The ABC Kitchens is Vongerichten’s only New York City restaurant outside of Manhattan (yes, it’s technically different than ABC Kitchen — singular — in Manhattan). It’s on a prime perch between the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, with a wraparound terrace that offers a spectacular vista of downtown, including a glimpse of the Fulton, his Seaport restaurant.“I call it ABCD,” Vongerichten tells Eater. He points out that its structure has a similar feel to his Flatiron restaurant ABC, with its wooden beams and remnant stones from the Brooklyn Bridge construction.
The menu at ABC Kitchens, created by Vongerichten and executed with executive chef Ayaka Guido, will feature dishes from all three restaurants. There are dosas from V, crab toast from Kitchen, and empanadas from Cocina. There will also be a seasonal focus, with plenty of original recipes, including a fried quail, and a bigger spotlight on vegetables. Vongerichten is excited about a new version of tomato toast with tuna tartare, and about using the organic bounty from Union Square’s Greenmarket for simple sides like baked sweet potatoes with chile butter. The cocktails will incorporate produce.
Desserts will be fun, too, overseen by pastry chef Eliana Aponte. Staffers will spoon ice cream from tableside carts onto cones in vivid hues.
Lois Freedman, who is the longtime president and now also CEO of Jean Georges Management, designed the space on her own for the first time. She has always been the brand’s arbiter of taste, overseeing every detail from the selection of glassware to a waitperson’s earrings. For ABC Kitchens, she scoured flea markets and antique shops from Hudson, New York, to Brimfield, Massachusetts, combining modern items with finds that were centuries old, and even using pieces from her personal collection.
The dining room holds a mix of old and new, like chairs from the 1800s that have been re-feathered and reupholstered, and a 19th century breakfront from a Provence bakery that’s now being used as a server station, along with live-edge wooden tables, blush colored velvet Hollywood banquettes, and a rose quartz bar with lava stone tile — all created for the restaurant.
Freedman has always been obsessed with illumination, and her mastery of creating a flattering glow is something that seems to elude so many restaurateurs who oversee bright, dark, or even red-lit rooms. Light fixtures span the decades, with vintage chandeliers, hand-blown mini globes, and modern colored bulbs enhancing the same space.
Despite all the designed elegance, the vibe at ABC Kitchens is still meant to be casual. There’s a market table with vegetables and flowers on display, a pizza oven that will turn out a range of pies, and waitstaff wearing jeans and Converse sneakers.