One of Long Island City’s finest restaurant operators is getting ready to launch a brand new concept in Manhattan some time next year.
Quique Crudo is a new restaurant currently under development by owner Winston Kulok, a veteran restaurateur with over twenty years of experience in the industry. Kulok, along with his wife, Carole Bergman Kulok, are the owners and operators of two of Long Island City’s finest restaurants. Their French concept, Cafe Henri, has been operating since 2004 out of Queens (and even operated an outpost in the West Village for a while).
Their other restaurant meanwhile, Casa Enrique is recognized as one of the most celebrated Mexican concepts in Queens. Highlighting the legendary cuisine from Executive Chef (and former Cafe Henri chef) Cosme Aguilar, Casa Enrique holds the coveted position of being the borough’s only Michelin-starred concept, having earned the prestigious award in 2014, only two years after opening. The restaurant has retained its Michelin star ever since, and Chef Cosme has even been nominated for a James Beard award for excellence in Mexican Cuisine.
Now, it appears that Kulok is gearing up to debut a brand new concept in Manhattan sometime next year. The concept, dubbed Quique Crudo, will be arriving at 27 Bedford Street, and is described as a “seafood and cocktail focused Mexican restaurant.” The space at 27 Bedford currently houses the popular dessert concept Marble Bar, who announced last May that they would be leaving the West Village in pursuit of a larger space, which has yet to be announced. While the Marble team has not yet launched their dessert bar relocation, Chefs Mauro Pompili and Maya Sittisuntorn are currently operating Marble as a private tasting experience, and are presently available by invitation only.
The location is rather intimate, and is perfect for the exclusive fine dining concept that Kulok envisions. The ground floor features only 400 square feet of space, and is expected to seat a total of 12 guests at one time around the central chef’s table. It is not known at this time whether or not Chef Aguilar will be involved with Quique Crudo, though fans of Casa Enrique certainly have their fingers crossed. Kulok is now getting ready to acquire a liquor license for the space, and is proposing operating hours of 4:00 PM – 2:00 AM Monday through Thursday, 5:30 PM – 2:00 AM on Friday, 10:00 AM – 2:00 AM on Saturday, and 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM on Sunday. At the moment, Quique Crudo is too early into development to have its own social media presence, so you will just have to stay posted for further updates.
