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You may not know the name Matthew Maddy outright, but it is more than likely that you’ve experienced his work. The designer has made his mark on restaurants about town, including Lilia, Public Records and Oxomoco, so much so that he earned a James Beard nomination for his rustic take on Brooklyn’s Colonia Verde. Maddy crossed paths with chef Jackie Carnesi along the way, which makes sense, as he led the build-out at Nura and the recent revamping of Kellogg’s Diner, both kitchens she helmed. And now that Maddy and his partner, Marisa Maddy Ripo, turned a new, industrial build in Williamsburg into something that’s entirely beautiful, feminine and warm, Carnesi has come along for the ride. Here are four things to know about Bar Susanne.
The project comes from a personal place for the design team.
Bar Susanne, and its sister cafe next door, Cafe Susanne, is named after one of Maddy’s mentors, Susanne Greene. A second mother to Maddy, Greene was also an artist and ceramicist in New York. Using her spirit as an energy for the place, Greene’s feminine and artistic influence is certainly felt as the space is defined by hand-grooved and textured walls, rust marble and a warming glow thanks to amber lighting. The logo takes from her, too, recreated from a sculpture she made, which she referred to as “a fish person.” Maddy also incorporated works from his mother, Barbara Chapman, who is also an artist, as her prints hang around the dining room.
Jackie Carnesi is back in the kitchen, this time, working with some of New York’s finest seafoods.
Carnesi’s flexibility in the kitchen is certainly something to be admired, as she churned out freckled naan and za’atar-spiced baby back ribs at Nura and made flat nachos and fried slices of Texas Toast a thing for breakfast (or anytime) at Kellogg’s Diner. She is doing it again, but this time with seafood, sourcing from Long Island's North Fork and various New York waterways.
But, true to form, she doesn’t just shuck a few shells and call it a day. Her shrimp cocktail comes with two sauces for dipping: a chipotle aioli and a shrimp aioli with shrimp shells fashioned right in. The razor clams could be eaten like shooters or delicately disassembled as the thin shoots hold slices of charred spring onion, a lightly sweet and spicy passionfruit aguachile and twee cubes of hibiscus jam. “Fish + Chips” gets the Spanish treatment, as lemony-slick anchovies find themselves in bowls of chips, smeared with an herby salsa verde and dollops of aioli.
As for entrees, you could find yourself back on land with a roasted half chicken or a dry-aged burger (a burger which Carnesi wishes she could’ve made at Kellogg’s Diner). Or you can stick to the seas with a fluke Milanese with sauce gribiche.
The desserts lean into the theme (and are just as fun).
Carnesi’s playful nature extends to the dessert menu with a fish-shaped galette that swims with strawberry scales. However, the oyster shooters may prove to be most tactile, as mango sorbet with coconut creme anglaise can be tipped in the mouth and shot right out of the shell.
An Employees Only alum shakes up drinks made to pair with seafood and caviar.
Previously of Employees Only and Fandi Mata, Milos Zica’s bar program is easy drinking with low-ABV cocktails, including the lemon grass spritz with prosecco, yuzu soda and grapefruit bitters. But if you want something a little stronger to go with your caviar, you can find it in the cured & crafted martini with gin, a spiced aromatic brine and a dash of Cocchi Rosa for a slight bitter notes and color.
Bar Susanne officially opens on Friday, May 15 at 5pm.