Bâtard’s Chef Joins the Kitchen at Augustine

Restaurateur Keith McNally’s less than two-year-old FiDi jewel Augustine now has a big-name new chef: Markus Glocker, the chef-partner behind Michelin-starred Tribeca fine dining restaurant Bâtard.

Glocker tells Eater that he started this week in the kitchen at Augustine in the Beekman Hotel, at 5 Beekman St. at Theatre Alley. He remains a partner at Bâtard, co-owned with restaurateurs Drew Nieporent and John Winterman, and will be splitting his time between the two restaurants.

Augustine, which opened in October 2016 and received two stars from Eater critic Ryan Sutton, will have a new menu within the next five weeks. It will keep “the same relaxed, bistro-style” vibes, Glocker says, and at its core, will still be French. But Glocker, who is from Austria, will be adding Viennese accents as well. Expect a little bit of strudel and dishes like a beetroot salad with hazelnut and red currants. Pastry, too, may be switched up under the chef.

Glocker is not a partner at Augustine and says he decided to join because he’s “always liked the Beekman Hotel.” “One thing led to another. I got the opportunity,” he says.

It’s a big get for the McNally family. When Bâtard opened in 2014, it shot up in the dining scene as a fun, approachable version of fine dining for Tribeca. The restaurant earned three stars in the Times, two stars from Eater critic Ryan Sutton, and won the James Beard Award for best new restaurant that year. Since then, it has maintained a Michelin star, and Glocker has been a semifinalist for James Beard Awards three times.

Eater has reached out to the McNally family for more info. Stay tuned. Update: A McNally family spokesperson says that former executive chef Daniel Parilla left “to pursue other endeavors” and that Glocker “stood out” as they sought a new chef.