Long Island City’s American Brass entices with
waterfront views, revamped menu, top chefs
Photos courtesy of American Brass
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | SEPT. 4-SEPT. 10, 2020 25
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
Have you been yearning for a night
out on the town? Bring a friend or a
date and enjoy great gourmet cuisine
and amazing views of the Manhattan
skyline – framed by Gantry State Park
– at Long Island City’s huge waterfront
brasserie, American Brass, located at
the corner of Center Boulevard and
49th Avenue.
Why not start your memorable evening
off with East Coast oysters and
a toast… champagne or Chablis, anyone?
And for your main entrée, treat
your taste buds to the Atlantic salmon
with wild mushrooms and cauliflower
then top that scrumptious meal off
with a few espresso martinis!
As reported in The New York Times,
this popular restaurant re-opened for
outdoor dining (for 84 guests) during
the summer, and offers an enticing,
revamped menu, courtesy of newly appointed
Bâtard (in TriBeCa) alum Kevin
McGinley as Executive Chef, as well
as chef de cuisine Chris Lewnes, a LIC
resident who ran the kitchen at Augustine
in Manhattan (now closed).
Both chefs are masters at balancing
brilliant creativity with beautifully
crafted, palette-pleasing recipes.
And the reviews have been extremely
positive. Diners have been raving
about the ambiance and quality New
American brasserie fare, made with
local New York ingredients, as well as
raw bar, craft cocktails, and a hyper-local
beer list including the restaurant’s
own LIC Beer Project collaboration
brew, American Brass Pale Ale.
“Spot on. So happy this place survived
Covid. Chilled corn soup was
incredible as was the heirloom tomato
salad and branzino. Cocktails were really
good, too,” one patron from Valley
Stream said. “We sat outside but the interior
is gorgeous. Whoever designed this
place is super talented. High end everything.
Raw bar was delicious too. Crab
and kumamoto oysters were delicious.
Can’t wait to come back for more!”
“When I heard of the opportunity
to revitalize the old Riverview Restaurant
and bring a new concept to the
neighborhood, I jumped at the chance,”
restaurateur and American Brass owner
Robert Briskin, who is co-owner of
under-the-Pepsi-sign sister restaurant
Maiella, told QNS.
“From the ashes and rubble of the
old restaurant came our new restaurant,
American Brass. We spent two
years building it from scratch and agonizing
over every detail. Molly Elizabeth
designed the space to be open,
airy, light and bright. We used a lot of
brass accents as a play on our Brasserie
inspired name. One of the selling
points on the location was its unique
city view and outdoor cafe.”
American Brass’ journey began in
2018, when Briskin signed a lease at
an expansive 6,000-square-foot space
behind LIC’s gantry cranes. He said
American Brass instantly became one
of the largest concepts in the neighborhood
— second only to Maiella.
“As an owner of Maiella, we had the
honor of not only servicing the community,
but also introducing out-of-towners
to it,” he added.
Together, the hospitality group occupies
a cumulative 14,000 square feet
of prime East River real estate, reinforcing
the growing notion of LIC as
a food destination with a burgeoning
restaurant scene.
Sadly, numerous businesses here in
Queens and across NYC have been affected
by the pandemic, but American
Brass has had an exceptionally rocky
and dramatic journey — with superbad
timing — having opened just before
the citywide shutdown, according
to Briskin.
As he tells it, after two years of hard
work, dedicated planning, renovations,
and numerous challenges that come
with opening a restaurant, the $7 million
concept finally received its liquor
license on Friday, March 13 — only 3
days before the city government issued
closure of dine-in service.
Luckily, a PPP loan helped the
struggling restaurant stay afloat this
past spring for sustained takeout and
delivery service throughout the shutdown.
The chef is fundamental to winning
a restaurant’s Michelin stars (a single
Michelin star is a rare achievement,
while a multiple-star rating is very
rare). Winning this recognition is no
easy task and it’s the life goal of many
professional chefs, like McGinley, who
previously worked at Bâtard, where
his menu received a Michelin Star, and
at Gotham Bar and Grill in Greenwich
Village (recipient of a Michelin Star and
six 3-star reviews from The New York
Times; currently closed for business).
“During the shutdown period we
were lucky to add Chef Kevin and Chef
Chris to our team. These two gentlemen
have completely revitalized our
menu and brought it to the next culinary
level,” Briskin noted.
Chef Kevin, who hails from the
Philly area and moved to NYC in 2010,
had lived in Brooklyn in north Greenpoint
for 8 years and has recently relocated
to Cobble Hill. He was eager to
share a bit of his backstory and talk
about his experience working at American
Brass.
“I initially wanted to pursue Jazz
guitar here in NYC. But after working
in restaurants to support myself and
realizing that I had a serious passion
and could make a living, I decided to
switch and pursue cooking full time,”
he recalled.
McGinley said he’s “beyond excited”
to be working at the restaurant.
“The setting, the ambience, the vibe
and the ability to cook more approachable
and inclusive food, is something
that I’ve wanted for quite some time
now,” he added.
Come by and sample both chefs’
tasty cuisine featured on the restaurant’s
diverse menu. Chef Kevin’s
includes: chilled corn soup with ratatouille;
peekytoe crab and sauce romesco;
sourdough focaccia with whipped
ricotta and rosemary sea salt; roasted
branzino with confit tomatoes; smoked
eggplant and kalamata olives.
Talking about choosing locally
sourced ingredients, he noted: “It’s
very important to us that we take advantage
of the farms that come to us
every week. We are at Union Square
Greenmarket four days a week to
source the best the season and farms
have to offer. Summer is the best time
to be cooking! “
McGinley, who likes to grill at home
and occasionally makes pasta dishes
for his family, said he loves cooking because
it gives him “an opportunity to
share in an intimate way” how much
he cares. “Cooking with intention is
the ultimate form of caring for someone
because it provides something that
is not only nourishing but a true act
of kindness. Chefs do it because they
would never do anything else but cook
for a living. It’s in our blood.”
“As a longtime resident of Long Island
City, I have a deep fondness and
appreciation of this unique neighborhood,”
Briskin shared. “And I would
like to invite everyone to come and experience
American Brass for one of the
best meals you will ever have!”
Another happy patron, Ben from
Brooklyn, agreed: “Besides the food
the other very important part of dining
for me… service!! Our waiter was
Chris. Because of him and how knowledgeable
he was … he made this one of
my best dining experiences! I had the
steak frites. Also had bunch of oysters
… all delicious. Watermelon and passion
fruit mojitos… Rock!! Overall a
very good experience with a beautiful
view of the skyline…
“Their setup makes you forget
you are dining out during the COVID
times!”
American Brass is open for outdoor
dining 7 days per week and offers delicious
meals for takeout & delivery. For
hours, reservations, and a complete
menu with prices, visit: www.americanbrasslic.
com.
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/QNS.COM
