Michael Lee Rafidi IN as RN74 Executive Chef With Baller New Menu

RN74’s got a new chef in the kitchen. Michael Lee Rafidi has quietly taken over the role of executive chef, as Tablehopper recently reported, and now some details are emerging about what to expect from his food. Rafidi replaced Adam Sobel, who had previously been running the RN74 kitchen since 2013 (he’s now heading up the Mina Test Kitchen). To make his mark, Rafidi’s clearly (and by clearly we mean not at all) keeping things low-key with dishes like burgundy escargot croissants, caviar doughnuts with smoked fromage blanc and uni and roasted crown of duck with foie gras dirty rice, smoked beets and kumquat marmalade. Rafidi comes to RN74 after spending the last few years in the Mina Group on the corporate side and helping with Mina’s openings, plus past stints at Noma in Copenhagen and Talula’s Garden in Philadelphia. Rafidi’s hardcore new menu of elevated French classics will be fully in place by early October, though some dishes — like those escargot croissants — are already on the menu.