Photo by Ava Ranger
March 30, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
A restaurant focusing on New American fare is opening its doors soon in Long Island City.
Bellwether, the name of the new eatery, is located at 47-25 Vernon Blvd., and features a menu inspired by Mediterranean, North African and Asian cuisine, with an emphasis on using local and sustainably-sourced ingredients. The restaurant is set to open to the public on April 3.
The restaurant is owned by Matthew McCormick, a Long Island City resident for 10 years, and Preston Madson, known for serving as head chef of Freemans restaurant in the Lower East Side.
“We call the menu New American as it allows us to use an amalgam of different flavor profiles and ingredients,” Madson said.
Entrees in the seasonal menu include braised lamb neck, seared mushrooms, and the in-house Bellwether patty melt, while the starter section sees options like beef carpaccio and black bass. Grilled fava beans and parker house rolls are among some of the items in the snack section.
photo by Ethan Covey
The 60-seat restaurant also offers pastries and a custom cocktail menu.
McCormick said he’s always considered opening a restaurant in Long Island City, where’s he’s also raising a family.
“With all of the change in our area, I still view Vernon Blvd as our neighborhood’s ‘Main Street’,” McCormick said. “It has the history, and the charm. It’s very accessible for locals, but also easy to reach from the city and outer boroughs via subway and ferry. Unlike other heavily traveled roads in our area, Vernon Blvd still has a calming presence during morning and evening hours.”
The new restaurant is open for dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The corner restaurant was the former site of Masso Restaurant, which closed in 2017 after being in the neighborhood for over a decade.
For more information, click here
