New beginnings spring eternal, even as the restaurant industry faces its toughest, most complicated summer in recent memory. Here are some concepts opening in the face of a different world, full of reinvention and promise.
While some restaurants are diving into reopening (or cautiously dipping a toe in), some are starting with a totally blank slate. These new concepts are a product of the times: practical minded but with a much-needed sense of levity, fresh ideas and fun.
“I’m happy that we have something positive to look forward to,” said Matthew Kuscher about the opening of Kush Coconut Grove last week. “We all need that.”
Kuscher and other restaurateurs are looking at the market and essentially hoping to meet a need that customers — and communities — are feeling at this moment in time.
Impasta is a virtual brand out of Los Angeles, with an eye toward takeout options and low-or-no-carb cauliflower crusts and comforting pastas to meet the need for a big bowl of pasta balanced with the need to be well.
In Brooklyn, Jean Georges alumni are getting back to basics at Public Display of Affection, starting with breakfast burritos wrapped in foil and centering on a wood-fired pizza oven for sourdough pies topped with local produce.
A melting pot of ingredients and cultures is evident elsewhere. In West Hollywood, Calif., Australian and California cuisine are blended in surprising ways at String of Life. And on Edisto Island, S.C., Briny Swine is blending pork and oysters on a seaside menu that’s full of innovation.
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