5 Things to Know About Bridges in Chinatown

1. This is Lawrence’s first solo venture.

New York City diners may already be familiar with Lawrence’s cooking from his stint as the lead chef at ever-popular Nolita restaurant Estela, owned by chef Ignacio Mattos. There, he says, he was initially attracted to the variety and identity present in the cooking, two things that he’s brought with him to his own kitchen at Bridges. He left Estela in 2022.

“There was a freedom to that cooking. It was really exciting, and I think that’s still true here. It’s not at all the same cooking [I was doing at Estela], but it’s a similar style,” Lawrence says.

This is the first time in his years-long career that he’s ventured out on his own, a feat both daunting and exciting, he adds.

“When you’re young and cooking, you always have the thought that you’d like to open something one day. You gather experiences, traveling and working in different parts of the world. You use all your reference points in your own place for the best ways or the most exciting ways to do things,” Lawrence says. “There’s much more risk on my end, financially, yes, but also because I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, and I want it to work.”

2. Both the team and the space have history.

The restaurant’s new home on Chatham Square is a piece of New York history, the former home of dim sum restaurant Hop Shing for nearly 50 years.

Lawrence is opening the restaurant with his partners Nicolas Mouchel and Josey Stuart, both practiced industry veterans who worked at restaurants like The NoMad and for Mattos Hospitality, the same group behind restaurants like Estela, Lodi, and Altro Paradiso.

“We’ve had the place for the past year and have been working on it for the past eight months,” Lawrence said. “We were lucky enough to go to Europe and take a trip together to all of the places that I kept telling them about as reference points. Having those shared experiences has really helped us in being able to communicate to the staff and have some real clarity on the identity of the place.”

So far, Lawrence said, things have been running surprisingly smoothly since their opening night on Sept.25, adding that the extended timetable before opening helped things there, too.

“There’s a lot of feedback we’ve been getting from friends that have come in and eaten, saying that it feels like a bit more of a mature restaurant than something that’s just opened. I think that’s down to the planning and the team and the training, and that feels really good,” he adds.

3. Inside, it’s cozy and cool.

The dining room at Bridges is clean and modern, with lots of black leather accents and sleek chrome sconces. The team worked with interior designer Billy Cotton to bring the space together.

“We wanted something that felt like it took cues from some design elements that I really liked, from Art Deco or futurism, but that felt like it truly belonged in New York. Those are the restaurants that, to me, are the most exciting — the places that just wouldn’t fit in anywhere else,” Lawrence says.

Many of the tables are booths (eight in total) an intentional act on the part of the team. The cozy feel of the dining room is a counterpoint to the fun atmosphere of the bar, and both spaces are connected and close in a way that the smaller space allows.

“You get the fun and excitement of the bar seeping into the room, which is a little quieter and more intimate, but still with a similar energy,” Lawrence notes.

4. The wine list is where it’s at.

The cocktail list at Bridges isn’t reinventing the wheel, rather focusing on classic drinks that complement the food and the real star of the show: the wine program.

“[The cocktail list] is there as a supporting player,” Lawrence says. Keara Driscoll, whom he worked with at Estela and who acted as wine director at the now-closed Mena, oversees the Bridges list.

She’s focused on a strong European selection, but also has producer connections in North and South America and Slovenia, too.

“[Driscoll] works with a lot of new and exciting producers, but there are some older world bottles on this list, too. It should have something that’s exciting for lots of people to come and drink. There are some things that are familiar, and other things that are exciting and that will keep you coming back,” Lawrence says.

5. Expect classical cooking with worldly inspiration.

For Bridges, Lawrence has pulled inspiration from around the world. Traditional French and Basque preparations come into play, but things are by no means rigid or fixed.

“The cooking definitely is based on traditional technique. But we’re in a really lucky place in New York to have access to so many different and exciting ingredients. It’s nice to incorporate them into the traditional cooking method to help gain these bold and, I think, kind of fun flavor combinations as well,” Lawrence adds.

In his own words, Lawrence took us through the five essential dishes on the menu at Bridges.

Sardines with Anchovies and Peppers

“This one is a very thin, charred piece of toast that gets a very intense garlic aioli. Then, there’s a really fat, rich Cantabrian anchovy, and a marinated bullhorn pepper. It’s marinated in a paste that we make with fresh Espelette pepper. Then, there’s a cured sardine that we cure in salt and a bit of vinegar, and marinate with oil, garlic, lemon, bay leaf, thyme, and black pepper. Then we add some marjoram buds to it as well.”

Comté Tart with Chanterelles

“It’s a malted barley crust with a 24-month aged Comté cheese tart filling. It’s quite soft, but almost like a custard. It gets topped with some chanterelles that get cooked with Vin Jaune wine, a little bit of butter and some anise hyssop as well.”

Grilled King Crab with Bearnaise and Pickles

“We cut the shell of the king crab open, and we brush the inside with a butter made from toasted chile. Then, we grill the whole crab over the coals so it gets quite smoky, and it warms the crab on the inside and sort of gets poached in its own butter. We serve it just as it is. It’s a little bit of a fun and primal way to eat something — it’s more designed to be eaten with your hands. You can get a little dirty while you’re eating it.

“It gets served with a Bearnaise sauce with salted plum in it, and some pickled daikon, peppers, and onion.”

Roast Duck with Summer Squash and Basil

“We slow age and then slow roast a duck, that we then grill really slowly so it gets smoky and very crisp. Then, we make a sausage out of the leg and wrap it in cabbage. So, it’s the sausage from the leg and the crisp duck breast, with a couple cabbage leaves that get poached in a mixture of fat from the duck and a little bit of chenin wine vinegar. Then, there’s a little bit of potato puree and a sauce made from dried scallop and chile, to eat with the duck. It’s designed for two to share;  it’s a little bit of a bigger entree with the whole duck breast and the whole leg in the form of the sausage.”

Vin Jaune Gelato and Peaches

“The dessert that we’re most excited about, that I’ve been cooking for a while, is the Vin Jaune gelato. It’s served with preserved peach, as well. We cooked a lot of peaches when they were around at the end of summer, and dried them gently so there’s still a little bit of a chew and a caramelization on the outside that feels pretty fresh. Then, there’s the gelato that’s made from some fresh Vin Jaune and a little bit of a reduced version. It gives it this toast flavor, but you can taste the peach as well. There are these floral notes; it has an orchard thing going on. I think it’s really fun. It’s the dessert I’m pretty excited about at the moment.”

Bridges is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. They eventually plan to open seven days a week.

Ellie Plass is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram and X.