DBGB Kitchen & Bar, Daniel Boulud's bistro on the Bowery opens in preview mode this weekend. Grub Street has a few details here. They also have the scoop on the departure of Broadway East's chef, Gavin Mills. Managing partner Laurie Tomasino explained:
Gavin is a great chef, but he’s at a stage of his career where he
wants to make a mark — say, from a three-star review — but he didn’t
have the experience or business savvy to know there was a serious
disconnect between the food and the scene.” Tomasino says the
restaurant wanted Mills to change the menu more often — “We weren’t
asking him to dumb down the food but to broaden his horizons and bring
new, affordable ideas to the table in an effort to reach the
neighborhood.”
wants to make a mark — say, from a three-star review — but he didn’t
have the experience or business savvy to know there was a serious
disconnect between the food and the scene.” Tomasino says the
restaurant wanted Mills to change the menu more often — “We weren’t
asking him to dumb down the food but to broaden his horizons and bring
new, affordable ideas to the table in an effort to reach the
neighborhood.”
Yeah, that’s bs. Broadway East has had 6 chefs, the first of which left before the restaurant opened. If you want the real story, talk to the people who worked with him. He made that kitchen money for the first time in its history, then was asked to change the menu to burgers and pizzas. Also, when he put his notice in, he was not asked to leave in any way, his entire kitchen staff including the assistant manager left too. Broadway East is a sinking ship that is being run by people who have absolutely no clue about the restaurant industry. He was never asked to broaden his horizons. He was told to bring things that would lower the check average and compromise his integrity as a chef. Then they complained about a menu that wasn’t even his even though his name is still plastered all over their website.
Take it from someone who knows, these people are liars. Stay away from the place. It’s going down.