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FIRST LOOK: Juniper & Ivy

The first photos of top chef Richard Blais' new restaurant...

By Troy Johnson | Photos by Paul Body February 26, 2014

NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDES Know the Neighborhood Where to eat, where to drink, and what it's like to live there. EXPLORE THE GUIDES

This is gonna be big. Real big. Richard Blais is no small talent. Top Chef: All-Stars winner. Host of his own show on Headline News (Cook Your Ass Off). Highly intelligent creative man-kid who can do some phenomenal things with liquid nitrogen, but doesn’t like being known for liquid nitrogen because he braises a fine meat, too. He’s one of the biggest up-and-coming names in American cooking, pure and simple. When he and partner Michael Rosen decided to take over the 90 year-old Helix Wholesale Co. building in Little Italy, everyone knew it’d be a project and a half. But Rosen spared no costs trying to make Juniper & Ivy into something truly special. After all, Rosen and Blais live here.

Set to open to the public Monday, we were able to get the first photos of what they’ve done. So I’ll stop blathering and get to the building porn. Please enjoy.