It's been one dazzling fall season for celeb-magnet chef Jean Imbert.
Off the success of his restaurant, L’Acajou in Paris (which he opened at the age of 22) and his time as a personal chef Pharrell Williams, and Robert De Niro, the French chef known for his seasonal and playful creations has just opened his first two restaurants stateside.
First in Miami's Design District, Swan, which is owned by Pharrell Williams & David Grutman and decorated by Ken Fulk. And the second in Manhattan's Meatpacking District, Encore, nestled between Chelsea Market and the Whitney Museum.
The restaurant is located in a former grocery store of a red brick building built in 1887. It's a stunning 5,000-square-foot space that sits 175 upstairs and has an intimate private dining room downstairs which showcases an original exposed beam ceiling and vintage movie posters of films set in NYC.
Opening up in New York has been a pipe dream for the French chef. “When I was young, I always said ‘If I go outside of Paris, it’s New York. It’s a little bit cliché for a French chef to say that we love New York, but for me, it’s true,” said Imbert to WWD.com. And according to his Instagram stories (that are well worth a watch not just for spotting famous faces), the name of the restaurant "Encore" was inspired while he was watching Jay-Z perform in Brooklyn last year.
The menu features culinary highlights such as Leaves/Tempura, Encore’s signature side dish Corn/Corn/Corn (polenta, grilled corn, and pop corn), focaccia with ricotta and celery, crispy Caesar salad, honey pork ribs, rigatoni with mushroom & apricot, citrus halibut with olive, and teriyaki wagyu beef with cilantro; desserts include Chocolate/Caramel/Sea Salt, the “E” Peanut Butter Tart, and Exotic Sphere with black sesame.
Encore is open every night for dinner and for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
