Arthur is a new neighborhood restaurant in the Brooklyn, N.Y., neighborhood of Greenpoint. It comes from chef Kevin Finch and his wife and co-owner Alexa Finch, and is the permanent follow-up to their same-named pop-up concept. Arthur opened April 10, taking over the space from Fulgurances Laundromat, a residency series that hosted rotating chefs, including Finch.
This is Finch’s first restaurant, following many years in celebrated kitchens, including Betony and Maialino in New York City and Maaemo in Oslo, Norway. He was also chef de cuisine at three Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn in San Francisco.
Through his previous residency at Fulgurances, Finch got to know the space, the neighborhood, and the local diners, which helped to inform every aspect of Arthur.
Chef Kevin Finch calls the escargot skewers and leek skewers a fun, shareable way to start.
“In general, having a residency and the ability to create a menu without it being your restaurant allows you to find your style of food and take some chances without having to invest a lot of money,” Finch said.
The restaurant is shaped by a love of modern Parisian bistros, and the menu draws inspiration from Finch’s diverse background while staying rooted in the seasons and ingredients of the Northeast.
He cites the brioche with cultured butter as one of his favorite menu items because both products are made in-house and the bread features locally sourced grains.
“It’s really special, it’s very delicious, and it goes with everything on the menu,” Finch said.
He’s also proud of the escargot skewers with brown butter and chives, and the leek skewers with lemon, honey, and katsuo. He said that both are easy to share and a fun way to start the meal.
“The skewers are unique in that we’re taking escargots, but we’re caramelizing all the flavors that it normally has, and then we’re putting it on a stick and barbecuing it over charcoal, so it has a really nice, smoky flavor,” Finch said. “For the leeks, leeks are often overlooked, and then also cooked very poorly, and these are just very delicious.”
Arthur has 38 seats and is inspired by the lived-in feel of homey French bistros.
Another favorite is the beef tartare with black garlic and oyster emulsion.
“The beef tartare is locally sourced beef. It is raised, killed, and cut onsite, so that way the animal is never moved across state lines,” Finch said. “It’s never been put into a truck before, so that creates, like, a more exceptional product than the common guest is used to having.”
The beverage program is led by general manager and beverage director Charlotte Mirzoeff, a longtime friend and collaborator of Finch and a former colleague at Maialino. She created a wine list grounded in small producers and thoughtful sourcing, and the cocktail list mirrors the kitchen’s point of view.
One example is the Brioche Martini, which is inspired by the brioche and house-cultured butter. Fat-washed gin is diluted with barley tea, so the cocktail is rich and toasty, but still light and refreshing.
Arthur has 38 seats and was designed by Alexa Finch and Ariel Cui.
From left, co-owners Alexa Finch and chef Kevin Finch with general manager and beverage director Charlotte Mirzoeff.
“We inherited really great bones,” said Finch, noting that the building has lived many lives, including as a church, a laundromat, and, more recently, as a restaurant space. “It has always been a place for community gathering and connection. We loved that the space had tin ceilings, brick walls, a historic storefront, and hardwood floors.”
Since Arthur’s team was already familiar with the space during its time at Fulgurances, they were able to keep what they liked (the chef’s counter, woodwork from a local artist) and add a few updates to make it their own. They added plasterwork and new fabrics for the chairs, and they brought in artwork from family homes and estate sales.
They were inspired by French bistros and Art Deco style, and they envisioned a space that feels like home — somewhere relaxed and lived in, but still refined.