2 days ago
Eddie Huang Returns To New York With A Lower East Side Pop-Up, Gazebo
Eddie Huang in the kitchen at Gazebo, a pop-up at The Flower Shop running intermittently throughout ... More the summer.
One of New York's most beloved chefs is back in the city with a new menu and space this summer.
Eddie Huang, whose counter service bao spot, Baohaus, on East Fourteenth Street, lured in customers until the late hours, is cooking at a new pop up, Gazebo by Eddie Huang at Flower Shop (107 Eldridge St.), a concept inspired by his Floridian upbringing, Chinese heritage, and wife's family olive oil farm. Huang also authored the bestselling memoir Fresh Off The Boat, which then inspired the ABC sitcom of the same name, detailing Huang's upbringing in a Taiwanese family in Orlando.
Now, Huang is back from a culinary sabbatical in Taiwan (following the 2020 closure of Baohaus), bringing his signature inventive cooking style back to Manhattan. His pop-up, running just three days a month in June, July, August, and September will offer dishes like Beijing lamb skewers, lion's head meatballs, Hunan red cooked pork, Taiwanese beef noodle soup and more traditional Chinese cuisine.
The Gazebo Quesadilla
'Most people have only had my food at Baohaus, which I'm grateful for, but I've quietly evolved my cooking the last 15 years at home and living in Taiwan for all of 2020. The only time I've been able to cook these dishes for other people are through private chef gigs so I'm grateful to have a home at the Flower Shop where anyone who wants to try them can come get a table,' Huang said. 'There's been a real evolution in my technique and I'm excited to see what people think."
Though many dishes are classic Chinese, Huang's signature Gazebo Quesadilla stands out on the menu. The creation was originally an accident after Huang came home with leftovers of an Iberian pork and clam stew he was working on. When he wife requested he make a quesadilla for his son, Senna, that night, 'I laid down the tortilla, cheese, then Iberian pork and clams, topped it, flipped it and it was incredible,' Huang recalls. Dan dan noodles were pushed off the menu in favor of the new cheesy tortilla dish.
'Instead of spending my time working on a bunch of different cuisines or dishes, I've completely focused my time and energy on the dishes that captured my imagination as a kid and continued to stay curious fine tuning them,' Huang said. "I'm a bit of a lounge singer when it comes to food and I like that.'
Huang envisions guests experiencing the pop-up together as a party with great dance music. As opposed to Baohaus, which had an open kitchen in a 400 square foot space Flower Shop's dining room will offer Huang's menu in a full service setting, to enjoy family style.
Gazebo opens Wednesday, June 11 and will offer a three course menu with a small plat, large plate, and a signature dessert for $80 per person. Seatings are available at 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. Reservations are available online.
