new design. • Dr. Miguel Sánchez Romera opened Romera in the Dream Downtown hotel (355 W. 16th St.), planning to continue experimenting with neuro-gastronomy as he’s done in his restaurant L’Esguard, near Barcelona, for 14 years. • Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone of Torrisi Italian Specialties (250 Mulberry St.) are expanding next door, and will open Parm, a casual restaurant featuring Italian-American fare. • In October, chef Mark Spangenthal, formerly at The Dining Room, began offering a contemporary spin on Borscht Belt Jewish specialties at the Kutsher family’s new spot, Kutsher’s (186 Franklin St.). Jeffrey Chodorow’s China Grill Management and Zach Kutsher run the establishment. • Chef Alex Stupak opens Empellón Cocina (105 First Ave.) this month, his second Mexican restaurant. • Late summer wasn’t so quiet either, as the outer boroughs continue to blossom with new dining spots. Restaurateur Taavo Somer, owner of Freemans, Peels, and the Rusty Knot, and former Il Buco toque Ignacio Mattos opened the rustic Isa (348 Wythe Ave., Brooklyn). • Back in Manhattan, La Silhouette (362 W. 53rd St.) brought in Matthew Tropeano as head toque. He last ran the kitchen at La Grenouille. • Parisian teahouse/pastry shop/macaron specialist Maison Ladurée (864 Madison Ave.) opened, with two elegant rooms, one for orders and the other for relaxing and reveling in the treats. • Robb Garceau took over as exec chef of the catering company Great Performances. He was formerly the exec chef at Hudson Yards (now Union Square Events), the Union Square Hospitality Group’s catering division. • Sarabeth’s (339 Greenwich St.) opened its seventh NYC location. Chef de cuisine Lee Scheffler, who has worked at Sarabeth’s on Central Park South and at Colicchio & Sons, oversees the menu. • Steve Hanson, with the help of Joël Robuchon as consultant, opened Kibo Japanese Grill at 111 East 18th St., in the space that formerly housed Japonais.
WASHINGTON, D.C.—There’s always something going on in the capital. Anthony Lombardo recently became exec chef of the historic 1789 Restaurant (1226 36th St., NW). He previously served as the exec sous chef at Casa Nonna. • Dennis Marron now wears the toque at Poste Moderne Brasserie (555 Eighth Street, NW), a Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants property. He previously worked at sister restaurants The Grille at Morrison House and Jackson 20, in Alexandria, VA. • Black Restaurant Group chef/owners Jeff and Barbara Black opened their fifth spot. It includes two distinctive spaces: the nautical Pearl Dive Oyster Palace and the theatrical Black Jack (1612 14th Street, NW). Ari and Micah Wilder are in charge of the cocktail list.
NORTH CAROLINA—Chocolate rules at The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte’s newly opened Bar Cocoa, which offers a sweet extension of The Lobby Lounge and a streetside location with daily access to hotel guests and the public.
FLORIDA—Off-season sometimes seems almost as busy as it is in the winter in the land of sun, sand, and surf. Chef Andrew Carmellini’s The Dutch (2201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach), a branch of his NYC restaurant, recently replaced Solea at the W South Beach hotel. • Best Friends Midtown Corp. opened another Best Friends (4770 Biscayne Blvd., Miami). • Chef/owner Todd English and co-owner John Watson opened The English Tap & Beer Garden (5050 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton). They put exec chef Ken Stevens, formerly of Wild Olives, in charge of the kitchen. Watson also owns Taverna Opa in the Dolphin Mall and Wild Ginger in West Palm Beach. • Harald Neuweg opened Fritz & Franz Bierhaus (2861 E. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale), the latest German- and Austrian-style restaurant in his string of similar spots.
NEW ORLEANS—Chef Ralph Brennan’s Café NOMA opened in September inside the New Orleans Museum of Art.
CHICAGO—There’s also been a lot of food-related action in the Windy City, probably the wildest at The Black Sheep (1132 W. Grand Ave.). The entire kitchen staff quit after dinner service one summer night, protesting the dismissal of chef de cuisine Philip Rubino and pastry chef Sarah Jordan because of finances. But chef/owner James Toland has survived and is now trying out a few new people in the kitchen. • Most other changes took place more serenely. Chef/partner Gregory Ellis and gm/partner Steven Fladung opened 2Sparrows (553 W. Diversey Pkwy.). Both veterans of Charlie Trotter’s, they’re determined to make breakfast, brunch, and lunch far more exciting for Chicagoans. • Chef/owner Geno Bahena opened Mitad del Mundo (2833 W. Armitage Ave.). • Another branch of Patrón’s Hacienda (316 W. Erie St.) also opened, with chef Miguel Nava running the kitchen. He served time as chef at its sister restaurant, Alejandra’s. • Another Charlie Trotter’s alum, Matthias Merges, opened Yusho (2853 N. Kedzie Ave.). • Filini, a new spot in the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel (221 N. Columbus Dr.) also started serving customers. Chef Christian Fantoni, who previously wore the toque at Bice, among other restaurants, is in charge of the food. • Newcomers to the restaurant business, co-owners Michael Jettner Sr. and Peter Streff opened Dish Dine & Drink (6169 N. Northwest Hwy.). Jettner, who fingerprinted and photographed for the Chicago Police Department, and Streff, who worked in banking and real estate, hired Heartland Cafe in Rogers Park to make the main courses and Justin Kubica to provide desserts. • Allen Sternweiler and Josh Woodward opened Butcher and the Burger (1021 W. Armitage Ave). • Brothers Jeff, Robert, and Mark Mazza opened New England Seafood Company Fish Market (3341 N. Lincoln Ave.). • After nearly two successful years with their DMK Burger Bar, owners David Morton and chef Michael Kornick opened a branch in Lombard.
ARIZONA—Chef Jose Garces becomes exec chef in charge of f&b at The Saguaro hotel (4000 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale) when it opens this month. That includes responsibility for the restaurants Distrito, Village Whiskey, and Garces Trading Co. Since opening his first restaurant, Amada, in Philadelphia in 2005, he has launched eight other dining spots.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA—Pastry chef Waylynn Lucas and partner Nancy Truman recently opened Fonuts (8104 W. Third Street, L.A.), a coffee and doughnut shop. Lucas previously created desserts at The Bazaar by José Andrés and Patina. • Curtis Nysmith opened SmithHouse Tap & Grill (10351 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.), bringing in chef Angelo Sosa to create the menu. Damian Windsor and Jason Bran of The Roger Room and mixologist Simon Ford concoct the cocktails. Nysmith previously owned Capitol City. • Chef/owner Eric Lechasseur opened Seed Bistro (11917 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles). Before launching his first venture, Seed Kitchen, in 2008, he was the private chef to numerous celebrities, including Sting and Madonna. • Wolfgang Puck opened Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air (701 Stone Canyon Rd., L.A.). He and his team are also planning to make changes in the cuisine offered in the hotel’s bar, in-room dining, catering and garden terrace. • Restaurateur Adolfo Suaya opened Osaka (6327 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.) a Peruvian-Asian concept. He gave chef Katsu Hanamure responsibility for combining traditional Peruvian ingredients with flavors from Japan, Thailand, and China for the menu. He worked at Matsuhisa prior to taking over there. • Chef Ryan Adams opened Three Seventy Common Kitchen + Drink (370 Glenneyre St., Laguna Beach), in the former location of Sorrento Grille, where he had previously been exec chef. • Gregory Moro became exec chef at French 75 (1464 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach). He was previously chef de cuisine at Pascal in Newport Beach.
