Chef Joseph Buenconsejo OUT at Lower East Side Hot Spot Wassail

Joseph Buenconsejo is no longer the chef at Wassail, the nine-month-old Lower East Side cider bar from the husband and wife team behind The Queens Kickshaw. In his three-star review from last month, Robert Sietsema praised Buenconsejo's "fanciful vegetarian cooking."  Pete Wells also liked the opening menu at Wassail, though he noted that the chef's "compositions tend to stimulate your palate more than they satisfy your appetite."  No word yet on the reasons for his departure, but co-owner Jennifer Lim says that the Wassail team plans to announce a new chef soon.