Farmingdale restaurant owner opening 2 new Brooklyn spots
Eric LeVine, of Farmingdale's 317 Main Street, is expanding to Brooklyn with two new concepts by the end of this month. Credit: Moe Morales
For chef Eric LeVine, of Farmingdale’s 317 Main Street, the opening of two new Brooklyn restaurants is a homecoming.
LeVine, who won the Food Network's "Chopped" reality cooking show, is bringing two new concepts to the borough where he grew up: Evolution and Blackbird, a pair of restaurants at 42 Hotel in Williamsburg.
"I’m not going anywhere. I’m just expanding like anybody else who wants to do more, have more opportunities," LeVine said. He remains chef and partner at 317 Main Street and Vico in Farmingdale.
Blackbird, the hotel’s gastropub lounge, is an 85-seat restaurant and lounge with offerings like onion soup — served in an actual roasted onion — topped with brioche and Gruyere cheese ($12). Entrees include an edamame burger ($23) made with spinach, forbidden rice, turmeric and carrot, topped with pickled onion and vegan aioli.
Tortelloni with guanciale, fava and roasted garlic sauce at Blackbird in Brooklyn. Credit: Vito Oliva
"We’re playing around with the things that I’ve become known for over the years but really kind of doing it in a new space," LeVine said.
Evolution, opening April 30, will be the hotel’s high-end dining experience. The rotating menu is LeVine’s personal ode to Brooklyn, drawing inspiration from his memories growing up in the borough.
"Things from the clam bars in Sheepshead Bay, like Junior’s Cheesecake [in Downtown Brooklyn], bagel stores in Dyker Heights, things of that nature that I’ve experienced as a kid ... I’m using that as inspiration, but doing it in an elevated, fun way," he said.
The menu will rotate themes each month and includes dishes like Dyker Heights Dim Sum, Bay Ridge Pastrami on Rye and the Williamsburg steak.
The 1,800-square-foot space, which seats 35, is intimate, with murals of the Brooklyn Bridge and brownstones that characterize the borough.
LeVine embarks on this adventure with his life partner, Deborah Gutheil, who is running operations at both locations with a combined staff of 35 to 40 employees.
"We’ve built a great reputation at 317 [Main Street] and [with] what I’ve done in my career this is like the perfect time for that," LeVine said. "I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to do this and to give Brooklyn a little bit of a fun adventure."
Melissa Azofeifa is a restaurants reporter with Newsday's FeedMe team. Having grown up on Long Island, she loves talking about food and its impact on culture. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she joined Newsday in the fall of 2024.
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