FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 45
Long Island City’s American Brass entices with
waterfront views, revamped menu and top chefs
BY TAMMY SCILEPPI
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
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 caulifl ower then top that scrumptious
meal off with a few espresso martinis!
As reported in Th e New York Times, this
popular restaurant re-opened for outdoor
dining (for 84 guests) during the summer,
and off ers 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 craft ed,
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 aff ected
by the pandemic, but American Brass
has had an exceptionally rocky and dramatic
journey — with super-bad timing
— having opened just before the citywide
shutdown, according to Briskin.
As he tells it, aft er two years of hard
work, dedicated planning, renovations,
and numerous challenges that come with
opening a restaurant, the $7 million concept
fi nally received its liquor license on
Friday, March 13 — only 3 days before the
city government issued closure of dinein
service.
Luckily, a PPP loan helped the struggling
restaurant stay afl oat this past spring
for sustained takeout and delivery service
throughout the shutdown.
Th e 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 Th e New York Times; currently
closed for business).
“During the shutdown period we were
lucky to add Chef Kevin and Chef Chris
to our team. Th ese 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 aft er 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. “Th e 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 confi t 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 off er. 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…
“Th eir setup makes you forget you are
dining out during the COVID times!”
American Brass is open for outdoor
dining 7 days per week and off ers delicious
meals for takeout & delivery. For
hours, reservations, and a complete menu
with prices, visit www.americanbrasslic.
com.
buzz
Photos courtesy of American Brass
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