In Williamsburg and Greenpoint, two very different styles of chicken are looking to turn spits, and heads.
At Johnny’s, a New Generation Honors a Peruvian-Chinese Legacy
By Kathleen Willcox
Can you honor your family’s culinary and cultural heritage while simultaneously modernizing it?
That’s just what Stephanie and John Tang are endeavoring to do at Johnny’s in Williamsburg, under the watchful eye of their mother, Pearl Tang.
“My family has been serving pollo a la brasa at various restaurants for more than 50 years in New York City,” Stephanie says. “The tradition began with my grandfather, Yuen Jam Tan, who opened up Peking BBQ in Woodside, Queens, in the early 1970s. It’s still there.”
His son Johnny, who came to NYC in his teens, opened several restaurants before passing away unexpectedly. He and other family members brought a new level of quality to the Chinese-Peruvian (aka Chifa) dishes popularized at Peking BBQ.
“[It was] primarily rotisserie chicken and ribs with aji verde, and rice or fries,” says Stephanie. “They were generally located in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods, and were always extremely successful because of the quality of the food, and the fact that my family oversaw back- and front-of-house.”
Stephanie and John decided to follow in their family’s footsteps, but they wanted to do it differently.
“I live in Williamsburg, and I knew we needed to offer different, lighter menu options, present it as a sit-down instead of a takeout restaurant, and serve a full bar,” she says. “My mother was not convinced. She’s tough!” Early success since its July opening may have brought Pearl around. “She has made a few vague comments that make me and my brother feel like she might approve. We think,” she says.
At Johnny’s, there is juicy, perfectly spiced pollo with crackling skin, zesty aji verde, but also addictive Chifa smash burgers with pickles and cheddar, and greens galore. “I knew we needed salads in Williamsburg,” Stephanie says. Their sesame caesar, with aji amarillo dressing, is a top seller.
There’s also a carefully curated drinks menu. Think affordable chic Vinho Verde and an Oo-La-La cocktails for the ‘hipsters’ (if we can still call them that), finance bros, and Peruvians who regularly pack 50-seat spot.
The restaurant’s namesake died before he could live the dream of expanding his Chifa empire and upgrade his family’s essential concept. So Stephanie and John are doing it for him. Even if Pearl’s approval is only tacit, Johnny would surely be thrilled.
Johnny’s is located at 642 Lorimer Street in Williamsburg, and is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
Johnny’s
Williamsburg, @johnnysbk
With Gigi’s, Fulgurances Team Goes Casual
By Matt Yan
Why did the chicken cross the road? At Fulgurances Laundromat, it didn’t. It went down the block: the hub for chef residencies is opening a more casual sister spot at 138 Franklin Ave, where tasting menus will be swapped for poulet rôti, or rotisserie chicken, at Gigi’s.
The new restaurant will be entirely different, but with some familiar faces. Fulgurances co-owner Hugo Hivernat is opening Gigi’s with his partners: sommeliers Pierre Buffet and Thibault Dubreuil. Another partner, Guillaume Bresson, a painter, is the restaurant’s namesake. “It’s its own thing, but made by the same collective of people and chefs,” says Hivernat.
Fulgurances has “always been seen as the resident chef program,” says Hivernat. Gigi’s, he says, is a chance to expand. “It’s the first step, also, to being seen as a restaurant hospitality group with something completely different,” he says.
Spearheading the food is Thomas Knodell, the executive chef of Fulgurances. The menu is still in its research-and-development phase, but rotisserie chicken will be a fixture, offered family style with broth and a choice of sides, like a lightly dressed big green salad. None of the chicken will go to waste, with its livers in the “dirty rice” and potatoes roasted in chicken fat.
So why rotisserie chicken? Expanding with this format wasn’t the original plan, Hivernat says, but without a proper ventilation or hood system, it can be the easiest and cheaper option for big heat. It’s also a nod to his childhood in France, when he’d go to the local market to buy a rotisserie chicken. “This is something that we ate, like, probably every Sunday lunch in our childhood,” he says. The ventless rotisserie oven can cook more than 20 chickens at a time. Seasonal veggies will be available too, along with a daily rotisserie special.
Hivernat hopes the space, which he designed himself and was previously an apartment, will be like a Parisian neighborhood bar, but with the kitsch of an American diner. The floor is made from pale-colored tiles, broken by hand and assembled into a mosaic of light pink, blue, and yellow.
While the chicken rules, nobody will judge if you pop by for a glass of wine or a beer. Most of the wine will be French, of course, leaning more into the natural and biodynamic. An extensive wine list in a casual setting is key to the ethos of Gigi’s. After the original Fulgurances in Paris closed last year, Hivernat—who has been collecting wine for 10 years—shipped around 4,000 bottles from France to New York. Some of the collection also comes from Buffet.
With Gigi’s, Hivernat hopes that he can tap into a new clientele, mixing affordability with fun and making the space accessible to neighbors.
“We don’t want to be the kind of place where it sounds pretentious,” says Hivernat, who hopes it can be a casual place to grab a drink or share a rotisserie chicken with friends. Those who know there’s a big list can ask. “We don’t want the place to feel like, ‘Oh, this is a wine place. I’m gonna spend too much money.’”
Gigi’s (coming soon)
Greenpoint, fulgurances.com
