A Tale of Three Dallas Tasting Menus at Michelin-Recognized Restaurants in DFW
A trio of Michelin-recommended Dallas restaurants — the Heritage Table in Frisco, Monarch, and Quarter Acre — launched tasting menus in 2025. Coincidence? Maybe not.
Tasting menus have long been a staple at Michelin-starred restaurants, signifying a higher level of service, food curation, and creativity that seems to appeal to the secret Michelin inspectors who award its coveted stars. Fitting into the fine dining category is not a requirement, however. Michelin, the tire company and international dining guide publisher, remains notoriously mum about its rating process and contends that its awards are based only on food and not on service or decor.
In Dallas, tasting menus have long been the playground of a certain kind of restaurant — an expensive one. Dean Fearing has served one at Fearing's in the Ritz-Carlton since it opened in 2007. The Mansion Restaurant, with its parade of well-known chefs, has long offered a tasting menu experience as well. Local in Deep Ellum was, for years, the only smaller, less pedigreed restaurant in town offering a tasting. But in the past few years, that has changed. A vegan tasting menu popped up at Maiden in Fort Worth, of all places. El Carlo Elegante created what it calls an 'experience menu' to highlight its best dishes. Rye in Lower Greenville launched an experimental tasting menu on which it somehow put kangaroo, buckle, and Trinidadian green curry together in one meal. Monarch, Quarter Acre, and the Heritage Table also threw their hats into the tasting menu ring. As D magazine dining critic Brian Reinhart wrote in a March 2025 column, tasting menus in DFW seem more popular than ever, and all wildly different.
Diners and people in the restaurant industry were stunned, then, when Michelin only awarded a star to one restaurant in Dallas, Fort Worth, and the entire North Texas region: the omakase restaurant Tatsu. It led many commenters to examine why more places didn't measure up to its standards. The uptick in tasting menus now could be the Michelin boomerang effect, which has inspired some goal-driven chefs to go for a star. It could be an omakase effect, where owners are seeing seasonally shifting, chef-driven menus as their chance to take the reins and get diners to try things outside of their comfort zones. Or it could be a sign of changing appetites in Dallas diners, who may feel that a flat fee for a meal that says everything you need to know about the restaurant sounds just right.
The last time a chef created a new genre of food in North Texas was probably in the 1980s, when Dean Fearing and Stephan Pyles became driving forces behind Southwestern cuisine. Chef Rich Vana at the Heritage Table in Frisco, Texas, decided to give coining a new genre of food a go when he curated a tasting menu around what he calls 'Blackland Prairie' cuisine — food from the Blackland Prairie of Texas, a strip that stretches down from North to Central Texas and is full of cropland and grazing land for animals.
On Heritage's winter tasting menu from February 2025, Vana featured sourdough crackers and bread alongside butter infused with the extremely long green stems of the Greer Farms carrots and roasted garlic. (Two other butters feature beef tallow and salted sorghum with caramel.) Nearly every ingredient on the menu has a farm or ranch designation next to it: Diners know the red kuri squash in the soup served with Texas redfish comes from Comeback Creek Farm, the greens in another course come from Jubilant Fields, and the beets are from Stout Creek. The only things Vana doesn't source locally are onions and garlic, which do not grow abundantly in this region.
'What I want to do is take these nearby ingredients and apply some fundamental tenets,' Vana says. 'What are my farmers bringing me? How can I make it delicious now? And how do I make it delicious later?'
Chef Rich Vana at the Heritage Table decided to give coining a new genre of food a go when he curated a tasting menu around what he calls 'Blackland Prairie' cuisine.
For Vana, adding a tasting menu at the Heritage Table wasn't about appealing to Michelin, although it certainly couldn't hurt, he says. It was about sharpening his focus and further honing the type of food his restaurant has always served. 'What we wanted to do was figure out what it means to be 'Blackland Prairie cuisine,' and that name wasn't there when we started,' Vana says. The idea goes back to the restaurant's opening in 2017, when Vana wanted to create parameters around his menu. Sustainability is a priority for the restaurant, in which processes like pickling, fermenting, and using every part of the vegetable are vital. Sourcing local food was another hallmark.
