Governor Will Not Reopen

The owners of Colonie, Gran Electrica, and Governor announced over the weekend that, due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, they will not be reopening Governor.

"In the aftermath of this dreadful storm, we assessed the destruction at Governor caused by five feet of water, and we were determined to rebuild our fledgling restaurant.  But despite our commitment and the subsequent and remarkable outpouring of support in all forms--from individuals, the restaurant industry and the community, we have, regrettably, been forced to accept that the scope and scale of repairing the damage to our restaurant is beyond our means financially.

It is with a very heavy heart that we must humbly face up to this fact."

We had the good fortune of eating at Governor shortly after the restaurant opened, but the unfortunate news serves as a reminder of the storms severity. We're sad to see the restaurant close, as it had quickly received city-wide acclaim, neighborhood praise, and two stars from Pete Wells in the mere four months it was open. Benefits held and donations made since Sandy have raised over $50,000 for the restaurant, but Tamer Hamawi, one of three owners, "estimated the damage at $300,000 to $350,000," writes Wells in an article for Diner's Journal. The owners are offering to return all the donations.

Along with Hamawi, Elise Rosenberg and Emelie Kihlstrom will continue to pour their efforts into their other two projects, "We will continue to operate Colonie and Gran Electrica and refocus our efforts on making these businesses viable in their Brooklyn neighborhoods for the long term." The statement also reveals that Brad McDonald, who served as the executive chef for the restaurant group, will be moving on "to spend time with his wife and two young children." [StongBuzz] [Diner'sJournal]

First Bite: Governor

Welcome to First Bite, a new feature at DigestNY where we post about some of the city's most anticipated restaurants shortly after they open. We'll take some pics, eat some food, digest, and then report back to you. This go round it's Governor in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood. It's the third restaurant from the team behind Gran Electrica nearby on Front Street, and Colonie in Brooklyn Heights. Bradford McDonald is the chef. His time at Per Se and Noma shows in his clean flavors and slick plating.

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The Third Time's Another Charm

Tamer Hamawi, Elise Rosenberg, and Emelie Kihlstrom have added Governor to their Brooklyn empire.  Governor is the third project from the team that opened Colonie and Gran Electrica all within a year and a half.

Colonie opened in February 2011 and received a star from the Times three months later.  Gran Electrica opened in March this year on Front Street in Dumbo.  Governor opened last night and serves food from chef Bradford McDonald.  The restaurant showcases McDonald's past, some of which was spent working at Per Se and the food forage mecca that is Noma.  The menu has items like smoked ham holladaise, marrow popovers, and squash gazpacho.  A tasting menu is in the works and should debut sometime this summer.  In the meantime, take a look around the new space at 15 Main Street.

Do the Gran Electrica, Boogie Woogie

Colonie is a seasonal, small-plates restaurant that opened on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights a little more than a year ago.  Tamer Hamawi, Emelie Kihlstrom, and Elise Rosenberg make up the trio responsible for the restaurants success.  The momentum of which has lead to their latest venture, Gran Electrica.

Bradford McDonald is the executive chef for the restaurant group.  He and chef Sam Richman, an ex Fat Duck and Jean Georges employee, spent some time in Mexico learning the food so they could present an authentic product at Gran Electrica, which opened about a month ago at 5 Front Street in DUMBO.

Gran Electrica is making a lot of their own products in house, i.e. tortillas and chorizo.  The food and drinks all look pretty good as the restaurant fills the zapatos left by Hecho en Dumbo, the neighborhoods previous restaurant to serve Mexican fare that crossed the river and settled in NoHo a couple years ago.