Dean Street Hires New Chef

, the new bistro on the corner of Dean and Underhill, has found a replacement for chef Nate Smith, of Spotted Pig fame, six weeks ago.

The new chef is Mike Franzetti, a Prospect Heights resident who comes to the cozy eatery after heading the kitchen at Stuzzicheria in Tribeca.

"We're really excited to have him on board," said co-owner John Longo, who said he and co-owner Rob Gelardi met with more than a half-dozen chefs before making a decision.

“His food, we thought, was the best,” Longo said, adding Franzetti was "down to earth."

“He’s a regular guy, easy to talk to and easy to get along with – he’s a Brooklyn guy,” Longo said.

Franzetti has worked under Jean Louis Palladin at Palladin, Mark Ladner at Lupa, Daniel Eardley at Chestnut and Jonathan Waxman at Washington Park.

Eardley, who had been helping out at Dean Street since Smith left, strongly recommended Franzetti for the position, which sealed the deal, said Longo.

The bistro will soon have more appetizers on offer, as well as a late-night menu. In addition, within a few weeks, it will begin serving lunch at its , which is open from 7 to 3. Currently the café offers coffee drinks as well as baked goods (such as bacon and gruyere scones and pear ginger muffins) by the restaurant’s new baker, Ann Crites. 

As for how the dinner menu will change, Longo said it would continue to be American food with French and Italian influences, but would become “a little bit more accessible” with Franzetti introducing new dishes over time.

 “We’re not going to flip the menu over overnight,” Longo said. “We didn’t want to through our customers for a loop.”