Future location of Trestle
Nov. 17, 2016 By Hannah Wulkan
A local restaurateur is looking to liven up Broadway with a new restaurant.
Born and raised in Astoria, Joe Brown has bern eyeing a space at 34-02 Broadway for years, and has watched several businesses come and go over that time. The most recent business to close was Pizzastoria, which shut down earlier this year.
Now, he plans on bringing an upscale American bistro to the space called Trestle, where he aims to create a New York City vibe by laying down cobblestone flooring around the bar and incorporating a bridge design around the dining area.
Brown comes with lots of local experience. He owns two pubs in the area, Rocky McBride’s on 23rd Avenue in Astoria and P.J. Leahy’s on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City.
“I feel like Broadway is kind of slacking now and needs to be brought back to life, and I want to do it with something totally unique and different,” Brown said, adding that he hopes to open sometime in December.
The main focus will be on the food, which will primarily be farm-to-table American bistro style. Brown recruited chef Shawn Hewitt to run the kitchen, who has worked under several famous chefs including David Burke and Bobby Flay over the past 20 years, and was most recently the executive chef at BarBacon in Manhattan.
Hewitt said the menu will feature classic steak, chops and seafood, as well as a variety of soup and sandwiches. Appetizers will include items like homemade pulled pork and jack cheese dumplings, quesadillas, burnt ends and seasonal salads.
“I was born into a family of chefs from Montauk and we had six restaurants so I spent a lot of my childhood in front of the stoves learning my father’s secrets,” Hewitt said, adding that the restaurant would use fresh seafood brought in from Montauk daily.
The restaurant will also offer a full bar with specialty drinks.
Though the opening date has not yet been announced, Brown said he plans to open for dinner daily and for brunch on the weekends, but is still trying to figure out if opening for lunch makes sense.
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5 Comments
Wishing toy guys all the best in you’re new business venture
I live directly next to this place – have definitely seen many restaurants come and go.
Excited for the new direction – I hope you have a killer brunch special!
Sounds fantastic!!! Wishing you all the best with the new venture ! Those of us from a Montauk have experienced chef Shawn skills for years .The dishes from comfort food to upscale cutting edge he creates with ease.
Lexa & Jim DiSpirito?
Good luck . Can’t wait ..
Good Luck ….Love that you are keeping Astoria in the food scene! Please consider opening for an early dinner. …4p Thanks