Old Hands on the Restaurant Scene Face a New Brooklyn
The Times profiles Brooklyn restaurateurs Alan Harding and Jim Mamary, who are credited with trailblazing fine dining on Smith Street but are also the subject of backlash in Carroll Gardens and Boerum Hill. Harding and Mamary opened Patois on Smith in 1997, back when the rent for the space was $900 and the street, according…
The Times profiles Brooklyn restaurateurs Alan Harding and Jim Mamary, who are credited with trailblazing fine dining on Smith Street but are also the subject of backlash in Carroll Gardens and Boerum Hill. Harding and Mamary opened Patois on Smith in 1997, back when the rent for the space was $900 and the street, according to Mamary, was “a horror show.” After that, the pair went on to open more than a dozen restaurants and bars, many on Smith, like Gowanus Yacht Club and Trout, and some in other neighborhoods, like Williamsburg’s Sweetwater and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens’ Cafe Enduro. The duo’s creations are now scorned by “Brooklynites who’ve come to see Harding-Mamary creations as a chain, where you can get it venti in a ramekin with crème fraîche or slushed with guava and salt on the rim,” and their decision to open an oyster bar on Hoyt Street next to their restaurant Black Mountain Wine Bar stirred significant local opposition. Nowadays the two are looking for new/cheap/not-completely-gentrified neighborhoods to grow their small empire, like Ditmas Park, where they recently opened Pomme de Terre. Mamary says you need to grab every space that becomes available,” in on-the-brink areas, “or somebody else moves in. It’s like Coke and Pepsi.” The two are also eying Crown Heights and Staten Island.
Restless Pioneers, Seeding Brooklyn [NY Times]
Photo by R.S. Guskind.
Kingston Ave btwn Atlantic and Eastern Parkway is a perfect spot for these guys. The recently landmarked Crown Heights North has brought a ton of people into the area who are looking for a decent restaurant/bar and that strip has plenty of storefronts available at a good price.
FWIW I’d be delighted if Mamary, et al, would open a second restaurant in PLG!
“1:24, how about adding something to the conversation than those stupid, tired “equation” things that dont say anything about anything.”
2:14=bitter local business owner
What I’d like to know is who are these a$$hole neighbors that are making their life so difficult?
I think it’s only fair to list their addresses since the restaurateurs business addresses have been listed.
the first 1:05 here,
First, where I think those guys probably read this stuff, i doubt they would respond, and if they did, they would probably do it without being anonymous.I am not a cheerleader for them, I am simply a local business owner who can appreciate someone doing what they want with their lives. I dont eat at all their restaurants, hated Schnack and Pioneer, havent eaten at Patois in years, and I dont eat seafood, not to mention I knew the original owners of the Sweetwater Tavern, and cant say i love whats been done with that, however there are places they own I do like, and I can applaud their efforts as successful, local business owners. Consistency isnt easy in the restaurant business, especially when you own many (and again, I dont eat at many of the places they own, so i cant speak to the quality of all of them,), I just think there are alot of bitter people here that find it easy to criticize. Again, if the food was across the boards horrible, these places wouldnt exist.
1:24, how about adding something to the conversation than those stupid, tired “equation” things that dont say anything about anything.
i agree with Carol Gardens. maybe the stinky folks will try their hands next w/ a restaurant.
I live right down the street from Pomme de Terre, and I have to say thanks to these two guys for putting Newkirk Avenue on the map. I now have a nice restaurant to eat at when I don’t feel like cooking at home.
It’s wonderful to see neighbors of all ages enjoying a night out without having to leave the neighborhood.
Come to Jersey City. We have new restaurants opening every few months and it’s looking good these days. Get a spot on Newark Avenue before they do the improvement and lock in a low lease.
Patois was revolutionary when it opened – not just for Smith but for Brooklyn as a whole and back then the food was very good.
Pre-Patois your choices (in that demographic) were – Henry’s End, Bouillabaisse (w/ about 6 tables) and Noodle Pudding – thats more or less it in a boro of 2M.
Unfortunately as the culinary scene in Brooklyn improves, Patois’ food and service declined inversely.