10 | BOROMAG.COM | OCTOBER 2014 FOOD In the restaurant industry, a pop-up is a temporary restaurant or supper club usually for a limited run, sometimes recurring. For example, a chef with a new restaurant idea might borrow the kitchen and dining room of an already existing restaurant, transforming it into a new concept for an exclusive evening. Pop-ups are highly effective means by which to give up-and-coming chefs exposure, seek investors for a new concept, or simply celebrate a holiday or festival. Examples in the neighborhood have included Wox and Lox at The Queens Kickshaw, The Sunday Night Dinner hosted by Tamara Reynolds, and the dumpling pop-up at Bear Restaurant. This month one of our favorite consulting chefs, Yair Lenchner, ran his own pop-up in the loft at Marketa— collaborating with pastry chef Cassie Rothman, formerly of Dovetail. So of course we attended, and then checked in afterwards to see how it all went. BORO: What inspired you to run a pop-up special dinner? Yair Lenchner: I come from a background of fine dining, having studied formally at the French Culinary Institute, and then working for Jean- Georges at The Mark and at his flagship at Columbus Circle for three years. This was an opportunity to flex some creative muscle and have fun making some more elevated food than Astoria is used to seeing. BORO: What were some of the unique challenges that were presented? YL: Astoria has very little formal fine dining. Credit to Michael Psilakis for making MP Taverna a new neighborhood staple and to Trattoria L’Incontro for lasting as long as they have at the level they are at. It’s a tough path to forge. The expected price points and food sophistication levels of the average Astoria diner were somewhat of a mystery to us. Our next event will be geared to that diner. More affordable, more casual, yet still elevated. BORO: How did you prepare the staff to make new dishes for just one service? YL: We had several meetings with the front and back of the house explaining the new structure. We had sample plates. I tried to relate new plates to dishes we had previously run as either menu items or as specials. A lot of the items I was planning on using I deliberately ran as specials so both the cooks and the waiters could get used to the idea of serving them. BORO: What would you have done the same? YL: Stretched the boundaries of what people have come to expect from the standard casual Astoria cafe. BORO: What would you do differently? YL: I think we need to identify our target audience more accurately, and cater to what they want. The waiters, line cooks, maitre D’s and other service staff who live in our neighborhood and work in Manhattan need to be properly catered to, properly marketed to, and then finally properly taken care of come the day of the event. BORO: What role did collaboration play in the dinner? YL: I worked very closely with Cassie on the dessert menu, though I will say, I haven’t a clue what I was doing. She can bake me under a table and then back over it. Frankly I just tasted and smiled. Credit her with the doughnuts and strawberry semi-freddo. I certainly couldn’t have pulled that off. As far as the rest of the menu, it was largely my own. I certainly cooked for and spoke with ownership before the plates were finalized, but by and large this was my baby. BORO: Will any of those dishes be appearing on the menu at Marketa? YL: Absolutely! You can already find the porcini and truffle pasta back on the menu after a six-month hiatus, as well as the Icelandic Cod on the Astoria Restaurant Week menu—and likely the a la carte menu for the winter as well. The others, I always keep the recipes for a later date. You know, just in case someone needs a deep fried poached egg with caviar, juniper, creme fraiche, and herb dust, I will be ready! Marketa 37-17 30th Ave, Astoria, NY 11103 (347) 813-4437 www.marketanewyorkcity.com Strawberry Semifreddo With Champagne Pearls And Ginger Bread Deep Fried Poached Egg With Caviar Herb Moss And Juniper Nutella Doughnuts Red Wine Glazed Short Rib with Goldbar Squash Pop-Ups as Test Markets Story By Bradley Hawks
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