Pearl & Ash Adds a Paris-Inspired Spot, Rebelle, to the Bowery

The guys behind Pearl & Ash are bringing another eatery to the Bowery – right next door at 218 Bowery where R Bar once stood. Though the sign out front hasn’t changed much (it’s still an elegant neon “R,” just a different typeface) Rebelle, which opens tonight for dinner at 5:30, brings some proper swank to the spot where stripper poles once glowed in soft red light. Another testament to the ever upscaling Lower East Side, Rebelle’s 90-seat floor comes complete with an ivory marble bar and chef’s table set against exposed brick and beam. It’s a collaboration with executive chef Daniel Eddy, formerly of Spring in Paris.

Pearl & Ash only opened its doors a few years ago in 2012, but it quickly found success. “After we felt that we had that running successfully, we started discussing the possibility of opening a new restaurant together,” partners Branden Mcrill and Patrick Capiello explain wrote in an email to Bedford + Bowery. “We met Daniel [Eddy] about a year ago, and that is when the ball really got rolling on this specific concept.”

Eddy’s simple four-section menu with uniform prices has a clear French influence with small, curated plates including scallops with sea urchin and pork with headcheese (spiced charcuterie typically made from pig’s head and veggies) and grape mustard. Under Capiello’s guidance and according to Eddy’s interest in food-wine interplay, they’ve paired the menu with a whopping 1,500-selection wine program that pulls from the US and France exclusively.

Spring, in Paris, aimed to cater to people “who appreciate good food and good wine, but can’t necessarily pay a month’s paycheck for it,” Eddy said. Even in its chic digs, Rebelle is essentially his New York answer to the same problem. “We wanted to create that restaurant here in NYC,” he said, adding that he wanted to “attract a range of people, whether they are a culinary student, or a stockbroker on Wall Street.” As a line cook, Eddy, a New York native, found himself hard-pressed to afford the “crazy expensive” dishes at Manhattan’s Michelin-starred French restaurants — so no dish on his menu exceeds $26 and most are under $15. Check it out below.

Rebelle, 218 Bowery bet. Prince and Spring Sts., 917-639-3880