The fourth course — Windy Meadows duck pot pie served atop sweet potato mash with marinated chestnut mushrooms — represents what Vana wants to achieve: a dish that combines simple ingredients from a specific Texas region to add up to a complex, satisfying whole. The menu ends with some substantial proteins, including a pork chop from Knob Hill and a small wagyu strip from River Creek.
Monarch, meanwhile, rolled out its new winter tasting menu in January 2025. Maple Hospitality Group's managing partner and chef Danny Grant and Monarch's executive chef Jason Rohan had their eye on a Michelin star this time around. 'Getting recommended last year gave us something to push toward,' Rohan says.
Of the three tasting menus, Monarch subscribes to a more classical school of thought about food and service — and to that of chef Grant, the youngest chef to run a restaurant awarded two Michelin stars (at Chicago's now-closed French restaurant Ria, which was awarded stars in 2011 and 2012). Monarch's spring tasting menu follows a similar ethos, staying within traditional fine dining expectations, except for a few dishes that Rohan and the kitchen developed that color outside the lines.
The first selection of bites feel emblematic of Grant's approach. Bruschetta gets topped with fava bean hummus and whipped feta that has a hint of Meyer lemon juice and zest. The idea originated when Monarch's pastry chef, Mariella Bueza, suggested making mini-briochettes with truffles baked inside. After Rohan tried to simplify the process, Bueza suggested baking the one-bite-sized toast with garlic butter. Rohan thought a single grilled lamb chop, which accompanies the bread, would pair well with fava beans as a Mediterranean-style combination. 'We make it with basil and olive oil, to keep in mind that we are an Italian restaurant, and add spinach to brighten it up, plus a little avocado to make it creamier,' Rohan says.
The rest of the six-course meal veers toward classic choices — steak, branzino, scallops, foie gras, an on-menu rigatoni that Monarch diners know and love. Dishes are executed with precision and service is immaculate; its decor and sweeping views of Dallas from high in a Downtown skyscraper are predictably breathtaking. Other than a playful dessert called the Pearl (a Madagascar vanilla mousse, raspberry puree, and hazelnut sponge cake served atop a foam cloud that the diner cracks open), the food itself feels somewhat prescriptive. This is a tasting menu informed by an old-school set of rules that dictate what fine dining is, and it doesn't quite fit the mold-breaking format that many chefs in DFW are playing into.
Down at Quarter Acre, chef Toby Archibald uses his new tasting menu to explore his personal history, touching on Texas favorites while showcasing family recipes and ingredients he grew up eating in New Zealand and the Asian influences on the cuisines there. According to Archibald, the team had already planned to launch a tasting menu in 2025, well before the restaurant landed a Michelin guide designation, but it took longer than he expected. 'Year one, opening the restaurant, was manic,' he says. 'Year two was solidifying and making sure we came up for a breather, to be honest. The goal for year three was to get better... This gives longtime guests something to be excited about. It is the next evolution.'
The Quarter Acre tasting is a mix of long-running menu items, dishes Archibald is developing to serve as daily specials, and dishes that let him be himself on the plate, even when that means being a little maximalist. From the diner's point of view, there is no 'set' menu, and no two nights are guaranteed to be the same. Interestingly, there is no printed menu for the tasting, either. Instead, staff ask diners to trust the chef. 'It's taking things and perhaps pushing the boundaries a little on what guests are used to. Saying, 'Hey, you might not have ordered this on the a la carte menu, but try it for us,'' Archibald says.
Diners won't leave this meal overfilled. It features appetizer-sized dishes like oysters with a passionfruit foam, smoked beef tartare that has been on the menu since opening day, cabbage served three ways (one is liquified), the debut of a carrot dish with scallops, and wagyu beef served alongside sweet potato and charred lemon. 'If we get to the end of the year and we don't win a Michelin star, I'm not going to say [the tasting menu] was a waste of time. It wasn't,' Archibald says. 'We already think we're really good, and we like the level we're at.'
'But if it leads to Michelin, awesome,' he adds.
