Big news and brunch from Crown Shy

The big news is Crown Shy got a Michelin star last week. The other big news is they are now open for brunch on weekends and serving from 11:30 till 2. And the other big news is that the pair behind it is developing the top four floors of the building for another venture. (James Kent is now also a Fidi resident, with kids in the local schools, so it’s become a local affair.)

Back to brunch: The menu features a “bread program” — yes, you can try to run from the carbs but you can’t hide: the cornbread with bacon bits will find you. Our lovely waiter told me they played with the butter quotient in the cornbread till it was just right, testing it on the staff. And the French toast is named for cook Al, who had been toying with his own personal recipe that includes a glaze like creme brulee, torched tableside — you crack them before you eat.

Kent’s business partner, Jeff Katz, was going table to table to check on folks for their first service — very gracious — and filled us in on the plans for the pair’s restaurant on the top of 70 Pine, which will be called SAGA — an acronym made from his and Kent’s kids’ names. The space will have one floor for dining, one for drinking and two for private dining. Altogether, he said, it’s about the same square footage as Crown Shy, but the floorplates get smaller at the top (though they do each include outdoor space).

Kent also showed us the graffiti he is still playing with — a vestige from his wild youth in the Village — some commissions as well as some quick tags he did in the upstairs space while it was still raw. Luckily someone grabbed a picture and the tags will be framed and on display when the restaurant opens (I say get Flavor Paper to make wallpaper).

 

4 Comments

  1. The menu and photos are making me hungry!!

  2. I am ready to enroll in this “bread program.” The honey-glazed bacon bread with ricotta sounds life-changing. So many great brunch options in this area! What’s your experience with Jack’s Wife Freda? I’ve been hearing more and more about it and just read a review on Uniquely NYC (http://uniquelynyc.bestonlineblogs.com/2019/11/11/jacks-wife-freda/) …curious to check both of these options out!

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