Beauty & Essex, chef Chris Santos' megasized follow up to Lower East Side scenester spot The Stanton Social opens to the public a week from Saturday on December 11. It's designed by AvroKO and owned by Santos, Happy Endings' Peter Kane, and one of the co-founders of Lavo and Tao. So keep that in mind before taking grandma.
According to press materials, the menu here "is a little bit more sophisticated, maybe a little more mature" than at its five year-old sister restaurant. Which apparently means menu items like grilled cheese and tomato soup dumplings, banh mi spring rolls, "General Tso's” Black Cod, and other sharable small plates (the press release credits Santos with "pioneering the recent trend of small, share plate dining.")
But it doesn't end with the food! The front of the restaurant will also be a functioning pawn shop, complete with guitars, saxophones, and a "returned" engagement ring. There will be a bar with free bubbly in the ladies room. A chandelier made entirely of pearls will cover the ceiling, wall to wall. And there are four dining rooms. And a circular staircase. And an undulating oval skylight. 13 days and counting. Stay tuned for a look inside.
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