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Eater
12 hours ago
- Eater
The Texas Michelin-Recognized Sommelier Who Takes Benadryl to Do His Job
Steven McDonald might be one of the most interesting wine experts in the country. The head sommelier at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse was given the Michelin Guide's Sommelier Award during Michelin's inaugural year in Texas in 2024, which recognized him for his repertoire and vast knowledge in overseeing the three massive wine lists at one of Texas's most lauded steakhouses. But McDonald wasn't always on a path destined for wine: He originally had aspirations to be in music and worked as a school band director straight out of college. Moving to New York City with his wife changed his trajectory. 'The obvious thing was to go into hospitality with my brothers, who were already in the industry,' he says, and so he started as a server, then naturally followed his interest in wine. That burgeoning interest led to an unpaid internship in the wine department at Tribeca Grill, a stint at a wine bar, and, later, after passing some accreditations, sommelier status at Ai Fiori, his first fine-dining wine job in the city. In 2011, following the birth of his daughter, McDonald's path shifted again. He and his wife moved back to Texas, and thanks to an advanced credential from the Court of Master Sommeliers America, he started working at Pappas almost immediately. In a few years, he was in charge of the Galleria location, and not long after that, all three steakhouses. His story gets even more interesting: McDonald eventually developed an allergy to wine. Yes, a former band geek turned master sommelier who received Michelin recognition gets blotchy after sipping certain varietals. Eater caught up with McDonald to talk about life after Michelin, his favorite wines, and how the industry is working to attract younger and more novice drinkers, and, of course, how he manages to still do his job when he is allergic to the very thing he has to taste (spoiler: Benadryl). This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. How is it being the inaugural Texas Michelin-recognized sommelier? That's the coolest thing that's ever happened to me. I mean, you put it up there with the birth of your kids, getting married, and passing master sommelier accreditations. This is right up there with those because, first, they do such a good job on the actual ceremony and the theatrical component. It's really great pageantry, so it's the closest thing to winning an Oscar that I can think of, and I'm still buzzing off of it. It's the coolest thing, and the timing was amazing. Has it changed your job at all? It's funny you should ask. Yeah, it has — in a couple of ways. I attended the ceremony with the Pappas Bros.' owner, the executive chef, and my boss, and it was just the four of us, so they got to see it firsthand. I'm having broader conversations about the business The applicant flow to the steakhouse for sommeliers, servers, and managers is higher. I've seen more applications because of it, and that's a very good place to be. It's an interesting time to receive this award, considering the state of the wine industry. What changes are you seeing, in terms of where we are? Pappas Bros. Steakhouse is in a bubble of fine wine, and we know it, but even within that, we're still seeing some of the trends. I have more requests for non- alcoholic wine than I ever have, but that tracks with the overall trend of diners drinking less that I see. There was this shift during COVID, when everybody was drinking a lot in their homes. They watched all the documentaries, went down all the rabbit holes, and came out on the other side — younger people, in particular, wanted to try the whole world of wines. They weren't just passing through what their parents drank. They were discovering more worldly wines in hyper-speed. They were way more curious and quite a bit more knowledgeable at ages 21 and 22. We're a classic Texas steakhouse, which surely sells a lot of California wines, but we see a lot more European and other continents in general. Some people were starting to do better at their jobs or have a little bit more money — maybe they got that promotion or whatever, and so they're starting to collect, so there's kind of a young batch of collectors that are a little bit more thoughtful. They have different tastes, so it's a bit more Francophile in this town, specifically in Houston. Burgundies are quite hot right now — they're everywhere, really, and there's much more interest in Italian wines. I think it's interesting going between the two Pappas Bros. markets. Diners at Dallas' Pappas Bros. seem to understand Italian wine a bit better, and I don't know exactly what the reason is, but that's just been my observation. We never fully jumped on like the natural wine thing, so it was an easy dismount, if that makes sense. We still have some cool, funky, weird stuff. I mean, at the