Posts by author

Bret Thorn

164 posts
View Post
  • 1 min

New on the menu: Two scallops and two tuna nayehs

🍹 Chefs Zachary Engel of Galit in Chicago and Satinder Vij of Ilili in Washington, D.C. reinterpret Kibbeh nayeh using tuna, mixing global flavors. Roman Andres presents a scallop tostada at Siempre J.B. in Las Vegas, while Gladstone’s in Pacific Palisades, Calif., serves scallops over green risotto. Balcón Rooftop in Midtown Manhattan introduces a purple gin cocktail with blueberries, passion fruit, and Champagne.
View Post
Share
View Post
  • 12 min

Restaurant community mourns the loss of Naomi Pomeroy

🏠 Portland mourns the passing of renowned chef Naomi Pomeroy, who died at 49 in a tubing accident. Pomeroy, a self-taught chef, opened Beast in 2007, influencing Portland's culinary scene. She was named one of Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs” in 2009 and received the James Beard Foundation award for Best Chef in the Northwest and Pacific in 2014. She also founded Expatriate in 2013, which closed in 2022. Pomeroy was a founding member of the Independent Restaurant Coalition and recently opened Cornet Custard. Her cookbook, "Taste & Technique," was published in 2016. Oregon congressman Earl Blumenauer noted her contribution of $28.6 billion to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund during the pandemic.
View Post
Share
View Post
  • 2 min

Former SBE and Montclair Hospitality executive Joey Simons named CEO of Estiatorio Milos

🍕 Joey Simons appointed as first CEO of Estiatorio Milos, a fine-dining Greek seafood restaurant in New York City. Previously CEO of Montclair Hospitality Group and COO at SBE in Los Angeles. Milos, established in Montréal in 1979 by Costas Spiliadis, boasts nine locations with plans for four more in Los Angeles, Singapore, Toronto, and West Palm Beach within the year. Milos also runs a wine bar, a hotel in Athens, and a yacht fleet in the Greek islands. Founder Spiliadis remains deeply involved in the business.
View Post
Share
View Post
  • 2 min

Michael Solomonov’s CookNSolo restaurant group to open Jaffa Bar in Philadelphia

🍴 Michael Solomonv’s CookNSolo plans to open Jaffa Bar, an Israeli influenced oyster bar, in fall at 1925 N. Howard St., Philadelphia. The 5,000-square-foot, 120-seat space is being developed by Boxwood Architects. The bar will be managed by Kailey Jenkins and chef Andrew Henshaw, with Ryan Mulholland as a partner. Menu items include oysters with passion fruit mignonette and a variety of Middle Eastern inspired seafood dishes. The cocktail program, managed by Sean Byrne, features a Jaffa Orange cocktail. CookNSolo was founded in 2008.
View Post
Share
View Post
  • 4 min

Indigo Road Hospitality plans expansion of modern Japanese concept O-Ku

🏡 Indigo Road Hospitality to open the 9th, 10th, and 11th O-Ku locations within the next year, alongside the 7th Indaco and 1st Maru location, specializing in Nikkei cuisine. Founded in 2005 by Steve Palmer with Oak Steakhouse in Charleston, S.C., the group now boasts 36 restaurants and 6 hotels. Luminosa, an Italian restaurant in Asheville, N.C., launched in May. The next O-Ku is set to open in mid-September in Alys Beach, Fla., with local chefs and Gulf coast seafood. O-Ku’s culinary director, Masatomo Hamaya, guides menu personalization, with an average check of $50-$60 per person. Upcoming openings include Tampa’s O-Ku and Maru, alongside another O-Ku in West Palm Beach, Fla., and Indaco in Nashville by 2025.
View Post
Share
View Post
  • 6 min

Lamb appeals to slightly adventurous, affluent restaurant diners

🍚 U.S. per capita annual consumption of lamb is less than 1 pound vs. over 13 pounds in Australia. Lamb consumers in the U.S. typically have annual incomes over $150,000, tend to be millennials, male, and white. Technomic reports a 0.5% increase in lamb menu mentions over the past year. Fine-dining restaurants (47.2%) and upscale casual-dining restaurants (31.8%) often feature lamb. Taziki’s Mediterranean Café, with its 97th location in Johns Creek, Ga., attributes 10% of sales to lamb dishes. Butchr Bar in Los Angeles offers lamb salami with macadamia nuts and Australian pepper berry.
View Post
Share