After working inside the fine-dining mecca once crowned the World’s Best Restaurant, a pair of Eleven Madison Park alums have decided to serve up more casual fare. This Tuesday, Andy Quinn and Cedric Nicaise will debut the Noortwyck, a New American restaurant tucked into New York’s West Village.

Quinn, who previously served as a chef at EMP, has turned his attention to the seasonal and local at the Noortwyck, which will feature in-house butchery, bread making, and dry-aging. Working with farmers, producers, and artisans in the New York area, he’s created a menu that will change according to whatever ingredients look good on any given day—utilizing local ingredients but also incorporating global flavors. A few current samplings include a scallop crudo and grapefruit appetizer, bucatini with ramps and white pepper, and hangar steak smoked with spring onion and sherry. For dessert, diners can indulge in a warm chocolate tart or lemon posset with milk ice cream and rhubarb, among other offerings.

Bucatini with ramps. Evan

“Rather than getting tomatoes flown in from Mexico or carrots brought in from California, you can get some really good stuff right here on our doorstep,” Quinn told Robb Report. “I want the cooks to see the product, know where it’s coming from, have a respect for the ingredient because of that, and, in due course, then you’re taking much better care.”

The restaurant’s name is also a nod to New York. Back in the 17th century, the area around the West Village was a settlement called the North District, or Noortwyck, by the Dutch who tended to the Manhattan pastureland.

Nicaise, meanwhile, has created an outstanding wine list to pair with Quinn’s fare. The 250 bottles range from the more accessible (a $55 Grüner Veltliner, for example) to the luxe (a $1,390 Dom Pérignon). Cocktails hew to the classic end of the spectrum, but with seasonal ingredients that mirror the food, such as apricot, peach, and, once again, rhubarb.

Quinn is hoping that the Noortwyck, which seats 70, will become a quintessential neighborhood spot, but with the high standards, attention to detail, and finesse that he and Nicaise have upheld during their careers in Michelin-starred restaurants. The chef noted that he wants people to be able to stop in for both big, expensive birthday celebrations and a casual meal at the bar, with the same food, beverage, and service experience regardless. “We want all those things to feel as though they’ve been done thoughtfully and properly,” he said.

The Noortwyck is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., with brunch service coming sometime this summer. – Source: Robb Report.