end of the day, we're a bunch of nerds, anyway. We like that stuff, too. How would you say the wine industry is working to engage younger audiences, a younger generation, and people new to wine? We're thoughtful about rolling out more non-alcoholic cocktails and drinks, especially as we read that younger people are more choosy. They want more history and a story. They want more experiential experiences when it comes to how they're drinking. That's always been true for wine drinkers, so that doesn't seem like a deviation. Most people who are interested in wine are also interested in the story, sustainability, that kind of thoughtfulness, the pageantry of the canteen, so we're pretty much doing what we always did. However, there are some programs we were looking at to change the approach, like wine dinners, to tie in something different. We're talking about doing a cool, never-been-done-before collaboration with the Houston Symphony. Nothing at these restaurants happens quickly, so it's always gonna be a long-term look and slow incremental things, but that's something we're looking at — these tiny little adjustments to how we're programming to see who we're capturing. Where are Pappas Bros. wines sourced from? I'm sure all over, right? Most of the fine wine world is represented on the wine lists. Some of the more obscure countries, like Georgia, Turkey, or China, might be underrepresented or not represented because of the laws at a granular level. We have around two dozen distributors that we work with, who then work with dozens more suppliers and porters to get wines from around the world. The actual logistics are complicated, but the short answer is everywhere. How many wines do you oversee at Pappas Bros. steakhouses? Each restaurant has its own wine list. The biggest list has around 6,000 selections. The next biggest list has around 4,500, and the third largest has around 3,500, so it's a lot. A little peek behind the curtain is that we can't share wine, meaning the wine that's on one property can't be shared with another property, so they each have massive inventories of tens of thousands of bottles of wine that we have to take care of and store properly to ensure quality. What is the most expensive bottle you've ever opened? It's probably 1961, Petrus. It's from Pomerol on the right bank of Bordeaux; 61 was a great vintage. That was 10 or 12 years ago, but it was probably in the $15,000 or $16,000 range. So does it taste like a $3,000 glass of wine? It is a very unique experience. When you're in that range, that's what those individuals who do these sorts of things are looking for. They are looking for something very few people can experience, and that's where most of the value is baked in. When you get up to even a few thousand per bottle, that's essentially the market determining how rare and valuable those bottles are. The difference between a $7,000 bottle and a $15,000 bottle may not be double, but it's still gonna be super special and unique to that person. Don't get me wrong. They're magnificent beverages and products, and sometimes you're like, 'Oh God, this is so good,' but it can be tough to enjoy something with a price that seems so obscene. What suggestions do you offer to help diners get more experienced and comfortable drinking wine? The tip is to converse with somebody you feel you connect with and trust. Our sommeliers are very helpful because they remember their journey, too, right? And they're still learning. Have the conversation. Be curious. You don't have to spend a lot of money. There are plenty of $50 bottles of wine; you just have to go through all 200 pages to find them, but those individuals are on the floor helping you. They're gonna point you in the right direction because ultimately they're very motivated by you getting what you want out of the experience and not like getting a sale, so to speak. It's hospitality first. That helps the sommelier be specific and accurate about how they describe the wine. Then, you can navigate from there. Take that journey. Be willing to be curious, but be willing to have a few bumps on the road, and just be honest about what you can spend. It's very common in Europe to drink wine with even casual home dinners or have a glass with lunch. That ease and frequency can make the experience of drinking wine seem more accessible. Exactly right. Wine is a beverage that's supposed to go with food, and it shouldn't be so precious. As a restaurant, we're working against that stereotype every day, and that's why we have some liaisons — sommeliers — to make it all less intimidating. We know there's a 200-page book in a big fancy restaurant that is busy and loud. There are a lot of things to be overwhelmed by, so it's our job to put them at ease and make it approachable. What is your favorite trend in wine right now, and what is your least favorite? What's the worst? My favorite is that people are still really excited about Champagne and are becoming