Adventures in Shilling: Rewind

We assumed that the silence surrounding Essex Street restaurant-lounge Rewind meant that the place had finally kicked the bucket. (Shutter warning sign #17: Back in September, we heard that the chef walked.) True the chef has been replaced; false, the place has closed—per this note dropped in the Eater mailbag:

rewind (137 essex street) just re-opened their kitchen. their new chef used to be a manager/sommelier at tribeca grill i guess and i checked it out for their opening last night. The food was amazing! the wine list is still kind of small but the menu is great! (i.e. piedmontese hanger steak with smoked red wine sauce and chimichurri, fontina grilled cheese with truffled tomato soup, wok seared diver scallop with porcini risotto, guanciale and roasted wild mushrooms.) check it out.

Shill Probability: 90%

So the new chef was a former manager/sommelier—not a chef? Also interesting is how closely this email resembles a "review" of the place on Citysearch.

I'd actaually [sic] been to rewind a couple of times for the nightlife (I love the dj's) but I heard they hired a new chef who was serving some stellar food; so, I took my girlfriend there last night for dinner and I was blown away! The food is delicious, fun and full of little suprises [sic] (once you have had one of the "truffled fontina grilled cheese with tomato soup", you'll need a 12 step program to stop). The atmosphere is kind of modern sensual and loungey and the food (mostly small plates with a few entree options as well) suits the atmosphere perfectly. Other must tries on the menu are the grilled piedmontese beef with smoked red wine sauce and chimichurri, and the wok seared diver scallop with porcini risotto, guanciale, and roasted wild mushrooms. And if you don't want to leave after you finish your meal, don't worry! The the bar and lounge are open till 4!

Shill probability: 99.99%

Will a thorough and intense shill-storm save this place? Survival probability: 0.01%
· EaterWire: Ave B Hellmouth, Ditmas Park, Wells, Rewind [~E~]
· Eater Inside: Rewind [~E~]
· Rewind [Citysearch]