BREAKING: Popina and Gus's Owners Part Ways
Justin Smilie will start a 6-week stint at Popina on January 15th
Sommelier James O’Brien and Chef Chris McDade, who together own the beloved Brooklyn restaurants Popina and Gus’s Chophouse, are changing things up; Chris is taking over Gus’s, and James will helm Popina, the original Italian spot they opened together in 2017 after meeting at Maialino. The split is very amicable, but it gives each partner a restaurant of their own to focus on and nourish. “We appreciate what we each of us brought to the table, but we feel each restaurant needs its own attention and vision,” James told me today.
“Popina was an accumulation of my whole life’s work, and I was very fortunate to have James as my partner. It was a big part of the last eight years of my life,” Chris said. “So there is some sadness that goes along with passing that on, but I also know that it’s in good hands with James down the street. We are always here for each other, and still friends.”
The most exciting news of the split is this: while James searches for a new chef, Popina will host a 6-week pop up with the fabulous Justin Smilie, former chef of Upland and il buco Alimentari, who’s been doing lots of open-fire cooking and running his beloved Smilie Pizza Pop-Up for a few summers now.
Justin will be creating a fully new menu at Popina (more details to come on this soon!), which means (take a deep breath) no more Hot Chicken, but he’s helping to turn the page for a Popina reinvention.
At Popina, he’ll be using the kitchen as his own culinary incubator, testing out dishes for his new restaurant which is in the works. The 6-week stint will feature a different menu every week (so you can go six times and never eat the same meal), each menu rooted in his signature style — approachable and addictive Italian fare. James will be doing beverage pairings with a special list of wines to complement the menu. They’re thinking of adding bread from Winner (they met through Winner Chef Daniel Eddy), and will also be doing some pizzas and a pop up on the weekends to bring in the neighborhood.
“In broad strokes this is going to be food we like to eat,” said James, “all in the realm of Italy.”
Justin Smilie will be cheffing at Popina from Jan 15th-Feb 25th. Reservations are now open for all of January.