Stacey Ballis

🍣 Hank’s Seafood Restaurant, established for 25 years in Charleston, S.C., expanded with Hank's Low Country Seafood & Raw Bar in Columbus, Ohio. Chef Frank McMahon oversees the culinary team for both Makeready hospitality group venues. Dinner starts at $29, and a new lunch menu launched in June, offering a 45-minute, three-course meal for $35. Signature dishes include she-crab soup and shrimp & grits. Columbus was chosen due to its growth and previous customer familiarity. The new space, designed by Home Studios, features a dining room for up to 158 guests, communal tables, and a private dining area.

🍴 Chef Marc Forgione, after opening his first restaurant in 2008 which later earned Michelin stars, has now relaunched it as Forgione at 30 Hudson St., New York City. The new Tribeca location continues to serve innovative New American cuisine with a focus on seasonal and local ingredients. The menu features entrées at approximately $42, pastas from $22, snacks between $12-$15, wines by the glass starting at $18, and cocktails around $19. The restaurant also includes a private dining room with a separate entrance, adorned with vibrant graffiti and references to influential figures like chef Laurent Tourondel.

🏠 Located in Old Town Alexandria, Va., Hotel Heron's flagship restaurant Kiln opened on June 27, serving wood-fired Mid-Atlantic cuisine inspired by local potter Henry Piercy. Led by Betty Woodward and Matthew Maienshein, the restaurant offers all-day dining and aims to be a community gathering spot. Woodward has a rich hospitality experience in Washington, D.C., and Maienshein has worked his way up from dishwasher to chef de cuisine. The restaurant features an open kitchen and an eight-seat chef’s counter, with entrées priced at around $40.

🍴 Gerard Craft, head of St. Louis-based Niche Food Group, will open Expat BBQ in summer, featuring global flavors in American barbecue. Sam Nawrocki, with 15 years of Southern cuisine experience, leads the kitchen. Melinda Cooper oversees the beverage program, promising an international beer selection and globally-inspired cocktails. Average checks are forecasted to be $50 on the first floor and $25 on the third level. Expat BBQ will join Fordo’s Killer Pizza and Kitchen Bar at City Foundry STL, in a 16,000 square foot space featuring a conveyor belt for dish transport, a terrace patio, and a live music stage. Craft, a James Beard Award-winning chef, aims to offer a unique, fun dining experience.

🍽 Minneapolis’ new restaurant Bûcheron was opened by chef Adam Ritter and Jeanie Janas Ritter. Adam has a background in Michelin-starred and “World’s 50 Best” restaurants, recently leading Demi's menu development, a James Beard Awards Best New Restaurant-finalist. Jeanie worked at Chez Panisse then managed operations at various upscale locations. Meals at Bûcheron cost $60-75 per person without drinks. The menu draws from the Parisian Bistronomy movement, featuring dishes like a wedge salad with lamb bacon and a foie gras terrine. The wine list, managed by Tyler McLeod, emphasizes biodynamic wines and female winemakers, while the cocktail program by Will Gobeli adds small twists to classics. Located in Minneapolis' Kingfield neighborhood, Bûcheron was designed by Christian Dean Architecture with local art by Mary Jo Hoffman creating a warm, convivial atmosphere.