Back Home With Huntington Social!

Today is an exciting day for me! it’s the official announcement of my my next project, Huntington Social (330 New York Avenue, 631-923-2442), a gastropub and cocktail lounge featuring seasonal American fare in a setting that recalls Prohibition-era drink parlors.  We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes for some time now, and this June, my partners (local attorney – and my childhood buddy – Frank “Rocky” Bruno, Esq., restaurateur Larry Rizzo and investor Kevin McCaughan) and I will bring new life into my hometown of Huntington, New York on Long Island’s North Shore with dishes that spotlight fresh, local ingredients and a carefully chosen assortment of wines, beers and artfully crafted cocktails.

I will always think of Huntington as my home, and I’m very excited to bring this project to the community here.  This is the kind of place that I’d like to eat and drink, and I look forward to sharing it with my friends in Huntington.  Our menu is a tribute to Long Island, incorporating local ingredients into dishes that my friends and I used to eat in our mothers’ kitchens growing up here.  They’re the dishes I would order at my favorite bar, the kind of things that you crave again and again – classic comfort food.

My culinary and management team consists of several talented professionals that first worked with me during my time at New York City’s Aureole:  Katie Busch, my corporate chef, who will oversee the development of the project as she did at Eden South Beach;  Julia Doyne, our chef de cuisine, who will be in the kitchen in Huntington daily to make sure that our guests experience the best meal possible;  Luke Omarzu, Julia’s right-hand man and our executive sous chef;  and Jeff Ruskaup, the most hospitable general manager I could have imagined and an ardent bourbon lover (he’s from Kentucky!) who is just itching to share a drink and make new friends with the entire town of Huntington.

We’ll be opening the doors to our stunning second-floor space overlooking the town center in June, but until then please…

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I can’t wait to see you this summer and introduce you to the amazing town that I am proud to call home.

Best,

Chef Christopher Lee

Huntington Social Demolition Day and Planning with Team

Check out this article in the Huntington Patch, hopefully the first of many to come but the buzz has started! Spent the entire day on Friday gutting the new place and stripping it completely down to it's base. Now, we can begin the full rebuild and watch our vision come to life! We'll keep you involved as much as possible in the process so keep checking back for more pics and eventually some video too. The pictures included here are just the beginning....

Coming Home with Restaurant and Lounge Huntington Social!

While I’ve been talking about it for a while, I’m very excited to announce that today, we have officially begun construction on what will soon be Huntington Social in the downtown area of my hometown, Huntington, NY. The location is right on the corner of New York Avenue and Main Street, upstairs overlooking the heart of the village in what used to be the nightclub Chesterfields. While Chesterfields has certainly been a Huntington mainstay for many, many years, it was in desperate need of some new energy and a major facelift, which is exactly what we began today.

Huntington Social will be a 1920’s prohibition era speakeasy gastropub with an extensive mixology program and a diverse menu.  Menu items are currently being developed and finalized but some sneak peak front runners might include Truffle Egg Toast, Steamed Mussels in roasted garlic and preserved lemon, Pierogies filled with kielbasa, caramelized onions and pickled red cabbage, Wild Striped Bass and of course a kick ass Huntington Social Burger! 

The primary partners of Huntington Social include myself, Rocky Bruno who currently owns Christopher’s and is a lawyer in town, investor Kevin McCaughan and one of my partners from Eden down in South Beach, entrepreneur Larry Rizzo. In the beginning, I anticipate being on location daily until we’re fully operational and then pulling back and letting my team run the ship while I oversee all culinary operations. But as with all of my restaurants, I love being very hands on!  

As of now, we’re shooting for a mid may opening celebration so I’m counting on all of my local hometown friends and family to start spreading the word! I’m beyond excited for this opportunity to give back to my hometown community and I look forward to further embedding myself in the Huntington Village scene!

Friend me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chefchrislee and follow me on twitter @chefchrisleenyc for updates, news, and additional information! I look forward to seeing everyone very soon…get ready!!!

Miami New Times Recipe, Eden SOBE

Check out this article in the Miami New Times blog and let me know if you tried out the Hamachi recipe!

Quick Update

I know it's been a while since i've written one of these but I'm going to make an effort to be more on top of the whole blog thing. Twitter as well (follow me here @chefchrisleenyc). Not that I think anyone really cares all that much but it's an easy way to keep in touch while I'm all over the place juggling a variety of projects so i figured I'd give it a shot.

For the first time in my career I'm currently not tied down plating food in a kitchen all day everyday and I'm amazed at how much work can get done with the time to actually do it! From Eden in Miami to planning Huntington Social in my hometown on Long Island, building The Hot Meat Truck in NYC, keeping the OCC Roadhouse moving along, in addition to cultivating new concepts such as Blend...it's been a whirlwind start to the new year. I'm in Miami now for the SOBE Fest 2011 which should be a great time with plenty of food to go around! Gotta get ready for our exclusive "In the Kitchen" dinner tonight at Eden, maybe I'll see you there!