72
food
L
eehansonandriadnasrmet asyoungcooksat Danielintheearly
1990sandspent 16 yearsexpandingKeithMcNally’sNewYorkempire
beforeleavingthefoldtoopentheirownrestaurant,Frenchette,in 20 18.
Besideskitchenduties,theysharepreservationisttendencies,both for
classiccookingandclassicNew Yorkspaces.Lastyear, they tookoverLe Veau
d’Or,theoctogenarianUpperEast Sidebistro,promisingtokeepthename
aswellasthetripestew.Notlongafter,acrosstownandculinaryspectrums,
Nasrlaunchedan(ultimatelyfutile)InstagramcampaigntosaveGemSpa,
thelandmarkEastVillage newsstandandegg-creammecca.
Andnow,whensomany NewYorkinstitutionsareindangerofdisap-
pearing,thepartnershavemanagedtoreviveone:Thismonth,they unveil
FrenchetteBakeryinthesameunlikelyTribecaoffice-buildinghallway
whereRogerGuralranhissemi-secret ArcadeBakeryforfiveyearsbefore
closingit lastsummer. Overitsshort life,Arcadebecamea destinationfor
itsdistinctivebakedgoods(laminatedbaguettes,whiskey-pecanbabkas)
andingeniousdesign,whichunobtrusivelyincorporatedmahogany
recessedseatinganddrop-downtablesintotheslopingcorridor’s longwalls.
Withtheex ceptionofa newespressomachineanddisplay case(plusa
retooledoven),NasrandHansonhaveleft theplaceintact, aimingtohonor
Gural’s visionofa neighborhoodbakeryandcommunity hub.Theyhad
sourcedtheirbreadfromGuralwhenFrenchetteopened.“Rogerwastiming
thebakessobreadwasdeliveredat 4:30rightoutoftheoven,” saysNasr.
WhenGuralcurtailedhiswholesaleaccounts,Frenchettepastrychef Michelle
Palazzobeganbakinghouseloavesin 40 individualLe Creuset dishes.“That
gaveustheconfidencetotake onthebakery,”saysHanson.
JoiningPalazzois headbakerPeterEdris,anAureoleandBourke Street
Bakery veteranwhousestermslikesmallplotandsingleorigintodescribethe
regionalgrainshebuysfroma NewJerseycooperativeandmillsfreshdaily.
There’s crackedryeanddark-maltedspeltinhiscity loafanddark-maltedcorn
inhisbaguette;bothhavebeenavailabletooutdoordinersat Frenchetteand
attherestaurant’sRockefellerCenterpop-up.Butyou’ll havetovisitthenew
bakery fortheotherloavesandforviennoiserielike croissantsbothsavoryand
sweet(theformerfilledwithkimcheeorgreensanda soft egg; thelatterinclud-
inga “twice-bakedpistachio,”whichis soakedinrumsyrupandstuffedwith
Sicilian-pistachiofrangipane).Althoughtheteamis toyingwitha “Frenchette
breadpizza”asa nodto Gural’s roundpiesmadewithbaguettedough,French-
etteBakerywon’t imitateitspredecessor. “Thespiritisthere,” saysNasr.
“There’sa standardanda template wehopetoliveupto.” r.r. & r.p.
theironyoftwocookswhomet while
workingattheunabashedlycarnivorous Can-
nibalgoingontoopena veganChinese res-
taurantisn’t lost on JustinLee.Latelastmonth, he
andJaredMoellerlaunchedFatChoyontheLower
EastSidewithnary ananimalproduct ontheeight-
item,$10-and-undermenu.Neitherisvegan, and
they considertheirmeatlessnessmoreofanenviron-
mentalandeconomicalstatementthana dietary one.
“Forus,thisrestaurantis abouta futureforeveryone,”
saysLee.“Weseeway toomuchfactoryfarming of
animals.”Ratherthancompromisewithcommodity
meat,Leekeepspriceslowwitha plant-basedmenu.
ButFat Choystandsoutfromthetraditionalvegan-
Chinesepackbyfocusingnotonwheat-glutenmock
meatsbutonseasonalvegetables,most sourced from
smallChinatownpurveyors.Lee’scookingstyle is
witty and ecumenical, and, according to the brand’s
tagline, “kind of Chinese.” He sluices smashed cucum-
bers in a broken- vinaigrette “leopard” sauce and
tosses crunchy romaine and “Asian fines herbes” in
“Chinese ranch” dressing. He mingles jasmine rice,
beans, and greens with vibrant cilantro and ginger.
And for his Mushroom Sloppy sandwich, he simmers
flower shiitakes with smoked tofu, then tucks the mix-
ture into a house-baked sesame roll. The result is
impressive, and it passed what might have been the
ultimate Underground Gourmet vegan-food litmus
test: On the way home from the restaurant the other
day, we walked by Katz’s, peered wistfully at the old
hot-dog griddle through the window, and for a
moment considered, then rejected, the idea of pop-
ping in for a postprandial pastrami on rye. In other
words, we didn’t miss the meat. r.r. & r.p.
➽ eight months ago,Pablo
Rojas was roasting luxurychickens
at the NoMad, and RoxannaMejia
was baking extravagant breadat
Thomas Keller’s Per Se. Thecouple
had moved to New York from
Brownsville, Texas, to work
in the city’s fine-dining kitchens,
but when the pandemic hit,both
were furloughed indefinitely.
To support themselves andtheir
young son, they decided tolaunch
Gastronomy Underground(the
motto: “Modern spirit, ancestral
roots”) with the goal of exploring
Mexico’s deeper culinary identity.
Originally,RojasandMejia
imaginedhostingsmallpop-up
dinners,buttheytweakedthat
visionintoa servicethat delivers
mealsacrosssouthandcentral
Brooklynthreedaysa week.On
Tuesdays,forexample,they offera
$45TacoFeastfortwo,which
includeshomemadecorntortillas,
eithercarnitasora “blackmoleof
brassicas,” 12differenttoppings,
andtwosides.“Weknew we
weren’t just gonnadomindless
takeout,” saysRojas.“Creativityhas
togohandinhandwithhistory.”
Considerchilesennogada—stuffed
poblanochilesina whitewalnut
sauce.It is,saysRojas,a testament
totheglobalcomplexity ofthe
cuisine:Poblanosare“aMexican
chilethattraveledtoMoroccoand
gotblendedwithbellpeppersand
thencamebackasa completely
newpepperthat Mexicansadopted
astheirown.”If RojasandMejia
areclearabouttheirmission,
they’realsoclearaboutwhat they’re
notdoing—“elevating”anything.
“I don’t thinkMexicanfoodneeds
elevationat all,” saysRojas.
“Itjust needsunderstanding.”
rachelsugar
the underground
gourmet quick bite
Fat Choy
250 Broome St., nr. Ludlow St.;
347-778-5889
delivery
Mole With
a Mission
Gastronomy Underground cooks
up Mexican food for thought.
opening
Frenchette Bakery
220 Church St., at Worth St.; 212-227-1787
Photograph by Joe Lingeman
PHOTOGRAPHS: AARON VENN (FAT CHOY); COURTESY OF GASTRONOMY UNDERGROUND (GASTRONOMY UNDERGROUND)
