The team behind Hell’s Kitchen fast-casual Filipino spot Tradisyon opened a new restaurant with a Filipino Spanish bent this week. Tradicionale opened in Chelsea at 156 Ninth Avenue, between West 19th and 20th streets, on Tuesday, September 16.
The menu features Filipino Spanish dishes, drawing from the Philippines’ history as a colony of Spain, by chef Anton Dayrit. This means baby octopus adobo, longanisa fried rice with crab, prawns in the coconutty alavar sauce, and a take on his mother’s lengua, a stew.
Cocktail consultant company La French Pour’s Nicolas Brimau (who had passed away recently) and Jennifer D’Ippolito Brimau designed the drinks menu, where libations use a lot of Filipino ingredients. There’s the Girl’s Dinner, a martini with pandan and coconut; the Pinya, a pineapple margarita; and the tamarind-ish Anghang Negroni.
AJC Hospitality is running the restaurant, consisting of Dayrit, Joey Chanco, and Carla Caramat. They intend Tradicionale to work as a communal space, too, with plans to host kamyan dinners in the private dining room. To come, the group plans on opening a reservations-only cocktail lounge at the same address, Casa 156.
A cult-beloved LA cafe comes to Brooklyn
Los Angeles coffee shop Maru makes its East Coast debut today with caffeinated drinks and minimalist styles. The Brooklyn cafe is opening in Williamsburg at 320 Wythe Avenue, between South First and Grand streets, on Monday, September 22. Maru Williamsburg features its espresso sets, made with its roasted beans, alongside Frenchette Bakery pastries, served in the 1,300-square-foot space from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Its actual coffee is already served in New York at restaurants such as Italian spot I Cavalini and bistro Claud.)
Two new weekend brunches started last week in New York City, one from Upper East Side bistro Cafe Commerce and the other at Greenwich Village French restaurant Chateau Royale, on Saturdays and Sundays, as of September 20.
At Cafe Commerce, there’s a bistro-style menu with poached egg-stuffed artichokes, almond French toasts, and soft-boiled eggs with sourdough toasts. Instead of bread, the restaurant is giving out complimentary chef Harold Moore’s cinnamon rolls. (Six-packs of the baked goods are also available for preorders over the weekend.)
Chateau Royale’s array is luxe with caviar and egg yolk pain perdu, lobster croque-monsieurs, and Benedict au Chateau with a choice of duck confit, smoked sable, or mushrooms. Cafe Commerce’s brunch is from 11:45 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Chateau Royale’s is from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.