Four Michelin-star restaurants put Queens dining on the menu

“Brooklyn is becoming Manhattan,” chefs say

Danny Brown and his Danny Brown Wine Bar and Kitchen in Forest Hills
Danny Brown and his Danny Brown Wine Bar and Kitchen in Forest Hills

Rising rents are forcing restaurateurs out of Brooklyn, once an affordable refuge for both chef and diner. And that is a boon to Queens, which is seeing an explosion in innovative dinning.

Long known for its cheap ethnic eats, Queens is now on the fine-dinning map with four Michelin-star restaurants and plenty more contenders popping up, according to the New York Post.

“Manhattan is no longer for regular people, the rents are insanely high — and Brooklyn is becoming like Manhattan,” Jeff Teller, chef de cuisine at Queens’ M. Wells Steakhouse, told the Post. “It cripples you. You have to be a Daniel Boulud or Danny Meyer that can support losing money for a year. The next logical thing is to look in Queens.”

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But even eight years ago, Chef Danny Brown saw potential in Quuens, opening Danny Brown Wine Bar and Kitchen in Forest Hills, which until now had been the only eatery in the borough to earn a Michelin star.

“It’s great to have company,” Brown said. “It’s great for the borough and it’s great to establish Queens.”

The three other starred restaurants in the borough include: Casa Enrique, M. Wells Steakhouse and Zabb Elee.
[NYP]Christopher Cameron