Former 21 Chef Erik Blauberg Will Open Stanton Street Kitchen on the LES

Erik Blauberg, who was chef at 21 for eight years before starting a consulting company will open his own 70-seat restaurant on the LES, far from the midtown power scene. Stanton Street Kitchen is due to open shortly after Thanksgiving and will feature a menu of small plates with such dishes as sugar pea risotto with cepes and delicata squash, homemade tagliatelle with hen of the woods mushrooms and wild boar sausage, and port-braised oxtail with foie gras and fava bean ravioli. Larger plate selections will include a 42 ounce porterhouse and truffle-crusted wild salmon. A seasonal "chef's feast'' tasting menu will also be available, with dishes such as whole roast pig or lamb. In addition to an ambitious wine list, more than 100 different bottled beers and 14 seasonal drafts will be available. "Beer bites'' to go with the brews include kadota figs with goat cheese and 50 year old sherry and braised pork belly and with red cabbage and toasted peanut slaw. "Craft beer as a trend has been going through the roof,'' says the chef, by way of explaining his malt focus. "There are more beer salespeople than wine guys right now, and beer actually goes better with food than many wines.'' Stanton Street Kitchen will stay open until 4 am from Thursday through Saturday.