Billy Durney’s Acclaimed Red Hook Tavern Swaps Its Head Chef

Red Hook Tavern’s chef is moving on

The chef at Red Hook’s eponymous throwback tavern is moving on from her post less than a year after the Billy Durney-run restaurant opened in the neighborhood. Allison Plumer announced the news on her Instagram account writing last week was her last at the neighborhood joint. She did not share details about the reason behind her move nor about where she’s headed next. “I am so proud to have been a part of such an amazing team of people who will always have a huge place in my heart,” she writes. Eater has reached out to Plumer for comment.

Red Hook Tavern — the second restaurant from the man behind the neighborhood’s massive barbecue hit Hometown Bar-B-Que — opened last July as an homage to some of the city’s most iconic establishments including Peter Luger Steakhouse, McSorley’s, and Corner Bistro. While the restaurant serves up dishes like ham croquettes and brick chicken, it is perhaps best known for having one of the city’s most compelling burgers, which Times critic Pete Wells called a “mandatory” NYC burger. Johann Cottier, who’s been a chef at Red Hook Tavern since its opening, is now taking over as executive chef.

In other news

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— 49-year-old Chelsea deli L & M Delicatessen and Catering is the subject of a new profile in AM New York.

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— Acclaimed London restaurant St. John, which holds a Michelin star, is doing a one-night-only pop-up dinner at Williamsburg’s Hoxton hotel on February 29. Tickets cost $78.

— New Yorkers expressed disappointment for the staff but were mostly happy about the shutdown of the Spotted Pig. The restaurant was on the decline following multiple accusations of sexual harassment against owner Ken Friedman.

— Prince Tea House — the popular tea shop with six locations in NYC — is adding swanky, new locations in the East Village and Forest Hills.

— Excellent strategy: