Jared King Out, Alchemy Going Strong

The name might smack of molecular gastronomy but at Alchemy, a new Park Slope gastropub, there’s nary a TeppanNitro to be found. In fact, owner Kevin Read’s formula is a simple one—fine ingredients, delicate, but not precious preparations, and a convivial environment reminiscent of Alchemy’s London counterparts.

Read confirmed that Chef Jared King (Peacock Alley, Oceana) who opened the space has since left. “He helped us open as a consultant,” he said. “His leaving was always a possibility.” Read declined to comment on the nature of the split but did offer that he would seek out a new chef as the menu makes its seasonal shift.

For now anyway, the kitchen seems to be managing without him. On Gothamist’s recent visit, the cooks turned out a tantalizing plate of fried cuttlefish wrapped in a thin sleeve of batter and served with a pot of chorizo oil mayo. Braised pork cheeks were tender and vaguely sweet, responding to the slightest stroke of the fork. Alchemy’s subtle elevations are overwhelmingly successful—a hangar steak is topped with a lightly fried disc of bone marrow, a burger is dressed with a shallot confit and a knob of bite-size fingerling fries. The weakest dish might be the lamb stew which, while earthy and tasty in its own right, was too thin to achieve the desired dimension.

Fittingly, Alchemy is as fine a choice for a drink as it is for dinner. After some rigmarole with a liquor license, a full bar now turns out a handful of specialty cocktails and a wide selection of beers on tap. The 100-year-old mahogany beastie glows under Alchemy’s filament bulbs, and with clever bar snacks like crispy chickpeas, is a perfect preamble to a larger meal.

Alchemy
56 Fifth Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-636-4385