The space at 39 Downing St. in the West Village, occupied by Mas Farmhouse for 14 years until it closed in June, will soon start a new life as a Korean fusion restaurant with an acclaimed chef in the kitchen.
Sung Park, who worked as chef at Jean-Georges and most recently at Brasserie Seoul in Boerum Hill, will helm the 70-seat venture named Windrose, set to open October 5. He’ll be focused on Korean and American South home cooking using French techniques in small plates priced from $15 to $25. Park made a name for himself recently at Le Petit Bistro in Williamsburg, where he became known for dishes such as seafood bouillabaisse with kimchi, fried tofu, and rice gnocchi.
The restaurant — named after the North Rose on a compass — is backed by Cesar Jiminez, formerly of Blue Ribbon; Noel Shu, a sommelier and investor; CFO James Park; and Alberto Lazo. Since the space had very recently undergone an extensive renovation, Park says there are just plans for a “slight facelift” of the space, and they’re even using equipment from Mas.
Windrose enters an increasingly crowded landscape of Korean restaurants using French cooking techniques. Namely, Oiji and Soogil in the East Village, Atoboy in Nomad, and Jeju Noodle Bar in the West Village — where the chefs are trained in classic French techniques and cooking Korean food in that vein. Stay tuned for more.