Blue Smoke, the pioneering urban barbecue restaurant from Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), opens its second location in Manhattan Monday, January 9th, in beautiful Battery Park City at 255 Vesey Street (between West Street and North End Avenue) for dinner service with lunch to follow later in the month. With this new opening, Blue Smoke brings its mouthwatering, authentic pit barbecue, served with its signature warm hospitality, to lower Manhattan’s vibrant community of residents, businesses, and visitors. In addition to the regular menu, the bar at Blue Smoke Battery Park City will offer a selection of new bar snacks, as well as an extensive bourbon, beer and cocktail list. There will also be an outpost of Blue Smoke Bake Shop in the new location, offering its irresistible freshly-baked pies and cakes, breads, cupcakes, cookies and more to-go , for birthday parties and other off-site personal and corporate events.
Kenny Callaghan, the Executive Chef of the flagship restaurant, will serve as the Executive Chef of Blue Smoke Battery Park City (BPC), with Jeffrey Held on board as Chef de Cuisine and Joel Steiger as General Manager. Both Kenny and Mark Maynard-Parisi – each of whom began their USHG careers at Union Square Cafe – will continue to serve as managing partners of the new Blue Smoke restaurants as well. Jenn Giblin will continue to serve as Pastry Chef of both locations.
Architecture firm Bentel & Bentel, who designed the original Blue Smoke as well as several other USHG restaurants, has brought the same casual and homey, yet lively feel to Blue Smoke BPC. The restaurant features wide windows overlooking Vesey Street, warm, dark wood planked floors and wainscoting, and a series of large (4 ft. x 5 ft.) photographs that were commissioned by photographer Frank Stewart on a road trip across the US, including a pecan orchard, lumberyard, barbecue pit, cotton field, and a country road under a cloudy sky. In the warm weather months, the walls overlooking Vesey Street will open to accommodate outdoor seating. The bustling bar area will offer several bar seats, as well as banquettes and a drink rail for standing room.
Guests will be greeted by an outpost of Blue Smoke Bake Shop, destined to be a hit with neighborhood families and area businesses. Situated just inside the restaurant and open seven days a week, Blue Smoke Bake Shop’s menu will feature all the favorites such as Chocolate Cupcakes and Pecan Pie, and will also offer seasonal items, including a cupcake “flavor-of-the-month” and special occasion cakes.
Blue Smoke BPC will also have a private dining room for up to twenty-two seated guests ideal for personal parties and corporate events, as well as a meeting space for area businesses. The room is flanked by frosted glass that permits light to come through but prevents people from seeing inside. A large panel projection screen along with a customizable sound system will be available for presentations. The restaurant will offer delivery to the immediate Battery Park City neighborhood starting in late February.
Ever since opening Union Square Cafe 26 years ago, Union Square Hospitality Group has been committed to extending its signature form of hospitality beyond the walls of its restaurants and into its community. In addition to hunger relief charities, the restaurants have been especially committed to pioneering and participating in the transformation of their neighborhoods – first in 1985 when Union Square Cafe opened in what was once neglected Union Square Park, and again in 1998 with the opening of Tabla, Eleven Madison Park and later Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. As the restaurants flourished, so too did their neighborhoods. Blue Smoke BPC is eager to play an active role in the renaissance of Battery Park City.
“Battery Park City is an incredibly vibrant and exciting community, with so much history and such a promising future, and we couldn’t be more excited to be part of this neighborhood and its growth,” said Mark Maynard-Parisi, Managing Partner of Blue Smoke. “We hope to be a home away from home for the thousands of residents and business people who live and work in and around BPC, and we are looking forward to welcoming our neighbors to our second Blue Smoke.”
Taking its “cues” from the flagship Flatiron restaurant, Blue Smoke BPC will offer a selection of regional barbecue styles from across the country including, Kansas City, Memphis, North Carolina and Texas, along with its beloved, delicious down-home desserts. Guests can expect to see classic Blue Smoke favorites on the menu such as Kansas City Ribs, Pulled Pork, Sausage, Fried Chicken, Chipotle Chicken Wings, Devilled Eggs, and Macaroni and Cheese, as well as some non-barbecue items like Seared Atlantic Salmon, its award-winning Burger and Dry Aged New York Strip Steak. Lunch will also feature a selection of sandwiches and salads.
The bar itself at the new location is set to become a neighborhood destination. Along with the regular menu, guests at the bar can enjoy a selection of snacks including Pickled Ruby Red Gulf Shrimp with Fennel, Sweet Onion and Coriander; Grilled Oysters with Spinach, and Crispy Bread Crumbs; andSalt & Vinegar Pork Rinds. The beverage menu, curated by Cicerone-certified Beverage Director Tinika Green features over 30 bourbon and American whiskey varieties; a beer list focused on American Craft brewers, 10 beers on tap and over 50 bottles including several large-format options for table sharing; and a classic and innovative cocktail list.
When Blue Smoke opened its doors in Manhattan in 2002, it was among the first authentic pit barbecue restaurants in the city. Many have credited Blue Smoke with sparking the nation’s love affair with urban barbecue. Over a dozen new barbecue restaurants have opened in New York alone on the heels of its success. Blue Smoke has received numerous accolades and awards, including “Best Barbecue” from New York Magazine, Time Out New York, and the Village Voice, and has helped make NYC a thriving barbecue destination. In 2009, Blue Smoke opened an outpost at The New York Mets’ Citi Field, and an outpost at The Washington Nationals’ Nationals Park in 2011. Additionally, the restaurant co-founded the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, a much-anticipated annual culinary event each June bringing together the nation’s top pitmasters.
Blue Smoke is part of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), which includes several of New York City’s most celebrated restaurants: Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Shake Shack, The Modern, Cafe 2 and Terrace 5 (located at The Museum of Modern Art), El Verano Taquería and Box Frites (both at Citi Field), Maialino, Untitled at the Whitney Museum of American Art, North End Grill, as well as Union Square Events and Hospitality Quotient, a learning business. USHG is best known for its blend of excellent food and its unique style of warm hospitality. Actively involved in the community, USHG and its employees are committed to extending its enlightened hospitality beyond the walls of its restaurants through its support of hunger relief and civic organizations as well as other causes. Meyer, his restaurants, and chefs have earned an unprecedented 24 James Beard Awards, as well as numerous other media accolades. Six of the company’s resta urants are included in Zagat’s 2012 list of the Most Popular Restaurants in NYC, including the #2 and #4
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