more curious about Piedmont, a wine region in Northwest Italy. That is very exciting because some of the best work is being done there. The wines in the Piedmont are still approachable in price point. I don't think there's any trend that I'm unhappy with, but I think the ship has sailed for natural wines when it felt like we were tasting somebody's science experiment or, you know, basically a flawed product made just for a philosophy. I'm happy that we got that out of our system. I do like natural wine. There are many classic natural wines, and we have a lot of them, but there was an extremeness to the natural wine movement that I'm happy has subsided a little. How have your wine selections and preferences changed throughout your tenure? I drink much more white Burgundy, Champagne, and Nebbiolo. For restaurants, it's a process of listening to the guests, the winemakers, and the importers to determine which investments to make and how to shape the wine list. If the table wants to start with bubbles, what is your go-to glass right now? Oh my gosh. Well, I think I just said it: Champagne, and we pour some brilliant Champagne by the glass. Some, like Palmer Champagne, André Clouet of the white and the rosé varieties, respectively, up to something very luxurious, like Krug, which is available by glass, too. I still think our price on the Krug, even if it's like $65, is actually a steal because it should be closer to a $100 glass. If you can't get champagne, we don't pour it currently, but some Telmont or Crémant de Bourgogne. Some other sparkling wine regions in Italy and Spain are really good, too, but I'm always gonna say Champagne. I've heard some Texas wines can stand up to the best from France and Italy. Do you agree? What are we seeing in Texas wines? They're getting closer. I don't spend enough time out in the regions tasting a bunch of Texas wine. I should probably do a better job of that, but what I see in the stuff that we work with, like McPherson Cellars Winery in Lubbock and Dukeman Family Winery in Driftwood — they're getting better every year. What's interesting is that many Italian varietals do well in Texas, and some people are playing with Spanish varietals, too. It's rare that you hear about a sommelier who is allergic to wine. How did you find out? How do you manage it? So, my dad used to get red. It wasn't always with alcohol, but there was a doctor who said it was genetic. After I turned 40, I noticed that it wasn't the quantity of alcohol but sometimes I'd just put wine to my lips, and my nose, forehead, and arms would get splotchy. I was like, 'Okay, something is going on, because it's not the amount I'm drinking. It's just something in this product.' Finally, I went to some allergists, and no one could figure it out, but the one thing that solved it was an antihistamine. I remember that this doctor was making wine in California, and he discovered that people's headaches and reactions weren't because of sulfites; it was histamines. At the risk of getting sleepy, I took a Benadryl, and [my reaction] went away in about four minutes. I'm like, 'Okay, well, I can't take a Benadryl every time I drink.' I take a Zyrtec every day, and I have Benadryl in my backpack everywhere I go, so I'm just really choosy because sometimes I don't get affected. Sometimes it's really bad — not bad enough to go to the hospital or call 911 or anything, but depending on where I'm at and what I'm doing, I'll pop a Benadryl. Have you been able to zero in on what type of wine is causing your allergic reactions? My best guess is that it's a yeast, and there are tons and tons of yeasts that people use in wine or grow, depending on how they're making their products and what they're trying to do with them, and they all do different things. It's pretty cool you're still doing what you're doing. You still love wine, and it's still your profession. That shows a lot. If there's some study that comes out that like a Benadryl a day is the worst thing you can do, then, I'm like well I'm screwed. You have had discussions with people about how wine has made them feel, from headaches to just feeling a little bit hungover. You mentioned that some of that has to do with agriculture and studying how the grapes used in wine are grown. Can you tell me more about that? Yeah, it's two ideas at the same time. There are a bunch of reasons for somebody's perceived hangover, including the amount of alcohol. They could be drinking too much, and, typically, people drinking wine also consume foods they don't usually eat, which could compound it. The other idea here is that of transparency. There are fine wine regions where you don't have to tell the consumer what's in that bottle. All it has to do is pass, like, the FDA. It won't kill you, but you don't know what coloring or sweetening agents they add. Some wineries would prefer it that way because they add a lot of stuff you shouldn't be putting in your body. If you don't care what it is and