Celebrated Paris chef Jean Imbert is bringing his considerable talents to the Meatpacking District.
Appropriately named Encore, which Sidedish reported in a scoop last July, the eatery comes from restaurateur Eric Cerato.
Imbert, a celeb fave, owns three restaurants in Paris, the first of which he opened when he was 22 years old, 14 years ago. He also created the menu for singer Pharrell Williams and David Grutman’s Swan and Bar Bevy, which recently opened in the Miami Design District.
At 1 Little W. 12th St. — a former grocery store built in 1887 — Encore seats 175 people and will focus on seasonal, local products.
Dishes feature the French chef classic of whole roast chicken — in this case, with sweet potato and chili — for $90; pork ribs with honey and pommes anna; and a simple halibut with citrus and olive oil.
Cocktails, from Imbert and Le Coq Rico beverage director Adrien Boulouque, currently focus on wintery drinks like Calvados with spiced honey syrup, lemon juice and Prosecco. There’s also a downstairs private dining room that seats 14 — and weekend brunch.
In keeping with today’s French theme, we bring you news that Maison Vivienne, of the Hamptons, has opened a New York flagship on the Upper East Side, in a grand townhouse at 116 East 60th St.
As in Maison Vivienne in Southampton — in the former Nello space— the menu is French Provencal, and it’s a family affair.
The kitchen is helmed by the father-and-son team of Chef Victor Pastuizaca, chef de cuisine, and his son and sous chef, Johnny Pastuizaca, who worked together at Nello, where they knew Maison Vivienne’s general manager and partner, Allan Basaran.
The head bartender and mixologist are also a father-and-son team: Bar Chef Albert Trummer is in charge, bringing in his son, top mixologist Jakob Trummer, formerly of show biz-style drinking temple Apotheke. Jakob, who also studied under David Bouley, will add molecular mixology with a French twist to the Trummers’ Austrian cocktail-themed mix.
The 4000-square-foot eatery seats 160 people — in a traditional townhouse. There’s a long bar at street level, a floor-to-ceiling fireplace, original hardwood floors, and dove gray walls.
“We are inspired by the South of France, creating light food with more olive oil and less cream and butter,” said Svitlana Flom, Maison Vivienne’s co-owner.
Main courses feature Long Island duck with a honey lavender glaze, green lentils, smoked fig, apricot and gastrique; and Arctic char, with grilled local corn, zucchini, haricot vert, arugula and sauce romesco.
Mario Quimbay, formerly of Scarpetta and Le Caprice, is the sommelier.
Speaking of Scarpetta, Monday night the upscale Italian eatery hosts a six-course tasting menu prepared by visiting guest Chef Tommaso Fratini, executive chef of Rimessa Roscioli, which offers rare wines by the glass and unique tasting dinners in Rome.
It’s owned by Alessandro Pepe — a former actor, theater director, writer, stand-up comedian, and sommelier — and Lindsay Gabbard in partnership with Alessandro Roscioli. It launched as an underground tasting room until the late Anthony Bourdain publicized his discovery of it.
The empire began with a bakery, Antico Forno Roscioli, run by Pierluigi Roscioli, which was established following an 1824 papal edict that called for a bakery with ‘affordable’ bread. The family then launched a grocery that, in 2002, became Ristorante Salumeria Roscioli, which offers more than 2800 wines and is run by Pierluigi’s brother Alessandro Roscioli.
There’s also the coffee bar Roscioli Caffè, run by both Roscioli brothers.
WE HEAR … that Cafe Fiorello’s Marilyn and Shelly Fireman hosted a reception on Dec. 8 to honor Placido Domingo’s 50th anniversary with the Metropolitan Opera and to unveil Fiorello’s “The Placido Domingo Room.”
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