Montauk’s New Clubstaurant Burns Down a Day Before Opening

Maison Close, a new restaurant and nightclub in Montauk, burned to the ground on Thursday evening — a day before its planned Memorial Day opening. Theilau Probost, one of the venue’s owners, shared in a post on social media that he “was the last one to leave the building,” according to the New York Post. Fifteen minutes later, the restaurant at 435 East Lake Drive, along the Lake Montauk waterfront, was on fire. The clubstaurant in East Hampton Town was meant to be a second location for Maison Close in Soho, a French restaurant that opened last summer with celebrity fans that include Matt Damon and Jason Biggs. According to the East Hampton Star, a local publication in the area, the building was damaged beyond repair. The town’s fire marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the blaze.

One of the city’s top Indian restaurants now serves brunch

Dhamaka, the acclaimed Indian restaurant operating out of the Essex Market food hall on the Lower East Side, is now serving brunch. The restaurant served the new menu for the first time over Memorial Day weekend, according to a spokesperson. It includes biryani, omelets, toast, and breakfast sandwiches with paneer and lamb cutlet. More than two years after opening, Dhamaka remains one of the hottest tables in town, even after revamping its menu. Brunch is available from 11:30 to 2:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays.

Meet the account influencing food coverage across the city

The New York Times profiles Righteous Eats this week, a social media account that spotlights under-the-radar restaurants in the five boroughs. The piece follows Jaeki Cho, the account’s star, who started Righteous Eats while quarantining in his New York apartment. It now has more than 400,000 combined followers on TikTok and Instagram and is influencing food coverage across the city. In November, it featured an interview with representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

A new Italian restaurant in the Rockaways honors a late chef

Adrienne’s, a new Italian restaurant in the Rockaways, will open this summer with a name and menu inspired by Adrienne Guttieri, the late chef at Trademark Bar and Kitchen in Midtown who unexpectedly died last summer. The restaurant at 25 Van Brunt Road, at Cross Bay Boulevard, is backed by Guttieri’s family and former colleagues of the chef, What Now NY reports. The menu will include a signature rigatoni bolognese with whipped ricotta, an invention of Guttieri, and other upscale Italian dishes.