how it tastes, that's fine, too, but you won't know what's affecting you. I think we might be moving into an era when, in our own country, we're gonna be demanding that if it says wine, it's only like grapes, yeast, and water. In terms of a new era of wine, what else do you foresee for the wine industry? We're already seeing it. There might be a re-shifting of the value of wine right now. California is going through a crisis. Nobody is drinking the more valuable wines, and the grapes are staying on the vine. People are gonna have to repurpose the land. There's also cannabis, which is another way to get your desired effect. I think you'll see some overlap, maybe even some wineries moving toward growing cannabis, and that's probably the biggest shift from a fine wine perspective. We will hit a ceiling at some point where, as a restaurant, we cannot continue supporting certain producers' varietals because the pricing will wildly increase. Hopefully, we'll enter an era of price correction, and we can put more iconic producers on the wine list because the prices have eased off. I don't know when that's gonna be, but I'm hoping that's in the future. As we wait to see how tariffs impact beverage programs at large, how will you ensure that beverages remain a central part of the Pappas experience? To be honest, I don't think the average consumer will notice any difference because we have ways to absorb or fortify against it by buying massive inventories, meaning the average guest is not likely to see it. Ultimately, it would affect the business, but it's so uncertain for how long or how much. We'll see how that all plays out, but it's not going to be as noticeable to our final consumer, and that's on purpose. What wine is your favorite right now? There's a wine from J. LaSalle Preference, and it's non-Champagne, and it's so good. It's funny that we bought a case of it because my wife loves it, too. My wife pretty much just drinks Champagne. She likes white and a few other types of wine, but she's not nearly as enthusiastic about them. It's one of the things we enjoy equally, so that's special, and it's not too expensive. What else would you want people to know about Pappas Bros. or the wine industry? We work hard to make this approachable. We want to work against all the typical stereotypes of a steakhouse. We want it to be a place where people show up curious and have a great time, and where there's something for everybody. We're a legacy institution, and it can sometimes be perceived as inflexible, but I think, within our building, we're dynamic in how we listen and how we adjust to the guests. We have some of the smartest, most talented people in restaurants, not just in the wine department, but also on the culinary side. There's a lot of heart and soul here. And where are your Michelin awards? That's a great question, actually. I have this little bar nook in my house, and that's where I have a metal clover thing, and then, we're working on getting the chef's coat framed. Nice. I guess you don't want to wear that every day. It's kind of weird cause it's, like, where would I ever wear this thing? Sign up for our newsletter.
Eater
18 hours ago
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This Brooklyn Neighborhood Was a Restaurant Dead Zone — Until Croissants Helped Changed Everything
Montague Street has long been the ugly duckling of Brooklyn Heights, a sad stretch of meh restaurants in one of the city's most attractive neighborhoods. Yet when croissant darling L'Appartement 4F opened in 2022 (115 Montague Street, at Henry Street) to viral lines, this started to change: Since then, Montague Street has slowly come to life, with the opening of stylish revamp, Montague Diner; a new location of Italian mainstay Felice; and a sprawling outpost of the Georgian restaurant, Chama Mama. A wave of independent, buzzworthy restaurants has helped the neighborhood's momentum. It began with Michelin-starred Clover Hill in 2019, followed by the arrival of bistro favorite Inga's in 2022, , the all-day cafe Poppy's in 2023, and wood-fired pizza spot Jules in 2024. Then, late in April, a chef-driven restaurant landed on Montague when Brendan Spiro opened Café Brume, ushering in compelling wine list and a Alpine-meets-Italian menu from Le Coucou alum Ian Anderson. The latest addition is the Swedish bakery Ferrane, which adds fresh energy and swirled cardamom buns to the area's transformation. Another big-deal development was announced late May: Once called the Waldorf-Astoria of Brooklyn and the location where the Brooklyn Dodgers celebrated their 1955 World Series win, the Hotel Bossert, at 98 Montague Street at Hicks Street, was acquired by real estate developer SomeraRoad. Their plan is to reopen the building as luxury residences with an anchor restaurant tenant to be determined. All of which is to say that Montague Street is becoming a swan. Brooklyn Heights is the oldest landmarked neighborhood in New York City, an