LI's Chef Eric LeVine To Open Pair Of Brooklyn Restaurants: 'Super Stoked'

BROOKLYN, NY — Chef Eric LeVine is gearing up for a homecoming.

The award-winning chef will bring his talents to his hometown of Brooklyn, as he is set to open two restaurants at 42 Hotel in Williamsburg this month.

Blackbird, a global gastropub, is set to open on April 22, while Evolution, a multi-course tasting menu, is slated to start serving cuisine on April 30.

LeVine was born and raised in Sheep's Head Bay.

"It’s my hometown," LeVine told Patch. "It was 40-something years ago when I started this [culinary career], that was my first job. I never had the opportunity to open something there. I never really looked at the opportunity until this one in Williamsburg became open at 42 Hotel. It was like coming home."

LeVine, a two-time champion of The Food Network's "Chopped," who was also featured on "Beat Bobby Flay," "Food Paradise," "Alex Vs America" and "Morimoto's Sushi Master" among other shows, brought his culinary talents to Long Island, building a robust and well-rounded menu, first at 317 Main Street in Farmingdale. LeVine also lended his expertise to Vico and The Nutty Irishman.

Since opening 317 Main Street in 2019, LeVine has led the restaurant to back-to-back victories as Best American/Continental Restaurant on Long Island in the FourLeaf Best of Long Island Awards (2024 and 2025). LeVine was also named Best Chef on Long Island in the same awards in 2023 and 2024. The FourLeaf Best of Long Island Awards are voted on by the public.

LeVine has a message for fans of 317 concerned about his future with the restaurant:

"Don’t worry. I’m still a partner at 317 Main Street. I’m not going anywhere. This is the house that I built. This is my baby. This is my home. It’s my baby. It still is me, all me, with me. This is my home. I’ll be splitting my time and doing my thing."

LeVine said 317 Main Street customers will still see plenty of him, but when he is not around, he trusts his sous-chef, Boris Coguox, and his partners, Joe Fortuna, Kevin Cleary and Dom Marino.

"Oh my God. The team that we have, that we’ve built here over the years, has been nothing short of amazing," LeVine said. "That’s why I also have the flexibility to do it ... They’re all amazing. They’re pros. They know what has to be done, the way it has to be done. They take care of the business, and we do it together. But yes. We have great people who are involved, invested into it, and excited about it."

Once 317 Main Street became established and grew, LeVine said he has gotten phone calls from people asking him to "get involved" in other ventures. One day, a call came from a mutual friend of LeVine and Nik, Hirsh and Milan Patel — the partners at 42 Hotel.

"They were looking to expand," LeVine said. "They wanted to put food in beverage in the hotel on another level. I’m always looking to do more and expand my brand. This was a great branding deal. Taking my name and dropping it in the hotel."

LeVine said the Patels are "amazing hotel owners."

"They needed me, and I needed them to do this," he said. "It’s the perfect kind of balance where we can help each other grow."

Now, LeVine is set to open Blackbird and Evolution this month.

Blackbird is a global gastropub, which LeVine said is similar to 317 Main Street.

"It’s something I created a recipe for; I did it in New Jersey a few times over there," he said. "I was able to create and replicate the fun vibe with a twist."

Blackbird will feature some of LeVine's signature menu items, such as his Monster Burger — a double-stacked triple blend patty, house-smoked chorizo link, cheddar, fried egg, slaw, onion ring, and fried pickle — and his five-onion soup inside a carved-out onion.

"Things that have built the brand at 317 Main Street," LeVine explained. "And I’m utilizing the things that are fun. But also twisting it different and doing some things that I don’t do at 317 because the marketplace is a little bit different. The expectations are a little bit different. It’s closer to Manhattan. There’s a lot of different twists and turns."

LeVine will also make homemade fresh pasta at Blackbird, such as ravioli, agnolotti and tortelloni.

"The idea of Blackbird is about the birth of something new," LeVine said. "Walking away from something old or dying off, so to speak."

LeVine and his fiancée, Deborah Gutheil, both have blackbird tattoos on their hands to signify the "birth of something new."

"Our life, our love, our relationship, and now into our business."

And it is Gutheil who will play a major role at Evolution — LeVine's other venture at 42 Hotel.

Evolution is an "elevated dining experience" and tasting menu, only, LeVine said.

"I’m really, really super stoked about this," LeVine said. "A really unique experience far from anything I’ve ever done in the past."

The restaurant will feature either 10 or 12 courses and an open kitchen. There will only be 35 seats, offering an intimate setting.

"It’s all about the tasting. You come in, it’s a pre-set tasting menu," the chef said. "You can do wine pairings, you can do cocktails."

The menu will rotate seasonally and/or monthly and will always be "thematic," LeVine said.

The opening theme will be Brooklyn.

"All my childhood flavors and things I grew up with," LeVine said. "In Sheep’s Head Bay, you had the clam bar there. It was near Coney Island, Brighton Beach. Williamsburg had the steakhouses there. All these little twists and turns. It will be a tasting menu that’s built into that."

Other menu themes in the works are constellation and summer.

"Each course is going to be a different month and it will play on those flavors and play on the idea of that," LeVine said. "The other thing we’re thinking about doing is tying a movie here and there. 'The Wizard of Oz,' and thinking about how I can create a dining experience with the dish. Really getting funky and fun. Really high-end. Creative. Just different. It’s like our chef’s table at 317 Main Street but a bigger version of that."

LeVine said getting to embark on this new journey with Gutheil is "very unique."

"People say that you should never partner up or do business with the ones you love, but our synergy is so cool, and she gets it," LeVine said. "We support each other and have fun together, and she’s really creative. With Evolution, she helped me with the design of it, the vibe of it. The staff uniforms. Lots of little details and things she brings to the table, it helps me take it to the next level. Together, we’re doing it."

LeVine said a "beautiful, little dining room" has been meticulously crafted at Evolution.

Artist Karina Smyrnova created a mural of the Brooklyn Bridge that shows how the bridge has evolved from its initial construction in the 1800s to today.

"I was like, 'This is what I want,' and [Smyrnova] just took it and ran," LeVine said. "It was beautiful."

The other mural features Brooklyn brownstones.

"A really fun, old school, almost graffiti-type [mural]," LeVine said. "It ties into a lot of different places and ways for me. It’s just another moment. It was an important part of my life. At this point in my career, I don’t want to slow down. I’ve been doing this for 44 years. August will be 45. I have no interest in slowing down."

Even a scheduled knee replacement at the end of May won't stop LeVine, he pledged.

"I’m excited, because it becomes a new opportunity and a new thing to do. It also exposes guests who may not have been to 317 to what I do in Brooklyn and Manhattan. For those out here on Long Island, there’s an opportunity to bring them here, as well, to see what we do."

42 Hotel is at 426 S. 5th St., Brooklyn.

LeVine left his fans and customers with his signature message: "As always, fire it up."