Kosher Gastropub Opened During Pandemic – And is Thriving

By COLlive reporter 

Avremi Scheinfeld of Crown Heights always knew he wanted to open a restaurant. A dream he had for so many years has finally come true – but he never thought he’d have to deal with the sort of crisis that he faced as he was about to open a few months ago.

Scheinfeld was working in a kosher Chinese eatery 3 years ago, when his wife Mushka Scheinfeld (nee Hecht) played a joke on him. She told him one day that the graphic design company she worked for was transferring her and that they would have to relocate to Seattle, Washington.

“I immediately began thinking about opening a Kosher place there, until she told me she was kidding,” Avremi told COLlive.com. “But then she reminded me that I had mentioned while we were dating that I had wanted to open my own restaurant, and she encouraged me to finally go for it.”

Scheinfeld says he partnered with a good friend, and together they have built Abe’s Corner, a restaurant and bar in Crown Heights. The two have been planning and building for many months, which turned into 2 years, of many restarts and setbacks.

“It’s been a crazy journey, with many ups and downs, and there were many times I didn’t know if it was going to happen,” Scheinfeld says. “It’s been a 2-year journey to get to this point.”

5 months ago, Scheinfeld says, the chef they had lined up to create the menu quit, since it was taking so long for the restaurant to actually open. “For me, that was nearly the last straw,” he says.

He then met John Perez, a chef with experience working at New York City’s Keens Steakhouse and Jean-Georges, as well as in the kosher fine dining industry. “We just hit it off,” Scheinfeld says.

Together, Scheinfeld and Perez came up with a menu fit for a gastropub, a hybrid pub, bar and restaurant, notable for serving beer, wine and food. They would serve an elevated, yet familiar and approachable, fusion menu with “a little bit of everything.”

“What we are doing here is on another level,” he says while sitting on the background of the warm classic wood bar which feels like an authentic New York City eatery. “We are more focused on a great restaurant with great food and a great place to come with your spouse, friends or on a date.”

And then, with the menu set and the restaurant ready for a ‘soft opening’ event by invitation only, coronavirus hit New York City. “We immediately put everything on pause,” Scheinfeld says.

The partners were afraid they would never be able to open. Who knew what the future would bring?

When restaurants in New York City began opening for takeout, Scheinfeld and Perez had a daring idea. “We asked, can we open a restaurant during the coronavirus crisis?” Perez says. “We said, we could go under or go hard, let’s just do it.”

Getting the word out on social media that they are open for business through pickup and delivery, the response was immediate. Their most popular item being ordered is a Canadian inspired dish, Brisket Poutine – french fries with creamy onion gravy.

Scheinfeld says he came up with the idea after seeing meat poutine in a Miami steakhouse. “I fell in love with the idea but wanted to create one with my own spin on it,” he says. “It’s been selling like crazy.”

Another popular item is the Moty Burger, a burger made with 8 oz prime blend ground in house, duck confit, pickled red onion, fried egg, pickle chip, sweet onion jam, arugula, and a bourbon glaze. Named for Scheinfeld’s dad R’ Moty Scheinfeld OBM, who passed away 3 years ago.

“When we worked on the menu, I told John, I need a burger that people will get in their cars and come out just for that, they will be craving it so much,” Scheinfeld says.

“My father enjoyed a good burger and was rarely able to find one that combined all the items we have in the Moty burger. So, we decided to name this burger for my father, because I know that if he was still here, he would be raving about it and come back every day to have one. Having the Moty burger here is a special dedication to my father, who would be so proud of us today,” he says.

Other items include a crispy chicken sandwich with Harissa mayo, sweet pickles, lime-cilantro cabbage, and arugula, wings sous vide in duck fat, chicken poppers with garlic aioli, Sriracha aioli, honey mustard, or ranch, and the pulled brisket sandwich – a slow-smoked, house BBQ rub, with twice-cooked onion, and a bourbon brown sugar glaze.

The restaurant is under the strict Kosher supervision of Rabbi Eli Matusof of Crown Heights and all meat and chicken are Lubavitch Shechita.

“I couldn’t have wished for any better reception from the community,” says Scheinfeld. “It’s a miracle. The orders keep coming in, and people love our food. Thank G-d we are off to a great start, given the circumstances.

Scheinfeld contributes the positive response and great customer feedback to the chef, whom he says is already like a member of his family.

“This guy is magic in the kitchen, and we are only a few weeks in, but it has been amazing,” he says. “With so much sadness happening lately, to have been welcomed so warmly by the community has just been so special,” Scheinfeld says.

Abe’s Corner
674 Rogers Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11226
Under Kosher supervision of Rabbi Eliyahu Matusof
Open from 5PM – 10PM

Website – abescornerbk.com
Instagram- abes.corner
Facebook- Abe’s corner