enclave of centuries-old brownstones, antebellum-era townhouses, cobblestone streets, and wide stoops. Ironically, Brooklyn Heights' main commercial corridor, Montague Street, which runs four blocks from Court Street to the majestic Promenade, had never been home to an interesting bakery, a chef-driven restaurant, or even an independent coffee shop. Back in the 1980s, places like Mr. Souvlaki and Armando's were pushed out by landlords looking for higher rents. In their place came a revolving slate of middling restaurants – chains, oddballs, and lots of uninteresting Thai – serving a mostly transient crowd of courthouse workers and students. Residents who'd plunked down multiple millions on brownstones and pre-war apartments left the neighborhood to find dinner. During the pandemic, something unusual happened: Ashley and Gautier Coiffard began baking croissants and baguettes out of their tiny apartment in Cobble Hill, selling out within hours, creating a frenzy on social media. Around that time, Lara Birnback, the executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association, was reviewing the results of a survey she'd sent out to roughly 2000 neighbors asking what businesses they might want to see open on Montague Street. Their top response? A bakery. Birnback was determined to transform Montague Street and cold-called the Cobble Hill couple. 'I said, we have some vacancies on Montague Street, would you like to come look around?' Birnback recalled. 'They had never run a business before, but I found a landlord who was willing to take a chance on an untested model. It was a chance harmony of an enthusiastic couple and a landlord willing to be flexible.' That landlord, John M. Tucciarone, helped change the landscape of Montague Street. 'The success of 4F was a big neon sign to the rest of the culinary industry,' said Ravi Kantha, who runs Serhant, a real estate brokerage that focuses on the luxury townhouse market in Brooklyn Heights. 'It's like, 'If you build it they will come.' It sends a signal to other restaurateurs and investors who have a track record to look at Montague Street.' For decades, Montague Street landlords offered month-to-month leases, charging egregious rents, and were unwilling to partner with restaurant talent. But that changed post-pandemic when dozens of empty storefronts quickly turned Montague into an eyesore. Tenants like Spiro say landlords are more willing to work with tenants. 'There is change afoot, mostly coming from a softening which happened after the pandemic with so many empty storefronts,' he said. 'Landlords finally started to think about the character of these storefront properties and how it would benefit not only the community but Montague Street.' Amanda Hesser — founder of Food52 and author of the Substack Homeward— moved to the neighborhood over 20 years ago and says she 'always chalked up the lack of evolution to businesses having long leases and or owning their buildings. I liked its lack of coolness, but you did have to leave the neighborhood to eat well and shop.' She, too, looks to the opening of L'Appartement 4F as the turning point, followed by Books Are Magic, Poppy's, and so on. 'The neighborhood has more of a pulse now, and is shedding its reputation as the place your grandparents live. But let's hope Brooklyn Heights never gets too big for its boots.' Not everyone believes Montague Street will continue to support independent restaurants. Rob Hebron, who has run Hebron Realty on Montague Street for 20 years, is not convinced. He says landlords would rather let spaces sit vacant than compromise on rent. 'Nothing would make us happier than landlords working in partnership with mom-and-pop restaurants to increase food options and revitalize the neighborhood, but it's $100 per square foot, and restaurants want to pay $75, and that does not happen,' he said. Others on the ground are far more optimistic. 'I don't think that having vacant space for an extended period of time does anyone any good – for the street or the neighbors,' said Tucciarone, the landlord who rented the space to L'Appartement 4F. Before the bakery, the space had been left vacant during COVID; it previously housed an Emack & Bolios and a Connecticut Muffin. Kip Green, a partner in the Montague Diner, expects the evolution to continue. 'This is a pivotal moment and we are going to see more inspiring concepts and landlords that are going to be more flexible with creative concepts.' The renovation of the Bossert into high-end residences with a restaurant anchor tenant is sure to move the needle even more. 'Change happens slowly; you can't click your heels,' said Ian Ross, founder of SomeraRoad, and a longtime Brooklyn Heights resident. 'When I look down and up the block, I am enthralled with what is going on.' 'I try to get everyone to come to Brooklyn Heights,' said 4F's Ashley Coiffard. 'As long as you are for the neighborhood, you will be successful here.' Sign up for our newsletter.
