Friday, November 11, 2016

On Avenue A, Soothsayer is now Chao Chao



The family-owned Soothsayer, a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant at 171 Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street, is now going by Chao Chao.

Here's more about the new venture via its website:

Chao Chao means a number of things in Vietnamese, depending on various accent marks and their placement. All meanings are food and hospitality related: a welcoming “hello”, a warming “soup”, delicious “meatballs”, or “shrimp balls” a sizzling “wok”, and, the accentuation used for the restaurant’s name, tangy “fermented tofu”.

Chao Chao is the brainchild of Stuy-Town native, Stephan Brezinsky. The concept is based in his life experience, growing up around Alphabet City in the 90s, listening to the Beastie Boys, and going home to feast on his mother’s Vietnamese home cooking.

Here's a look at the menu...


[Click for more detail]

Soothsayer closed without any notice to patrons at the end of September. They were on CB3's SLA October docket for an upgrade to a full liquor license. (CB3 issued a denial on the license.) Soothsayer opened in January.

As for No. 171, it was the former home of 171A, a studio used by the Beastie Boys, Bad Brains and Reagan Youth, among other bands.
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5 comments:

  1. GojiraNovember 11, 2016 at 10:30 AM

    19 bucks for fried rice? Ummm, thanks, think I'll stick with NY Noodletown.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael IvanNovember 11, 2016 at 5:40 PM

      And a plate of veggies for $22 ... : /

      Delete
    2. SarahDecember 6, 2016 at 11:23 PM

      Lol that's autumn curry not veggies!..had that dish last week was actually super filling. Took some home with me

      Delete
  2. UnknownNovember 12, 2016 at 11:38 AM

    Your food is too expensive! You dont care about the neighborhood or neighbors Especially with sao mai around the corner awesome affordable Vietnamese food

    ReplyDelete
  3. ShawnNovember 12, 2016 at 5:44 PM

    This place is on restaurant deathwatch - just like Ethos, which failed, then turned into Moonstruck, then failed. You can't fit a square peg into a round hole.

    It's usually empty and the gaudy yellow signage is not what East Villagers want. Yuk.

    I give 'em 3 more months.

    ReplyDelete

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