James NY Welcomes David Burke to the Concrete Bunker

Grid View

• At the James New York on Grand Street.
• Follow the rabbit for eats.
• James vertical over Soho.
• Slotted windows along Sixth.
• Subterranean Kitchen beneath where the Urban Garden will grow.
• Getting ready for diners.
• Setting up the bar.
• Stocking the liquor cabinet.
• The Treehouse Bar at the corner above Grand and Sixth.
• The James and its welcoming wall.
• Rustic and minimal outside, "wholesome and hearty" inside.

The James New York, the big stack of hospitality elevated over Soho, is ready to welcome chef David Burke and his Kitchen crew to the underground bunker at the corner of Grand and Sixth. The restaurant opening at 23 Grand Street was originally set for tomorrow but now is being quoted as any time between Wednesday and next Monday (depending on whom you ask). Still, over the weekend tables were being set and glasses polished. Through the long and low windows fronting the sidewalk along Sixth Ave., a slice of the subterranean eatery is on view, and from inside diners will see a parade of legs passing by outside.

Inside and down below, where the Kitchen interiors have been handled by Thomas Schlesser and Design Bureaux bunch, diners will find "the cool, industrial simplicity of an airy loft with the rustic warmth of a country barn." Outside and up above, where an Urban Garden will emerge once the on-going ice sheet melts away, will be the Treehouse Bar offering the always popular sweet and savory "pop tarts" and other tasty treats. Still to come at James New York is the sky high pool and plaza up top where, in this endless winter, the opportunity seems ripe for yet another ice skating extravaganza.

Check in with The Robs for a look at David Burke's new menu, or read a friends and family account rating the Ants on a Log and lobster dumplings here on Yelp.
· james New York coverage [Curbed]
· David Burke coverage [Eater]
· David Burke Kitchen [James Hotels]
—Pete Davies