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- New York Post
See what's on the menu at 3 of NYC's hottest new restaurants for summer 2025
Three fascinating new restaurants have opened their doors in New York City, just in time for summer. One elevates the pre-theater dinner dining scene for those looking for a great meal before Broadway, another lifts any occasion to the point of the divine, and the third is a new steakhouse from famed chef Daniel Boulud. All three must be experienced to be believed — by foodie locals and visitors alike. Gui Steakhouse | 776 Eighth Ave. 3 For an unforgettable appetizers and classic Korean dishes, check out Gui steakhouse, a new restaurant in the Theater District. Gui Steakhouse Advertisement This midtown Korean steakhouse looks unassuming from the outside — and even on the first floor where it seems like it is just a bar in the theater district. However, once you enter the elevator to the second floor, you are transported to an elegant, intimate setting where the perfect pre-theater meal awaits. But while Gui is a steakhouse — and the 34 oz. aged porterhouse grilled over binchotan charcoal was delicious — it's the starters and accoutrements that shine the brightest. Advertisement The Menbosha-gochugang remoulade shrimp toast served with sambal aoili topped off with amber kaluga caviar made my dinner companion and I groan in delight, and the Hwe Muchim, a take on hamachi crudo — cam as a papaya salad and leche de tigre topped with fermented cod powder and fresh chives. Afterwards, we dove into the mandoo, a gyoza with beef galbi and dried aged prime rib glass noodles and served with nuoc cham sauce. And don't forget to order the kimchi fried rice — complete with wagyu bits, sausage and house-made kimchi served with a fried egg on top. Gui is a steakhouse like no other in New York and should become a new staple in the theater district. Advertisement Joomak | 401 West St. 3 Ten courses and a luxury hotel experience? That's what's on offer at the new location of Michelin-starred Joomak. Andrew Sokolow For one of the most creative, innovative and just astounding dining experiences in New York, head to the new Joomak restaurant inside new luxury hotel The Madison Hudson, in the far West Village. Advertisement Chef Jiho Kim just opened up this new iteration of his Michelin-starred restaurant Joomak Banjum and, while it is pricey — it is worth every penny as each dish is intricately created by the master in the kitchen and perfectly paired with crafted cocktails … all served meticulously by a Per Se trained staff. The night I went, I had the $280, 10-course meal which included caviar served over a dill custard with Meyer lemon, white asparagus and mussels; Kanpachi (fluke) with cucumber pickled shallot and cucumber sorbet; seared scallops paired with black truffle, leeks, almond cotta and brown butter sabayon; king crab with a risotto, pickled Serrano, and fresh peas as well as a wagyu dish with grilled abalone and black truffle ponzu sauce. The overall feeling is that this wasn't just a meal, it was an experience. A visual, edible, feast like I have never had before. The only thing that rivals the food and the service is the room's ambience — made to feel as if you were a coveted guest in a chic home, the fireplace is lit and the few tables that there are (we counted seven) add to the intimacy. If the $280 tasting menu is too pricey, there is always the new bar menu which, as with the regular menu, changes frequently due to ingredient availability and chef creativity. But recent highlights included kampachi with razor clams, steelhead trout with English peas levain spaetzle and bacon broth as well as an American wagyu hanger steak served with Montauk red shrimp and gem lettuce. There are only five seats at the bar, so book now. La Tête d'Or | 318 Park Ave. S. Advertisement 3 A newcomer to the Flatiron District, French steakhouse La Tête d'Or is already becoming one of NYC's most difficult-to-secure reservations. Evan Sung Daniel Boulud's opulent new steakhouse in the Flatiron District has only been open just a few months, but already has a waitlist for reservations on Resy with over 1,000 people hoping to score a seat. And with good reason. Named for a park in Boulud's hometown of Lyon, France, the David Rockwell-designed restaurant is a masterpiece that has already earned a spot on Michelin's best steakhouse list. Advertisement The surf and turf menu is simple but the prime rib, slowly cooked for hours and sliced on a roving trolley tableside is quickly becoming a staple, as is the Caesar salad (made at the table) and the lavish seafood tower. Rivaling the food is the wine menu, full of rare Bordeaux and other delectable French offerings. The room itself is glamorous, grand and while technically huge, seems intimate due to table placement, wall drapings and perfect staging. In an already crowded field, La Tete D'Or is destined to become one of the city's top steakhouses.
