Chef Eric LeVine was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., but he has spent much of his career operating restaurants in suburban Long Island.
That changed last month when he debuted two restaurants at the 42 Hotel, a 60-room property in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg.
“The opportunity came through a mutual friend, and the space is perfect for us,” said LeVine, who currently also operates the tasting-menu restaurant 317 Main Street in Farmingdale, N.Y., as well as four other concepts in that town.
One of the restaurants at the 42 Hotel, Blackbird, is an 85-seat gastropub with “simple foods done well,” LeVine said. It’s open for breakfast and dinner as well as weekend brunch.
Evolution, on the other hand, is a 35-seat tasting menu restaurant along the lines of 317 Main, with a rotating menu, currently inspired by LeVine’s Brooklyn childhood, although for the summer he’s expecting to draw inspiration from the zodiac.
Blackbird’s opening menu features burgers, fried chicken, and pastas such as tortelloni with guanciale, fava beans, and roasted garlic, and braised short rib ravioli. Vegetable entrées include roasted acorn squash with sautéed Brussels sprouts, toasted almonds, dried cranberries and corn sauce, and maple roasted carrot with quinoa, cipollini onion, mushrooms, and grilled scallions.
Weekend brunch includes avocado toast with smoked salmon and caper relish, breakfast tacos, crêpes, and fried chicken biscuits & gravy.
It’s designed with industrial elements and chandeliers with Edison bulbs as well as mirrors, ambient lighting, and a canvas mural of a woman by local artist Yaniv Lahiji.
Beer, a 500-bottle wine collections, and craft cocktails are on hand, too, including a whiskey highball with sweet & sour cherries and clarified citrus, and the Chamomile Snap, made with chamomile infused vermouth, apple, pear, and absinthe.
Evolution features an open kitchen and two murals by Karina Smyrnova, one of Brooklyn brownstone houses and another showing the evolution of the Brooklyn Bridge. It offers a $175-per person tasting menu the theme of which changes seasonally. The initial menu features fine-dining takes on Brooklyn classics, named for different neighborhoods in the borough. For example, what’s listed as a Coney Island Hot Dog with relish is actually a ground chicken with phyllo crumb, sumac, and a cucumber-radish relish.
The Park Slope Smoked Salmon & Everything Bagel is smoked gravlax sprinkled with an everything bagel crumb made with dehydrated powdered bagel mixed with the traditional blend of salt, sesame, poppyseed, onion, and garlic. It’s presented under a smoke-filled cloche.
“It’s taking those memories and putting them on a plate and twisting them around,” LeVine said. “There’s no rules.”
Besides 317 Main and the new restaurants at the 42 Hotel, LeVine is involved in three other restaurants, all in the Long Island town of Farmingdale: Vico, The James Room, and The Nutty Irishman.
He studied at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and soon found himself working back in Brooklyn at the legendary River Café under chef David Burke, whom he said sparked his own creativity.
He said he’s looking forward to running the new venues.
“I’m excited about it,” he said. “It’s Brooklyn, where I’m from, it’s a beautiful hotel, and we have two completely different styles [of restaurant].”
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
