The former founding chef of Brooklyn restaurant Margot, Alexia Duchêne, is opening her own French restaurant, Le Chêne, in the West Village at 76 Carmine Street at Seventh Avenue, sometime in the spring.
When Duchêne opened Fort Greene restaurant Margot in May 2023 as a co-owner and chef, her fine-dining pedigree was mismatched for the space. She left a month later when two of the other co-owners decided to turn it into a more casual neighborhood restaurant.
Now, at Le Chêne, Duchêne will roll out what she says is sophisticated French cuisine. Her husband and co-owner Ronan Duchêne Le May (who had worked at Cafe Boulud) will oversee the front-of-house operations and the beverages, which includes a lengthy wine list.
A longtime Upper West Side bakery has to close
An Upper West Side bakery that was facing eviction is throwing in the towel. Silver Moon Bakery is officially closing, as reported by West Side Rag. It’s last day of service will be on Sunday, March 23. Co-owner Judith Norell confirmed the upcoming shutter, writing that she and co-owner Georgia Stamoulis decided to ultimately let their lease expire. The 2740 Broadway address’s landlord Broadside Realty sued Silver Moon (open since 2000), alleging that it owed over $200,000 in rent and overstayed its lease.
Dinner series matches up spicy fried chicken and seared foie gras
New American Greenwich Village restaurant the Noortwyck is hosting a guest chef dinner series this spring. As part of “Friends of the Noortwyck”, visiting chefs will cook with the restaurant’s co-owner and chef Andy Quinn. A portion of the proceeds will go to nonprofit City Harvest.
First up is a collaboration with Sichuan fried chicken restaurant Pecking House chef Eric Huang. The menu includes fried chicken sliders with seared foie gras and pineapple jam; mapo menudo; and short rib pie. The dinner takes place Thursday, March 13 with timed seatings from 5:30 to 10 p.m.; reservations can be booked online. Future collabs include Thai American restaurant Little Grenjai’s Trevor Lombaer on Thursday, April 10.
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