‘Char Sue’ Brings its ‘Reimagined’ Asian Food to Essex Street this Weekend
Upper Essex Street is a few days from welcoming yet another restaurant to its ranks. Char Sue is just a couple days from debut.
As previously reported, chef and co-owner Matt Rojas plans to serve a menu of “affordable” Asian food with a “Western twist,” plus craft beers, in a casual environment. Dishes include house meats like Char Sue Pork Ribs and Japanese Curry Lamb Necks, and sandwiches like Thai Curry Tubers and Short Ribs.
For the last couple weeks, fill-in-the-blank printouts, alongside ads for social media pages, teased an unknown April launch date. But now we know opening day is set for this weekend – April 15.
The name Char Sue is a manipulation of “Cha Siu,” an ancient Cantonese technique of roasting fork-skewered meats over a fire.
119 Essex Street hasn’t been too hospitable in the years since the smutty Sunflower video store departed. Brannon’s previously held down the fort for a meager ten months before folding in August 2014. Restaurateur Joseph Valentine then sought to install the John Lamb, but abandoned the location in favor of the new boutique Sago Hotel at 119 Orchard Street (where it met the same fate).
Photo: Char Sue’s Twitter
Recent Stories
Under Presure from Chinatown, Mayor Pledges $80M to Restore 70 Mulberry Street
The fire-scorched school building at 70 Mulberry Street will see life anew, thanks to massive city funding. Mayor de Blasio announced yesterday in his morning press briefing that the new budget contains a line item for $80 million dedicated to restoration of the historic building. Hizzoner spent a solid four minutes discussing how Chinatown was […]
Fearing COVID-19 Resurgence, De Blasio Halts Indoor Dining Indefinitely
Not so fast. Phase 3 of the reopening plan is slated to launch on Monday. However, it arrives without the resumption of indoor dining at bars and restaurants, as initially conceived. Mayor de Blasio announced the news at his morning presser yesterday, citing the nationwide surges of COVID-19 cases and the elevated dangers of indoor […]
When Rivington House Wouldn’t Clean its Garbage Mess, a Neighbor Stepped In
A Good Samaritan took responsibility where a multimillion-dollar hospital system would not. As previously reported, the outside of Rivington House – future home of Mount Sinai’s future Behavioral Health facility – essentially devolved into decrepitude with the accumulation of trash at the doorstep. Untouched for days on end. But one Lower East Sider took matters […]
Chillhouse Shutters Original Essex Street Spa
The list of coronavirus-related business closures is getting longer by the week. Today brings word that an Essex Street newcomer has bitten the dust. Chillhouse, a millennials-style spa at 149 Essex Street, is the latest to fall. Ownership announced the permanent shutter in an e-mail to customers Tuesday afternoon. “As we all know too well […]
Hamilton Fish Park Pool to Reopen by August 1
In an about-face, the city announced yesterday that at least fifteen public pools will reopen across the Five Boroughs. Included in the lucky list is the Hamilton Fish Park pool, known to locals as the “Pitt Pool.” But the cooldown will have to wait another month. The reopenings are scheduled for August 1, and are […]
