New American restaurant Confidant, will reopen in Brooklyn Heights on Thursday, February 4, taking over what had been Colonie for over a decade, at 127 Atlantic Avenue and Henry Street. The move catapults the restaurant out of its original Industry City location that closed in November, into a neighborhood that’s become more attentive to luring good restaurants.
Chef and co-owners Brendan Kelley (formerly of Aska and Per Se) and Daniel Grossman (formerly of Gage & Tollner and Foul Witch), in partnership with new co-owners Henry Goldman and Martin Borkan, have put together an expanded menu. It pulls in dry-aged fish and meats, plus pasta, which hadn’t been on the menu in Industry City. Pastry chef Mariah Neston (formerly of Le Rock and Major Food Group) will bake desserts and breads.
At the same time as this reopening, the team is also preparing to roll out its all-day bakery and pizza shop with a wine bar, Lou & Bev’s, next door, at 129 Atlantic Avenue. It’s on track to open in April or May.
Heather Willensky
How Confidant found a new location
For Kelley and Grossman, the move is both practical and emotional.
“Industry City was an amazing partner to us,” says Grossman. “It just felt like the right time to move to a different space, to a different neighborhood, and give our business the best possible chance of success.”
That search led them to the former Colonie space.
“When we were first opening a restaurant, we really envisioned a space that had a lot of wood, a lot of brick, just kind of felt lived in a little bit — and this was the perfect fit for us,” says Kelley. They were also drawn to the surrounding neighborhood, at the edge of Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill.“After we walked out, [Dan and I] looked at each other and were like, ‘I don’t know what we have to do, but this is it,’” says Grossman.
A trio of pastas, new on the menu at Confidant.
The restaurant will remain rooted in what the team describes as a contemporary American approach, shaped by a range of influences. Look for starters like trout mousse and entrees like prawn pot pie, a made-to-order prawn bisque with seasonal vegetables. New to the menu, they’ve added pastas, including cavatelli with a white rabbit ragu finished with horseradish and fiore sardo, as well as spaghetti al funghi with a mix of mushrooms sauteed in garlic and serrano pepper. There’s also a rotating fish of the day served with gigante beans, mushroom garum, and fermented lemon.
Neston’s desserts include those served at the Industry City space, like a malted mille feuille, chocolate crepe dentelles stacked between layers of hazelnut cremeux and coffee diplomat cream. A new banoffee sundae featuring banana ice cream, butterscotch toffee, and buttered brioche crumbs will be on the menu in the Heights.
Manager and wine director Lucy Saintcyr compiled the wine selections, which include an all-natural list of over 75 bottles and 10 pours by the glass. Charlie Szur oversees the bar that showcases local spirits and seasonal ingredients with drinks like the M&M Negroni with mezcal, amaro, vermouth, and blood orange.
Heather Willensky
More on the next-door sibling
When Lou & Bev’s opens, it will operate as a bakery by day and a pizza restaurant and wine bar at night. The name, Neston explained, comes from her family.
“Lou and Bev are both my grandmothers’ names abbreviated,” she says. Her paternal great-grandmother is Louise, and her maternal grandmother is Beverly. They’re both matriarchs of my family… and at the forefront of our family structures is food and baking. So this is the way to bring them in and honor them.”
The daytime bakery will lean into New York–style classics, including items like coffee cake and knishes.
At night, the space will pivot to a pared-down menu and drinks, with five or so menu items — a couple of fried things, a crudo, or mortadella plates. The drinks follow suit, with spritzes and Bermudas.
But before Lou & Bev’s, the team’s focus is on Confidant. “We’re just excited to really showcase our food and everything that we’ve learned in the past year,” they say, “and have locals in, and have those regular people know us.”