Photo: Heather Willensky
When chefs Brendan Kelley and Daniel Grossman moved their restaurant Confidant from Industry City to the Brooklyn Heights space that had been Colonie, they expected to see more strollers and foot traffic. It’s why they’d first planned to turn an adjoining storefront (that had been the wine bar Pips) into an all-day café. But once they settled into their new home, they noticed a stream of customers filling their restaurant after 9 p.m. nearly every night of the week.
“This neighborhood has a lot of family energy, but there are also a lot of people like us, who get off work and are looking for a place to get a drink and hang out,” Grossman says. To meet the need, the duo will open Frenzie this Thursday, August 13, where wine and pizza will be served until midnight on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends.
The hope is that Frenzie can serve as a destination for industry workers when they finish their shifts.
Photo: Heather Willensky
The idea is not new territory for the duo, who met while working at Roberta’s after Grossman had worked as one of the first hires at L’Industrie. At Frenzie, they’ll use a custom flour blend from Brooklyn Granary to turn out 14-inch sourdough pies. Combinations will include sausage and peppers with cheddar on a sesame crust, three-cheese with marinara, spicy vodka with ’nduja, and a ricotta-rich white pie. The pizza will be complemented by seasonal small plates — fritto misto, Caesar salad made with smashed cucumbers, and beef tartare — and an ever-changing wine list from Charlie Szur. He plans to focus on heavy curation with just eight or nine by-the-glass offerings (all of which are $19 or less), and 12-ish bottles that he’ll rotate frequently enough so repeat guests can always find something new, specifically from smaller producers who might send only a few cases to New York at a time. (The opening list includes a limited-allocation Lebanese rosé; a white blend of Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling from Slovenia; and a bottle of sparkling called Pork Soda with an illustrated pig on the label.)
Frenzie is a cozy space with 40-ish seats inside and room for 25 more outside, weather permitting, and it’s intended to be ultracasual by design. “People see Confidant as more of a celebratory meal, because it definitely is a higher-end neighborhood joint,” Kelley says. “Frenzie is going to be more laid-back. It’s meant to be a really nice night out or, like, a great first-date spot.”
After 10 p.m., the menu will include late-night specials like square slices or one-off pies. “It’ll always be first-come, first-served, all chef’s choice,” Kelley says. For anyone who needs a drink, there will also be composed shots and special bar combos like a martini and a slice for $20 or a Narragansett with a shot and a slice for $15.
“Making food late is a totally different job than being a line cook at a restaurant. It’s hard to staff that kind of position and to keep people there,” Grossman points out. “But I think people want and need a place like this to go out, drink, and just convene.”
Tiramisu for dessert.
Photo: Heather Willensky
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