Menus, Photos & More Revealed For The Finch On Greene Avenue
Several weeks back, we wrote about a new restaurant coming to 212 Greene Avenue (between Grand Avenue and Cambridge Place) from Chef Gabe McMackin, formerly of Roberta’s, Gramercy Tavern, and Blue Hill. Eater identified it as The Finch, and since then, the restaurant has established a little bit of an under the radar internet presence (very clever, McMackin, very clever). Here’s what we’ve learned from The Finch’s site:
1. The name “The Finch,” the site says, stems from three places: one, the bird itself, which transforms from brown to yellow in the spring; two, the larger manifestation of springtime in New England (Gabe is from Connecticut); and three, the bird’s presence in Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
“If it’s fall and the first frost that makes the concord grapes sweet, it’s the memory of a lobster cooked over a fire on the beach, or the soft fuzz on a tomato, the bright green smell of its leaves, and the sweetness of its taste in the warm sun, those are the moments we want to hold,” says the site of the restaurant’s culinary inspirations. “It’s tied to what feels special at that time. It’s the best of what we can get, and the most fun we can have with it.”
2. As previously noted, The Finch will be a farm-to-table eatery. As such, menus will change. However, the site shows a sample dinner menu including items like sweet corn chowder, zucchini tarts, caprese salad with prosciutto on ciabatta bread, roasted hailbut, skirt steak, hazelnut bread pudding, pies, and more.
3. Beverage-wise, the site says patrons can look forward to “wines from a variety of countries, mostly old world but some new,” and that they are working with small importers and local wine aficionados to perfect their list. “Tasty and satisfying, but not too fussy” is the name of the game for their seasonal cocktail list, and they’ll be offering both higher end draft beers as well as cheap cans, and La Colombe coffee.
4. They’re looking to staff up! Neighbors interested in positions at The Finch can get in touch via garret@thefinchnyc.com.
5. They tracked down a super cool old photo of when 212 Greene was Russo’s Delicatessen, and they maintain a (not suprisingly from our previous experiences with Gabe’s blog) esoteric, cryptically funny journal on the site.
So, that’s what we’ve got for now! The Finch looks like it’s on track to open in the near future–but until then, you can check out more photos at the restaurant’s site and on on Gabe’s Instagram.
Top three photos via The Finch