(American Brass)
March 4, 2020 By Allie Griffin
A waterfront restaurant is now open in the space that was occupied by Riverview Restaurant that offers diners New American brasserie fare like fresh seafood, upscale barbeque and speciality cocktails.
American Brass, located at the corner of 49th Avenue and Center Boulevard, fully opens to the public today. The restaurant is owned by Tommy Demaras and Robert Briskin, who also own the nearby Italian restaurant Maiella that opened in 2015.
The sizeable spot can hold up to 150 dinner guests in the dining room and 20 more in the adjoining bar area. During warmer months, outdoor waterfront seating will open and can accommodate 84 guests with views of Gantry Plaza State Park and the Manhattan skyline.
Helmed by partner and Executive Chef Raffaele Solinas — who also oversees the kitchen at Maiella — the menu offers a variety of New American foods from locally-sourced ingredients.
(American Brass)
An oversized raw bar offers 16 types of oysters and a robust selection of shellfish, clams, seafood salads and tiered towers. There are six variations of mussel pots, as well as shrimp scampi, Atlantic salmon, three-cheese oyster gratin, wild baked mussels, barbecue calamari, spicy salmon tartare, charcoal octopus and clams provençal.
An American Brass house specialty is “The Fat Pig,” a pig-shaped charcuterie board with American ham, peppercorn crusted salami, smoked duck breast, extra virgin olive oil cake, California assorted olives & homemade pickles, goat cheese, truffle pecorino, country truffle pate, champagne grapes, deviled eggs and red wine figs.
Former Location of Riverview Restaurant where American Brass has opened (Photo: Queens Post April 2019)
Other cuisines and daily specials on the menu include cherry-glazed barbecue ribs, red wine-infused mac & cheese, pork belly and caviar lentil, rotisserie suckling pig, smoked cowboy ribeye, overnight pork shank, seven-hour lamb shoulder, grass-fed prime black angus steaks and a 28-day dry-aged burger.
Signature sides include Long Island corn creme brulee, roasted cauliflower steak, sauteed seven bean spicy apple smoked bacon, garlic black kale and maple glazed rainbow carrots. Desserts include banana cream pie, baked Alaska and cotton candy.
The bar offers a variety of local Long Island City beers including seasonal offerings from Fifth Hammer Brewing Co, LIC Beer Project, Big aLICe and Icon Brewing on tap. Aiden Bowie oversees the bar menu which includes house signatures like the pink peppercorn negroni and a hard cherry cola — a wink to the former Pepsi-Cola bottling plant in the neighborhood.
Demaras with Kate Hudson at Maiella in 2015
